Monthly Archives: June 2010
Simple Perfume Recipes Using Essential Oils
For more information about essential oils and their healing properties, please visit http://HealWithEssentialOil.com. Get your copy of The Art of Making Perfume.
Before we get started, make sure you have everything you need. Here’s your checklist.
• Distilled water
• Essential oils
• Plastic sheeting
• Glycerin
• Large measuring cup with spout for pouring
• Dark glass bottle with lid
• Vodka or Perfumer’s Alcohol
You’re probably still wondering about the Vodka, right? Using Vodka in your perfume will actually serve a couple of purposes. Vodka enhances the aroma of perfumes. It also preserves the scent without making it overpowering. You only need a small amount so don’t rush out and buy a fifth!
The plastic sheeting is used to protect your table or countertop as the essential oils and alcohol can damage them if spilled. This is also the reason you’re using a measuring cup with a spout. It’s much easier to pour without worrying about spilling it. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
When making homemade perfumes as previously discussed, there are four main ingredients which you will need, and these are:
1. Essential Oils
2. Water
3. Alcohol
4. Fixatives
Many of these items can be either obtained from a store that specializes in such ingredients, or over the internet.
You will also need a large saucepan, large bowl (for mixing all the ingredients together), spoon and some measuring cups or jugs to make perfume at home.
Provided below, are a few easy recipes that you should be able to produce at home without too much effort.
1. Basic Recipe
This first recipe uses flowers right in your backyard. All you need for this recipe is some water and chopped flower blossoms (use Lilac or Lavender essential oil if blossoms are unavailable).
If you like a floral scent, you’ll love this simple perfume recipe. To start out, you’ll need one to two cups of fresh flowers, petals or chopped blossoms (Roses, Lilacs, Carnations, etc.) and two cups of water. Get a medium size bowl and put cheesecloth on top, making sure it hangs over the side of the bowl.
Place one cup of your flower blossoms in the cheesecloth and cover them completely with water. The mixture needs to sit covered overnight. The next day lift the cheesecloth up and squeeze the cheesecloth over the saucepan so you’ll get the scented liquid. Simmer this liquid until only about a teaspoon remains. Let it cool and pour it into a small dark bottle. Spray in the air as a freshener or use on the skin.
2. Basic Recipe #2
Place 25 drops of your favorite essential oils into your measuring cup. You may choose one or more fragrances to give you a compelling and deep fragrance but be sure to use fragrances that will go well with each other.
Add five drops of glycerin to the essential oils. Glycerin is used as a fixative because it will help your perfume keep its aroma much longer. Mix the glycerin and add 3 tablespoons of Vodka and 2 cups of distilled water. Stir the mixture with a spoon so that it’s blended well. Now is when you want to check out the aroma to determine if it’s strong enough for you. If not, add a drop or two until you have the exact strength you want. The longer you let your perfume sit, the stronger it will be as well, like fine wine! Your ratio should be 70 percent alcohol, 20 percent essential oils and 10 percent water.
Once you have the strength the way you like it and it’s mixed well, pour your perfume into the dark glass bottles, making sure the lids are tight. Store it a cool dry location, letting it sit one full day before using.
3. Amazement
For this blend, you will need one cup of distilled water, five teaspoons of Vodka, and five drops each of the following essential oils: St. John’s Wort, Cypress and Rosemary. They should then be mixed together and stored overnight.
After a period of 12 hours or more, the solution produced can be put into a dark spray bottle to be used. Using a dark colored bottle will help the solution to remain fresh, which will be felt by the person using it when they apply it to their skin.
4. Whispering Rain
This recipe breathes a light scent reminiscent of a lingering shower. Again, you will need one cup of distilled water, five teaspoons of Vodka, five drops of each: Sandalwood, Bergamot and Cassia essential oils (which can also be purchased as fragrance oils).
These ingredients should be stirred together and then stored overnight in a covered container. Then, the next day, it can be transferred to a dark colored bottle. This perfume must be kept in a cool place so that it does not dry up.
The three perfumes above normally last for about a month before they lose their scent. The next recipe should produce something a bit better.
5. English Country Garden
For this recipe, you will need five drops each of the following essential oils: Valerian, Chamomile, and Lavender. Add five teaspoons of Vodka and one cup of distilled water. All these ingredients should be put into a jar and then shaken. It should then be put in a cool place and left for a week. After this time, you can then transfer the mixture into small perfume bottles.
It is important to remember that these types of perfume recipes only have a shelf life of a month; therefore you will need to make new batches every few weeks.
6. Oriental
To bring a touch of the orient into your home, try mixing up this next recipe. Add four drops of Sandalwood, four drops of Musk, three drops of Frankincense essential oil and two drops of Jojoba oil into a small dark bottle with a tight fitting lid. Make sure you shake well after adding each essential oil is added to the bottle. Do not add everything to the bottle at one time and then shake it up. Store your blend in a dark place for at least 12 hours before using. The longer you let it sit, the stronger and longer lasting the scent will become.
This last recipe will make a delightful body splash with a citrus aroma.
7. Citrus Twist
You’ll need two cups of distilled water, three tablespoons 100-proof Vodka, five drops of Lemon Verbena essential oil, ten drops of both Mandarin and Orange essential oils and one tablespoon each of finely chopped orange and lemon peel.
Add the orange and lemon peels to the Vodka and store in a covered jar for one week. When the week is over, pour the liquid through a strainer. Drop the essential oils in one at a time to the liquid, followed by the distilled water. Make sure you shake thoroughly after each addition before adding the next one. Cover again and let sit for two weeks, making sure to shake the mixture at least once each day. Once it’s done, store the dark glass bottle in a cool dark place.
Ancient Uses for Perfumes (essential oils)
For more information about therapeutic grade essential oils, please visit http://HealWithEssentialOil.com.
In ancient times, essential oils and other aromatics were used for religious rituals, as well as for the treatment of illness and other physical and spiritual needs. According to the Essential Oils Desk Reference compiled by Essence Science Publishing, “Records dating back to 4500 B.C. describes the use of balsamic substances with aromatic properties for religious rituals and medical applications. The translation of ancient papyrus found in the Temple of Edfu, located on the west bank of the Nile reveals medicinal formulas and perfume recipes used by the alchemist and high priest in blending aromatic substances for rituals performed in the temples and pyramids. As well, Hiero-glyphics on the walls of Egyptian temples depict the blend-ing of oils and describe hundreds of oil recipes. Within these writings tell of scented barks, resins of spices, and aromatic vinegars, wines and beers that were used in rituals, temples, for embalming and medicine. Thus, the Egyptians were credited as the first to discover the potential of fragrance and were considered masters in using essential oils and other aromatics in the embalming process. They created various aromatic blends for personal use, placing them in alabaster jars – a vessel specially carved and shaped for holding fragrant oils. In fact, when King Tut’s tomb was opened in 1922, 350 liters of oils were discovered in alabaster jars. Amazingly, because of the solidification of plant waxes sealing the opening of the jars, the liquefied oil was in perfect condition.
In the upper region of Egypt, a sect of Jews, called Essenes, were known for their healing arts and use of essential oils. Both Philo and Josephus writings indicated that at the period in which John the Baptist and Jesus were born, the Essenes were scattered over Palestine, numbering about four thousand souls. The Essenes or Therapeuts (used interchangeably) refer primarily to the art of healing which these devotees professed, as it was believed in those days that sanctity was closely allied to the exercise of this power, and that no cure of any sort could be imputed simply to natural causes. (Source: http://sacred-texts.com, http://bopsecrets.org)
The Holy Scriptures record over 1,035 references to aromatics, ointments, savors, fragrances, plants and incense-most implying essential oils. Twelve of the most highly-praised fragrances in the world mentioned in the Bible include: Frankincense, Myrrh, Spikenard, Hyssop, Cypress, Myrtle, Aloes, Sandalwood, Galbanum, Cinnamon, Cassia, and Onycha. Many were in the prescribed preparation of the Holy Anointing Oil and Holy Incense for Temple services, as well as for anointing and healing the sick. The people of the ancient world understood the importance of maintaining wellness and physical health, as well as the oils’ ability to enhance their spiritual state of worship, prayer, and for the purification from sin. King David alluded to this in Psalm 51:7 when he wrote, “Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” While David’s Psalm may have been speaking of a “spiritual purification” from his own sin of adultery with Bathsheba, today we know that the chemical constituents of essential oils including hyssop are able to penetrate the cell wall and transport needed oxygen and nutrients to the cell nucleus. Most essential oils can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled into the lungs where they then make their way into the bloodstream. The sense of smell affects the limbic region of the brain, which controls emotions, memory and the hypothalamus, which regulates the pituitary, which in turn balances the entire hormonal system of the body.
When Buying Essential Oils
For pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils, visit http://HealWithEssentialOil.com.
If you choose to use pure essential oils to make your perfumes, here are some helpful tips and suggestions on what to look for when buying essential oils.
You will want to look for 100% undiluted pure essential oils. If they’re truly undiluted, you won’t have to put your nose right up them to get a good whiff. You should be able to hold it about 5 inches away and still get a good smell. Another way to determine if they’re undiluted is by putting a drop on a piece of paper. If it leaves an oily stain on the paper, it’s probably been diluted with a vegetable oil.
Try not to smell too many in one day. Unbelievably, you nose will become overwhelmed and they’ll all tend to smell the same.
Essential oils come in a variety of different prices, with some more expensive than others. If you find a store that offers them at the same price, this may be a sign they are synthetic.
One of the main reasons why you may not want to use synthetic oils is that they will not have the same therapeutic properties as true essential oils. Check the label to ensure it doesn’t say perfume oil or fragrant oil.
The nice thing about using “therapeutic” perfumes that you make yourself is that the essential oils can actually help heal anything troubling you, or even give you energy, while also giving you a pleasant scent. Regular perfumes made with synthetics cannot boast of this power.
Avoid purchasing essential oils that have been stored in plastic bottles. Essential oils will dissolve the plastic causing it to become contaminated. Clear glass bottles are also not good for essential oils as they often make the oil spoil quicker. Look for essential oils that have been stored in dark bottles, particularly blue or dark amber.
If essential oils are very cheap in price, take a second look as they may not be pure essential oils. While they don’t have to be 100% pure essential oils for perfume making, you’ll get a much better and longer lasting scent with pure essential oils.
New Book: The Art of Making Perfume Now Available!
Rebecca at the Well Foundation Presents |
|||
 |
|||
 Rebecca Park Totilo is an sought-after speaker on the Healing Essential Oils and offers a free online course on “The Art of the Apothecary” on her website http://HealWithOil.com. As a prolific, award-winning author of both inspirational and instructional books, she has authored or co-authored over 36 books, with some selling over one million copies. She runs a chic soap shop in Gulfport, FL called “Beach’n Body” boutique http://BeachnBody.com.
For more information about her ministry Rebecca at the Well Foundation, please visit her website http://RATW.org. She is available to come to your congregation or conference to share her wealth of knowledge on the essential oils and the Hebraic roots of the faith. Please email her at: becca@rebeccaatthewell.org.
If you would like to unsubscribe from this list, please email: info@rebeccaatthewell.org.
|
|
||
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
 |
//
Uses for Lemon Essential Oil
For more information about essential oils, please visit my site http://HealWithOil.com. You can also purchase pure, therapeutic grade essential oils for many uses such as one of my favorites lemon. These tips are from my latest book, Heal With Essential Oil by Rebecca Park Totilo.
Uses For Lemon Essential Oil
1. For smelly shoes, place a couple drops of Lemon essential oil directly in the shoes, or dabbed on a cotton ball and placed inside shoes.
2. Place a few drops of Lemon essential oil on a cotton ball and place inside your vacuum cleaner bag.
3. Apply one drop of Lemon essential oil directly to a wart everyday until it’s gone.
4. Add a few drops of Lemon essential oil to a spray bottle filled with water and spray throughout your house to freshen up.
5. Add one drop of Lemon essential oil to a soft cloth to polish copper with gentle buffing.
6. For cleaning out the refrigerator or freezer, add one drop of Lemon essential oil to the final rinse water.
7. For acne, try liquefying cabbage leaves with witch hazel then strain. Add two drops of Lemon essential oil. Use as a lotion.
8. To treat troubled skin conditions, dab a couple drops of Lemon essential oil to your face and leave overnight. Wash off with warm water the next morning.
9. Baby got the sniffles? Add 2-4 drops of Lemon essential oil to a vaporizer (diffuser).
10. Place a couple of drops of Lemon essential oil on cotton balls and leave in specific areas to repel insects.
11. Did you know Lemon essential oil has hemostatic properties? It helps stops bleeding and with its bactericidal properties, it makes a wonderful wash for scrapes and cuts.
12. To detox, use Lemon essential oil in a lymphatic drainage massage.
13. Add a few drops of Lemon essential oil to a massage blend to help alleviate varicose veins. It is also helpful for the circulatory system and cleanses the blood.
14. Add a drop of Lemon essential oil to counteract acidity for rheumatic conditions, gout, arthritis and digestive issues. Lemon essential oil stimulates secretions from the stomach, liver and pancreas and supports the production of white blood cells.
15. Lemon essential oil is useful in skin care to brighten the complexion for oily skin. It also treats wrinkles and brown spots.
16. Add several drops of Lemon essential oil to a burner or room spray to help prevent the spread of infection.
17. Place a drop of Lemon essential oil on your toothbrush with toothpaste to whiten teeth.
18. Add 6 to 10 drops of Lemon essential oil to a spray bottle of water and spray it all over your pet’s body, especially head and behind ears to get rid it of fleas.
19. Got cockroaches? Spray Lemon essential oil on problem areas.
20. Dab Lemon essential oil on socks and clothing to ward off ticks.
The Perfume Makeup
For more information, please visit my website http://HealWithOil.com for essential oils and other useful information on how to use pure essential oils for healing.
If you carry out a search on the internet on “making perfume,” you will find there is a wealth of knowledge on the many processes. You will find different recipes to experiment with, but the most important thing you should consider is what sort of perfumes you would like as your finished product.
First, you need to consider what sort of perfume you would like to make? Would it be an eau de cologne, per- fume concentrate or even an aftershave?
Second, you need to decide what it should smell like? Do you want it to be soft or strong, sweet or manly or unisex? Does it have to be long lasting?
After answering these questions as to what kind of perfume you would like to make, you need to start making a list of the ingredients that you need. When making the list, think about the characteristics of the various ingredients you want to include in your recipe.
If you already have a recipe that you would like to use, it may mean you do not need to bother experimenting with the ingredients you have (it may be wise to adjust the quantities of the ingredients you are using in order to make the perfume more personalized). If you do not have your list of ingredients already prepared, there are a couple things that you should know prior to making your list.
When making perfume it is important that you ex- periment as much as you can. It should be remembered that perfume making is an art, and imagination and a great sense of smell will help you to overcome any lack of knowledge or experience.
The next most important thing in relation to perfume making is that there are 4 key ingredients you will need to produce perfume:
1. Essential Oils (these have been extracted from various plants (organic or non-organic) and when combined give the smell of the perfume you are trying to produce. The three different categories of oils include: Base notes, Middle notes, and Top notes. Each note ultimately influences the scent of your perfume over time. Perfume is seldom made with just one fragrance. They’re usually a blend of up to three or more fragrances. This will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter.
2. Pure Grain Oil
If you plan to resell your perfume to the public, then you will need to use Perfumer’s Alcohol (which can be hard to find locally, but available online) because the Department of Tobacco, Alcohol and Firearms does not allow selling products with Vodka in them. However, if you are only making your perfume for personal use, you can substitute
100-Proof Vodka in most recipes calling for Perfumers’ Alcohol or Grain Alcohol.
Be sure to do a “skin patch test” to make sure you are not allergic to any of your ingredients by placing a drop on your skin and watching to see if a rash or irritation occurs. If so, discontinue use immediately.
3. Water
Use distilled water if any recipe calls for water. Never use tap water in its place.
4. Fixatives
Fixatives are used with the other ingredients in order to lower the rate of evaporation of the fragrance or essential oils. The reason why a perfume may lose its fragrance faster than normal is because only a little amount of fixative was used when preparing the perfume.
In some cases, you may want to use a vegetable oil in addition to a carrier oil with the essential oils. This will make up 10 to 35 percent of the finished perfume. Many perfum- ers recommend using Jojoba oil, as it has a long shelf life and is healthy for the skin. For those that don’t know what Jojoba or a carrier oil is, it is to help dilute and blend your three fragrances together before they can be applied to your skin.
Bug Out Box Essential Oil Benefits for Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Vaccine Detox
Bug Out Box Essential Oil Benefits for Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Vaccine Detox
via Bug Out Box Essential Oil Benefits for Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Vaccine Detox.
Essential Oils for a Nuclear, Biological, or Chemical Attack
For more information about how to use essential oils to survive a nuclear attack, please visit http://bugoutbox.net. To purchase individual essential oils, please visit http://HealWithOil.com.
Treatment for the Symptoms of Radiation Sickness from a Nuclear Incident
Tea Tree – has been found to be helpful in cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment. This oil can be used topically to minimize and protect the body from damage caused by radiation.
Cypress Oil – rebuilds the white blood cells damaged by exposure to radiation. Also good for bleeding gums.
Lavender – is to alleviate the pain and speed the healing from radiation burns.
Myrtle – Large doses of radiation will affect the thyroid. Potassium Iodide (KI) will block the iodine during the initial attack and the fourteen days of most radiation exposure. Myrtle will help to insure that the thyroid will be working the way it should be.
Vitamin C & E can also help to speed the recovery of the immune system from radiation damage.
Essential Oils for Biological Warfare
Since Biological warfare is waged on a daily basis, it can only serve to remind us to be more diligent when a more concentrated attack will be waged against us.
Cinnamon – It has been proven that 99.9% of viruses and bacteria can not live in the presence of cinnamon. So it makes a great antibacterial and antiviral weapon.
Clove Bud – Since the immune system is under attack by biological agents Clove Bud provides and excellent immunity builder as an antioxidant and doubles as an antibacterial and antimicrobial fighter.
Oregano – is a powerful antibiotic and has been proven to be more effective in neutralizing germs than some chemical antibiotics. It has been effective against germs like Staphylococcus aureas, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa says Journal Food Protection, July 2001 edition.
Thyme – Effective against Anthrax and Tuberrculosis.
Rosewood – Anti-infectious, antibacterial, and antiviral. Weber State University has demonstrated Rosewood inhibits it gram positive and negative bacterial growth.
Lemon – Is known for its antiseptic properties, Essential Science Publishing says that: According to Jean Valnet, M.D. the vaporized essence of lemon can kill meningococuccus bacteria in 15 minutes, typhoid bacilli in one hour, Staphylococcus aureus in two hours and Pneumococcus bacteria within three hours. Lemon also improves microcirculation, promotes white blood cell formation, and improves immune fuction
Eucalyptus – Anti-infectious, antibacterial and antiviral.
Rosemary – Antiseptic, Antibacterial.
Chemical Essential Oils
Chemical warfare is broad term for nerve agents, blood agents and chemical agents. These three classes of chemical weapons effect the nervous system, blood, and blister the skin.
Spearmint – To calm the Nervous System, aide with Nerve Agents
Myrtle - Antispasmodic – helps to reduce spasming due to spasms caused by nerve agents
Nutmeg – supports the nervous system which Nerve Agents attack
German Chamomile – brings calming for nervous system, it is good for healing of the skin that might come from a blistering chemical agent, it is also a blood cleanser that may help with a blood agent.
Geranium – antispasmodic, stops bleeding, anti-infectious, antibacterial.
Sage Dalmatian – prevents and reduces scarring
Lavender – Burns, antiseptic. Lavender prevents the build up of excess sebum a skin oil which bacteria feeds on.
Marjoram – Anti-infectious, antibacterial, dilates blood vessels, regulates blood pressure, soothes muscles.
Melissa – Nervous System, blisters, antimicrobial
Cistus – Anti-Infectious, antiviral, antibacterial, powerful antihemorraging agent, wounds and cell regeneration, strengthens immune system.
Basil – Powerful antispasmodic, antiviral, anti-infectious, antibacterial
Myrrh – Anti-infectious, antiviral, soothes skin conditions and supports immune system.
Cypress – Circulation, pulmonary insufficiencies, bleeding gums
Tea Tree – Anti-infectious, antibacterial, antifungal, Burns
Vaccine Detox
Pine – Antidiabetic, cortisone-like, severe infections, hypertensive
Lemon – antiseptic, improves microcirculation, promotes leukocyte (white blood cell) formation, and improves lymphatic, immune function.
Rosemary – Cleansing and detoxing the body. Supports the liver and combats cirrhosis.
German Chamomile – Blood cleanser and helps increase liver function and supports the pancreas. Improves bile flow from the liver.
Geranium – Dilates bile ducts for liver detoxification.
Blue Tansy – helps to detoxify the body
Myrtle – helps break up mucus and stimulate the thyroid.
Fir – Antiseptic and anticatarrahal.
Ancient Uses for Perfumes & Essential Oils
For more information about essential oils, please visit my website http://HealWithOil.com. If you would like to purchase pure therapeutic-grade essential oils, please visit http://HealWithEssentialOil.com.
In ancient times, essential oils and other aromatics were used for religious rituals, as well as for the treatment of illness and other physical and spiritual needs. According to the Essential Oils Desk Reference compiled by Essence Science Publishing, “Records dating back to 4500 B.C. describes the use of balsamic substances with aromatic properties for religious rituals and medical applications. The translation of ancient papyrus found in the Temple of Edfu, located on the west bank of the Nile reveals medicinal formulas and perfume recipes used by the alchemist and high priest in blending aromatic substances for rituals performed in the temples and pyramids. As well, Hieroglyphics on the walls of Egyptian temples depict the blending of oils and describe hundreds of oil recipes. Within these writings tell of scented barks, resins of spices, and aromatic vinegars, wines and beers that were used in rituals, temples, for embalming and medicine. Thus, the Egyptians were credited as the first to discover the potential of fragrance and were considered masters in using essential oils and other aromatics in the embalming process. They created various aromatic blends for personal use, placing them in alabaster jars – a vessel specially carved and shaped for holding fragrant oils. In fact, when King Tut’s tomb was opened in 1922, 350 liters of oils were discovered in alabaster jars. Amazingly, because of the solidification of plant waxes sealing the opening of the jars, the liquefied oil was in perfect condition.
In the upper region of Egypt, a sect of Jews, called Essenes, were known for their healing arts and use of essential oils. Both Philo and Josephus writings indicated that at the period in which John the Baptist and Jesus were born, the Essenes were scattered over Palestine, numbering about four thousand souls. The Essenes or Therapeuts (used interchangeably) refer primarily to the art of healing which these devotees professed, as it was believed in those days that sanctity was closely allied to the exercise of this power, and that no cure of any sort could be imputed simply to natural causes. (Source: http://sacred-texts.com, http://bopsecrets.org)
The Holy Scriptures record over 1,035 references to aromatics, ointments, savors, fragrances, plants and incense-most implying essential oils. Twelve of the most highly-praised fragrances in the world mentioned in the Bible include: Frankincense, Myrrh, Spikenard, Hyssop, Cypress, Myrtle, Aloes, Sandalwood, Galbanum, Cinnamon, Cassia, and Onycha. Many were in the prescribed preparation of the Holy Anointing Oil and Holy Incense for Temple services, as well as for anointing and healing the sick. The people of the ancient world understood the importance of maintaining wellness and physical health, as well as the oils’ ability to enhance their spiritual state of worship, prayer, and for the purification from sin. King David alluded to this in Psalm 51:7 when he wrote, “Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” While David’s Psalm may have been speaking of a “spiritual purification” from his own sin of adultery with Bathsheba, today we know that the chemical constituents of essential oils including hyssop are able to penetrate the cell wall and transport needed oxygen and nutrients to the cell nucleus. Most essential oils can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled into the lungs where they then make their way into the bloodstream. The sense of smell affects the limbic region of the brain, which controls emotions, memory and the hypothalamus, which regulates the pituitary, which in turn balances the entire hormonal system of the body.
History of Perfumery
For more information about essential oils, please visit my website http://HealWithOil.com.
Historical records reveal that people’s use of scents, aromas, fragrances and essential oils have been used in almost every culture for millenniums. The Egyptians used aromatics in embalming, while the Greeks attributed sweet aromas to their gods by burning incense and the Babylonians perfumed the mortar with which they built their temples. In fact, Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt drenched the sails of her ships with the most exotic fragrant essential oils so that their essences would herald her arrival along the banks of the Nile. The Hebrews scattered fresh leaves, twigs, and stems of fresh mint, marjoram and other herbs on the dirt floors of homes and synagogues. By walking on these, the fragrant essential oils would be released into the air. This practice was also common in the temple, where they sacrificed animals where the scent acted as a disinfectant as well as an air freshener.
Both the Assyrian’s and Egyptians used scented oils. Because of this, the demand for the raw materials necessary to produce both fragrances and remedies led to the discovery of new ways to extract scents from the plants used. Such techniques as pressing, decoction, pulverization and maceration were developed and mastered by both the Assyrian’s and the Egyptians. They even made attempts to produce essential oils by distillation. These methods will be discussed in the next chapter.
Slowly, the use of perfumes spread to Greece, where not only were they used in religious ceremonies, but also for personal purposes as well. When the Romans saw what the Greeks were doing, they began to use fragrances even more lavishly. There are many manuscripts that ascribed to how herbs were brought from all over the world to produce the fragrances they used.
After the Roman Empire fell, so the use of aromas for personal use declined. However, during the Middle Ages, perfumes again were used, this time only in churches in Europe for religious ceremonies and to cover the stench of disease and death which abounded at that time.
When trade with the Orient was reestablished at the beginning of the 13th Century, exotic flowers, herbs and spices became more readily available around Europe. Venice quickly became the center of the perfume trade. It was not long before perfumery soon spread to other European countries. The perfume trade then developed even further, as those returning from the crusades reintroduced perfume for personal use.
By the late 18th Century, the synthetic material for fragrances was being produced, which led to the beginning of perfumery in the modern age. Thus, with the introduction of synthetics, perfumes would no longer be exclusively used by the rich and famous. Now with synthetics readily available to produce perfumes, they could be made on a much larger scale, although natural oils were still being used to help soften the synthetics. Today, natural products still remain a very important part of the production of perfumes in modern formulations.
More and more people today are turning away from the industrial techniques of producing perfume, preferring to make it themselves. Most find it is not only easy to do, but a great source of pleasure and fun.
