Oils

[A. G. Maisey]

Yeah Ferry, you're right, you can get minyak cendana from Akar Sari, but my experience has been that they're too expensive. I buy pala panjang from akar sari, and damar selo, but I don't buy minyak cendana. Toko Sedap was #1 for a long time for any of this sort of stuff, but according to what my wife tells me, they've fallen into a bit of a hole since I was there last year. I know where there are a couple of other shops that sell oils, but I can't give the job to my wife to chase up a new supplier, because there are a number of different types of minyak cendana, and some have a pretty lousy smell.It'll sort itself out OK when I'm actually there on the ground.

Actually, I rather like melati, but some people have told me they don't like it because its too sweet, too much like a woman's perfume.

My wife's mother owned a jamu factory in Pare, near Kediri. Before she died she had an enormous gudang full to overflowing of cendana wangi. I mean FULL. Within three months of her death that warehouse was empty, all the wood stolen by employees.

[ferrylaki]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Yeah Ferry, you're right, you can get minyak cendana from Akar Sari, but my experience has been that they're too expensive. I buy pala panjang from akar sari, and damar selo, but I don't buy minyak cendana. Toko Sedap was #1 for a long time for any of this sort of stuff, but according to what my wife tells me, they've fallen into a bit of a hole since I was there last year. I know where there are a couple of other shops that sell oils, but I can't give the job to my wife to chase up a new supplier, because there are a number of different types of minyak cendana, and some have a pretty lousy smell.It'll sort itself out OK when I'm actually there on the ground.

Actually, I rather like melati, but some people have told me they don't like it because its too sweet, too much like a woman's perfume.

My wife's mother owned a jamu factory in Pare, near Kediri. Before she died she had an enormous gudang full to overflowing of cendana wangi. I mean FULL. Within three months of her death that warehouse was empty, all the wood stolen by employees.

the demand to cendana wangi wood is very high. this demand might couse the young tree being harvest far too soon. as the result we finf poor quality cendana wangi wood and oil. even the javanese cendana wood are also expensive commodity. but it cannot have a smell like cendana wangi.

buying cendana wangi oil would go much cheaper when we can afford to buy a bunch of them , like 1 litre or even more... but finding a thrusted source is another problem to solve. as you know, cant put your thrust easily these days. I plan to find my self a few bottle of those cendana wangi oil ( 5ml each bottle) I like to sniff on them during my break time...make me calm, relaks, and pleasant feeling.
No wonder people use them as an aroma theraphy.

about the jasmine oil...I recon it too sweet also. but sweet is always nice to smell. people like cendana wangi for its aroma, but people prefer cendana for its rarity...its value as an expensive oil, as we all know, since timor leste separate from Indonesia, cendana wangi became more and more expensive...
Any body have information about cendana wangi in timor? are they still around? are they survive? I really hope they're still available there.

[BluErf]

I bought a 15ml bottle of Indian sandalwood oil 5yrs ago, and it cost me S$50. It has a 'salty' tinge to the smell, unlike the 'sweet' smell from Indonesian sandalwood oil. But still, it beats what's coming out of India these days - atrocious foul smelling stuff. I wonder what they put in the oil...

I've been using the oil extremely sparingly, on one keris only.

[Bill S]

I got a small quantity of sandalwood oil and tried to mix it as per the recipe noted above - but it does not mix with the mineral oil. My first reaction was to assume that this indicates it's not actually sandalwood "oil", but some water-based sandalwood scent. The person I bought it from insists it's good quality distilled oil - but is willing to take it back and refund my money. Before I do that, however, I'd like to ask here among more experienced people - is there a trick to disolving sandalwood oil in mineral oil? Is this, as I suspected, not truly sandalwood oil? Is there a simple test I can use?

[David]

All i do is mix the oils together in a bottle and shake vigorously. I would say that if your mixture looks like what happens when oil and water are mixed then it is most probable that you have water in one of the oils you are mixing.

[A. G. Maisey]

I've been mixing sandalwood + kenanga + liquid parafin for years and years. Mostly I've used oil I've bought in Solo, but on a couple of occasions when I've run out, I've bought stuff from the nearest hippy shop. I've never had the slightest difficulty.

I just mix it roughly by guessing at the quantity---half a bottle of medicinal parafin, add almost the other half of sandalwood, top up with kenanga, and shake the bottle. If its cold weather I put the bottle in warm water for a while before I shake it. No tricks involved.

Bill, I reckon that you've got this fragrance in a base other than oil, as you guess. My wife has just got back from Solo, and I had her try to buy some of the oil I use when she was there. My supplier there no longer stocks it, but they gave her a sample of what they now stock. What they stock is a good quality sandalwood oil that has been diluted by adding to something other than oil, I think it has probably been added to a spirit base, because it seems to evaporate when you put a drop on your skin, a bit like perfume does, sort of goes into your skin, the fragrance lasts for a long time, but there is no oily feeling where you put it.

[PUFF]

Originally Posted by Bill S

I got a small quantity of sandalwood oil and tried to mix it as per the recipe noted above - but it does not mix with the mineral oil. My first reaction was to assume that this indicates it's not actually sandalwood "oil", but some water-based sandalwood scent. The person I bought it from insists it's good quality distilled oil - but is willing to take it back and refund my money. Before I do that, however, I'd like to ask here among more experienced people - is there a trick to disolving sandalwood oil in mineral oil? Is this, as I suspected, not truly sandalwood oil? Is there a simple test I can use?

Hope my reply is not too late
I just experimented with sandalwood oil, obtained from essential oil company. It should be pure, extracted essential oil rather than sandalwood spiked spa (jojoba/coconut) oil.

The sandalwood essential oil 's chemistry is mainly santalol, high molecular weight alcohol/terpene. It contains hydroxyl group which not totally compatible with mineral/petrolium oils. I tried diluting the sandalwood essential oil in mineral oils at 1% and 10% v/v. (didn't try something in between... yet)

At 1%, no problem, clear solution. But at 10%, the solution 's turbid but not separated.

If your oil 's pure, distilled sandalwood essential oil, put less than 1% in your recipe. Or, if you need higher concentration, put some plant based (coconut/almond/jojoba) to improve mixture compatibility.

[Rick]

Since this thread has resurfaced I'd like to report on my latest Sandalwood oil purchase last Winter .

The oil is a blend of :
East Indian
West Indian
Indonesian
Australian
and
African
Sandalwood oils; no more is available at this point .
US $19.89 per ounce; bought 4 ounces .
Pleasant and well rounded scent .

Mixes well with light mineral oil .

Rick

[ferrylaki]

I'am now using melati/jasmine.
I love my keris smell sweet. but I do keep my cendana oil for the future.
since it's becoming more and more difficult to find.