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Patchouli Phreak Project

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Introduction to the Patchouli Phreak Project Patchouli - most people love it or hate it. I'm a hippie from the mid-1960s, so you can guess where I stand. I have a collection of patchouli oils from various countries and from different time periods. I wish I still had some I got back in the 60s, but they're long gone, used up, vaporized into the air. Recently, I did a scent re-evaluation of many of the oils and discovered some amazing evolution in the scents. Patchouli is a "base" note in perfumery, which means it will last indefinitely under good storage conditions, and mellow and evolve during storage. patchouli basking in the semi-shade in my front garden In the next few months, I will write about many of the oils I have stashed in my extensive collection. I'm not going to give the history and create monographs of each oil, I just want to share some of my observations after almost 60 years of collecting them. For the record, I typically use light patchouli in my
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Ask the Perfumer Sunday Mar 22, 2020

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  Ask the Perfumer Sunday Mar 22, 2020 by  Anya McCoy  |  Mar 22, 2020  |  Anya's Garden Perfumes  |  0 comments I’m here to answer your questions about natural perfumery until later tonight. Don’t forget to check the box so that you’ll get a notice when I answer. For fun – here’s the image of most of the Bonus Modules that my students get when they enroll in my Basic perfumery course. Several have been added since this graphic was made.  Payment plans are  now available!  https://perfumeclasses.com
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Ask the Perfumer Sunday March 15, 2020

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  Ask the Perfumer Sunday March 15, 2020 by  Anya McCoy  |  Mar 15, 2020  |  Anya's Garden Perfumes  |  6 comments Yellow ylang ylang flowers turn the tincture green, and get darker with each recharge. The scent is very, very strong! Beautiful. Hi Everyone! I’ll be here until later today, early evening, to answer your questions about perfumery, natural perfumery, to be exact. If you post late, I’ll get to your answers tomorrow. 6 Comments Catherine Oshin   on March 15, 2020 at 12:58 pm I have studied holistic and clinical aromatherapy and am now studying botanical perfumery. I am big on safety issues and proper dosage. How do I deal with these issues in perfumery? For example, could a pregnant woman use my jasmine perfume if it’s a 15% dilution? What about using phototoxic citrus oils in topically applied oils or perfumes? I don’t see this information in the books I have. Speaking of books, your book on homemade perfumes is beautiful and useful and I’m so glad I got it! Reply admin
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Ask the Perfumer Sunday by  Anya McCoy  |  Mar 8, 2020  |  Anya's Garden Perfumes  |  8 comments Time to revive this much-loved give back I provide to the perfume community. I’ll be here until 10 PM Miami time. 8 Comments Trudie Simpson   on March 8, 2020 at 4:17 pm I love to make alcohol free oil perfumes, but how do i create a longer lasting oil perfume ? Reply admin   on March 8, 2020 at 10:19 pm Use a good proportion of middle notes in addition to your base notes. Reply Doreen   on March 8, 2020 at 10:08 pm Hi! Thanks for the offer! Here’s my question. Is Ambergris now illegal in the USA? If so, have any tips how to create a similar scent profile? Thanks! Reply admin   on March 8, 2020 at 10:18 pm 100% legal! Reply Evelyn   on March 15, 2020 at 1:35 pm Hi! How do make a sea salt scent? Reply Anya   on March 16, 2020 at 12:25 pm Hi Evelyn That’s a complicated question since there is no natural sea salt oil. Some use tiny bits of seaweed absolute or some vetivers. Sorry, I have’t
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Making Perfume: Working with Thick and Pasty Aromatics

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by   Anya McCoy   |   Sep 30, 2019   |   Anya's Garden Perfumes ,   DIY ,   How to Make Perfume ,   natural aromatics ,   natural perfume ,   raw materials of perfumery   |   10 comments Making Perfume: Working with Thick and Pasty Aromatics I have been working with perfumery aromatics since  1976 . That’s the year I began to seriously study perfumery with the aid of a few rare books and the assistance of two retired perfume industry sales representatives. I had already been collecting essential oils and absolutes for hippie fun, but that year I got serious about  making perfume . At that time, I hadn’t come across labdanum, tonka bean absolute, myrrh, and some of the other thick and pasty aromatics. The thick ones, as I’ll call them from here out, are impossible to pour, or use with a dropper. When I did come across them, the perfume reps taught me about  diluting * aromatics to work with them, both the thin, pourable stuff and especially the thick, difficult-to-work-with ones. *D
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