What are your favorite scents?

Vetiver is a nice, earthy, woody scent with a sharper edge to it than sandalwood has. I'd advise getting your hands on a vial of the oil if you can. It's more versatile, though it's not as sweet as the herb.

If you get some, let us know what you think.

I got some Palo Santo cones a couple weeks ago. I was curious as I'd never tried it before. So I burned some. It's like a mint and cedar blend that mellows to coconut(!) as it fades. The smell lingers for some time, too. The coconut smell also doesn't have that nasty synthetic edge that coconut incenses do, because there aren't any oils in it. The only thing I don't like is that the cones, which are basically pressed palo santo sawdust, generate a hell of a lot of smoke. It's been humid here lately, meaning my asthma's been flaring, and I really don't like antagonizing it any more than I have to. :/

I can find pieces of palo santo wood, too, but from what I hear, the cones work better. The wood is smoldered and used for smudging. Evidently it's a South American relative of the frankincense tree, which explains a lot.

greatdane said:

Not just for reading, but for just every day use and what situations you use for? Also can anyone tell me their favorite brand of patchouli or a patchouli blend oil? Patchouli oil can really vary in quality. I'm looking for an earthy fragrance with patchouli as the most prevalent scent, but maybe mixed with another oil to wear.

Many thanks,
GD

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Hi Greatdane,

I know this is an older thread but I just wanted to touch on Patchouli for a moment.

I manage an Essential Oil Dispensary here in NZ and just wanted to let you know that patchouli is an oil which gets better (sweeter, mellower) with age. This is one of the reasons that It can seem different depending on the batch or the source.
So when fresh, it can be rather dry and raw smelling if that makes sense, but if you put that oil away it will develop beautifully over time. The longer the better with Patchouli.
There are some perfumers who use "antique" patchouli (literally early to mid 19th century oil) for this very reason.

Hope this helps...

ETA - patchouli, orange and ylang ylang is a classic combo...

I love the smell of deep dark roses. Ah, but what I'd do for a Kurkdjian!

Love- the sea, chocolate, roses, apple blossom, mown grass, lemons, mint, rosemary, thyme, lavender, strawberries.

Hate- vanilla, things burning (trees, incense, wood, toast ) those horrible PHS air fresheners they put in toilets everywhere these days instead of opening windows. *blllleeeuuuuugh*

Loving reading everyone's favorites!

Oh, Earthair, vanilla. I love the scent of REAL vanilla as in adding to cooking, the REAL stuff, not imitation, but the cheap vanilla scents give me a headache. I have to remove myself from the scene if someone has any cheap vanilla fragrance on.

Fragrance/perfumes: Amber, Sandalwood, Rose and Apple Pie in the oven
Other smells: Smoke...campfire, wood burning stove, burning leaves and sage (not like blazing smoke in my face, but a "waft in the air" sort of smell)

Anything fruity! Especially pears, strawberries, bananas and fresh vanilla beans

Marirowana said:

-Pinetree. I love all the pine-like smells, but especially cedar. I use cedar in my homemade deodorant, because it smells warm and fresh at the same time (I love to smell like a walk in the forest ) and it also cleanses the lymph nodes, which is important in that area.
I blend it with gardenia, lemongrass and geranium.

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How do you make it, the homemade deodorant?

daphne said:

How do you make it, the homemade deodorant?

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Very easy: I just fill an empty jar with pure baking soda (other names may be natriumbicarbonate or cleansing salt) with 1/10 part corn starch. Then add the essential oils to your taste that's it.

It takes some getting-used-to because it is a powder. Just make your hands slightly wet, cover the jar with your hands, shake it so it sticks to the palm of your hand, and apply under your arms. It costs just a few cents to make it, I buy the baking soda for about 4 dollars per kilogram. (There are commercial brands now, like Ohm Deodorant, selling the exact same thing for ridiculously high prices).

It works equal or even better than 'regular' deo. And there are so many reasons not to use those anymore...

ETA: I also use this as a 'dry shampoo' when I'm travelling. It absorbs the grease in your hair as well and in case of emergency you could brush your teeth with it as well, although I have another blend for that.
Oh and you could use it as a face scrub as well, mixed into a paste with some water.
Less is more!

Marirowana said:

Very easy: I just fill an empty jar with pure baking soda (other names may be natriumbicarbonate or cleansing salt) with 1/10 part corn starch. Then add the essential oils to your taste that's it.

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It sounds... do-able even for people never preparing homemade stuff, like me.
What kind of oils do you add, special skin-oils? And how much, or what is the proportion?