[Opinion] Making oils and incense from fresh flowers, herbs or spices

[DiLoco_DelEted]

Hi all,

If and when I have income again, I want to get chemistry, botany, and crystal kits, alchemy equipment and an array of fresh herbs, spices and flowers.
Essentially, I want to do three things:
1. Practice laboratory alchemy, chemistry, botany and geology.
2. Make incense for ritual use.
3. Make oils, for diffusers or anointing for ritual use.

I've tried olive oil before, but it's too heavy for floral scents such as lavender or rose oils. So, Id like to get a consensus on what oils to use.

Also, how stick incense is made, or come incense is made. Do I need to buy incense gums, or can I produce the resins via alchemy or simple chemistry?

Thanks.

 

[Emperor Time]

I have to admit that this subject interests me as well and found a book that talks quite a bit about the carrier oils and the essential oils and how to combine them properly and even how to make sure you do not receive harm from the ones that can cause you problems in fact. It called "mixing essential oils for magic" by Sandra Kynes.

 

[DiLoco_DelEted]

Nice. Will try to locate the book.

 

[Yazata]

Hi all,


I've tried olive oil before, but it's too heavy for floral scents such as lavender or rose oils. So, Id like to get a consensus on what oils to use.

Also, how stick incense is made, or come incense is made. Do I need to buy incense gums, or can I produce the resins via alchemy or simple chemistry?

Thanks.

Almond oil is used in (home made) make up and might be what you are looking for. Though lavender is a very rich scent, I use dried lavender when I make soap bars with lye (which is a pretty aggressive ingrediënt) and the smell survives that process.

 

[Rowena]

I'm not familiar with Kynes' book, but in general I'd suggest you check her safety advice on herbs & essential oils against at least 2 other sources.
Most of the truly dangerous ones just aren't easily available any more, but there are a few common household herbs & spices that are surprisingly toxic - nutmeg for example, and I have seen other books include dangerous things in recipes.

 

[DiLoco_DelEted]

Almond oil is used in (home made) make up and might be what you are looking for. Though lavender is a very rich scent, I use dried lavender when I make soap bars with lye (which is a pretty aggressive ingrediënt) and the smell survives that process.

Appreciate this. Thank you!

I'm not familiar with Kynes' book, but in general I'd suggest you check her safety advice on herbs & essential oils against at least 2 other sources.
Most of the truly dangerous ones just aren't easily available any more, but there are a few common household herbs & spices that are surprisingly toxic - nutmeg for example, and I have seen other books include dangerous things in recipes.

And this! Always good to know info.

 

[Emperor Time]

I agree the book isn't perfect since it missing the description of a few of the essential oils like Honeysuckle for example but it still a great start in learning how to mixed oils.

 

[DiLoco_DelEted]

I agree the book isn't perfect since it missing the description of a few of the essential oils like Honeysuckle for example but it still a great start in learning how to mixed oils.

Appreciate it for sure.

 

[pixel_fortune]

Hi all,

If and when I have income again, I want to get chemistry, botany, and crystal kits, alchemy equipment and an array of fresh herbs, spices and flowers.
Essentially, I want to do three things:
1. Practice laboratory alchemy, chemistry, botany and geology.
2. Make incense for ritual use.
3. Make oils, for diffusers or anointing for ritual use.

I've tried olive oil before, but it's too heavy for floral scents such as lavender or rose oils. So, Id like to get a consensus on what oils to use.

Also, how stick incense is made, or come incense is made. Do I need to buy incense gums, or can I produce the resins via alchemy or simple chemistry?

Thanks.

Stick/cone incense is made with an odourless binder/filler wood. (Powdered) makko wood is a common one

(A trail of makko powder is also used as a "fuse" in Japanese incense ceremonies; it burns well. There are other woods that work as the filler/binder, makko is just the Japanese one - but you'd have to google)

You can also make powdered incense that is just loose powder but still burns fine - you pinch the powder into a cone shape and light it and it burns like normal.

Post automatically merged: Jan 10, 2024

Benebell Wen talks through her process of making a few variants of Abramelin Oil here. What's noticeable is how many times the oil has to be infused to get a good amount of scent out of it. She infuses the oil with the roots, bark, resins etc for a few days, strains it, adds new roots/bark/resin, waits a few days, strains it, adds fresh ingredients and waits again - 5 or so times

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Post automatically merged: Jan 10, 2024

She also shows the talisman paper she leaves the oil on while it's infusing; I loved that idea and made my own version with various solar and PGM symbols for my Abramelin

 

[DiLoco_DelEted]

Nice. It's a back burner project as I said as my income has yet to appear.

 

[Roma]

As with alchemy, picking flowers for peak energy qualities requires right timing. Some do that based on astrology, but it might be more accurate to ask the plant itself.

With mineral alchemy there seems to be secret tradition about having a woman identify suitable prima materia.

Perhaps there is much to learn before funding is required

 

[DiLoco_DelEted]

You know what they say, cash only, cash is king. Thus, it takes money to make money, so money comes first, then the oils and incense.
Stores dont allow me to walk out with carrier oils, and online shopping sites wont ship me filler material without payment first. This is Econ 101 Roma.

 

[Emperor Time]

I this this method is the cheapest option but very time consuming in return.

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[AlfrunGrima]

I know a friend of mine is using a combination of almond oil (85 percent) and castor oil ( 15 percent) for macerates. However she started to experiment with 80 percent walnut oil and 20 percent castor oil now. But be careful, you can't ingest castor oil.

For normal skin oil I am using coffee oil right now and that does have an interesting and very warm, sweet and comforting scent, but it contains al little bit of caffeine.