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Black Pepper – A Strong Essential Oil with a Soft Scent
Black pepper – pic via http://www.seriouseats.com
Many moons ago my first guest post on Australian Perfume Junkies was about black pepper. Black pepper is one of those oils that I may not use frequently, but when I do use it, I am always intrigued as if I am smelling it for the first time. And I seem to be surprised at its soft, warm scent. When you taste black pepper it can be sharp, pungent and spicy but when you smell the essential oil it is gentle and sweet with a hint of spice.
From my APJ story;
“The essential oil of black pepper is a lot softer and sweeter than the taste, and is used in Aromatherapy for symptoms such as poor circulation, muscle and joint aches and pains, as treatment for bad digestion and as a general warming tonic. It has been used as an aphrodisiac, and an anti-dote to depression. Taking in all these properties, what can the divine scent tell us? Like many spice oils, it carries the energetic resonance of the evolution of humanity – really. Each drop, each whiff can link us to the past. It’s an oil of warmth, expansion and action. It’s a stimulating scent to the brain and can certainly be employed to open your mind. When I smell black pepper straight from the bottle (the best way to experience an essential oil is to take off the lid and take a huge sniff) I am inspired to carry on. To me it’s an oil of searching for your purpose in life, and giving inspiration to go forward and seize the day.”
Wow I just quoted myself hehehehehehe. To read the full story click here.
Black pepper in its dried and natural forms – pic via kampot-pepper.us
Black pepper is considered as slightly sensitising, which means it may cause a reaction on the skin. This is why I say to “patch test first”, even though I know not many of you do. Putting a couple of drops neat on your skin would not be advisable but putting a couple of drops in an oil blend may work quite well.
Here’s a couple of recipes –
An essential oil steam in the shower will do wonders for your mind and energy levels – pic via completehealthcircle.com
1. Put A few Drops Of Oil into the bottom of the Shower
This works in a similar way to just taking a whiff but if you’ve got an extra minute, it will give you a completely different experience. Your whole body will be immersed in an essential oil steam.
Black pepper – will gently warm up your brain and body in the morning, creating space for you to shine!
Nourish your body with a beautiful oil blend – pic via redbookmag.com
2. Nourishing Body Oil Blend
For a coat of your body use 3 teaspoons of carrier oil in a little dish and, add 7 – 8 drops of essential oil.
***** Always put the drops of essential oil into the bottle or dish first, then add the carrier oil. It gives the scents time to create a synergistic fusion.
For a 50ml bottle of oil add 25 drops and see my articles “Ratios for Blending Essential Oils – A Reminder of the Basics” and “Aromatherapy – It’s Easy as 1 2 3”
“Oh My Aching Legs!”
Rub this blend on, and then put your feet up –
Black pepper 2 drops
Lavender 4 drops
Peppermint 1 drop
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“Hike”
When you need to warm up your muscles before you conquer your day –
Black pepper 2 drops
Rosemary 2 drops
Lemon 4 drops
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“God Give Me Strength”
When you need to summon some courage –
Black pepper 2 drops
Cedarwood Virginian 2 drops
Petitgrain 4 drops
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Happy blending and remember to use your intention when you are creating your formulas. See my article about intention.
suzannerbanks 
I have made essential oil body oils with various carrier oils. I have used your ratio of 25 drops to 50ml but the scent is not strong enough and is vary fleeting. what do you reccomend to do in order to enhance The scent?
Hi thanks for your question. This is a standard ratio and one i use for myself and my clients. I have 50 ml bottles and use 25 drops for treatments. You can use more essential oils if you prefer but it would probably be best to patch test first. This is not a perfume but a moisturising body oil and the scent will gently fade. It is a therapeutic treatment and is the way essential oils work. The scent works differently than that of synthetic fragrance. Good luck!
And also I meant to say as a therapist I can’t actually recommend any higher quantities than this ratio. Just use your common sense and see how you go. I give recipes for ‘perfumes” in my blogs to which are usually 3 drops of essential oil mixed with a dash of carrier oil but this is just to dab on your wrists – it is not going to be used all over the body. Let me know if you have any more questions thornethetrainer. Suzanne
Thank you. How long do the perfumes last?
Depending on what oils you use it could be up to 3 hours. Some oils have a more simple/light chemical structure and will evaporate more quickly. Possibly the best way for you to use them would be to make a mist (see recipes for aura cleansing mists in my articles), and mist all around you for a stronger scent and in this way it is behaving more like a perfume spray would. Once again the oils work differently to perfumes full of synthetics but the emotional support and energetic buzz you will receive with essential oils is more obvious the more you use them. It’s also about retraining your nose and learning to decipher the coded information within the chemical structure of each oil. I hope that gives you a bit more help and thanks for being so enthusiastic about aromatherapy we need more people like you.
Very interesting description of black pepper essential oil. I love its scent.
I must say it’s not an oil I use a lot but certainly has an important place in aromatherapy. Thanks for commenting beautywhizz x