"The soul of man in love is full of perfumes and sweet odours". Plutarch.

In our times, all the finest produce of the whole world is usually available to us from our local stores. We live with affluence beyond any previously known era in history which allows us choices regarding what were once luxury items. This applies particularly to our use of perfume both as a means of sensory satisfaction as well as for more practical purposes. Perfume continues to provide a subject of fascination today.

There are many wonderful scents and perfumes available in toiletries and body perfumes. Essential oils provide us with perfumes which are entirely natural without chemical additives and which are healing as well as pleasant in their effect. Incense sticks provide a means of perfuming through fumes, which is where our word for perfume originally came from. And of course we have all the perfumed delights of nature to enjoy in our walks in the wild, in our enjoyment of our garden, or in the delicate scent of a rose.

In a variety of ways we seek to indulge our sense of olfaction as we continue to increase the use of perfumes in our lives.

Most gardeners include a variety of perfumed herbs and plants in their gardens.

We use scented oils to keep away flies and insects.

Although we no longer have to spread scented rushes on the floor to take away bad odours in the home, we still wish to use perfumed sprays in bathrooms and toilet areas.

We generally use scents to provide a pleasing atmosphere throughout the house and when preparing for dinner guests.

Oils from timber are favoured for application to existent furniture to help preserve it and also for scent.

Many burn incense whilst meditating.

Churches burn copious resins and oils in their ritual incense.

Physiotherapists, naturopaths and aromatherapists use perfumed massage oils on skin.

Therapists prescribe direct inhalation of essential oils to relieve symptoms of illness.

Vaporizers are essential in relieving respiratory problems.

Bath oils are used to provide a delightful way of relieving stress.

Scented pillows as favoured for sleep inducement.

Healing oils such as eucalyptus and peppermint are used as embrocation or as an inhalant in cases of bronchial and respiratory problems .

Essential oils can be diluted with almond oil for use as a safe underarm deodorants.

A drop can safely be smeared on a light globe to diffuse light scent

A few drops of a perfumed oil on a tissue can be placed in a paper bin - or even rubbish bin for a pleasing effect.

Essential oils such as rosemary can be diluted with olive oil and massaged into the scalp to perfume the hair when brushing.

Perfumed oil can be massaged into the feet before bed to aid relaxation.

These and many other ingenious ways are used in making practical use of perfume in modern lifestyles.

However, the most important to so many of us, is the use of body perfume. This popular interest in perfumes however seems to arise not only from a desire to seem attractive but because of the need to have expression of the personality through the quality of one's personal body perfume and this requires patience and discrimination in selecting 'your' personal perfume for regular use. Selecting from the enormous range of commercial perfumes is a daunting task but there are many who enjoy the search. Selecting from the natural essential oil range is somewhat easier because it is limited compared with the sophisticated fashionable perfumes.

Discrimination is the first thing to cultivate, in order to fully benefit from the knowledge of perfumes and delight in them to the full. It is necessary to consciously develop your olfactory sense as a wine taster must do with the palate.

Always remember that certain artificially produced scents can be harmful when inhaled and some deodorizers actually work on the principle of deadening your sense of smell rather than trying to cancel the odour. All chemical products can have short or long term negative effects so the caution is repeated - use the natural essential oils and perfumes in preference to a product that uses chemicals in its production. The sense of smell is extremely delicate and can be seriously injured, as can the brain, by inhalation of the smell or vapours of toxic materials.

Some of the popular and delightful natural perfumes available as essential oils are Lavender, Sandalwood, Neroli, Lemon, Rose, Lemongrass, Ylang-ylang and Pine, but there are many others to try.

Essential oils are strong and usually require only a drop or two with any application.

However, should you suffer skin reaction, or wish to dilute the pure essential oils, almond oil is advised.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Aromatherapy