Anyone familiar with aloesofish.com

#2
Their blends are very nice. I really enjoy the Dragon's Claw it is a very clean smelling oil that is pleasing to the nose. The Sandalwood Kashturi Oud blend opens up with a smokiness that isn't bad at all and about 20 minutes later the creamy and woody sandalwood notes take you home into the next day. Sometimes his oils last for two days without fading away much. I have a few more oils. And will let you know once I use a little more.
 
#4
The Sandalwood Kashturi Oud blend is now one of my favorites. Blue lotus Oud is a very nice blend as well. And the Kodmon's Gold is one of my favorites because it reminds me of ASAQ smoked Cambodi oil.
 
#5
I read this on the web site aloesofish.com "Mukhallat or Attar" that "Mukhallat or Attar That is the question. Mukhallat contains only pure oils as they arrived. Attar may contain anything as it is a fragrance not a type of fragrance. Attar means "smell maker" So it is all about personal preference." do you guys agree with those definition. I had thought all along that Attar is the infusion of resins, materials into Sandalwood E.O. and Mukhalat is the one where it is all mixed up and contain synthetics. If it was a fragrance it would have been called "Muattar". Also does anyone here ever wonder what's in those mixtures because I just have a hard time believing that you can get 3ml. of Pure Dehn Al Oudh for a mere $22! including shipping and 3.4% PayPal fees.
I know the smell might be good and enticing but to say that they are pure and natural and still cost even less than the synthetics something is a miss.
 
#6
Masstika, yes although today attars are frequently made with petroleum based products as the receptor rather than the sandalwood of yore. I have made the equivalent of attars using salt and roses but the product is more volatile than deg production. My significant other loves attars and I try to grab them in duty free shops. Certainly the labor and product costs involved with roses, oud and santal make real attar costly. I have never paid less than several hundred dollars for a tola and frequently much more for said product.
 
#7
Masstika, my understanding of the term "attar" is that it refers to pure oils in a base of sandalwood. Of course, the term has expanded its scope a bit, and is now being used to refer to fragrances altogether, sandalwood or not, pure or synthetic. "Attar" is a Persian-derived word that literally means "fragrance". I always took Mukhallat to mean a blend of many oils, not necessarily containing sandalwood, and I've always perceived Mukhallat's to be more complex than an Attar.
 
#8
Here's a great explanation of traditional attar making from the internet:

Attar-making is a labor-intensive process, requiring great talent, skill and patience. It can take over two weeks to make a small batch of a single attar. Anywhere from twenty-five to three-hundred and fifty pounds of flower petals are collected and placed inside a deg. From the deg, a long bamboo pipe leads downward to a copper recepticle that contains sandalwood oil. Water is added to the deg, and the lid is sealed down with a mixture of cotton and clay. The deg sits over a fire and contains no modern guages or thermostats. As the steam collects, it condenses and flows into the receiving vessel.

The fire must be constantly monitered to keep the correct temperature. Too much heat will burn the flowers. It will also create too much pressure which can explode the clay seal around the deg. The low heat and pressure preserves the fragile fragrance oils better than the hotter steam distillation method used to obtain essential oils.

The receiving vessel sits in a pool of water and is continually rotated by hand to blend the oils and keep them from overheating. Throughout the day, the master distiller monitors the deg and receiving vessel by feeling them with his hands and listening to the sounds from inside. When necessary, wet towels are rubbed over the vessels to cool them down.

At the end of the day, the distillation is stopped. Overnight, as the oil cools down, the water separates from it. In the morning, the water is poured off from the oil and put back into the still. Freshly picked flowers are added, and the process begins anew. This process will be repeated for fifteen to twenty days, until the sandalwood oil is completely saturated with the fragrant oil of the flowers.

 
F

floraopia

Guest
#9
Great description of making attar... but how does that differ from simply mixing sandalwood oil with some floral oils?
 
F

floraopia

Guest
#10
Interesting... have you tried anything from Ensar or Taha to compare? I have generally found Ouds in the price bracket of Aloesofish to be mediocre... and I am sure I read something that was not very positive about his Ouds in this forum, but of course, people can be wrong! I'd be very interested in seeing what he has to offer - does he do samples?
 
#14
Any reviews of his products,quality etc. ?
Ish has some incredible Floral blends that last on skin for days and even after taking a shower , his Ouds are Ok for the price with interesting dry downs , and he distill his own sandalwood oil , coolest thing he gives free full bottles for every purchase of 2 Oils , His Rus Kus blend is Potent , He Kool dude also to talk to also ,
 
#16
Any other thoughts on Aloes of Ish?
Been awhile since I posted :)
Ish has some incredible Floral blends that last on skin for days and even after taking a shower , his Ouds are Ok for the price with interesting dry downs , and he distill his own sandalwood oil , coolest thing he gives free full bottles for every purchase of 2 Oils , His Rus Kus blend is Potent , He Kool dude also to talk to also, his Borneo Oils have Patchouli for sure bros , stay away from that , but still good