The drawing for three bottles of Balsamo della Mecca will be on Monday . Three winners of full bottles will be selected and one samples winner will be selected .
Please tell me one interesting thing you learned from AbdesSalaam during our interview to be entered in the draw !
79 comments:
Hmm, one thing? :) That is a bit difficult.
I learned how to continue my journey into essential oils and aromatherapy. Also, how positive experience can help us deal with smells we associate with some difficult situations.
I also learned that I didn't give enough thought to natural perfumery and I still can't believe that I who think so much about the things I put in my mouth, never considered the fact that what I apply on my skin also ends up absorbed in my body.
Carol, thank you once more for hosting this wonderful discussion. :)
There were many things I learned, but one of the most intriguing, at least to me, was 'your nose is the medic'. In other words, that we can gravitate towards certain scents that balance us out and make us whole, oftentimes without being aware of it.
In my case, I'm on a neroli/orange blossom kick right now, which is a natural sedative. Life for me right now is a rollercoaster ride at 70 MPH - crazy busy - and orange blossom calms me down enough to deal with it, I learned. Who knew? And here I thought I was just reliving my Florida childhood!
Carol, I can't thank you enough for this - it has been a major eye-opener! AbdesSalaam now has a potential customer with a bad case of credit card itch! ;-)
Ines - it is important to consider what we put on our bodies....to a certain extent I trust my nose , but if we knew about the chemicals in most scents we'd probably freak...LOL
tarlesio " your nose is the medic "...simple but mind blowing !!
You are both in the draw !
It was such an interesting discussion and I learnt so many things... It's difficult to choose just one :)
I learnt that aromatherapy can heal actual diseases and that we can re-educate our nose to get to appreciate a scent that brings bad memories or that we dislike.
And I thank AbdesSalaam for making me consider that applying perfume on skin maybe is not the safer and healthier way to do it. I'll start to perfume my hair and clothes instead.
Thank you Carol for hosting this discussion and AbdesSalaam for spending his time with us :)
Like so many, I learned many things from AbdesSalaam's discussion with us. One of the things I value most is the idea that "When your nose likes a type of smell it is because this smell is activating your endocrine system to produce the substances that favour your equilibrium.
It is as if the smell would give to your nose the order to your own pharmaceutical laboratory to produce your personal medicines."
I just love this quote and have copied it down for myself so I won't forget.
And, off-topic, I offer a link for Jim Lewis, if he is reading this, and anyone else making their own fragrances. It is a commercial site that sells perfume and soap-making supplies, and has some very interesting information about perfumers' alcohols. Thank you!
http://tinyurl.com/6a2kqk
Sorry, I meant to add that I have no connection with the commercial perfumers' site at the link I gave. I don't endorse their products--I only found a little interesting information. Ta!
Isa , it was a great discussion wasn't it !
QC - thanks for the link ! I love that quote too .
you are both in the draw !
Carol -
One thing? Not possible. This was an intriguing conversation, full of so much information - and it brought a totally different perspective to my notion of perfumery. You know, I pride myself on my 'global' sensibilities but this discussion revealed just how much I don't know! Luckily learning is Way Fun!
However, if pressed I would have to say I was interested in how he managed the oakmoss. Most of us are missing that natural note now - lord knows my beloved Mitsouko is a bit worse for wear - but I knew nothing of its staining properties.
I am also way intrigued by the Clary Sage note in Mecca Balsam, which I have yet to try (please enter me in the draw? Please? :-). I'm in menopause, so I use Clary Sage often, to keep my hormones in balance.
xoxo
ps. (sorry for the lonnnnng comment), I second the use of acupuncture for joint problems. Nothing beats it. I 'had' to have shoulder surgery because of a bone spur ripping through the tendon but on the other shoulder (which is spur-free) I elected to use acupuncture, yoga and therapeutic massage - works wonders!!!
xoxo
Thank you Carol for creating this informative online space and highly enjoyed interaction with AbdesSalaam....very appreciated.
This quote about the psychoactive properties of perfume,
"a concentrate of energy and will appeal to who already owns the interior force that will enable him to wear it."
has given me new thoughts, perspective and direction for expanding my understanding the life force nature of perfumes.
Much thanks to both of you for sharing your time and knowledge,
Gale
MS Muse ! I found a Chinese accupuncturist today close to my home , will be going for a series of sessions .
Thank you for the thooughtful reply , I wanted LOOOONG answers !
You are in the draw !
Welcome Gale , so glad you enjoyed it and have taken the time to reply .
You are both in the draw !
Good morning Carol! The conversation with AbdesSalaam was so much fun to follow, and taking part really made my day. Thank you for that.
There was some pretty heavy philosophical stuff flying around during that Q&A session; what I think is interesting is that there is a professional perfumer (an elusive one at that) who is meeting his consumer where they're at--online. It's cool that there are meet and greets at physical locations, but we all know that niche perfumery has exploded at least partly due to the fragrance blogs and the online perfume community. That AbdesSalaam met us here was interesting in that it's still unusual, and I hope that it will pave the way for further connectedness between perfumer and perfume lovers.
I was grateful to learn of AbdesSalaam interests in the healing aspects of scent. I browsed his bibliography and already purchased several books from the recommendations! I will graduate with my counseling psych degree next year and would love to incorporate scent in some manner. Thank you for publishing the session!
I've got deeper into the olfactory arts and theory, it was very useful to read the discussion, thanks for such opportunity!!! Alica - alica@cleis.net
That was a very cool Q&A with AbdesSalaam! I loved the tip about narcissus absolute (I want to try that now!), and it was interesting to learn that he was a street vendor!
dee - I hope it will pave the way for a new communication between perfumer and consumer too !
Jessica - congrats and good luck in your career ! Thanks for joining us...
Alica - you are welcome !
Aimee - it was really interesting and so fun !
You are all in the draw .
I found it very interesting to hear the recommendation that we should not put perfume on our skin, but instead on our hair and clothes. I love to put perfume on my scarves because it last longer, but have never tried it on my hair. I intend to try it ASAP.
Dear Carol, thanks for giving us such a great opportunity! I also learnt a lot but these 3 stand out for me: first that 'love of perfumes comes from a quality of the soul and being able to feel joy from scents instead of material things. It is not given to all'. I also learnt that while a perfume may be inspired by an ingredient, this is rarely the case. Rather the staring point is an idea plus logic and discipline. Finally that the best perfume has a nice character and noble comportment. Thank you Mr Dubrana for these insights!
Akiba, I was meaning that the best perfume to adorn oneself with was having a good character and a noble comportment.
Nina - always love it when I put on a jacket and it smells like yesterdays perfume...
Akiba -
I have said before I'd rather have perfume than diamonds !!
You both are in the draw !
AbdesSalaam , thank you for the clarification .
You aren't in the draw...*wink*
Thanks Carol - the questions and answers were so interesting. Unfortunately I could not participate, but read through afterwards. I found the aromatherapy comments most interesting - and the fact that his family does not wear perfume, but rather the aromatherapy oils. Did he ever answer how he would make a perfume to smell like Spain? I thought that was a great question, but never saw an answer. - Debby
Once I was aked by the government tourist agency of Mongolia to make a perfume of Mongolia for selling to the tourists. I asked them for a 2 weeks trip to Mongolia, complete of tents, horse riding and bow shooting, but they did not answer.
Although I have been to spain since childhood, the feeling of spain is not the same as it was 20 years ago last time I went there.
The smells from San Sebastian to Marbella are extremely different, I would have to catch a feeling before getting an ideato work on.
Hi Carol!
I hate that I missed these 2 days of interviews with one of my favorite perfumers! Work was so busy this last week and even busier next week! *sigh*
I learned so much -mainly that I'm bummed he's not teaching anymore and would like to find one of students here in the US to see if they are teaching according to Saleem's principles.
I love that he wears staining oakmoss paste and that's what lured others to him and how he started making "usable" perfumes for others! I want to smell that paste!
I want to smell the essential oils his family wears since they don't wear perfumes and I want to smell the oud he wears. Seriously, I want to smell what the perfumer and his family wears!
Thanks to Abdes Salaam Attar for the answer to my question. I guess I was just thinking it would be so interesting to have a perfume that is one's own personal interpretation of a place, a country - no matter what part. Of course it is impossible to represent all parts! Thanks again! - Debby
I have learnt why I am still so uncomfortable working with isolates...
Like AbdesSalaam, I too am seduced and inspired by the history and the story of the ingredients I use...the flowers and plants that produced them, the history of their use in ancient perfume recipes....They are my friends, my companions, and I understand them and their effect on our bodies and our souls....
Thank you for reminding me and strengthening me on my own creative journey!
Brightest of Blessings to you!
Debbie -
I have been thinking about the Scent of Spain....I think of the Pyrrhenes Mts and the food . Tomato leaf , neroli , hay , tabacco , cedar .
Dixie - missed you , but you're here now !
Ambrosia - can you describe one of your creations for us ?
you are all in the draw !
So sorry I couldn't make it "live"'to the online discussion, but having everything archived here is one of the things that makes the Internet (and blogging) so useful. I purchased a lovely sample set from AbdesSalaam earlier this year, and fell in love with Mecca Balsam. I was also intrigued by Oak Moss and some offer woody, earthy scents I chose. Thank you for this innovative discussion, Carol and AbdesSalaam! I found many things in the posts that were food for thought, including the "psychoactive" properties theory and the discussion of healing and aromatherapy. I appreciated hearing AbdesSalaam's view on the ethical treatment of animals in perfumery. (Patricia de Nicolai brought this up too when she referenced the difficulty Osmotheque has in recreating old perfume formulas, if they cannot use musk from deer or real civet as
ingredients, for ethical reasons.) Loved the suggestion on retraining the brain (and nose) to make new, positive associations with a scent that has acquired a "bad" connotation.
Gail
The most interesting thing that I learned is that you can use perfumery to heal, that happens to me a lot, usually I use certain perfumes to make me feel calmed, relaxed, refreshed, the world needs to smell better to be better I think...
Thanks!
Roberto
cabeza4ever@sbcglobal.net
The book he mentioned, the Valnet one sounds really interesting, I am a therapist and I am always trying to incorporate new things in my sessions, I'm going to research more on that subject.
I have to comment that much of the information on perfumer's alcohol on the Snowdrift Farm website is incorrect and has been discussed and debunked on various Yahoo discussion groups. This is not the forum for those details, but I felt a need to set the record straight with a broad stroke.
The aromatherapeutic/healing properties of natural fragrances is an eye-opener! And the advice to avoid using "commercial" perfumes on bare skin is certainly food for thought...
Hi, good day or evening, depending on where you are in the world. Thank you all for a wonderful interview and all of your contributions.
One of the most interesting points to me is that we cannot separate the aromatherapy from the perfumery. This is, of course, obvious in its way, yet we are taught that one is a healing science and the other a pleasurable artform. Isn't the fusion of the two the best?
As natural perfumers we cannot say we are aromatherapists without having some other type of credential, yet it is intrinsic in our work. Nature is the true aromatherapist and we are her distributor in a sense, bringing scents to people who might not have access. :)
I am delighted to learn more about using the power of scent to heal and am inspired to do so more quickly!
Blessings!
Thank you to AbdesSalaam and Carol for this space and exchange. I was not able to participate live, but enjoyed reading all of the comments.
One statement struck me most and I am still thinking on it. In his answer about natural isolates, AbdesSalaam says he does not use them and also that he does not conceive of perfumes as smells alone. The whole idea of perfumes as "stories in the olfactory language" is kind of huge and intimidating-sounding to me. But I think what I take away from it is that you can't isolate a predominant "smell" from something's essence, it's personal/cultural context, the parts of it you may not recognize or detect consciously, and expect it to be the same as the whole.
I wonder how we are able to detect this difference, but I believe that we can. I think that's why I've been gravitating toward natural perfumes over time. It still feels amorphous though!
I missed this discussion unfortunately.
The comments are fascinating and even after viewing his very inspiring
Website for the last few years,I am even more intrigued with Abdes Salaam and his work.
.I am a nurse practitioner and work with many individuals
Who are very open to options other than allopathic medicine.
-I love learning more about how fragrance heals!
Thank you,
Ragna
I was fascinated by the discussion, thanks you Carol for fascilitating it! I heard for the first time about the "Encyclopedia of essential oils" by Julia Lawless. It is definitely on order now! Thank you AbdesSalaam for taking the time to do the Q&A.
Thank you, Abdes Salaam and Carol for the interview. It is great to learn more beyond the final products of perfumery.
I find it interesting that Abdes Salaam is very serious in his profession, but he doesn't make it as the most important thing in life. It is a reminder I need, as sometimes I let this hobby take over more important things.
There isn't one thing that I learned but several. I appreciate AbdesSalaam taking the time to participate in this discussion. I found the information shared very useful.
I have to echo the idea that there was such a wealth of information and spirit shared during the interview. It is hard to select just one thing!
I believe the ideas of perfumes being stories unfolding has to be the one that sticks with me most. Book learning is wonderful, but that specific point is something I have yet to see so eloquently explained and emphasized, and will certainly give me pause when smelling or attempting to create new scents.
Thank you so much to Carol, AbdesSalaam, and all the participants in the interview. I missed the live process, but the transcripts are a treasure!
Michael
Hi Carol,
Thank you for this wonderful interview with AbdesSalaam. I enjoyed reading all the questions and comments. I learned that AbdesSalaam is a very generous and humble perfumer. He freely gives credit to others, and seems to downplay his popularity by crediting it to his exposure in the NY Times article. I found his personality incredibly refreshing and his humility charming, especially for such a remarkably talented perfumer.
I have yet to smell Balsamo della Mecca and would love the chance to try his creation.
Best,
Charna
Abdessalaam's writing on smell/scent is above and beyond... you really get an idea of what something might smell like even while being on the other end of a computer screen thousands of miles away. I've yet to experience his perfumes but his breadth of knowledge has really opened my eyes and hopefully soon my nose will follow.
I missed the live conversation as I was traveling and was no where near a computer. I was very happy to see that it had been made available for all to read!
AbdesSalaam's story about his daughters aversion to peppermint was very helpful. I am have a aversion to the smell of bacon. The smell is wrapped up in unpleasent emotional associations.
I'm glad to know it is possible to move past these associations.
I recently visited a friend and her husband who have just moved into a new house. We had breakfast with them and they cooked bacon. Watching them engage with each other in their new home, where another chapter of their life has begun is the new association I will try to make with the smell of bacon.
Thank you for hosting AbdesSalaam and sharing the opportunity to engage directly with him.
Thank you all for the comment .
I will add your names to the draw !!
I'm away from my computer and posting from my iPhone
Keeping it short...
Please continue to comment
The drawing will be open for a few more days
Thank you everybody!!
I've enjoyed reading the interviews with AbdesSalaam, and appreciate his taking the time to share his thoughts with us. I've never had the chance to smell his perfumes, but am looking forward to doing so in the future. I found this comment particularly interesting, that an idea, not inspiration from an ingredient, is generally his starting point for a perfume.
There was a lot of interesting stuff discussed. I think the one thing which maybe interested me most was learning that AbdesSalaam is working on a musk perfume
Oakmoss absolute is sticky and stains the skin- that's one of the fascinating tidbits I picked up from this interchange.
His association of travel with energy and stillness is very interesting to think about, and the related idea that we enjoy certain perfumes at certain times because of a particular sort of energy that characterizes that moment in our lives is interesting, too. Thanks so much for the interview.
There were so many things that AbdesSalaam said during his interview that it is hard for me, just beginning my journey into Natural Perfumery, to single out any particular comment.
I'm still absorbing it all. Thank you so much for hosting the interview!
"Patchouli and Clary sage activate the pituitary that produces endorphin while neroli and lavender stimulate the Raphe nucleus that produce serotonin." This I did not know...
The whole interview was very interesting. It was nice to hear his opinions and he was very generous to answer all the questions.
I learned that he was both fascinating and kind, someone whom anyone could go to with a question or a request.
I learned many things from the wonderful conversation with AbdesSalaam.... mostly that aromatherapy is a valid and useful tool in creating and maintaining wellness.
I was - again - pleased to learn how he views his creations as a means to create or enhance a mood.
I greatly admire DD's work and Mecca Balsam is a brilliant accomplishment. This was a wonderful event and it is hard to point out any one particular fact I have learned, but I suppose what most impressed me in regard to perfumery was that he said he creates perfume not based on smells, but as a quest for meaning. Perhaps that explains the amazing character of many of his creations.
Thank-you Carol, thank you Salaam!
One interesting thing?! Only one? :)
"I am attracted by meaning, and I want everything to be true".
In this discussion, I am taken back to my aromatherapy roots, re-anchored and reminded to breathe deeply until I "fall into the bottle."
This is how it must be for me.
Warmly
Margi Macdonald
Australia
The biggest thing I learned was to open my mind to the possibilities of aromatherapy, to view scent as a possible bridge between smelling good and feeling good......
An interesting thing I learned was the suggestion to use fragrance on the hair and clothing rather than the skin, to prevent the potential absorption of chemicals. I personally love to wear fragrance in my hair.
What an interesting interview. Thanks for sharing it with us!
~Michelle
I'd love to be entered in the drawing! THANK YOU.
I was excited to read, in Tuesday's post, about his new upcoming musk scent.
It was great to get the confirmation that the order in which the ingredients are added has no effect on the the final fragrance. That was a question that was plaguing me for a while already.
What a wonderful dialogue, thank you so very much!
I read a multitute of interesting snippets!
I too was intrigued by the discussion on isolates, I enjoyed reading another's take on their use/place. And I love Salaam's advice for the serious individual entering the world of perfume, to really get to know your essences [emotionally and physically] before blending them. And blending for meaning and not necessarily for aesthetics. Loved it!
I think my favourite quote, however, from this Q&A series is the following: "I sometimes tell my wife, if you put on this cream, I don't come to bed."
Made me laugh out loud!! :-)
Kind regards
Holly
Australia
Again I get a chance to learn from AbdesSalaam. As someone who started down the path of natural perfumery a few years ago, I quickly realized his site was a great resource. I looked through it and read and absorped as much as I could. As one who tends to be very logically minded, I thought all of these words, thoughts and insights would be the most valuable teaching I would receive from him. I later found that to be untrue though. The most I have learned from AbdesSalaam was when I first smelled one of his scents. Through a BN organized swap I came into a sample of Mona Lisa, among a few other of his fragrances, and from the first whiff I knew I was smelling something special. Like a novice on an instrument who hears a master, I thought to myself "I should give up.. my blends pale in comparison." But quickly those thoughts were transformed and the experience became inspiring and uplifting. Words and thoughts are not the first principle, and memories or preconceptions never compare with a truly beautiful experience. True love always trumps one's idea of what love is, or can be! And so it was with Mona Lisa. Not in any way to detract from anything he has said in his interview, but it was with this fragrance that I learned the most from him.
I later had the opportunity to smell his African Queen Black and Pink Panther scents, and was equally impressed - these had a more carnal effect on me. Karo Karounde really stirs something primal in me.
Still, there was a ton of excellent information in this interview. Having acquired a large palette of naturals over time, I surely have become acquainted with the idea of varying quality, but never fully realized how the distillation process could affect the final product in such a way. I guess that just reinforces that old adage - "good things come to those who wait."
AbdesSalaam's talk about associations is especially important to me, too. I have lost the ability to wear certain favorite scents because of their association with particularly poignant, negative events. I have had success in reversing, or at least lessening, some of these associations although a few still persist. Is it unhealthy to allow some of these to persist - or can it simply be viewed somehow positively that the scent is now forever entwined with the event, and can be used to recall the event more clearly and thus deal with the event if and/or when I am ready?
One last thing that may be odd, but I feel compelled to share, partially because I am curious if anyone else feels the same. There are a few scents that I own that are so exquisitely beautiful and uplifting that when wearing them I feel a need - and a desire - to behave better than I usually do. To be more careful with my words, thoughts and actions. In essence, to be more mindful, and live more righteously (in a personal sense, not by some external social standard) and harmoniously.
Thank you for a little piece of enlightenment, AbdesSalaam. And also a huge thank you to Carol for the interview!
~Seth
SculptureOfSoul
There were many wonderful topics touched upon in this event. The one thing AbdesSalaam mentioned that I couldn't agree with more is how important it is to get to know each note individually in order to better put them together in a blend. Very wise words indeed.
AbdesSalaam's comments about civet farming and castoreum were of great interest to me.
I also learnt how kindly and good AbdesSalaam's soul is ,from his words throughout. Thank you for the great insight.
Since I can only pick one, LOL, I have to say that this part:
"while a perfume may be inspired by an ingredient, this is rarely the case. Rather the staring point is an idea plus logic and discipline."
was affirming for me, as this is how I work.
I missed the discussion, but loved, just loved reading back through it. I am turning over and over in my mind the unity between aromatherapy and perfumery-- something I had been thinking of in my journey of exploration of this hobby. Thank you so much-- I would love to be in the draw for this fragrance--
Mary
What a fascinating discussion and what a wonderful blogging format! Thank you so much Carol and AbdesSalaam.
What interested me most was AbdesSalaam's statement that he was less interested in smells than in exploring olfactory language. After wearing two of his fragrances I felt that they were working on a deeper level than most other perfumes. Now I know that this is intentionally so.
I have also been fascinated to find the wealth of information of the Via del Profumo website. I've been enjoying reading it and look forward to further explorations in the bibliography.
I'm most interested in history and concrete facts, so I learned that his first perfume was derived from a paste of the venerable oakmoss, that he makes his own tincture of ambergris, and that he connects his perfume Arabia to the Sufic tradition. Fascinating!
The one thing that stands out to me is the strong connection he makes between fragrances and spirituality. This is what perfume should be about at all times.
I was excited to learn that AbdesSalaam is working on the 'ultimate' musk. I am looking for one and would have to sniff it when it comes out.
What a great discussion!
I was fascinated to hear about the differences in fixative properties based on the method or length of time of distillation. It really emphasizes the importance of good sourcing of botanical materials.
And thanks for the chance to be entered in the give-away, it would be great to smell a creation made by such a talented man.
Jason
innoxia@comcast.net
It was interesting to learn that Mr Dubrana build his perfumes as stories. For me it very unusual approach. I was also intrigued by the ultimate musk project. It will be very interesting to try this perfume.
Thank so much for hosting this wonderful discussion!
As a novice in natural perfumery it was great to learn how he views the relationship of perfumety and aromatherapy. I started my E.O. journey from many times my "nose in crisis"!!! I love J. Lawless' book and feel like I'm joining a great group of inspiration!!
thanks for the opportunity to try one of his perfumes!
namaste - kim
Wonderful comments and discussion going on here...we have extended the drawing until Wednesday...
carry on...
I was really moved reading that he started as a street vendor, when a person is passionate about what he/she does everything is good and successful, and with his creations he helps us all (talking about the relation that aromatherapy has in healing).
Thanks.
Wow! Really interesting material, the healing powers are the ones that caught my attention as well to a lot of other people here, is unbelievable all the things you can do when you are smelling good. Hope he can make his "Ultimate Musk" pretty soon.
honeywhereismygun@hotmail.com
Thank you all , I have read each and every comment and entered you in tomorrow's drawing .
I know we'd love more discussions like this and I will do what I can to make it happen .
I have been moved by scent all my life , and to read confirmation that emotionally and spiritually things are really happening when I smell my favorite scents...big fragrant hugs to all , please come back soon !
unfortunately i wasn't able to follow the live discussion, but as an old student of Abdes Salaam i just can add that the soul of perfumery is Naturals;and that this soul pervade all my fragrances making.
and reading all the comments here strengthen this reality.
thank you for ever Abdes Salaam Attar
The implications of aromas activating neurotransmitters and hormones are fascinating, and I love the idea of using scent as personal medicine to maintain equilibrium. Another reason to spritz before bed for nighttime rejuvenation! May I please be entered into your very generous draw.
It was great seeing the response to the question on animal products and phermones, they are very impactful in scents.
Mike
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