Growing up in a South Indian Hindu household, sandalwood pieces are a very common sight. We have a huge piece of sandalwood that is taken out to grind and get fresh sandalwood paste for all the poojas. The sandalwood piece is dampened and then ground on a piece of stone, and the paste scraped for use.
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| L: Sandalwood. R: Red sandalwood |
Types: The regular brown sandalwood is the true sandalwood, is more expensive and more fragrant too. Red sandalwood is actually a different species but called sandalwood (not sure why). Both of these are ground on stone to get the paste, and both pastes are considered good for acne/blemish-prone skin and as skin-soothing agents to help relieve inflammation, especially with sun damage.
Benefits of sandalwood oil/paste (source - Wikipedia):
Available as: Prepowdered and sold in shops - best to buy this from more reliable shops since this would be the easiest thing to adulterate and fake. Mix with rose water and use the paste. Other option is to buy the wood piece itself, again from more reliable shops, but it is little more difficult to sell fake sandalwood (or so I like to believe). It is very expensive and sold by weight, but a small piece would last you a lifetime. Red sandalwood pieces cost a lot less than the regular sandalwood.
Where to buy: In Bangalore, the best place to buy sandalwood is the government-run Cauvery Emporium (on M.G. Road when last checked). I bought the stone to grind the sandalwood just outside the shop - there's always someone selling them on the roadside. It isn't very good, but it is better than nothing :D
Related Post: Know The Ingredient
- Essential oil in sandalwood contains beta-santalol - an antiseptic agent.
- Sandalwood essential oil itself is considered to be useful in controlling blood pressure and pulse rate and to have anti-anxiety effect.
- It has been associated with anticancer effect in animal studies.
Available as: Prepowdered and sold in shops - best to buy this from more reliable shops since this would be the easiest thing to adulterate and fake. Mix with rose water and use the paste. Other option is to buy the wood piece itself, again from more reliable shops, but it is little more difficult to sell fake sandalwood (or so I like to believe). It is very expensive and sold by weight, but a small piece would last you a lifetime. Red sandalwood pieces cost a lot less than the regular sandalwood.
Where to buy: In Bangalore, the best place to buy sandalwood is the government-run Cauvery Emporium (on M.G. Road when last checked). I bought the stone to grind the sandalwood just outside the shop - there's always someone selling them on the roadside. It isn't very good, but it is better than nothing :D
Related Post: Know The Ingredient
Also having been brought up in an Indian, Hindu household, I relate to the major exposure to sandalwood. I love the smell. It reminds me of childhood. <3
ReplyDeleteHii Viji..same here...the smell takes me back in time :)
ReplyDeletei bought the powder from cauvery did not get the red one...but the smell is awesome....and it just soothes the skin so well.....when am bored i just apply the rosewater+this powder....
ReplyDeleteI should have picked the powder version too..I find grinding-stone version more fun to photograph than to actually use :| Hand hurts :|
ReplyDeletehehe...next time will check for the red powder also...
ReplyDeleteAm highly jobless..and very bored...tried doing a French manicure - needless to say, the results were quite hilarous :D
ReplyDeleteRads, we have a branch of Cauvery Emporium in Secunderabad, will get the powder version :))
ReplyDeleteOh that's nice..it's been ages since I went to the one here :)
ReplyDeletei got the sandalwood stick when i came to banglore last year from Cauvery Emporium ...got powder also...good to use it in face packs... :)
ReplyDeleteHii Varshini :) :) I should get the powder too some time..am just too lazy to do the grinding so hardly ever use it now...:|
ReplyDeleteMy granfather used to use the same thing for grinding sandalwood everyday for his pooja,and I would just sit there and look at it :) I swear i can feel the smell just looking at the pic Rads :))
ReplyDeleteI guess it's a common memory for all of us :)
ReplyDeletewow...thanks Uzma for telling that it there in Hyderabad too...would get the wood...I have been wanting it but knew no place to get it from and then it is so unreliable to buy from anywhere also :(
ReplyDelete