SUMMER FRAGRANCE – Flower essential oils
I had the good fortune to be sitting in my garden a few evenings ago and was enjoying the truly fragrant aromas of summer! I have a jasmine and a honeysuckle plant that are both in full bloom. The heady sweet aroma fills a balmy evening with pure magic!
You may think I am being slightly over the top, but we have waited a long time for this lovely heat and now it’s here we really must make the most of it, and one of my favourite things to do is to sit in my garden at the end of a hot day when it’s a little cooler and let the fragrance of the flowers waft over me!
The reason some flowers smell more in the evening is to attract their pollinators. Jasmine attracts night pollinators like moths, hence the reason their aroma is so strong at dusk.
Essential oils from flowers tend to be very expensive, this is because they are harder to harvest and distil. But their aroma is long lasting and you will only need one or two drops in a blend or your burner to give a powerful effect. Most of the flower oils have euphoric and uplifting properties and quite often have associations with femininity and nurturing.
My three personal favourites are Rose, Jasmine and Neroli
Rose Otto, Rosa damascena – the queen of essential oils, it encompasses all things feminine, from puberty right through to menopause. It’s not only for women however, men love it too. Its euphoric and soft sweet aroma has a tendency to calm and support.
Jasmine – Jasminum officinalis– An uplifting heady aroma that is so reminiscent of hot, sultry summer evenings. It is not officially an essential oils but an absolute. This is due to how the aroma is extracted from the delicate flowers. A solvent is added to the flowers and produces the absolute. It has the ability to lift emotions and can even promote creativity!
Neroli – Citrus aurantium var. amara- Comes from the flowers of the Orange tree, fragrant blossoms that fill the evening air with sweetness! Neroli promotes lightness and reassurance. It’s a great oil to inhale. Add one drop onto a tissue and smell; great for anxiety, pre- exam nerves and as a ‘rescue remedy’ in times of shock or trauma. It calms both the physical and emotional.
So when this hot spells ends, and it will, but please hopefully not too soon… you can re create the aromas of summer with a few choice essential oils and fill your senses with summer warmth!