vetiver

[FireDragon76]

Crusellas Kolonia Vetiver, according to Fragrantica, is a fragrance with spicy, citrus, patchouli, and vetiver notes. That sounds about right. It's relatively spicy, not too sweet, and not overly floral. It would probably be classified as an Oriental fragrance.

I poured about 4 ounces into an old Avon bottle and added a few drops of odorles fixative (P-20), which dulls the citrus explosion but helps it hang around longer. It's a good emollient in its own right, and I use it in my own homemade "scentless" aftershave. It also takes away the alcohol sting and makes for better aftershave.

 

[Jaybeez]

Fine makes a Green Vetiver aftershave. Have it in my den and enjoy it quite a bit.

 

[FireDragon76]

Fine makes a Green Vetiver aftershave. Have it in my den and enjoy it quite a bit.

There's also a fresh vetiver. Has anybody tried that?

Amazon.com: Mr Fine's Fresh Vetiver Mens Aftershave -A Splash Of Classic Barbershop Aftershave for Modern Men - The Wet Shaver’s Favorite: Beauty

Amazon.com: Mr Fine's Fresh Vetiver Mens Aftershave -A Splash Of Classic Barbershop Aftershave for Modern Men - The Wet Shaver’s Favorite: Beauty

www.amazon.com

 

[The Knize]

P-20 is Glucam P-20, right? Sounds like good stuff.

Folks on this forum frequently enough have tried to find lime and lemon fragrances that have longer staying power, or at least scents with those notes that have those notes relatively long-lasting. It has been my experience that the lime and lemon notes in all scents dissipate quickly. Do you think the addition of P-20 to such scents could have a major impact on that?

P-20 is described as a humectant. Does it tend to make the scents or liquids it is added to more the texture of hand lotion? Of say corn huskers lotion?

Sounds like you have some excellent experience in these matters. Be prepared for questions!

 

[The Knize]

There's also a fresh vetiver. Has anybody tried that?

Amazon.com: Mr Fine's Fresh Vetiver Mens Aftershave -A Splash Of Classic Barbershop Aftershave for Modern Men - The Wet Shaver’s Favorite: Beauty

Amazon.com: Mr Fine's Fresh Vetiver Mens Aftershave -A Splash Of Classic Barbershop Aftershave for Modern Men - The Wet Shaver’s Favorite: Beauty

www.amazon.com

I have not had either.

Interesting. The Fresh Vetiver is described as inspired by Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver. The Green by Guerlain Vetiver. Points for knowing there are lots of styles of vetiver. Both apparently have menthol. They are aftershaves, I suppose.

 

[FireDragon76]

P-20 is Glucam P-20, right? Sounds like good stuff.

Yes, it doesn't take alot, maybe 1-2 percent of the whole solution to have a big impact. It tends to shift the fragrance towards a drydown impression.

Folks on this forum frequently enough have tried to find lime and lemon fragrances that have longer staying power, or at least scents with those notes that have those notes relatively long-lasting. It has been my experience that the lime and lemon notes in all scents dissipate quickly. Do you think the addition of P-20 to such scents could have a major impact on that?

Synthetic lemon and lime have much better staying power, as well as being completely skin safe. But even then, there's only so much that can be done.

P-20 is described as a humectant. Does it tend to make the scents or liquids it is added to more the texture of hand lotion? Of say corn huskers lotion?

A little. It gives it a silkier feel in small amounts. In large amounts it resembles glycerin.

Sounds like you have some excellent experience in these matters. Be prepared for questions!

I do amateur perfumery, including working with agarwood/oud oils. You are right they have serious staying power, but they are also quite expensive. There are some good synthetics out there, though, that reproduce much of the impression of oud. I usually "adulterate" my oud with a combination of sandalwood and vetiver, which is fairly typical.

 

[The Knize]

they are also quite expensive.

Yes they are!

There are some good synthetics out there, though, that reproduce much of the impression of oud.

To me perhaps more like "kind of the impression of oud," but we are probably on the same page.

I usually "adulterate" my oud with a combination of sandalwood and vetiver, which is fairly typical.

Three of my favorite things!

 

[FireDragon76]

Yes they are!



To me perhaps more like "kind of the impression of oud," but we are probably on the same page.



Three of my favorite things!

At least these folks are honest about diluting their oud. Some Arab perfumers are not:

Amazon.com: SVATV Essential Oil 10 mL (1/3 oz) 100% Pure, Undiluted, Therapeutic Grade (OUDH): Health & Personal Care

Buy SVATV Essential Oil 10 mL (1/3 oz) 100% Pure, Undiluted, Therapeutic Grade (OUDH) on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders

www.amazon.com

10 percent oud is still very potent. The pure stuff is overwhelming in its oud-ness. You can take a small speck of it on a blotter, then put it in a bath for instance, and the entire bath will smell like oud.

 

[Ad Astra]

Encre Noir is what I reach for ... You have to be in the mood. It's strong.

The Crusellas colognes; I have tried most (in Miami frequently). Mostly weak splashes but fun aftershave change of pace. It was an old Cuban custom to put Agua de Violetas on an an infant. They still sell it.


AA

 

[GearNoir]

There's also a fresh vetiver. Has anybody tried that?

I have tried both Clean (now called Green I think) and Fresh vetivers from Fine. I preferred the Clean to the Fresh. The Clean was more of a light cologne type, crisp and a great sharpness to the top note. Fresh was more earthy and a bit muddled to me.

 

[FireDragon76]

I got a freeby sampler of some kind of perfume in my package from India, it was called "Arabian Nights". I'm not sure if it's meant to be unisex, men's, women's. I think if a man wore it, would be strictly evening wear.

My favorite middle eastern perfume is Mukhalat al Maliki (I think it mean's something like Blend of the King). It's a blend of oud, sandalwood, and rose. I believe it is actually unisex. Different companies make slightly different takes on it, some are cheap, some aren't.

 

[FireDragon76]

I have tried both Clean (now called Green I think) and Fresh vetivers from Fine. I preferred the Clean to the Fresh. The Clean was more of a light cologne type, crisp and a great sharpness to the top note. Fresh was more earthy and a bit muddled to me.

Clean sounds like something similar to Thierry Muglier's Cologne.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Vetiver is also one of my favorite scents. I am glad to have quite a nice selection - most of them are now no longer available.
My all time favorite is Creed Vetiver (1948) - this is a classic, and I still have more than half a bottle of it. Then Floris Vetiver, this is also one that is top notch. Then the L'Occitane - was not aware it is no longer available. The last in my collection is the one from Annick Goutal...

 

[john parker]

I have not had either.

Interesting. The Fresh Vetiver is described as inspired by Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver. The Green by Guerlain Vetiver. Points for knowing there are lots of styles of vetiver. Both apparently have menthol. They are aftershaves, I suppose.

I use Fine's Green Vetiver, and haven't noticed any menthol (which is fine with me). Honestly haven't reviewed the ingredients, but if I had noticed menthol I wouldn't have bought it.

 

[CincyDawg]

Clean sounds like something similar to Thierry Muglier's Cologne.

I believe Green is based on Guerlein Vetiver and Clean is based on Tom Ford Grey Vetiver. Both are good.

 

[EddieX]

I have the soap of Fine Fresh vetiver and absolutely love it. It's a fresh take on vetiver but still remains vetiver-forward meaning vetiver is the main note one notices. I have the Crusellas Kolonia Vetiver splash and the it basically smells like Lemon Pledge furniture polish before it dries down to the actual vetiver scent. If you're telling me that that P-20 fixative stuff can get rid of or cut down that lemony opening I might have to get some. Is it relative cheap to get hold of?

 

[The Knize]

I think the idea was that the P-20 would help preserve citrus notes, not get rid of them.

 

[FireDragon76]

I have the soap of Fine Fresh vetiver and absolutely love it. It's a fresh take on vetiver but still remains vetiver-forward meaning vetiver is the main note one notices. I have the Crusellas Kolonia Vetiver splash and the it basically smells like Lemon Pledge furniture polish before it dries down to the actual vetiver scent. If you're telling me that that P-20 fixative stuff can get rid of or cut down that lemony opening I might have to get some. Is it relative cheap to get hold of?

It's not expensive and it takes very little, 1-2 percent at most. Most people start with 1-2 drops or so for every 2 ounces, that's sufficient to work as a basic fixative.

In small amounts, it doesn't eliminate the lemon altogether, it just keeps it closer to the skin for a longer period of time. Mostly I'm experimenting with it to see if it increases the staying power of the fragrance- and it does ,but at the cost that you don't get the same kind of silage . It is more like a drydown. Not extremely so, but it's noticable.

P-20 is also good for putting in aftershave to reduce the stinging. Like glycerin, it's also a moisturizer.

Crusellas will be on my "must stock" list, with or without the P-20 it's an inexpensive, old fashioned cologne that is so cheap it can be used liberally. Sort of like Florida Water.

 

[The Knize]

Thanks for the clarification. My response was misleading.

You mentioned it before, but making a citrus scent skin safe is a big one to me. Real lemon, but even more so, lime scents, irritate my skin--a lot. Real bay rum has similar mal effects. I wonder if P-20 would help with that.

But on the whole, I am not sure why bother with a scented aftershave anyway. These days I am using 444 skin balm, sometimes with the addition of a bit of my usual aftershave of an unscented mix of alcohol and witch hazel and sometimes not. Very soothing and healing. Hard to get and expensive though, even though one uses very little at a time. There is a Portugese source that i am trying that seems more reasonable.

I suppose bay rum has some healing effects, too. If I could get over the irritation with P-20, maybe those good properties would come through.

 

[The Knize]

BTW, I think someone referred to vetiver as being a relatively inexpensive natural ingredient earlier. There used to be a brick and mortar shop that sold all manner of "essential oils" fairly near where I worked. Not like those inner city places that sell scented oils of various kinds, but high-end, or at least high cost, and allegedly pure stuff. I had thought that vetiver was fairly inexpensive, too--the stuff I have bought to use in a diffuser certainly was--but the owner of that place asserted that good vetiver oil was very expensive, and what he was selling surely was.

I have never followed up on that, but have been curious. Not that the cost of ingredients of commercially marketed scents (perfumes, edts, etc.) has much to do with the retail sales price.

I have wondered what happened to that guy. He managed to stay in business for awhile, before he disappeared overnight, but I never saw many people in his store.