Natural Perfume
Most traditional perfumes are created in a lab, using synthetic oils that replicate natural, botanical scents. A fragrance may be made up of dozens, sometimes over a hundred different chemicals – and according to a National Academy of Sciences study from a couple of decades ago; up to 95% of these fragrance chemicals are petrochemicals – derived from crude oil. Do you really want to apply that to your skin to be absorbed into your body?
In addition, unlike many synthetic scents, natural perfumes have no phthalates, compounds derived from alcohol that makes scents last longer but have also been linked to hormonal imbalance and reproductive disorders. In fact the Environmental Working Group in the USA and many natural health experts, me included, suggest limiting exposure to phthalates when possible.
This doesn’t mean you should stop wearing perfume. Quite the contrary; you should treat yourself to the essential oils of natural perfumes. Natural perfumes are made with essential oils extracted from flowers and fruit produced by small high quality growers.
Nature has provided us with an abundance of beautiful scents – jasmine, ylang ylang, rose, geranium, tea rose to name a few and all available as essential oils. Another option if you have the time and feel creative is to make your own natural perfume.
You’ll need a small dark glass bottle for storing your fragrance creation as sunlight will quickly kill the scent if you store it in clear glass.
Ingredients:
- Your favourite essential oil/s
- 2 1/2 oz of Vodka
- 2 tablespoons of Distilled Water
It will take a little experimentation to achieve the right potency to suit your tastes; so start out with a single essential oil for practice – perhaps 4-8 drops. The general process is:
Add the essential oil to the vodka, stirring slowly until the oil is fully mixed in; then let sit for 2 days. After this time, add the distilled water, slowly stirring it through; then let it sit another couple of days; longer for a more potent mix. Done!
Don’t forget to write down the essential oils and numbers of drops you use in each batch while refining your own natural perfume blend! Although our sense of smell is not as keen as other mammals, a delicious aroma wafting from our skins not only makes us feel more upbeat it is also a form of communication.
We can wear perfumes that convey our mood or our personality. Fragrances can enhance or even change our mindset so if you’re feeling powerful or want to feel powerful choose a bold, clean scent with a strong fruity note. If you want to feel romantic look for floral fragrances; if you’re feeling sexy look for woodsy flavours.
Whatever you are trying to communicate, you should sample several scents. Smell it, apply it and live with it for a while to see it it’s you. And because natural perfumes don’t last as long, reapply whenever the scent fades. As the fragrance interacts with your body, a new aroma emerges- one that is naturally your own.