Well, I finally have some blooms this year!!!! I just love the smell of these SOOO much and I only get the chance to enjoy it for a few weeks each year. Is there any way to use the flower or its pieces and parts to make an essential oil? Has anyone ever tried to harvest the fragrance of their brug? It's so heavenly that I thought I would ask.
Thanks!
When my daughters were here last week, we talked about this. The fragrance is in the petals, so we wondered if we could harvest a bunch, chop them up and soak in oil to get the fragrance to come out. What kind of oil would you use. Would it have to be heated? I have avocado oil and it has no fragrance. I'm thinking it is time to experiment. I'd love to have some oil for a light bulb ring that smelled like brugmansia.
Figure this out and you will be rich!
lol, root!
my sister used almond oil as a carrier oil for a jasmine scent she bought. since i have so many oils around the house for making lotions & soaps, i'll do some research to see what other oils might be light and not carry any odor. oh, rice bran oil is a good one that just came to mind. thanks, brugie!
have there been other threads about this? isn't jasmine another evening fragrant flower? if they can bottle jasmine scent, why can't we do the same with brugs?
off to do some reading & research....
http://www.mysticalplanet.com/lib/makingoils.html
Does this help? My cousin makes her own oils, soaps and creams. She said this site was the easiest to understand. She also said that when you use the sun infused method you want to do it 3 or 4 times if you're going to use it as a perfume. Then, a little bit will go a longer way.
Oh gosh, I may just have to try one of those methods. I'm thinking the crock pot in the garage. LOL!
Oops, forgot to say thanks for the link.
This message was edited Aug 11, 2004 5:21 PM
Oh my gosh, this is a wonderful link that I didn't find in any my searches today! Thanks so much hpluver!!! I'm gonna start tonight and see what I get. I just hate to take the blooms off the plants :( Keep your fingers crossed ☺
I'll be waiting to buy some. Actually, I have one brug that I keep in the kitchen and it always blooms about Christmas time. The smell is so STRONG we end up putting it in the basement. It's the strongest smelling brug I've come across.
Another note here. You can also use vodka. I remember reading that you keep adding fresh blooms until you can smell the fragrance. I'll see if I can find that article.
Well, here's a couple
http://www.lehigh.edu/~jahb/herbs/oil&water.html ,
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_personal_care_other/article/0,1801,HGTV_3148_1384938,00.html
This message was edited Aug 11, 2004 9:31 PM
Thanks for the extra links & info, Violabird! I think I missed my opportune moment for tonight, but I hope to catch them tomorrow night when they are smelling their strongest.
Me too, I was on the phone all night.
You're welcome! I don't think it's that hard to do, Melissa my cous does it ALL the time. She uses the crock pot method. Happy oil making! Mere
Morph:
This is off the topic but how was your birthday? http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/449262/
Delecie, thanks much for the link and the birthday wishes!
It was a fun day as we had a chance to see the finals of a local tennis tournament with Agassi beating Hewitt in the finals. I'm a big Agassi fan and it was so fun to see him win at 34! Made my older self not seem so bad when he could beat a young buck ☺
Also, I made him a cigar box with the tournament date & info along with an inspirational message burned into the wood with a wood burning set I use on gourds. I stained the box a deep cherry color.
I really didn't think I'd get this to him, but it so happened that I crossed paths with his coach outside of the tennis stadium. I actually got to hand the box to his coach to give to him and this was a huge psyche for me!
Thanks so much again!
Morph, that sounds cool - did you take pictures and post them anywhere?
I might have to try this bloom bottling y'all are talking about!
No, haven't posted any pix except for the one in the camera forum. I don't have any place really to post them and there are a lot of the same stance ~ lol!
Yes, I'm going to try putting the blooms in almond oil next. First I put three in some vodka and will wait on that for three weeks to see what I get. I'm not expecting desired results, but I thought I'd try just the same ☺
LOL, I meant of the cigar box! Crafty GW is curious.
I'm really interested to hear if anyone's able to extract brug fragrance! Personally, I would try the alcohol method first... it's usually used on flowers that are too delicate for distillation, like lilacs and violets.
I can't remember exactly how the alcohol method is done, but I remember reading instructions for extraction of lilac scent-- you pack a pint jar full of lilacs and vodka, and shake it every day. When the color is mostly drained from the lilacs (a week or two?), strain them out, throw them away, and pack new flowers back into the alcohol. Do this as many times as necessary until the alcohol is fragranced. (Or until the lilacs have stopped blooming, I guess!)
Yet, Lunavox, that's kind of what I'm doing! I don't have too much confidence, but what the heck, eh?
Kim, I did the cigar box so last minute that we didn't have time to take a pix of it. I was really regretting it, but as usual, my inspiration/creativity didn't kick in until the morning of the same day of the event. I'm planning on making another, though, for Lebron James. I will definately take a pix of that one!
OMG Morph, my fragrance oil stinks to high heaven. I won't even be trying it again unless yours works well for you. I'm throwing jar and all away. Something I wondered about...if someone does get it to work, will this stuff be safe to use in lotion bars. I'm not to concerned about light bulb rings, but to have it on the skin gives me concern.
OH MY
I never thought of that......
Lotion that cause hulucinations
LOL If you bottle it as the Lotion that cause hallucinations, the druggies would be lined up at your door and probably the police too.
yeah but you would have made enough money to buy a good lawyer....LOL
LOL You're right, CC. You'd probably only get a slap on the hand anyway.
Hahahahahaha! I never thought of that... soooo funny!!! Is it a bad stink? What did you use Brugie? Ha, still laughing about the little hippie kids at your door. That takes a Pink Floyd brug to a new level... Too bad they aren't touring anymore you COULD make a fortune. Mere
I used Avocado oil and mostly Versi Orange blooms. Oh my gosh, it smelled horrible.
The more I read, the less I want to try making anything using brugs, LOL~Would the oil make peoples' eyes dilate if they rubbed their eyes with it? Gee, maybe opticians could use it!
HAHHAHA
Ok, the alcohol preparation would definitely not be safe to put on your skin. That's the exact way you prepare an herbal tincture-- and tinctures are very, very strong. They can definitely be absorbed through the skin.
Well shoot...it was a good idea. =)
