Scents and Perfumes in Magick

[ElectricEgregore]

Welcome!

A few months ago something curious happened -
I have been avoiding any kind of perfume for a long time now,
maybe almost 20 years.
Recently Chelsea Wolfe, a very witchy great Musician,
had her collab with a Perfume House called Heretic.

From there on the descriptions of their scents drew me into it.
They read like pathworkings, targeting all the senses,
opening up imagination and inspiration.

As I love pathworkings something clicked inside of me.
Although I did not really like the Perfumes of that particular collection for me
it woke me up to a whole new world.
A new dimension was added to my existence.

Now in the matter of two months I am basically convinced that I will start to create my own scents.

I would love to exchange with anyone here about this topic,
collect experiences, recommendations and knowledge.

Knowledge on the art of scent making, the correspondences of planets, ancient and less ancient history,
cross connections of incense, herbs and strange veils and tinctures,
and use of scents as sensual triggers, wholesome alchemy or other parts of life and practice.

Feel free to share all you may want to add that may be of value to those interested
in niche witch scents, craftsmanship and esoteric knowledge.

May our brew flow over and add favor to all of us!

Thank you!

 

[pf3ix85fe Pandora]

I blend my own scents and perfumes. The biggest thing I noticed is that artificial fragrances often have a headache inducing quality for me, so I stick to hydrosols and essential oils (but be aware that essential oils should be blended with a carrier oil as they are so pure and some can cause skin harm).

If seeking inspiration, there are many websites that have suggested "recipes" for perfume oils, then you can cross reference with herbals to see what magical or occult qualities they have.

Some blends require Perfumer's alcohol (jugs available from amazon - does not contain methanol, so is a more pleasant use on skin and helps the fragrance last a bit longer) or a plain carrier (sweet almond, jojoba, etc) oil to get the full scent profile. perfumer's alcohol works well if you are creating spray perfumes with a fancy atomizer, but for the most part, I stick to beeswax and oils for solid perfumes.

I recommend searching using the keywords "Aromatherapy" "diy perfume" or "Essential oil perfume" to help find good sources for recipes.

My signature blend takes into account the things I seek: personal power, independence, etc, but I also have Ritual blends and even a specific holiday blend.

 

[ElectricEgregore]

, I stick to beeswax and oils for solid perfumes.

Interesting, so that's the form you mostly prepare your own scents in?

I might really try to go the route of trying to create reproducable scents with weighed and documented recipes etc to
be able to maybe some day make a creation available or producable in realistic ways.

I get where you are coming from and am into all kinds of organic things mostly, with food, cosmetics as much as I manage with clothes and so on,
at the same time I am really fascinated with the whole poetry aspect, or trying to create stories and scenarios with scents.

For example did I find some scents like Andrea Maack's Coven that recreate dark woods with moss and so on,
others areable to recreate the smell and feel or concept of a desert or the woods in the summer.
These are sometimes better possible with these molecules and extracts, why I chose to put concept first and organic second in a way.
But I think it will be a sort of hybrid in the end.

My signature blend takes into account the things I seek: personal power, independence, etc, but I also have Ritual blends and even a specific holiday blend.

That sounds awesome, do you want to share some of your ideas about the ingredients for the respective recipes?

 

[pf3ix85fe Pandora]

Interesting, so that's the form you mostly prepare your own scents in?

I might really try to go the route of trying to create reproducable scents with weighed and documented recipes etc to
be able to maybe some day make a creation available or producable in realistic ways.

I get where you are coming from and am into all kinds of organic things mostly, with food, cosmetics as much as I manage with clothes and so on,
at the same time I am really fascinated with the whole poetry aspect, or trying to create stories and scenarios with scents.

For example did I find some scents like Andrea Maack's Coven that recreate dark woods with moss and so on,
others areable to recreate the smell and feel or concept of a desert or the woods in the summer.
These are sometimes better possible with these molecules and extracts, why I chose to put concept first and organic second in a way.
But I think it will be a sort of hybrid in the end.



That sounds awesome, do you want to share some of your ideas about the ingredients for the respective recipes?

TEXT BLOCK INCOMING

Solid perfumes are easier for use for me, so when I am heading out, easy to carry and easy to wear. Oil blend recipes are easy to find online, but I have found that the standard perfumers' rule of 3 (base scent, mid scent, and top note) are important to consider when blending your own perfumes. If you want to start from scratch, that's where to begin. That, and a good correspondence reference for the magical properties of the plants/oils you are using.

As far as recipes go, there are thousands, but here's an example:

Third Eye Awakening Oil
5 drops sandalwood essential oil (purification, psychic powers, and gets you into the temple mood)
4 drops lavender essential oil (relaxation and opens heart and mind)
3 drops frankincense essential oil (purification, drives out negativity, temple mood)
2 drops clary sage essential oil (open vision and accurate vision)
2 drops rosemary essential oil (protection and mental powers)
1 drop myrrh essential oil (spiritual strength and fortitude)
1 drop personal blend (if you need to specify it is for you)

Blend into a small amber or green glass bottle (prevents oxidation of the oils). If using on skin, dilute with carrier oil. Standard rule is 10-15% essential oils to 90% carrier oils, or thereabouts to prevent skin burning and irritation. If blending into perfume, add to melted wax and oil blend (OFF the heat) for your solid perfume, or into perfumers alcohol if using an atomizer. If you are feeling fancy or need a boost, this should be blended on the dark moon and/or during the hours of the Moon or Saturn.

To use: Nevermind how tempting, DO NOT PUT ON YOUR FACE nevermind that's where the third eye is. It can give you a headache having the scent that close to your nostrils. Use a diffuser to invite the scent into your sacred space or temple. Or, if blended into carrier oil,. use as a massage oil on legs, core, or arms. Can be worn as a perfume as long as it is diluted with a carrier oil or perfumers alcohol. Can be used while scrying, using oracle cards, tarot cards, lucid dreaming, etc.

General Notes:
When I am blending, I start with the end goal of the oil, research which herbs and plants have those powers, and then choose most by scents I like/how it feels for me. Intuition helps and so does researching what other people have done. This is not an exact science, except the dilution percentages.

As you are blending, do not stick your nose right above the blending vessel. instead, waft the scent towards you. Often scents need to mix with air to get the full experience. IN general, I keep small amber bottles of the pure blend (no carrier) and then dilute what I need at the time of use.

Side note: I hate the smell of lavender, but the essential oil is less terrible than fake perfumes. so I find it is easy enough to deal with. But you can absolutely interchange any of these for another oil that has the same magical characteristics. Play to your heart's content and take good notes on what you did. I often just make tally marks next to each oil I am using on a piece of paper to mark off how many drops i have added of each oil until i get the scent I like. That way you know the basic parts list and amounts.