Vetiver Oil - and its availability.
This beautiful essential oil is distilled from the roots of Vetiver grass (vetiveria zizanoides). These roots can penetrate to a depth of up to 3 metres and contain a tiny amount of the fabled essential oil, located at the point where the root's side-shoots branch off.
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The grass itself is superb for preventing soil erosion and is an excellent fodder crop and thatching material too. So all in all, a pretty good plant to grow.In fact, if you Google "Vetiver Essential oil", some of the following comments appear:-
"What is Vetiver oil good for? Vetiver oil is acclaimed for its calming properties, making it effective in alleviating stress, anxiety, and sleep disorders like insomnia. Its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory qualities benefit skin care, helping conditions such as acne and eczema and aiding in scar healing..."
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And there is an awful lot more gushing stuff like that...
However, lately you may have found that this wonderful, heavy and somewhat mysterious oil has become rather scarce and expensive, mainly because its main source - Haiti - has been devastated by earthquakes, followed by anarchy-with-riots. The end result is that this desperately poor country is now completely ungovernable - and one of its main casualties is its production and export of Vetiver Oil.
Apart from Haiti, the other main sources of Vetiver oil include India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Brazil and Sri Lanka - but in every case the quality cannot match that of the oil from Haiti.
Well, a new kid on the block has arrived - and it is Malawi.
We have been involved with setting up Stills there and
supplying local farmers with Vetiver cuttings and can now
report that the first 20+ litres of essential oil is available.
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Malawi, like Haiti, is extremely poor and that is why we
have had to ensure our Stills operate entirely off-grid
(the nearest mains electricity is many miles distant).
The good news is that perfumery reports show that this
oil is every bit as good as the highest quality Haitian
material and MS-GC analysis shows that it contains
even higher levels of certain components (e.g. Longifolene)
to give it a unique fragrance profile.
For small quantities (e.g. 500ml and 1litre packs) the price will be £495 per litre, with discounts available for larger pack sizes. But don't just take our word for it - please contact us and we would be delighted to send you a sample together with a full analysis.
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Geranium Oil.
This is the next venture for our plucky Malawian farmers! Planting is now well under way and the first production of this fabulous essential oil should be available shortly.
The soil around Lake Malawi is highly fertile and perfect for the growth of the Geranium plants, so we are expecting an essential oil that will be every bit as stunning as its Vetiver counterpart. Watch this space for further details.
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And if you have a requirement for an essential oil that is currently difficult to source or of a quality that is poor or not consistent, please get in touch: we promise that we will do our best to help.
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