Anya McCoy founded the USA's first modern natural perfume line in 1991. Since then, she has nurtured and educated natural perfumers and hosts a discussion group for them. Anya is the Head Instructor at the Natural Perfumery Institute that she founded in 2007 to provide a professional course for perfumers. In 2006 she revived the Natural Perfumers Guild, a trade association. She is a recognized leader in the art and the 'go-to' person for anyone interested in natural perfume.
Hello Anya,
ReplyDeleteSince we know you have a wonderful garden, I wondered how many process's you do. As in enfluerage,distillation etc. The different process's are interesting, on a small scale of course.
Denise
Hi Denise:
ReplyDeleteI carry on many extraction processes on site. Tincturing, infusion, distillation, ultrasonic distillation, enfleurage, and soon, soxhlent and vacuum distillation.
Due to family and business demands, I am sorely late in getting my book proposal to the book agent for "Perfume from the Garden", which will detail these processes and the raw materials. I should get back to that this week. I'm also working with Elise on a grant that she has to examine reviving the essential oil industry in Florida, and I'll have large-scale distillation units available for that, which is exciting.
Hi Anya!
ReplyDeleteI will hopefully be getting a little bit of Billie Goat Hair (I think from the bottom not the head if that makes a difference) but have not idea where to look to find instructions on tincturing it. Can you help? Thanks
Hi Eliam:
ReplyDeleteI still have the original tincture I made, and I made it with the oldest strategy known to herbalists - the Simplers Method. That just means put your material in a glass jar, and pour enough 190 proof alcohol over it to cover, with maybe 1 to 2 inches extra.
I had never made the goat hair tincture before, so I was just hoping for good results, and I got them. It was really, really strong. I still have never had the guts to strain the hairs out! So the hair of Frontrunner, the Canadian goat, is still in the alcohol.
Just to be safe, I had it tested for microbial activity, and both the tincture and the Pan perfume came out clean. I had it done by Cindy Jones of http://www.sagescript.com/ I think it was $60 for the two. Better safe than sorry. She explained that 190 alcohol can breed microbes whereas 170 proof doesn't . Don't know what that is. I thought I was safe using 190, but at least I had the purity of the tincture and perfume confirmed.
Good luck, it's pretty easy!
Eliam, I forgot the most obvious - after you pour the alcohol in over the hair, put a tight-fitting lid on the tincture.
ReplyDeleteThank you Anya! I really appreciate it.
ReplyDelete