Sandalwood: The perfume Of Gods

 The sacred wood that soap makers and cosmetics fourmulators adore.

Sandalwood (or Chandan in Hindi) is a small evergreen tree with dark brown to red bark growing naturally in south India. It is believed to have been scented by the Gods themselves and is considered sacred by most of the Indians. The Parsis of India feed their sacred fires with sandalwood, and it is the wood from which idols and prayer beads are made.

Legend also tells us that the sandalwood is the ‘snake tree’, claiming that the smell of the wood is so intoxicating that snakes wrap themselves around the tree in order to be closer to the scent. Being a wood with a heavenly smell, it is extensively used in cosmetic and soap manufacturing. The beauty-conscious Indian women used to rub their bodies with a sandal and turmeric paste for a blemish-free skin much before the western cosmetic industry made inroads into India. In many parts of the country, brides still have their ritual bath with sandalwood paste. Hindu homes frequently have a billet of sandalwood which is rubbed on a stone plate sprinkled with water to create a paste. The paste is applied to the foreheads of idols during Puja, a religious ritual that Hindus perform on a variety of occasions to pray or show respect to their chosen Gods or Goddesses.

Aromatherapy and cosmetics use.

Traditionally, the heartwood (inner part of the tree) is commonly used for carving and can be found in the form of everything from statues and beads to ornate hand fans. The bark is powdered and is one of the main ingredients in the manufacture of agarbatis, which we know as incense. This powder could also be mixed with water to create a cooling and emolient cream.

In cosmetics and soaps production, the sandlawood essential oil is widely used. Its astringent properties make sandalwood a suitable ingedient for oily skin. Both paste and its essential oil are very
effective as anti-inflammatory agents . They have a nice cooling effect and give relief from all types of inflammation in the brain, digestive system, nervous system, circulatory system, excretory system, etc.  This oil can be mixed with bathing water or other lotions or oils to apply on skin and wounds and ensure their protection from infections due to its disinfectant nature. It is also used widely in aromatherapy to heal stress, depression and nervous tension.

If you love this woody and sweet fragrance then try our Mystic Soap Bars  which will not only perfume you skin, but also remove toxins with the aid of zeolite clay. Alterativley, you could fill your bath tub with warm water and drop a Sandalwood Black Pepper and Myrrh Bath Bomb thus creating a unique and stimulative aromatherapy experince at home!