I am struggling with how to structure this blog. Initially, when I started it just 42 days ago, the idea was to post a new blend every day. I wanted to give myself this assignment so I could learn more about the oils I had in my case - especially the ones that I hadn't even cracked open, but only read about. I posted a blend a day for about a month and then within the last week or two, I posted individual oils. This is because 1) the blend I had been working on was specifically developed for a client and I didn't want to post that proprietary blend and 2) I had done so much research on new essential oils that I didn't have the time and energy to post a blend. One of my requirements was that any new blend I post would be something I tried myself. So, instead of rushing through and trying to meet my self-imposed deadline, I decided to write about the single oil.
I also find myself wanting to get back to basics - not really "back" but getting to the basics. My aromatherapy course for my NAHA Level 1 certification was solid and my teacher, Shanti Dechen, extremely experienced. I got a lot out of her program, and when I decide to take on more formal training, I will go back to her. I learned about aromatherapy, meaning the body systems and how essential oils and carrier oils affect these system. I learned about chemistry, botany, and how all these come into play in treating the body, What I find myself wanting to learn more of right now is the odor landscape. Like, I know colors, I learned about them in school, like primary, secondary, tertiary colors (hues), the color wheel, etc. Color basics. I know my taste basics (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami - or in Ayurveda, sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent, and astringent). But I don't know my odor basics.
So today I started to go down the rabbit hole of odor profiles and discovered a few things worth noting at this point:
- I trust my intuition and when I experiment and land on a blend, I know when it feels right;
- but, fragrance is highly subjective (what I like, you may not and vice versa. My super chill husband has literally forbade me from diffusing patchouli in the house);
- fragrance is highly elusive (for me, right now, and I think for most humans, it is hard to pinpoint and describe what we are smelling - all I know is what I like); and
- different people have categorized aroma differently.
Right now, I am interested in the last point and learning how to describe fragrances better. There's a lot of varying information out there, so I need to settle on a place to begin. For example, these researchers have categorized odor into 14 categories:
- Fragrant
- Fruity
- Citrus
- Woody and resinous
- Chemical
- Sweet
- Minty and peppermint
- Toasted and nutty
- Pungent
- Decayed
This aromatherapist has categorized essential oil aromas into these broad groups:
- Floral
- Woody
- Earthy
- Herbaceous
- Minty
- Medicinal/Camphorous
- Spicy
- Citrus
She has also categorized 100 essential oils into 18 aromatic categories:
- Anisic
- Balsamic
- Camphorous
- Cineolic
- Citrus
- Coniferous
- Earthy / Rooty
- Floral
- Fruity
- Green
- Herbaceous
- Medicinal
- Minty
- Mossy
- Peppery
- Resinous
- Spicy
- Woody
In categorizing these essential oils, she references the book Listening to Scent: An Olfactory Journey with Aromatic Plants and Their Extracts by Jennifer Peace Rhind. The author categorizes aromas into these families:
- Balsamic
- Wood
- Spicy
- Coniferous
- Herbaceous
- Medicated
- Green
- Agrestic
- Floral
- Fruity
- Citrus (Hesperidic)
And then there are the various aromatic wheels, like the Aftelier Natural Perfume Wheel by master natural perfumer Mandy Aftel that categorizes scents into 12 categories:
- Floral
- Spicy
- Resinous
- Earthy
- Woody
- Citrus
- Agrestic
- Green
- Freshy
- Smoky
- Animalic
- Gourmand
I could go on and on. So where to begin? More specifically, who do I follow first? I decided to go with Jennifer Peace Rhind and her book Listening to Scent. (It arrives Sunday.) I thought about perhaps Mandy Aftel's Level 1 Perfumery Class, but $350 is a bit pricey considering I may be able to achieve what I want with the Rhind's book. We shall see...
I remain committed to posting every day, but I think I will be posting about what I am learning, and if that means it doesn't end with a blend, so be it. So today, I am going to diffuse Peppermint (Mentha piperita) because I've read that it promotes confidence, new ideas, and creativity. I figure today is a new moon, and I have a new focus, so let's start it fresh! According Rhind, Peppermint is part of the Medicated family, Menthol sub-family. OK, yes, I recognize that for sure. Once I get my book, I will know more!
