Bespoke is when a customer writes to me and asks for something tailor made to fit and suit them or someone they love.
It’s really exciting to be asked to do it! It’s probably my favourite part of being an aromatherapist. I have to research, ask questions and do some digging around. I set aside a “play day” when I get out all my oils and start experimenting. It’s a real challenge and you always learn so much in the process.
Then I am fortunate enough to have a creative and technical husband who makes bespoke label designs for me, this really makes it extra special and having that unique blend with a unique label is really a treat for anyone. It’s a little bit celebrity don’t you think?
All my bespoke pulse point roll ons and inhalers have been for specific medical ailments. My training was to use essential oils and carrier oils for their therapeutic nature and as complimentary medicine to more orthodox medicinal solutions.
Recently however I was asked by a dear school friend to make a blend for her daughter’s 21st birthday. What a wonderful gift for a young woman to have… her own personalised scent and bottle! WoW!
Well for me the challenge took me totally by surprise as I was asked not to create a blend for its therapeutic value but to evoke a memory. I was asked to recreate the scent of a place to evoke wonderful memories. I know! It felt like such an exciting concept and challenge I had to at least try.
My initial reaction was “I’m not sure how I can do that.” Then as I settled, I realised that that is exactly what scents, aromas and most definitely essential oils have the power to do. The direct hit of a scent to the limbic system which is where we keep our memories and emotions. Few things can evoke an instant reaction as the smell of somewhere or someone.
I think only a song can transport you in a similar way, but a scent connects directly to the limbic system via the olfactory nerve and bulb, and to the amygdala in particular, and this is the centre for emotional response, hormonal secretion and memory.
The 21st birthday party was due to take place in Tarifa, the young woman’s most special place of all. A place that spoke to her very soul when she first went there and always has on every visit since. This I totally understand as Tarifa has always been a spiritual home for me and my family for over 20 years.
You can see I had a big challenge and felt very invested in researching and working on this concept.
As you know, everyone smells a scent differently and a blend of oils will always smell differently on each individual. In fact a scent on an individual can change dependent upon the time of the month and what they have eaten may also affect the chemical composition of the skins upper epidermis. So it’s quite a challenge to choose oils that will work for someone who is not sat in front of you and who can work through some of these factors with you.
Suffice to say, I came up with two blends that I sent off to her mother to see if she could make a decision on which she preferred. The cute little sample roller bottles arrived and one was chosen.
What’s in the blend I hear you cry?
Well it’s a beautiful mix of Lime, Patchouli, Lavender, Rosemary and a drop of Eucalyptus radiata.
Look at the packaging:
This is the response I received last night,
“Kay, the birthday girl loved everything about “Tarifa” ! The packaging, the label, the scent and the whole concept – as I had put a little note in with it to explain how I asked you to create it for her birthday. She also mentioned that she really likes when she buys off small brands (which she prefers) and they have their own packaging as it makes it more special. She also mentioned that she has been using the Calming one before she goes to sleep and it really works! “
Do you have a scent memory that you want to have bottled?
Do you have the desire for a bespoke scent that is specifically blended and produced to your needs and desires or those of someone you love? If so, please get in touch using our contact form.
I relish blending and designing packaging for special people and special occasions. What better gift is there than a personalised essential oil blend that elicits such an emotional response.