Guest guest Posted September 20, 2008 Report Share Posted September 20, 2008 Back in May 2008 I went on a cruise with my husband. One of the stops was Tunis, where we took a tour of the Souks. Souks for any of you not familiar with the Middle East, are labyrinths of stalls, like an ancient shopping mall. I was very interested when the guide mentioned one of the stops would be a perfumer. When I saw the place I was dizzy with delight. The other 12 people in the group had absolutely no interest. They just sat there stone faced while I dashed around smelling. The shop keeper took out an old distiller and explained in French/Arabic/English how the oils are made. So I figured I was getting the right thing, essential oils. He took a match to one of the bottles to show it did not have alcohol. I bought Musk, Patchouli, Santal, Vetiver, Jasmine, Fleur Orange and Cactus. I bought the cactus because he said it was not sold commercially because it is used exclusively for Chanel 5, so of course I had to buy it even though I was not interested in it. My oils cost between 5 and 10 euros each. I just had a chance to do some research and found out the place we visited is called Souk El-Attarine, the Perfumers Souk. It is the place that Tunisians go when they are planning weddings or betrothals. There were many jewelry shops there too. I have not tried doing anything with them yet. I really don't want to try holding a match to them at home to see if they ignite or not. I am going to make some blends and see if they work with fractionated coconut oil. Then I figure I will be able to know if they are EO or alcohol, right? Now that I know where I was I want to share this information with you in case any of you are planning a trip to Tunis. I have learned so much from this group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 21, 2008 Report Share Posted September 21, 2008 I believe they are essential oils. Because the ones I buy are Organic certfied EO's the brand is Apivita They only make I believe 25 types of EO's. They cost anywhere from 9 to 15 Euros and they are not Fragrance oils.Maybe EO's are cheaper in Europe. Maggie(Corfu, Greece) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 23, 2008 Report Share Posted September 23, 2008 > > The one called cactus - do you know the botanical name of the cactus used? I > am also guessing he used the flowers, but do you know for sure? I would be > interested in obtaining some of this oil just because. > > > > Thanks, > > Sheri > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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