Patchouli ?

I admit I am much more of a novice than many of the guys in this forum . . so perhaps some of you more experienced guys can help me out here. Is there any way you can tell me or describe what the scent called "patcholi" is like? From my reading, I'm guessing it's maybe like the popular scents of the 60's like Jade East or Canoe? Or maybe Brute? I don't know. Can anyone out there give me a hint of what the patcholi scent is like? Thanks.

Umgowa, since you're from Atlanta, ever walked around Little 5 Points and noticed the scent coming off a large percentage of the people? Patchouli is heavy and strong and has been popular with the counter culture folks for years as a covering fragrance. I can't describe it, for me it will forever be the aroma of Grateful Dead concerts.

like a cheap air freshener + pledge + pipe tobacco

Is the Poster Hut still open on Cheshire Bridge Road? Stop in there, you'll get the patchouli scent.

smells like hippies

letsdisinfect said:

smells like hippies

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It has some associations with weed, head shops and hippies indeed. I'm guessing, since I wasn't a hippy, it was probably an incense that was oft burned to hide the weed smell.

As a fragrance, it depends on how it is mixed in with the other notes.
It's as manly as not. It's used a fair amount in both mens and womens fragrances. It's a fairly pungent, strong, earthy smell.

I just tried a fragrance called Mazzolari Lui which has a very, very powerful patchouli note. It caught in the back of my throat and nearly made me break out in a sweat.

It was used in Brut and Canoe, but in a smaller amount than the rough, strong hippie incense levels.

Here is the review page on Basenotes for Santa Maria Novella patchouli, which is reputed to be one of the purest expressions of patchouli in a cologne. I've smelled the aftershave version, and find a review by one of our own members to be pretty spot on in describing the scent: very earthy, animalistic and potent. Beyond this product, I don't have much experience with patchouli scents, so I cannot tell you how similar other versions are.

I actually have a bottle here somewhere and I am thinking it may be from Casswell Massey. It wasn't what I was expecting but got a lot of complements on it from the ladies. I also have some remains of a soap I got from Mama Bear...... I clearly love the stuff...
When a certain lady I know wears the essential oil I get a stirring in my nether regions........must be the repressed memories of the years of free loave in the '60's! LOL

Masterofsparks said:

When a certain lady I know wears the essential oil I get a stirring in my nether regions........

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Remind me never to wear it around you.

Yes, it can smell like hippies. But a well done Patchouli smells more earthy than sweaty hippie chicks.

A well done patchouli scent smells nothing like hippies

professorchaos said:

Yes, it can smell like hippies. But a well done Patchouli smells more earthy than sweaty hippie chicks.

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Spoken by a Mazz Lui user.

letsdisinfect said:

smells like hippies

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StylinLA said:

Spoken by a Mazz Lui user.

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Guilty as charged. And loving every minute of it!

Does anyone know where the Patcholi scent comes from? Like Cardemom comes from the a ginger source . . . Bergamot comes from a citrus source etc. Does anyone know what the Patcholi scent comes from?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patchouli

A plant.

May have had some "moth ball" like properties and people ended up liking the scent.
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Perfume uses
Patchouli is also in widespread use in modern industry. It is a popular component in perfumes, including more than half of perfumes for men.[citation needed] Patchouli is also an important ingredient in East Asian incense. It is also used as a scent in products like paper towels, laundry detergents, and air fresheners. Two important components of the essential oil are patchoulol and norpatchoulenol.
During the 18th and 19th century silk traders from China travelling to the Middle East packed their silk cloth with dried patchouli leaves to prevent moths from laying their eggs on the cloth.Many historians speculate that this association with opulent eastern goods is why patchouli was considered by Europeans of that era to be a luxurious scent. It is said that patchouli was used in the linen chests of Queen Victoria in this way

I have the Santa Maria Novella Patchouli after shave--my only regret is not buying the cologne. The stuff is fantastic, and pretty much stays with me all day even though it is an a/s. It is expensive at SMN, but one of the greatest fragrances they have--in my opinion--give it a try I don't think you'll be sorry.

I have had a few patchoulis over the years, usually in essetial oil form. To me it smells like woodchips. Imagine cedar, pine, spruce, maple and the like. Warm and woodsy.

umgowa997 said:

Does anyone know where the Patcholi scent comes from? Like Cardemom comes from the a ginger source . . . Bergamot comes from a citrus source etc. Does anyone know what the Patcholi scent comes from?

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Mechanically separated hippies!

It is so often used to "hide" strong body odor that my mind pretty much fills in the blank when the b.o. note is missing. That said, patchouli can be pleasant when it is one of many notes but not the main note.

arghblech said:

Mechanically separated hippies!

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Yes, the finest of patchouli oil is made by putting hippies in a centrifuge.