Fun fact: if you wear Chanel Sycomore, Sarah Jessica Parker Covet, or Lancome Hypnose, then you enjoy the pleasant base note of vetiver essential oil.
Vetiver is one of the most popular ingredients in scents. It lends a warm, grounding, and sensual aroma.
You don't have to buy designer perfume to enjoy the pleasantness of vetiver. You can make your blends right at home for use as an air freshener, moisturizing body oil, or cleansing mist.
But first, what is vetiver?
Vetiver is related to lemongrass and is scientifically called vetiveria zizanioides. In India, it was used for making insect and rodent repellents, ropes, mats, baskets, blinds, and screens.
The essential oil comes from the vetiver plant roots. In India, it was considered as the oil of tranquility and hailed for its health benefits.
Benefits of vetiver essential oil
This oil is a favorite in aromatherapy for its numerous potential emotional benefits such as:
- Relaxing and calming effect.
- Restoring your connection to your roots.
- Promoting good sleep.
- Aphrodisiac effect.
- Stress reliever
Vetiver's benefits have made it historically sought after, and formulators today are paying attention.
Note: To reap maximum benefits, use the essential oil and not a synthetic variant.
Perfumery 101
Perfumery at the primary level involves composing a balance of ingredients using three categories:
- Top notes- between 10 and 30 percent of the blend.
- Middle notes- between 30 and 60 percent of the blend.
- Base notes- between 15 and 30 percent of the blend.
TOP NOTES
Top notes are also called the head notes. You'll smell these first, but they evaporate quickly- within 5 to 30 minutes. These notes usually come from leaves and flowers and have a stimulating effect. Some examples include lavender, basil, eucalyptus, sage, lemon, and neroli.
MIDDLE NOTES
These notes last for a few hours. You'll notice them once the top notes have evaporated, about 10 to 30 minutes after application. Their primary purpose is to create a balance between mind and body. Examples: cinnamon, geranium, chamomile, ginger, rose, and ylang ylang.
BASE NOTES
Base notes have the slowest evaporation rate. They linger for a day or more. They mix with the middle notes to create the full body of a fragrance. These oils used for foundation scents give you a feeling of being supported. Apart from vetiver, other base notes include frankincense, cedarwood, sandalwood, clove, myrrh, and vanilla.
How much of each category of notes you use depends on the effect you desire. If you want a fragrance that's calming, use more base notes and a little of the top and middle ones. For stimulating scents, use two or three top notes, one middle and one base.
Five incredible vetiver essential oil blends
Here are some of our tips for blending vetiver to achieve essential oil blends that smell amazing.
- Moisturizing body oil: Blend a carrier oil of your choice (jojoba, rosehip seed, coconut, argan, avocado) with one drop vetiver, three drops each of lavender and palmarosa.
- Chill-out diffuser: Blend 3 drops vetiver with 6 drops cedarwood Virginian, 10 drops petitgrain, and 6 drops Peru Balsam in your diffuser for a relaxing effect.
- Meditation: Adding this blend to your bath creates a grounding, relaxing sensation. Use 2 drops vetiver, 4 drops each of bergamot, and geranium.
- Calming mist spray: Use this spray to help you relax on a hard day. Mix 20 drops vetiver, 35 drops lemongrass, 25 drops anise seed, 25 drops Red Mandarin, 25 drops allspice, 20 drops bergamot, and 4 ounces pure water.
- Nature walk perfume: Using some drops of this fragrance will virtually transport you to the forest. Mix 3 drops vetiver, 5 drops lavender, and 4 drops lemon in a 5 ml bottle containing fractionated coconut oil or sweet almond oil.
Which oils blend best with vetiver?
Vetiver generally blends well with:
- Cedarwood
- Tangerine
- Lemon and other citrus scents
- Jasmine
- Lavender
- Peru balsam
- Patchouli
- Petitgrain
- Neroli
- Rose
- Ylang ylang
- Sandalwood
- Marjoram
- Cardamom
- Clary sage
Have fun experimenting with balancing the top, middle, and base notes. You'll soon be a guru at creating beautiful aromatherapy blends!
With love,
The Sole Toscana Beauty Team
