Vetiver: Appreciating the Oil of Tranquility
India has an abundance of fragrant flora, and one if the most beloved is the wild grass called Vetiver, or Khus. People have been distilling vetiver roots for their fragrant oil for thousands of years.
The vetiver plant has several unique properties, among them are it’s ability to cool. Vetiver works as a natural refrigerant. Woven mats of vetiver are sprinkled with water and waved as fans. These cool the surrounding temperature several degrees more than other fans do.
Vetiver is strongly antimicrobial. Air filters for evaporative coolers made from vetiver stay clean and healthful, while air filters made from cheaper straw will mildew.
Vetiver oil is also used on cold compresses to reduce fevers and pain from inflamed joints and arthritic swelling.
Aromatically, the vetiver root gives us a very potent fragrance oil that is used in perfumery as a fixative, or base note. Fixatives are the deep, sustaining fragrances in a perfume blend; they serve to hold the lighter fragrances together in a harmonious whole. Vetiver is one of the strongest fixatives, with tremendously long scent life.
Vetiver oil is one of the most complex fragrances known, containing over 150 different aromatic molecules, many of which have not yet been studied. Vetiver oil is also quite unusual, in that it can possess either polar negative or polar positive characteristics. Fragrance varies according to region. The most prized vetiver is the wild vetiver from northern India. This is the source of the Ruh Khus that I carry.
The fragrance of vetiver oil is green and grassy, earthy and smoky, with traces of mint. Vetiver’s fragrance can vary from plant to plant, even in the same region. It can often be appreciated better when diluted to about 5-10% in a neutral oil such as jojoba.
Do you offer samples of products? Do I need to purchase something in order to receive samples? I am very interested in aromatherapy and perfumery, and would like to smell some oils. Thanks, and looking forward to learning more.
Ditto Nowakoski
I offer inexpensive sample vials of my attars and aromatherapy perfumes if you like. That way you can try them out before committing to full bottles. Check out http://www.tigerflag.com/attar-samples.html or http://www.tigerflag.com/tiferet-samples.html
Or, you can send me a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope and I will send you samples on perfumer paper test strips. I sell these at my cost, $1 for 5 samples, or $2 for 10. Make sure to include a list of the ones you want. Instructions and mailing address are on my Policies page: http://www.tigerflag.com/policies.html
I used to give these away for free, but the “freebie hunters” in the freebie forums took too much advantage of me, so I had to start charging a token amount to cover my costs. I still give free samples and a free gift with every order, though