Sunday, September 16, 2012

Today's Tincture



Tincturing is a wonderful way to capture the natural essence of herbs; and it is so easy to do. To make a tincture, grind up fresh or dried herbs, place in glass container and cover with alcohol (because I use the tincture only in perfumes – I use perfumer’s grade alcohol which is odorless and colorless). The tinctures need to be cured anywhere from 10 days to 2 months – depending on the herb being tinctured and the desired strength of the final scent.

Today I am tincturing juniper berries in honor of the weather turning cooler. There are two fragrances on my mind as I prepare the juniper berries today. One is a Holiday scent with frankincense, juniper, tonka and vanilla as a base – and spicy orange for the heart of the scent. I also want to create an herbal mixture that will play up the crisp, fresh scent of juniper with a blend of rosemary and lavender. Both will be great fragrances for the Fall season.

I am also going to use some of the left over dried herbs to make small sachet. I use small muslin bags with a drawstring and fill with the ground dried herbs. The sachet can be put into drawers and closets and even better, the sachet can be hung from the faucet as the water runs into the tub. This creates a wonderfully scented bath.

Leave me a comment and let me know what scents the cooler weather is bringing to your mind today…

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