I think I've said it before... I am a scent FREAK! I LOVE smells of all kinds! Before I go out my door, I will inevitably spray myself with up to 5 different fragrances to get the smell I like. I love combining scents to create new ones!
Growing up, I didn't have many perfumes, but I had tons of oils which I would buy from Venice Beach. Amber, Egyptian Musk, Sandalwood, and Nag Champa were among my favorites, along with Ocean, Rain, Lavender, Lotus Flower, you name it!! I love the woody, musky, earthy tones as well as the fresh, floral, springtime notes, although I must admit, I've never been a huge fan of the sweet, fruity, candy like scents as much. But spritzing myself with numerous aromas was nothing compared to creating new scents for my soaps.
As I mentioned in my last blog, I went nuts with all the smells I bought to start making soaps. At first, I didn't want to work with anything but Essential Oils (aka EO's) for the fact that I wanted everything I put in my soap to have a medicinal benefit beyond smelling good. Unfortunately, as I started opening my new treasure trove of oils, I discovered most EO's smell just that way, medicinal. Most are bitter, strong and, in an all encompassing word, Gross! Luckily, there are a handful of EO's who's scents are simply divine in their most potent form, such as Lavender, Sweet Orange, Tangerine, Lemongrass, and Bergamot to name a few.
Being the trooper that I am, I went ahead and started combining scents to try and make the best I could out of the situation. I read up on Top, Middle and Base notes in EO's, learned to differentiate between them and the best way to combine them. To summarize:
Top Notes: Typically will evaporate quickly and have anti-viral properties. They tend to be fresh, awakening and light and are typically inexpensive. They are fast acting and will be the first thing you notice when you inhale a blend. Some examples are Lemon, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Sage, Bergamot, Tangerine, Sweet Orange, etc.
Middle Notes: Most EO's are considered to be middle notes and will typically add body and balance to a blend. Middle notes take a few minutes to establish their aroma and are normally soft and warm fragrances, such as Geranium, Chamomile, Palma Rosa, Pine, Rosemary, etc.
Base Notes: Base notes are normally very heavy and have a strong scent. They evaporate very slowly and even slow the evaporation process of other oils they are blended with. They rich, relaxing and usually the most expensive. Some Base Oils are Balsam Peru, Clove, Myrrh, Patchouli, Vanilla, Cedarwood, etc.
Sometimes a fragrance will carry traits of both Top and Middle Notes or Middle and Base notes. Lavender can be considered a Top Note as well as a Middle Note, just like Clary Sage, Hyssop, and Lemongrass.
Working with Essential Oils and learning my "Notes" definitely got me off on the right foot! I've since expanded my scent collection to include several fragrance oils, as well as Essential Oils. If I'm looking for a quick remedy to a skin issue, then I will always go to my EO's to help the condition I'm looking to cure; however, if I'm looking for a yummy scent and the EO's I'd like to combine just aren't cutting it (or in some cases the scent I want simply doesn't come in an EO - I wonder if Espresso could be considered an Essential Oil of coffee??) then I'll turn to my trusted Fragrance Oils to do the trick!
In the end, all I want is nothing short of a unbelievable, fantastic, well-rounded scent that one would love to rub all over their body! ;-)
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