Youtube now has my How to Make A Natural Perfume lecture available for viewing . We learned during the class that the base aromas extend and hold the fragrance of a perfume. I taught how to make a base using essential oils, concretes and absolutes to achieve a lasting natural perfume. Two formulas for bases are available on Utube that can be used with many, if not all natural perfumes. One base uses vanilla and balsams; the other has an oakmoss scent. I introduced tonka bean and labdanum base scents as very fragrant base aromas. Next , I gave many formulas of the heart or body of the perfume. These include roses, jasmine, litsea cubeba, champaca, tuberose, neroli and frangipani, ylang ylang extra, and other essential oils that combine well with these aromas. Champaca and Tuberose are the most exotic perfume heart perfume ingredients.. The heart of the perfume includes the dominant scents. The top scents are next and are usually citrus,such as the 4 oranges made from the orange tree, lime and litsea cubeba, a flower used for its lemon scent. Top notes also include spices, such as coriander, nutmeg, and cardamom. Top notes are the first scent we smell when we open a perfume. Top aroma notes define the aroma and grab our attention to continue exploring this wonderful perfume.

Natural perfumes are cured, or married, for 2-4 weeks so the flavors can become a unified living entity of scent. After analyzing this new aroma, we can add a few drops of any of the scents to further define the aroma. Actually, you can quickly take a sniff after a few days, but be sure to allow the aroma to blend a full 2 weeks or longer. Oxidation can change the blend after opening, so be patient!

It's important to understand why we want a natural perfume and what essential oils, absolutes and concretes actually do in a perfume.  Natural perfumes are living scents that evolve and change like we do in the course of our lives. Commercial perfumes are made from chemicals that mimic the scents of plants. Concretes , absolutes and essential oils are made from the plants and have all the subtle scents that unfold in petals of aroma. Natural perfumes do not harm the environment. They encourage bee activity and do not offend the water supply or environment. Chemical perfumes are in all personal care, household, and skincare products. These are one category of pollutants that harm fish, wildlife, and our domestic pets who drink contaminated water. Synthetic perfumes are also in organic and natural products listed as parfume and fragrance, lavidin, vanillin, just to mention a few. These perfumes do not blend with our unique aroma we have since birth and support self healing. Natural perfumes do and release a cascading , large amount of endorphins as they caress and unfold from our skin. Perfumes made from Nature can increase longevity and our experience of quality living. Our smell awareness awakens to increase memory and keep us from having neurological illness,such as Alzheimers. Scent can be an enjoyable  force for a healthier life.

Join me on Utube to learn more about making a natural perfume. Also read the previous blog describing concretes and absolutes in natural perfumery.I teach limited class intensives when we make a personal, natural perfume. If you are interested, please contact me at www.aromahealthtexas.com.

Many of the most fragrant flowers must be made into an absolute to achieve a natural fragrance for perfume and aromatherapy. Neroli Orange flower, jasmine, rose and osmanthus are a few examples of absolutes. The flowers are collected fresh and bathed in an alcohol or hexane solution in a sealed container. The essential oils are dissolved by the solvent circulated over the 

flowers.The process yields a semisolid, waxy material called a concrete. Concretes are often used as base notes in aromatherapy and perfumery. They have a scent and texture that reminds me of the plant and a staying power that makes them an excellent choice as a low, or base note, which holds the aromas' fragrance for hours and even days. Concretes leave a residue  when diluted into an aroma blend that can be filtered out. It is a waxy substance which contains scent.The aroma is very true to the plant and has a subtle different scent than an absolute. Resins and Balsams, vanilla, oakmoss,Peru Balsam and many others are also extracted by this process.

An absolute is created by rendering the waxy, semisolid materials from a concrete. This produces a  very concentrated liquid that is completely soluble in alcohol. It is a refined product that is exquisitely fragrant and ready to use in a perfume, or as a perfume by itself. Absolutes are often very expensive, but worth the results. The fragrance of Jasmine grandiflora or Bitter orange absolutes will produce an aromatic pleasure never before experienced.The smell is better than any perfume I have ever sampled from the most  exotic perfumers all over the world. It can take 1000 pounds of fresh flowers to make 3 pounds of an absolute. They are sure to take you to places in your consciousness you have never penetrated previously. Their intensity is many times more apparent than essential oils that are steam distilled. In a perfume or aromatherapy product, absolutes and concretes have a much longer staying time. 

Essential oils lift quickly by their nature of volatility. They can be combined with concretes and absolutes in aromatic products, especially as high, or top notes. These are the first aromas apparent as an aromatherapy or perfume product is opened. The scent doesn't last long. This alluring scent gets us interested and ready for the heart of the blend, which can last for hours. The base, or low aromas, hold down the scent of the entire blend and allows it to smell for hours and even days.

In aromatherapy and perfumery, we always begin with low note aromas and build the heart and then high, more volatile scents to complete a transformation of scent that is healing and specific for your body chemistry. It's like building a pyramid of scent that all starts with concretes and resinous essential oil products and ends with high intensity , fragrant absolutes and steam distilled essential oils. The results are worth every bit of the experience!