In the mid 70’s, like all good hippies, I went on a 6-week road-trip with my Mom in a VW microbus camper to California and back. I found the first scent shop I had ever seen in Dallas, TX. That shop changed my life! The smells were wonderful; the colored oils in glass decanters with pipettes for dispensing were a sight to behold! I bought at least six samples including patchouli, and so-called rose and jasmine (synthetic, as I discovered later). I mixed various scents together, patchouli and rose one day, patchouli and jasmine the next; and I observed how people reacted. This helped me define my own trademark scent that I still wear to this day.
I gave scents to my friends and family. I remember my brother D began first by scenting his fiddle case with patchouli, then it became his scent that he wore for the next 40 years. Another friend had been given a blend of vetiver/patchouli and I became obsessed with that too. I made perfumes, and perfected my famous personal scent. My own scent left a trail where I went; people would say I knew you went to the library on campus when I smelled you on the door after I opened it. Once at a party someone said I was at the airport on a particular day as they had smelled me in the elevator. At first I didn’t know what they were talking about. Later though, I remembered I had taken my Mom to the airport to fly home after a visit; sure enough I had been in the elevator at Tampa Airport that day in October. My scent followed me wherever I went and became a signature for who I was and who I would become.
Once I had my massage license (1979), I began adding oil blends to treatments and I saw that more intensely deep relaxation and occasionally psychological miracles occurred. I really thought I was onto something, wondering why anyone hasn’t anyone done this before?. “Surely this could be something big,” I thought. I understood a new potential and began an earnest quest for more information and more oils.
I ordered patchouli and “musk”- at the time really popular scent from Kiel’s pharmacy in NY, and begin to locate oils at the local food co-op, early health food stores and “head” shops.
I found advertisements for essential oils in the herbal magazines, as aromatherapy slowly entered the US through the door of herbalism, and the natural health movement. Many of the first teachers were herblists such as Jeanne Rose and Mindy Green and of course Colleen Dodt.
Odd that today, many aromatherapists are moving back into herbalism, wishing for a deeper understanding of the traditional medicine, and wanting more info on the plants these oils come from. With that in mind I have asked another well known herbalist to help create a course for our students, so watch this space!
Holiday Greetings. I just stumbled across this article tonight and was very surprised to see this blog written about me.At first I had no idea who the person was that wrote the blog but then I figured it out. I have been thinking about this the last week as I have seen many websites where people are laying claim to being the first to launch the botanical perfume and fragrance trend. I have read many websites of person’s claiming to be natural perfumer’s and to only using 100% pure and natural materials in their products. There are reviews on these websites from many major magazines and fragrance affiliated institution’s who have published comments such as: ? started a revolution … an icon in naturals, The first person ever to offer natural perfumes in the U.S. in 1992, the mother of natural perfumery and on and on.
On top of that I actually see aroma chemical aromatics and animal derived ingredients listed on a number of these sites while displaying the logo of animal cruelty free and no synthetic ingredients. I was very perplexed musing over this today as I was asked to write up my own biography for a fragrance website. I just found your blog and I thank you for reaffirmation of my perfumery history. I was not the only one who helped launch the first wave of botanical fragrances. There were others back then who contributed to the natural perfume and aromatherapy trend using authentic botanically derived aromatics. Kathryn Degraff was one of the people who started writing in depth about natural perfumery in her monthly newsletter Aroma Notes and she was creating botanical perfumes in the 70’s. We collaborated on perfume projects and ARIA Aroma Research Institute of America which lasted for about 6 years. Kathryn and I remain good friends today. She was an inspiration for me. She has given me permission to continue publishing Aroma Notes. Thank you Sylla, you too are a pioneer
Hi Sylla
Its been a long time. How are you?
I so respect your work and you being one of the pioneers too.
I find it a bit shocking at how many people claim to be the first to do something, when clearly this is not the truth.
One in particular claiming that she is the Mother of this industry and has been doing botanical perfumery since 1992. I think I know who that is.
This one used to come to me for exotic and hard to find ingredients in the late 80’s early 90’s.
Thank you so much for all your contribution to the aromatic world.
Blessings.
Hi Alysia, great to hear from you.
Really appreciate your confirming my facts!! We were there!
Blessing back to you, hope you are well.
Sylla