Why is sandalwood the best gift for men?

Sandalwood as a Gift for Men

The scent of sandalwood makes a perfect gift for a man. Or give this present to any man for his birthday, graduation, and celebration for any event. You can masculinize sandalwood by adding other oils such as black pepper essential oil, known in the essential oil business as "Pepper Black" essential oil.

When you start your search for essential oils, first go to the Aroma-Pure at: www.aroma-pure.com/. To make a masculine scent, which is defined as strong rather than sugary and woodsy rather than flowery, or peppery and citrus-like rather than musky, start with sandalwood blended with pepper black or frankincense. Egyptians used sandalwood oils in embalming.

Masculine scents have medium strengths and usually come from wood, mostly trees, and are extracted by steam. Their origin most likely is Indonesia. Sandalwood (Sandalum album) blends well with most oils. The list includes: Clove Bud, Lavender (All types), Geranium (All Types), Patchouli, Jasmine, Benzoin, Bergamot, Clary Sage, Coriander, Cypress (All Types), Fennel, Frankincense, Galbanum, Myrrh, Palmarosa, Pepper Black, Peppermint (All Types).

According to the Aroma-Pure site, sandalwood "is a rich, balsamic, sweet fragrance with delicate wood notes that add to its reputation as luxurious, exquisite oil." Sandalwood even has a masculine color, orange with brown tones. Men have used sandalwood for the past 4,000 years.

Women also have blended sandalwood with other oils and used it as a perfume or to make incense. According to the Aroma-Pure site, "Sandalwood East Indian is now only being used for the distillation of oil. The largest reason for this is the over-harvesting of the tree coupled with the 30 year period required for the regeneration."

Pepper Black Premium Essential Oil is a medium, yet masculine scent. If you're blending an essential oil as a gift for a man, such as for Father's Day or for a birthday present or any other reason to give a gift of essential oils, blend Pepper Black essential oil (not black pepper, but pepper black) with one of the following oils: Bergamot, Clary Sage, Clove, Coriander, Fennel, Frankincense, Geranium, Ginger, Grapefruit, Lavender, Juniper, Lemon, Lime, Mandarin, Sage, Sandalwood and Ylang Ylang.

Pepper black is a strong, sharp, spicy smelling oil that is a bit reminiscent of clove oil. The word, 'pepper' is taken from the Sanskrit word, pippali and has been in use since ancient times. According to the Aroma Pure site, there's a caution on pepper black essential oil.

Pepper black essential oil may cause irritation to sensitive skins and using too much could over-stimulate the kidneys and should be avoided in pregnancy due to its possible skin sensitizing effect. Also, for a pepper black and tangerine aroma, try blending tangerine essential oil with pepper black for a unique, masculine scent of spicy citrus. For more information on tangerine essential oil, see the Aroma Pure site.

Tangerine essential oil comes from Italy, but its origin is in China. The oil is similar to Mandarin essential oil, but not the same. Tangerine oil is extracted by cold pressing.

As a medium strength essential oil in aroma, tangerine essentia oil blends well with Basil, Bergamot, Cinnamon, Clary sage, Clove, Frankincense, Lavender, Lemon, Lime, Neroli, and Orange. The masculine scent of tangerine also can be used by women. Pepper black would masculinize the tangerine and lavender blended with tangerine would be more delicate, for women.

Tangerine essential oil offer a lighter citrus scent than sweet orange essential oil, similar to Mandarin, and more candy sweet than Mandarin or sweet orange essential According to the Aroma Pure site, there's a caution. "Tangerine is similar to other essential oils in the citrus family in that it can be phototoxic. Care should be taken not to expose the skin to sunlight after a treatment. Similarly, the oil should be diluted well before use on the skin."

Essential oils for men, of course, can be worn or used by women. An excellent list of essential oils offered by the Aroma Pure site lists these essentia oils. All of them can be used as gifts for men (or women). As you click on each site, the Aroma Pure site explains what other oils blend well with that particular single oil. Generally, the candy-sweet oils are not masculine scents and the spicy or citrus scents are more attractive to most men.

A gift for Father's Day or a birthday for a man would stay away from a strong rose or jasmine scent, that's more familiar as being used by women, and focus instead on a spicy or citrus essential oil blend such as Pepper Black, Peppermint, Lemon, Orange, Mandarin, Tangerine, Cloves, Sandalwood, Frankincense, Lemongrass, or Sage.

Making a Deodorant from Coconut Oil and Mandarin Essential Oil

When added to coconut oil, coconut milk powder, and baking soda, a dropper full of Mandarin oil makes the finishing touch for a natural deodorant for the external use. It quickly becomes transparent on the skin. Or make your own shampoo by mixing a few drops of Mandarin oil with a few drops of olive oil added and a tablespoon of glycerin added to your favorite gentle shampoo base.

You can combine melted coconut oil, coconut milk powder, baking powder, and Mandarin oil to make your own natural deodorant. According to the Esoteric Oils site, Mandarin oil is extracted from Citrus reticulata (also known as Citrus nobilis, madurensis, unshiu, deliciosa) of the Rutaceae family and is also known as European mandarin, tangerine, naartjie and true mandarin. Here's how to make your own natural deodorant mixing coconut oil, powdered coconut milk, and baking soda with Mandarin oil.

Ingredients
1 cup of baking soda
1 cup of coconut oil
1 cup of coconut milk powder
1 dropper full of Mandarin oil (tangerine oil).

Mix the baking soda with the coconut milk powder in a glass bowl. Slowly melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over a low flame. Coconut oil is solid when it is in a jar kept at room temperature or refrigerated. You can buy coconut oil in most supermarkets. Powdered coconut milk is found in most Asian grocery stores.

Or you can buy Mandarin oil online, for example at amazon.com from Aura Cacia and other online sellers. Buy powdered coconut milk online from King Arthur Flour or Full Spectrum Organics or from numerous other online sellers that sell organics.

Add the warm, but not very hot, melted coconut oil liquid to the baking soda and dry coconut milk powder mix. Squeeze a dropper full of Mandarin oil into the liquid. Stir gently until all ingredients are mixed. Pour into a jar and let cool. The coconut oil will harden at room temperature.

Store the deodorant in a tightly closed jar. It will last a week or until used up. Make this deodorant in small batches. You want to make a fresh jar of deodorant every week or two. It will dry transparent.

Mandarin oil has a wonderful essence of citrus. It adds a gentle, delicate fragrance without being overpowering. If you’re allergic to scents, use a dropper full of citrus oil that is safely absorbed by your skin. Oils are sold in herbal shops and health food stores. Make sure the oil you use is the edible type used in foods, toothpaste, and mouthwashes and not the type used for burning in oil lamps or incense.

Don’t heat the Mandarin oil as it has a flashpoint of 133 degrees F. Check out more facts and safety levels of Mandarin oil at the Sigma-Aldrich® site.

Natural Touch Aromatherapy's Sicilian Mandarin essential oil obtained by cold-expression from the outer peel of ripe fruits. Mandarin is often adulterated with less expensive Orange oil. An excellent mandarin essential oil, amber-orange in color with a deep, sweet, citrus-mandarin scent. To read more about Mandarin oil, see the Natural Touch Aromatherapy site.

After your dental cleaning, make a soothing anti-viral and anti-bacterial mouthwash with exotic myrrh and clove oil. Disinfect those mouth sores caused by a virus. Oxygenate away those anaerobic bacteria that create the roots of gum disease.

Start by making a safe antimicrobial oil-based mouthwash using herbs, oils, minerals, non-corrosive vitamins, and water. Mix 4 drops of clove oil, 2 drops of myrrh, one tablet of zinc, and one tablet of folic acid (that you buy in a health-food store) in 16 ounces (473 mil.) of water. Let the tablets dissolve in the water and oils mixture, and then shake well. Add anti-bacterial herbs of your choice such as sage, mint, or ginger.

Don't make a mouthwash with vitamin C powder from ascorbic acid or with any citrus oil, vitamin, vinegar, acid, or fruit that corrodes teeth. Keep your mouthwash alkaline. Don't swallow this mouthwash. Rinse, swish, and spit it out. Choose edible oils. A few drops of edible oils can be added to your home-made mouth wash.

To make a simple mouth wash, mix four drops of clove oil, 2 drops of myrrh essential oils, a folic acid vitamin tablet dissolved in water, and a zinc mineral tablet dissolved in water. You can purchase all these ingredients at a health food store.
Mix oils and tablets in a pint of distilled water until the folic acid and zinc tablets are dissolved.

Use as a mouthwash. Don’t swallow any. Store your mouthwash in a covered glass jar in your refrigerator for up to a week.

Make your own mouthwash with three to five drops of natural, wild organic oil of oregano in water. Swish it in your mouth or put it in your Water Pik® that’s already filled with warm water. Move the water and oregano oil between your teeth. If you have canker sores inside your mouth, rinse the roof of your mouth with extra virgin olive oil. Another way to soothe virus-caused canker sores in your mouth is to make a paste of monolaurin and water.

Open a monolaurin capsule and mix with a few drops of water. When you have a paste, spread it inside your mouth, on your tongue and on your hard palate. Leave it for a few minutes. You can swallow one capsule of monolaurin after it’s been moved around your mouth for a few minutes. It’s made from lauric acid, which comes from coconut oil.

Remember that your skin absorbs anything you put on it, and you never know what you’re allergic to at any time. Make a mouthwash from edible oils or extracts that are anti-viral and not acid-based. You want your mouth to be alkaline. Your oil base for mouthwash can be extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, sesame seed oil, monolaurin, clove oil, or oregano oil and water.

Don’t put the oil of oregano directly on a sore in your mouth as it will burn. Keep it diluted with olive oil and water. Mix oil of oregano first with water.

Take a sip of water, put a few drops of oil of oregano in your mouth, and swish it around. Take another sip of water and either swallow or spit it out. Don’t use more than one or two drops of oil of oregano with water if you plan to swallow it. If you buy essential oils in a health food store make sure you purchase oils safe to put inside your mouth, not oils meant for external massage. Never put oils that burn your mouth in any other body orifices.

Oils are for rinsing out the mouth. The only oil you could swallow safely after swishing around in your mouth would be extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, or coconut oil. Some oils are toxic if swallowed, and others are toxic if swallowed while not diluted one part of oil to 25 parts of water. Before you use any particular oil for making your own mouthwash, check the aromatherapy sites to make sure the oil you select is not toxic.