Soap making is a great hobby that has a lot of room for creativity. Soap makers can express themselves through the styles, shapes, colors, and effects of their products, as well as the scent of their products. Building on scents or creating layers of scents is, in fact, one of the most difficult yet at the same time most creative aspects of making soap.
Most of the time, essential oils and fragrance oils are used to give the final product a unique and pleasing smell. Using the same type of ingredients can get boring after, some time, though, and many soap makers look for other unique ways to scent their soaps. One ingredient that can be used, but is often overlooked, are attars.
Also known as traditional Indian perfume, attars have been made for thousands of years in a long process known as hydrodistillation. This arduous process takes anywhere from three months to a few years before the perfume makers are able to gather enough of the oil needed to create a perfume. This perfume oil was then blended with a sandalwood oil base, which was also costly to make. Because of this, it was used only by royalty or reserved as gifts for the gods.
The process of hydrodistillation allowed perfume makers to use roots, spices, and herbs from multiple plants. This means they were able to create a combination of scents, making each one unique, tailoring it to the specifications of the order. The attars were such concentrated oils that the smell only got better with age, making it even more sought after. Apart from being used as perfumes, they were also used as home remedies, treating skin problems, cuts, asthma, depression, and other maladies.
Today, attars are still used for perfume. They are often no longer made in the old way, however, and are produced more efficiently in laboratories. They are also attached to jojoba oil or coconut oil, which are much cheaper alternatives to sandalwood oil, an ingredient that has only gotten more expensive through the years. Ideal for soap making because they are alcohol free, they need to be used sparingly because the scent strengthens as the soap cures.
When using attars for fragrance, experiment with one or two scents first. Don't start combining one or two of the oils or building scents right away. Most people find that one scent is often enough, especially because the oil already has several layers of fragrance in it.
Be sure to blend your attars a few drops at a time. They are a great alternative to essential oils and fragrance oils, and they can help enhance the creative process of soap making!
Most of the time, essential oils and fragrance oils are used to give the final product a unique and pleasing smell. Using the same type of ingredients can get boring after, some time, though, and many soap makers look for other unique ways to scent their soaps. One ingredient that can be used, but is often overlooked, are attars.
Also known as traditional Indian perfume, attars have been made for thousands of years in a long process known as hydrodistillation. This arduous process takes anywhere from three months to a few years before the perfume makers are able to gather enough of the oil needed to create a perfume. This perfume oil was then blended with a sandalwood oil base, which was also costly to make. Because of this, it was used only by royalty or reserved as gifts for the gods.
The process of hydrodistillation allowed perfume makers to use roots, spices, and herbs from multiple plants. This means they were able to create a combination of scents, making each one unique, tailoring it to the specifications of the order. The attars were such concentrated oils that the smell only got better with age, making it even more sought after. Apart from being used as perfumes, they were also used as home remedies, treating skin problems, cuts, asthma, depression, and other maladies.
Today, attars are still used for perfume. They are often no longer made in the old way, however, and are produced more efficiently in laboratories. They are also attached to jojoba oil or coconut oil, which are much cheaper alternatives to sandalwood oil, an ingredient that has only gotten more expensive through the years. Ideal for soap making because they are alcohol free, they need to be used sparingly because the scent strengthens as the soap cures.
When using attars for fragrance, experiment with one or two scents first. Don't start combining one or two of the oils or building scents right away. Most people find that one scent is often enough, especially because the oil already has several layers of fragrance in it.
Be sure to blend your attars a few drops at a time. They are a great alternative to essential oils and fragrance oils, and they can help enhance the creative process of soap making!
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