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Although I am most fond of “vamber,” my vanilla and amber combination, I have recently moved into a sandalwood phase and am delighting in its powers.
In a glass bowl, stir together six teaspoons of powdered sandalwood and two cups of neutral oil, such as sesame or almond. Heat gently over a flame, taking care not to bring the mixture to boiling point. After cooling, place it in a colored-glass jar and seal securely.
Sandalwood, from the Sanskrit word chandana, has been used for thousands of years in India. The woody, sweet smell clears your mind and reconnects you to the earth. This simple spell can actually be used every day as prayer, or to prepare for meditation. Light a stick of sandalwood incense and “smudge” the area with the soothing smoke.
Anoint a brown candle with sandalwood oil. In scentless base oil, such as canola, olive or sesame, add:
In the next several entries I plan to quickly explore the materials that have formed the basis of incense historically as well as those that modern incense makers use regularly. One of the most important incense ingredients historically is sandalwood.
There are 5 different varieties of sandalwood that are used in scented products, although only 3 of those have commonly been used in modern times. Indian yellow sandalwood (santalum album) has historically been a preferred base material for incense in Asia and Africa. Even in modern times, sandalwood is burned in every form from large pieces in fires to powdered bits in incense sticks and cones. The biggest consumer of sandalwood, by far, is the perfume industry. Sandalwood is a key ingredient in many popular perfumes. Once you work with the fragrance for a while you will begin to recognize it in colognes and perfumes. The popularity of sandalwood over the centuries has led to its endangered status in India, the motherland of incense. International treaties have reduced the trade in sandalwood from India to the realms of bootleggers. For some years now the only sandalwood from India that was legally available in the USA was from existing stockpiles. It is now virtually impossible to get real sandalwood from India in the USA, although there are many imitation products sold under the label of “Indian sandalwood”.
