ScentFan

THE TFM OF SOAP - WHO KNEW?Did you know soaps were once graded for quality and, in India still are? The decisive measure is called TFM - Total Fatty Matter. It describes the percentage of fat in the soap which equates to how well it cleans and how good it is for skin. Once upon a time, "toilet "soaps were graded as follows:Grade 1 - min 75%Grade 2 - min 65%Grade 3 - min 60%Grade 1 is a very high quality...

11/12/17It is the 28th day and, unable to wait, I cut my batch of Copra-olive soap into bars yesterday. When our HVAC maintenance man, unasked, cleaned our gutters of hurricane detritus, I gave him a big bar for his wife. The remainder yielded fifteen 1.5" x 2" x 3" bars and a few odd ones—not overly beautiful to the eye, but oh the touch. My magic batch of old had nothing on this.Imagine copious sudsy bubbles, so rich...

At last I made soap. Here's an updated version of this blog.The HistoryYears ago. No, years and year ago, I now and then paused and made soap. Was I a factory worker? No. Normally my life involved travel, meetings, negotiations and such. I noticed that almost anywhere I went if I used the hotel soap to bathe, it dried my skin. Trust me when I tell you that for me, just moi, dry skin is a barrier to negotiation.At...

This is a comparison of three perfumes I recently tried that smelled similar to me. First I'll list them and their notes which are often not complete because perfumers don't like to show all their cards.RAINFLOWER by Neil MorrisFreesia, Night-blooming jasmine, Lilac, Gardenia, Pink hyacinth, Tulip, MuskJAPANESE SPRING woman by NadiaZAfrican myrrh, Gardenia, Hyacinth, HyraceumKAIGardenia,...

I suppose that if a person gets it into her head to go on a 10-day (really 11-day) Meditation Retreat, but can't go, and decides to turn off the cell and do it at home--if same person picks out 11 days of clothes, she certainly needs 11 days of scent. Yes?But which are most apropos for om? Being an addict (i.e., a perfumista), I've got a heck of a lot to choose from -- soliflores and solicitruses, soliboises, orientals,...

The other day I made my first trip to a Sephora perfume room and, sniffing randomly, realized my nose was rapidly closing. Most were new or current offerings from well known houses. I left, not buying anything or even requesting samples (didn't know I was capable of that).There's something new afoot in perfumery, folks. Perhaps you already know, but my mind just identified what...