Stages of the Fragrance
Perfumes and aftershaves develop in 3 stages and this does alter the scent:
Top Note - The initial smell of the fragrance which lasts between 8-15 minutes.
Heart/Middle Note - This smell remains constant when using the scent and develops after the top note.
Base Note - This is the final stage of development and helps attach the fragrance to the skin. Woodier notes become more prominent once the fragrance has been on the skin for a while.
How to apply attar.
The recommended way to experience the fragrance of attar is to apply it to the inside of each wrist and dab a little behind each earlobe with the inside of your wrists before it dries.A few drops of attar can be added to water and used with aromatic vapour lamps. It can also be used to fragrance the pot-pourri. Most synthetic perfumes have alcohol as common solvents which cause the perfume to evaporate as much as 10 - 15 times faster. This intially gives overwhelming first impression to human senses but it soon evaporates and loses power. Attar on the other hand lasts a long time due to its natural derivation.
What is oudh?
oudh also known as oodh, oud or agar, is a dark resinous heartwood that forms in Aquilaria and Gyrinops trees (large evergreens native to southeast Asia) when they become infected with a type of mould. Prior to infection, the heartwood is relatively light and pale coloured; however, as the infection progresses, the tree produces a dark aromatic resin in response to the attack, which results in a very dense, dark, resin embedded heartwood. The resin embedded wood is commonly called gaharu, jinko, aloeswood, agar-wood, or oud (not to be confused with 'Bakhoor') and is valued in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, and thus is used for incense and perfumes.
Perfume Oil
Attar (Arabic: عطر) also known as ittar is a natural perfume oil derived from botanical sources. Most commonly these oils are taken from the botanical material through hydro or steam distillation.The oils obtained from the herbs flowers and wood are generally distilled into a wood base such as sandalwood and then aged. The aging period can last from one to ten years depending on the botanicals used and the results desired.
These all-natural perfumes are highly concentrated. Ittars have been used in the entire Eastern world for thousands of years. These 100% pure and natural perfumes are free of alcohol and chemicals and so the problems faced in the West by perfume lovers are irrelevant to most Eastern perfume lovers. Natural perfumes are affordable because they are so concentrated that a small bottle will last the user several weeks, if not months.
Storage
Fragrances should be kept away from extreme heat and light and stored in a suitable location. Storing fragrance in fluctuating temperatures (such as a bathroom) will cause the scent to degrade very quickly.