I'm back! It has been almost one month since I wrote a post on here. There goes my commitment to post every day! Do I feel a bad about it? Only a tiny bit because I really don't like to not follow through, but I decided that I would rather spend more time coming up with more thoughtful posts than rushing to post something half-baked just because I committed to it. It's a re-evaluation of what I need right now.
I also finished my Language of Scent Exercise for all the single essential oils in my possession. And it was quite fruitful (pun very much intended). First and foremost - I HIGHLY recommend anyone and everyone to conduct this exercise for themselves when getting a new oil. The initial goal of this website was to motivate me to get into and get to know the oils I have - and this exercise really does that in terms of getting to know an oil's fragrance.
More than that though, I think this exercise really helps with confidence. How? Because you get to decide for yourself what you think an oil smells like. There's something about coming to your own conclusions that is really empowering. I have read so much on what other people think an oil smells like, but at the end of the day, the only way to really have that knowledge is to do it yourself. I believe in education and learning from masters for sure, but there comes a time when words on a page isn't enough and you have to experiment for yourself.
The other thing is, from what I've read, people don't 100% agree with each other on what something smells like - and that can be maddening or liberating (up to you, ha!). On one hand, fragrance and aroma is chemical and scientific, on the other hand it is subjective and mysterious - the pull of two polarities.
For example, let's take the aroma for Bay Laurel / Laurel Leaf (Laurus nobilis). According to:
- AromaWeb: herbaceous, fruity, fresh and camphorous;
- Julia Lawless: powerful, spicy-medicinal odour;
- Valeria Ann Worwood: spicy, sweet, clove-like;
- Eden's Garden: sweet, floral, earthy, medicinal, and slightly-peppery; and
- not to mention, all the different descriptions listed on The Good Scents Co. website.
My conclusion: fruity, sweet, floral, spicy, cool. There's overlap with some and with some, no overlap at all. But now I know how I would describe it and when formulating a scent for a client, I know what to expect.
Since the theme of this post is confidence, and Laurel is a great oil to use to boost confidence, two other oils to use would be:
- Clove Bud (Eugenia caryophyllata)
- Kunzea (Kunzea ambigua)
Notice the similarities in the picture of each? I have Laurel in a nasal inhaler right now and have been carrying it with me for about a week and it’s very engaging. Enjoy!