Guest guest Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Hi everyone, Would someone help this newbie start my adventure with perfume making. I am about to purchase some denatured ethanol from New Directions. I would like to know- where do I start??? What amount of Ethanol do I start to experiment with? Do I mix the EOs bit by bit into the Ethanol. Or do you mix the EOs together - than add the Ethanol? Do you start with the base notes first, then mid, then top? Also, I have a ginger about to flower and would like to make a tincture of the flowers. They're slightly waxy like frangapani and smell very much like them also. Do I break them up put them in a jar and fill (to the top of the flowers) with Ethanol. Leave ?? 2 weeks?. Strain and fill up with more flowers for a stronger smell. Thanks Stay connected to the people that matter most with a smarter inbox. Take a look http://au.docs./mail/smarterinbox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 12, 2009 Report Share Posted January 12, 2009 Hewitt wrote: > Hi everyone, > Would someone help this newbie start my adventure with perfume making. > I am about to purchase some denatured ethanol from New Directions. I would > like to know- where do I start??? What amount of Ethanol do I start to experiment with? > Do I mix the EOs bit by bit into the Ethanol. Or do you mix the EOs together - than add the > Ethanol? Do you start with the base notes first, then mid, then top? > Hi .... I can't answer all of your questions...would be like writing a book... A good book to start with is " Essence and Alchemy " by Mandy Aftel..... Another way woud be to dig into the archives..... But honest....Mandy's book will be a great place to start, and will turn out to be a great reference, too.... -- W. Bourbonais L'Hermite Aromatique A.J.P. (GIA) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 ________________________________ > A good book to start with is " Essence and Alchemy " by Mandy Aftel..... Another way woud be to dig into the archives.... . Hi , Thankyou so much for responding and helping!! I seem to get totally confused on some of the group emails I read, some are on things I haven't even heard about or don't even know what's going on. The archives are great but I can only access some because my computer doesn't open doc. files. One that I thought would be really helpful I can't open it! I have on order one of Mandy Aftels books - Scent and Sensibilities. I will also order Essence and Alchemy, but which one? I can purchase : A Book of Perfume in paperback or the same title in hardcover or A Natural History. Which one will be the most helpful regarding my questions???? Maybe this group is too far advanced for me at the moment to gain knowledge for  my basic needs!!!!  I was kinda excited to log on today to see if there was any responses to my email so I could start dabbling (without wasteing to many of my precious oils). I suppose I need to have more patience. Once again thanks for your help,  __._,_ .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hewitt wrote: >I have on order one of Mandy Aftels books - Scent and Sensibilities. >I will also order Essence and Alchemy, but which one? I can >purchase : A Book of Perfume in paperback or the same title in hardcover >or A Natural History. Which one will be the most helpful regarding my questions???? Hi again...... As far as I am aware, these are the same book..... However, I would wait until you get Scents and Sensibilities, and see if that book will answer some of your questions....It's solid perfume oriented....Essence and Alchemy is liquid perfume oriented....In addition to the history, it walks you through making one... >Maybe this group is too far advanced for me at the moment to gain >knowledge for my basic needs!!!! I was kinda excited to log on >today to see if there was any responses to my email so I could start >dabbling (without wasteing to many of my precious oils). >I suppose I need to have more patience. Lot of the time, this group is too far advanced for me, too....<G>... Dabbling...most folks start with the bottom and go or add on up.... Some folks mix into ethanol as they go, and some folks mix and dilute.... The interesting thing is.....you've started on what can be a lifelong journey.... The other thing you can do, is google natural perfume blending....And see what comes up.... -- W. Bourbonais L'Hermite Aromatique A.J.P. (GIA) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 but I can only access some because my computer doesn't open doc. files. I have a suggestion for you, actualy two... One is this: Open a gmail account, save the .doc file to your harddrive, and email it to the Gmail address. From there, you can open it via the Google docs online program. you could then save it in another format for reading. or Two: Buy, (very cheaply or even free) Open Office, an open source Office multiple program group, that can read and write Wword Docs, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. this will allow you to read .doc files. (maybe not yet .docx files though, Im not really sure about that...) Best to you... Kiler PK Perfumes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 > Also, I have a ginger about to flower and would like to make a tincture of the flowers. They're slightly waxy > like frangapani and smell very much like them also. Do I break them up put them in a jar and fill (to the top > of the flowers) with Ethanol. Leave ?? 2 weeks?. Strain and fill up with more flowers for a stronger smell. > > Thanks Hello , You might want to do a search here on the word " tincture " . You'll get a lot of results that way. Or you can narrow it by adding other words, like " make tincture " , for example. There's lots of info here on folks' methods of tincturing just about anything you can think of tincturing. Also, in the Files section, there's a document on tincturing that is not a Word file, but rather, a text file. It's called Infusing and Tincturing FAQ, by or own list mom, Anya. Best rule of thumb for tincturing flowers is to not leave them too long. A lot of folks remove them as soon as they start to discolor. However, some flowers go transparent in the process rather than discoloring. You should be able to get a feel for it thought from reading the tincturing messages here. There might even be info on ginger flowers. Hope this helps! Andrine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 >> A good book to start with is " Essence and Alchemy " by Mandy Aftel..... > > Another way woud be to dig into the archives.... . > > I seem to get totally confused on some of the group emails I read, some are on things I haven't even heard about or don't even know what's going on. > Maybe this group is too far advanced for me at the moment to gain knowledge for my basic needs!!!! I was kinda excited to log on today to see if there was any responses to my email so I could start dabbling (without wasteing to many of my precious oils). I suppose I need to have more patience. > Hi , Welcome to the group. I'm relatively new to the group as well, total newbie myself and I understand your excitement AND confusion. I too get overwhelmed and don't understand what many of the posts are talking about, but, I read them anyways...one day we both will catch on. So don't get discouraged. I ordered Mandy Aftel's Essence and Alchemy as a Christmas (late) present to myself and it just arrived yesterday. I figured, and through the suggestion of group members, that this book would be the best resource for a beginner to gain a foundation of natural perfumery in a concise and easy to follow format. After reading it, I hope I can follow along a bit better here. Which post is it that you wanted to open but couldn't? If someone hasn't done it already (I haven't checked to see if there are replies to your post yet), I could open it and paste it into an email for you, so long as that is ok with the moderators. Take care, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 I read them anyways...one day we both will catch on. So don't get discouraged. I ordered Mandy Aftel's Essence and Alchemy as a Christmas (late) present to myself and it just arrived yesterday. Which post is it that you wanted to open but couldn't? If someone hasn't done it already (I haven't checked to see if there are replies to your post yet), I could open it and paste it into an email for you, so long as that is ok with the moderators. Hi , I thought I was the only one asking 'basic' questions! Thanks for the encouragement. Your idea about pasteing the info to an emai is great - didn't think. I have a friend with an older computer than myself and he said I could use it to download and send to me. There's five I want - so this will work out better - I hope! Big thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 ________________________________  Essence and Alchemy is liquid perfume oriented.... In addition to the history, it walks you through making one... The interesting thing is.....you've started on what can be a lifelong journey.... The other thing you can do, is google natural perfume blending.... And see what comes up.... Hi , I think I will order Essence and Alchemy (whichever one) as well. It will be  good for me to learn from also. I will also try to google - as you say. Flowers/Plants have always been my passion. I owned a bearded Iris farm a few years back and I grow all plants from tropical frangipani and gingers to gardenias, jasmine, clematis and honeysuckle and many more different types. So this is another step. My dabbling is about to begin.  And, it's indoors!!! Considering today (in Canberra , Australia) is 38 deg. Many thanks, Stay connected to the people that matter most with a smarter inbox. Take a look http://au.docs./mail/smarterinbox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 > > You might want to do a search here on the word " tincture " . > Infusing and Tincturing FAQ, by or own list mom, Anya. > > Hi Andrine, > Thanks for the info. I have done lots of searches and read also > the file. I suppose I was trying to get confirmation on what I'm > going to do. > > Hi , I opened that Word document on tincturing, and here's the content: ------------------------------------------------------------------- At 25 degrees Celsius, a Botanical material yields its fragrant elements to ethanol; according to the following formula: f = 100(1-1/1.1 & #8319;) where f is the amount of fragrant component yield to the solution expressed in percentage of the fragrant oil present in the botanical material used, n equals tincturing time in hours. This rule shows that oil yielded to alcohol after 6 hours is 43% of the fragrant oil present, 68% after 12 hours and 89% after 24 hours but it will never reach 100%. When flowers are abundant, changing the flowers daily is a wise decision. The formula was tested on broom flowers, roses, gardenias, jasmines, marjoram, fig green branches and pine green branches and it worked. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh -- and just keep an eye on your tincture and take notes as you go along on what you're doing, and what your nose is telling you. That's the best thing you can do. Take little scent strip samples periodically and see what your nose tells you. If your flowers are going brown in the alcohol, be on the ball and filter before you start to get any off scent coming from them. Some flowers are cooperative and don't seem to go funky in the alcohol (my gardenias turn brown and don't get weird smelling in the process), and others are really touchy and start to give off weirdness (my dutch hyacinth will go sulphurous on me if I leave it too long). Learning to tincture is a little like starting to do surgery - at some point, you stop reading up on it and you just dive in and begin. And then the real learning starts. : ) (I think tincturing is a lot more fun than I'd probably find surgery to be. But that's why I'm not a surgeon!) Hope this helps! Andrine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 > The archives are great but I can only access some because my computer doesn't open doc. files. One that I thought would be really helpful I can't open it! May I suggest downloading OpenOffice? It's free from the folks at Sun Microsystems, who gave us Java, and it's a high-quality program set that includes spreadsheets, databases, and of course, word processing software. Once you have it on your computer, you can use it to download and open ..doc files, or you can reformat them into .rtf, .txt, or several other formats that your computer may like better. I have it on all my computers, even those with the full Windows setup. Works on Linux systems and on Macs, too. If you're interested, it's a free and safe download at http://www.OpenOffice.org <http://www.OpenOffice.org> > Maybe this group is too far advanced for me at the moment to gain knowledge for my basic needs!!!! Although many members of the group are very advanced in their skills, lots of us are newbies like you. Stick with the group, and you'll learn bunches. ) ~Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 > Your idea about pasteing the info to an emai is great - didn't think. I have a friend with an older computer than myself and he said I could use it to download and send to me. There's five I want - so this will work out better - I hope! > > Big thanks, > Hi , I'm glad you made arrangements with your friend Again, welcome to the group! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 > " Do you start with the base notes first, then mid, then top? " Hi a quick rule of thumb for beginning beginners: Select only one eoil from each category - base, mid, top - for each blend/accord you're planing to make. Get to know each of them as individuals BEFORE you start introducing them to each other. Just like people, the better you know someone, the more likely you are to introduce them to someone with whom they will be compatible. This is where test strips first become mandatory. When ready to experiment, start with the heavy, stinky, heady base note, with the smallest measure you have ... in the beginning, one drop out of the dripolator of the bottle, or a tiny glass pipette, will be enough. Starting very small at the base, gives you more room to move and play and correct the blend as you build it. Then add a couple of drops of your chosen middle note... see what you think about how it's all going, what you like or don't like about it. Take time, and be patient. Make notes, always make notes, and label everything... most of us can remember making something amazing, getting caught up in the moment, and forgetting to keep accurate notes. Always keep a count of your drops at each addition. This can be intoxicating work, and you may not recall exactly what you did! After a while, add several drops of the eoil you've selected as top note. Reappraise, take note etc. You can also be very very precise and particular, and appraise your blend after each drop; there are benefits to doing it either way. This is all part of the adventure. Cost alone, may determine whether you go one drop at a time Come back to the blend - accord - from time to time, and see how its evolving over that day, and the following days. Once you have something you like, dilute it in alcohol or jojoba. I don't work with alcohol, so can't tell you anything about it. An easy ratio which gets you close to 2.5% concentration is 5-6 drops [ using a dripolator insert in your bottle ] of your finished blend to 10ml jojoba. New Directions sells the 10ml glass roll-on bottles which are ideal for this. Viola! Something you can wear on your skin, and observe as it moves through all its phases from initial top notes, down to the base. Trust your instincts, and in your note taking, be as free, imaginative, and wild as you like... your impressions, feelings, and memories are just as important as all the 'technical' stuff.. this is why you're doing natural perfume, and not - gasp - synthetics Being an absolute beginner means that you'll be able to harness your enthusiasm and creative energy, and jump right in... you'll have stinkers, and weird stuff, and things that surprise you, and moments where you're transported to other places. Don't throw the 'mistakes' away... sometimes they sit there in their little bottles and over weeks and months, reinvent themselves. As well as Mandy's 'Essence and Alchemy', poke around in a good book shop and look at some of the aromatherapy books... many have lists of the more common base, middle and top notes...and examples of blending them. A good basic text will also cover safety, and issues to do with irritants, sensitization, and info on extraction methods, how to store your precious eoils etc etc. Go for it. Margi - Brisbane QLD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 ________________________________ From: Andrine Olson-Kirschenman midvale808@... I opened that Word document on tincturing, and here's the content: Hi Andrine, Thankyou for opening the doc. and your info. Fantastic. Thanks. .. Stay connected to the people that matter most with a smarter inbox. Take a look http://au.docs./mail/smarterinbox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Thankyou to all for all the fantastic info. Out comes the coffee filters, EOs, Bottles, Nose and Patience. I'll also download Open Office. That's great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2011 Report Share Posted December 12, 2011 I went through the file section and bought most of if not all the required books.Just wondering which book to start first or should I start by the questions?should I do a thorough reading first or try to study by hard? I have been away from studying for quite a bit so any advise will be really appreciated. Thanks everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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