In The Shadow of Windsor Castle

It was 1970. Roger and Kathleen Knowles bought an old apothecary located in the shadow of Windsor Castle. While cleaning it up they stumbled across ancient recipe and prescription books dating back two centuries. Using these original formulas as inspiration the two entrepreneurs developed the Woods of Windsor Line of perfumes and toiletries. Though the beginnings were modest, at the time of this writing Woods of Windsor has expanded mightily and now sells it’s formidable line of products throughout the world.

In the company’s own words,”combining traditional recipes with the scientific advances of the twenty-first century have led to a collection we feel proud to present to you..”

And the collection is vast. In the Mimosa scent alone we count more than 17 products, soaps, body sprays, perfume de toilette, dusting powder, moisturizing cream, bath & shower gels, body wash, wardrobe sachets and even…scented drawpaper. A similar grouping is also available in True Rose, Forget Me Not, White Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Lavender.  Woods of Windsor Green Tea Therapy products demand attention as well, and include scented candles and Revitalizing Bath Bubbles in a bottle.

But perhaps the most intoxicating group is titled Aromatherapy Lavender. Here we find an incredibly pure lavender scent applied across the board in oils, gels and tonics, being also enshrined within arguably the finest lavender incense sticks on the planet!

So. When next you hear the name ‘Woods of Windsor’ mentioned at a gathering, you’ll now know it ain’t just a stand of timber lurking behind some crumbling old world castle. It’s also a soap and toiletries link on the internet worth searching for.

Aromatherapy – Top Essential Oils

Below is a list of some essential oils most suited to an aromatherapy bath. Most have specific properties and these are indicated…

ROSEMARY OIL. Rosemary essential oil is great to use when one is looking to relax achy muscles. It is also good for dull skin, gout, tiredness and poor circulation.

GERANIUM OIL. This fresh essential oil helps balance the mind and emotions, while stimulating the adrenal cortex, balancing the hormonal system and stimulating the lymphatic system. It also balances the production of sebum in the skin, while keeping it supple and helping with the healing of wounds.

JASMINE OIL. Great for lifting one’s mood. Also good for treating dry and sensitive skin, tiredness and labor pains.

LINDEN BLOSSOM. A good palliative for headaches.

LAVENDER. The most well known of all popular essential oils.

Has a multitude of uses which include: muscle relaxant, anti-inflamatory, alleviates depression, skin conditions and burns, lowers high blood pressure, cures headaches - especially PMS, as well as general aches and pains. Lavender brings peaceful energy

To all the chakras..and opens the heart and crown chakras. It is one of Nature’s great gifts to mankind.

MANDARIN. Another very versatile essential oil. A natural house cleaner. A disinfectant. Prevents stretch marks. Relieves cramps and tired muscles. As for aroma, Mandarin is called the ‘happy oil’

PEPPERMINT. Relieves asthma, headaches, sinuses, vertigo

PINE. Pine essential oil is great when you need a pick, me up. It helps to energize.

BASIL. Aids in being mentally alert. Relieves feelings of nervousness.

EUCALYPTUS. Really good for helping one breathe clearly.

CLARY SAGE. A mood lifter.

JASMINE. Helps relieve depression and enhance feelings of confidence.

ORANGE. Orange is another essential oil that is great for lifting one’s mood.

CHAMOMILE. For relaxation and restoring calmness.

The Essential Oils listed above are fantastic choices when one is looking to create an aromatherapy bath. There are many more that could be added and it is worth looking up ‘essential oils’ on the internet for a full list.

As a primer, mix 2oz. of some type of carrier oil. Sweet almond works well. Add 20 drops of essential oil. Try Lavender. Mix together and add to your bath. AAAAAaaahhhh! Nuff said.

Climbing The Aromatic Ladder

To many of us, the word ‘perfume’ has a special magic. We have smelled a good perfume in the past and the sensual invocations it brought forth then still linger somewhere in our cortex.

The words ‘eau de toilette’ and eau de cologne’ are more subtle and mysterious. We recognize them as lesser gods, able to convey rich scent but not to the degree of their superior cousin. Why not?  What is it about real perfume that so satisfies..and how can we explain it?

When one brings a fragrance genie out of it’s bottle, it will utter two truths: the first truth is that all depends on the density of aromatic oil in the mixture at hand. Perfume has the highest density, eau de toilette next.. followed by the Cinderella of this family, pale-scented cologne.

The second truth is far more complex. Aromatic composites used in perfume mixtures carry multifaceted chemical connections, some with hundreds of components. These are blended to give stages to the olifactory experience. First there is the ‘Chief note’, the opening whiff. Depending on the mix this can last from a few minutes to several hours. Then ‘HEART’ begins to unfold, or the ‘stiff’ of the perfume, which lingers about as a mood of ‘compassion’ for an indefinite time. Finally ‘footnote’ is revealed, that faint bouquet left at the end of the day. The totality of these stages, and their intensity, define a mixture’s place on our aromatic ladder.

Finally, perfume buyer beware. The most luxurious scents in each category are to be found behind labels which proclaim ‘all natural ingredients’. Many new fragrance groups have been formed using synthetic mixtures, but ‘all natural’ still remains on our ladder’s top rung.