June 1, 2012 – Sixth Anniversary Blog Event

My very first natural aromatic that?I fell head over heels in love with was….drum roll please…Sandalwood..We are not talking just any steam distilled sandalwood here either.? We are talking the cream of the crop…Mysore Sandalwood essential oil from India.

It has a most sensuous, creamy wood chip fragrance that wafts around my nose…and makes me smile. It is nothing like cedarwood, or fir or any of the usual suspects.

My favorite tree was always pine trees..and at the holiday times I love the beautiful Noble fir.? Having a Christmas tree in the house changes the atmosphere and brings in a pleasant pine odor…totally unlike?pine sol.??The cedar wood closets and the cedar wood storage chests have a pleasant sharp wood?aroma.? These are smells I am familiar with.

Sandalwood Tree in India

?Ok so back to my first love…Many years ago..I found a bottle of sandalwood in a “new age” store…wow…I thought I was in heaven….this little brown bottle was a breath of fresh air..Now mind you I grew up with hard wood trees..oaks, elms, maples, olives,?walnuts, apple, pines,?and more grew on our farm…My uncle even had a machine that sawed lumber..fresh logs that were turned into planks, shingles,and piles of saw dust.? I will never forget the smell of fresh sawed logs. I have smelled many types of wood..it is very grounding.

This little vial of essential oil took me on a journey of discovery…I put some on my wrist and waited for the drydown…sweet, soft, powder..oh my…

Fast forward to the year 2000 and I went to India on a fragrant journey for 3 weeks.? I was there for the Ganesha festival and I was able to purchase a small Ganesha (elephant) created from sandalwood.? I was so amazed.? It was very auspicious with the trunk going in the opposite direction…It smelled softly of the wood…imagine my surprise to find out there are temples built from sandalwood…Heaven on earth…No wonder I bought 5 kilos of this precious oil from sacred India.? This stock is now 12 years old…smooth as silk and dwindling.? The vintage Sandalwood is so superior to what they now call Indian sandalwood.

I could not imagine that there would be a shortage of Indian sandalwood.? The other varieties of sandalwood oil on the market now do not please me as much as the real thing…kind of like that first kiss…you never forget it.

There is one way you can experience for yourself my vintage 2000 Mysore Sandalwood essential oil from India.? I use it as a base in some of my Limited Edition Collection Parfums.? You can find them here: Limited Edition Collection Parfums

Be sure and read my other fragrant?blog: Aromatic Journeys

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More Guild members blogging their first aromatic love!