ESSENTIALLY YOURS

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FOR THE PERFECT SCENT: EXPERIMENT!

All perfumes begin with fragrant essential oils as their primary ingredients. These oils are available from herb and natural food stores, specialty shops, and a number of mail-order houses (see the end of this article for a list of such outlets).

Once you've chosen your favorite fragrance family and have acquired some essential oils, start experimenting! Just place a drop of your main scent on your hand or wrist, then mix in an oil blender and allow the odors to mingle together for a while. Give the result the sniff test. Is it right for you? Wash off each combination thoroughly before trying a new one—and remember, since the olfactory sense is quickly numbed by fatigue or overexposure, don't experiment for too long at one time.

To get you started, here are several popular combinations. Rose-lavender or rose-cinnamon are blends found in the classic rose potpourris (for a nice extra touch, add a dash of musk). Jasmine and orange blossoms make a sweet floral mixture, while a more delicate flowery scent results from combining musk or ambergris with rose or daffodil. For a "greener" main scent, use the heavy Indian fragrance patchouli, which makes a good partner for lavender, rose, and the animal essences. If you're making men's cologne, you might prefer to concentrate on the green and spicy families, blended with hints of the animal essences. Balsam, cedar, or sandalwood, for example, mixed with cinnamon and musk, make bright masculine fragrances.

As you experiment, remember that a sophisticated perfume—and really, do you want to make anything less?—is a blend of different fragrances, rather than a single essence. The combination should be well balanced, with no one scent predominating.

Once you've found a combination that pleases you, mix a small supply, using glass eyedroppers or tiny perfumer's runnels if your hands tremble... and be sure to make careful note of the amounts you use in achieving the effect you like. Store the oil in a cool place in a colored glass bottle: If it's kept from air and light, no fixative will be needed.

Use your blended oils very sparingly as perfume, bath oil, or room freshener.

FORMULAS FOR FRAGRANCE

All perfume concoctions are made more "by nose" than by recipe, but it's helpful to have some idea of workable ratios when making scented products for the household. The following directions are meant for commercially distilled oils; if you've made your own, just increase the amount specified. Fixatives, diluents, and other supplies are available from your local natural food stores, scent shops, or pharmacies.

Cologne
One part oil Six parts perfume diluent...or vodka One part fixative (liquid benzoin or powdered orrisroot)

After-Bath Splash
One part oil Ten parts perfume diluent or vodka One part fixative

Bath Powder
Arrowroot or cornstarch A few drops of scented oil

Massage Oil
1/4 oz. fragrance oil 4 oz. unscented oil: wheat germ (high in vitamin E, to fight wrinkling) and/or apricot oil (an excellent moisturizer) For a sensuous rubdown, warm this oil before using it.

The following are mail-order sources for herbs, oils, and perfumery supplies:

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