Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. It really is my favorite holiday of the year and not just because it falls on my birthday every 4 years. In fact, as a kid it was always confusing to me why I had to share my day with a bird and why was it every 4 years my birthday seemed to be a bigger deal then the others. Eventually I caught on.

There are many stories of the origin of Thanksgiving and many other countries who have their own version of a fall season festival of thanks. The dates are not always the same (our neighbors in Canada celebrate their thanksgiving in October) but the intent is very similar.

Thanksgiving is the one day a year that is set aside for the purpose of giving thanks. Pure and simple. How perfect is that? Not that you should only be thankful one day a year, but that we all, as a community set aside differences for one day and say what we are thankful for. It doesn't matter what religious, political, or philosophical belief you hold. It doesn't matter if you were born here in the US or if you or your family made the pilgrim voyage here recently.  It is a holiday we all share.

It is a day to celebrate each other and to say those simple little words Thank You!

A New Blend is born!

One of my favorite things to do is to create new blends. It’s not as simple or cut and dry as you may imagine. A great deal of creativity goes into blending your own and what may seem fairly simple, is actually far more complicated. Perhaps it really doesn’t have to be that way but I have always taken pride in formulating with intent. What that means is that each and every one of the products is designed to nurture you at many levels. My goal is to transform through scent and sensation. To nourish the mind, body, and spirit   It is a lofty goal, but perhaps it helps you understand why Très Spa synergy blends take time to design.

Take my latest endeavor and the inspiration behind this post. I’ve been working on one in particular blend for a little while now and it’s just about ready for its debut. If all goes according to plan, that will be November 23^rd, the day after my birthday. When I was describing it to a customer, they asked about how I create a new synergy blend. They had no idea the process that happens when creating a new synergy and since they found it enlightening, I figured I would share it here with you as well.

First step: Inspiration. This comes from many places, it can be from customers, from nature, from a feeling, an emotion, any number of places. The purpose of a synergy blend of essential oils is to support or transform a state of being. It is no secret that our senses can have a direct, and sometimes profound, affect on our mind body and spirit. With every experience, from the tactile to the scent, the intent is transform and transport you to a new state of being. From the inspiration, the theme of the product is decided.

Once the theme is decided, the anchor scent is selected. The anchor essential oil is chosen based on the folklore around the oil. What has it been know and used for from a holistic perspective. This is the scent that dominates the blend and carries the strongest message. It’s the first leg of the scent structure. But this is only the beginning. Other essential oils are selected that will work in harmony together to strengthen the overall experience. They complement each other.

Selecting the compliments can be very tricky. Most of the Très Spa blends contain 3 or more essential oils. Why three? I like the number three. Trines tend to be very balanced and withstand adversity. Take a look at the pyramids. It takes three dimensions to create a solid. And the list goes on, but most significantly, the secret is in the logo – Three Hares.

You can’t just pick any three random oils, the selection is based on synergies – how the plants work together in harmony. Which ones will add to the main essential oil, the overall message of the synergy. Each one of the oils is researched. Most essential oils have multiple oils that they will synchronize with but each one has its own dominant scent signature. This dominant note can have a profound effect on the full composition. It can make a blend that was once sedative to stimulating.

Once the oils are selected, now it’s a matter of amounts. The art of blending is in balancing all of the oils one drop at a time. Adjustments to the amount of any one oil can completely transform the entire blend. This is the most intricate stage of creation. Too much of one or not enough of another and your original message is lost. I tend to run several test experiments at the same time, carefully measuring and evaluating all along the way. The blends must rest together for 24 and even 48 hours before they are tested. Why is this? Because the scent notes will change once the oils have been married for a period of a day or two. Just like people, they are influenced by each other. Sometimes the interaction is not so good or produces and undesired result. If this happens, you start all over again.

Hopefully, the result is harmonious and you are well on your way to a final synergy blend. Now it is time to test a much larger scaled blend. Up until now, we have only been using drops of oil, but in order to use a blend in the Très Spa products we need to produce the blend in the terms of ounces. I’ve never had an issue with this scaling up as I take very careful measurements from the very beginning so translating is simply a matter of math. There may still be a few tweaks but the major work is done for the synergy blend. Now it’s time to test the blend in different product mediums,. The overall expression can be different based on the medium. A synergy blend will smell different depending on the carrier oils, after all carrier oils also have their own scent. It will also be influenced by the process it goes through.

Just like people, it may act a bit differently depending on who they are with. The scent can have subtle variations and smell different in the soap than in the lotion. And some blends that are created for the soap, are only in the soap. I don’t think I could imagine Venticello fresco or even Burly Borealis as a lotion!