Diana Rajchel, fellow natural perfumer, interviewed me for this months installment of Perfumery Without Pretention over at The Rebel Perfumer. Or Le Parfumeur Rebelle, but either way it has great reads and lots of blogs links, so check it out!
A lovely painter named Silja recently made a request on the Etsy forums. She asked for pictures of eyes so she could paint them. I responded to the call, and before I know it she sends me a link to this result:
Already it is featured on The Chic & Green Blog. You can see more of her beautiful work at 5erg’s blog or her Etsy shop.
Sandalwood… ahhh… my favorite oil. It’s not only a pleasure to sniff, but it is fantastic to work with in oil blends. It must be used consciously and in small amounts, and it is one oil I will always treasure.
Sandalwood
Santalum album from India is highly prized for its exquisite aroma. It is warm and sweet, a deep earthy and woody scent with vanilla-like overtones. Mysore, the “City of Sandalwood,” produces oil that is considered the best quality of all sandalwoods. Unfortunately the area has been, and continues to be, overharvested. Consequently oil from Mysore is very expensive.
Santalum spicatum is a sandalwood similar to santalum album that grows in Australia. Its aroma is similar but spicier. Australian sandalwood also may be solvent extracted for a higher yield. This absolute is stronger in scent than distilled oil, but it is not as delicate.
Santalum austrocaledonicum is harvested in Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Its fine aroma is close to Indian sandal, and many find it the best replacement for Indian sandalwood. This type is the one I’ve been using in my perfumes. It is sourced from a company that has been planting sandalwood trees for years to offset the harvested trees.
Currently there are plantations in Australia, Vanuatu and other areas, but the claims of sustainability are dubious. Trees must mature for up to 60 years for the highest yield of oil and for the oil to be of the best quality. Wild-harvesting will continue until these plantations mature and yield enough wood to keep up with its demand. Until such a time, natural sandalwood oil will be something of a rarity.
If five years ago you had told me that I’d be a perfumer, I’d have rolled my eyes. Truthfully, and please don’t hate me for saying so, but I despised perfume at that time.
Why then did I go into perfumery? My reason for loathing perfume wasn’t an aesthetic one–I have chemical sensitivities. Inhaling chemical-laden perfume can make me very, very sick. For many years I had to avoid fragrance in all its forms. When I discovered essential oils did not make me sick, an incredible world opened up to me.
My mother used the oils for aromatherapy, but I blended them for scent. Every new oil I acquired became a new realm of possibilities.
Some natural perfumers strive to be accepted into mainstream fine perfumery, but I am happy to make it something altogether different. Naturals are worthy of being elevated to the status of a fine French parfum, but the two are different enough that direct comparison is not really fitting. Natural perfumes don’t share all the properties of modern mainstream perfume, but most naturals perfumers and perfume wearers like it that way.
But as long as we’re comparing, the thought of bringing back naturals to the mainstream is quite exciting. It feels like I’m helping to revive a lost art. Aside from rose and perhaps a few others, no one of my generation knows what a natural even smells like. It’s like eating a ripe, fresh strawberry when all you’ve ever known of strawberry were Fruit Roll-Ups. One’s first whiff of an exotic flower or a rich resin is like an epiphany. For me, it’s pure bliss.
Fantastic news! Stephanie K Naturals is featured in Wickedly Chic’s Indie of the Week! I am so honored by the fantastic review she gave me. Thank you Liz!
Wickedly Chic Indie of the Week
Hello! My name is Anubis, but most people call me Nubi. My human Stephanie invited me to come and write about plants, herbs and cooking. I’m not yet much of a cook, but I really love organic food and experimenting with fresh home grown herbs.
Today I want to tell you about some lovely and delicious plants growing on the porch, although my human seems to think they belong to her.
See? This baby lettuce is mine all mine!
We planted green onion and coriander seeds. Apparently in some places the plant is known as coriander too, but here in Texas the plant is known as cilantro. The spicy leaves are popular in Mexican dishes, while the ground seeds are used as a spice in many cooking styles.
Coriander seeds also yield an essential oil that Stephanie loves to use.
In celebration of Earth Day, here are some super-easy ways to be a little kinder to our planet by reducing waste.
Get the bigger package
Sure those single serving items are convenient when you’re on the go, but there’s a great deal of unnecessary packaging that is wasted. Instead of little bags of snacks, get the large package and put a serving in a container you’ll reuse. Refill a bottle or thermos with your favorite drink, and you’ll save the small bottles from having to be recycled.
Freecycling
It’s the embodiment of one man’s trash being another’s treasure. The Freecycle Network and Craiglist’s free section are two popular ways to connect with local people and give new life to items that would have otherwise been trashed.
Recycling
It doesn’t take much more effort to put it in a recycling bin than it does the garbage bin, but if you save you recyclables you’ll see how quickly it adds up. Did you know that unlike paper, glass can be recycled virtually an infinite number of times? Don’t forget about recycling that glass!
These are only a few small changes that can make a big difference over time. Check back here for more simple tips and ideas for greener living!
Hello and welcome! It brings me great pleasure to announce that my website, stephanieknaturals.com, is officially open!
You can now purchase my items directly through the website with our secure shopping cart. Even if you are not ready to purchase, do go ahead and register to subscribe to the SKN Newsletter.
Don’t worry, we aren’t going to flood your inbox, but you might like to know if we ever have a special sale. *wink wink*
So please have a look around, and if you see anything that could use some improvement, don’t hesitate to let us know! I hope you have a great experience here and come back soon.
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