Sustainable Sex Guide: Seduction
Can you spot the ecosexual in this picture?
Okay let’s start with the basics of seduction: Scent. Want to smell alluring? Skip the cat piss. Quite simply: Synthetic perfumes are a toxic minefield. We keep waiting for a hot Hollywood ingénue to put her name behind a perfume that isn’t derived from petroleum, laden with volatile organic compounds and full of cancer-causing phthalates—none of which are listed on the label. Natalie Portman, are you listening? Aromas have an overwhelming effect on the body—but when they’re synthetic, they’re deadly, not sexy. To make sure you’re not inhaling and absorbing dangerous substances, try potent natural scents.
Persephenie, a Los Angeles, CA-based priestess of aromatherapy, shared her “Scent to Seduce a Man” in Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable. According to Persephenie, rose and vanilla are your go-to seduction scents when you’re after someone of the male persuasion. Got a pen? Blend 15 drops of rose geranium oil, six drops of rose absolute oil, three drops of essential oil of vanilla, and mix it with two tablespoons of a base oil like organic almond, jojoba, grape seed or coconut. Then get ready to have your door knocked down.
Don’t have time to blend your own oils? Honore des Pres is a swoon-worthy, 100-percent organic line of perfume from Paris, where they just do scent better than anyone, natch. Their decadent, sensual Vamp à NY eau de parfum is made from head notes of tuberose and rum and heart notes of bourbon vanilla and is the kind of scent that makes people stop you in the street. In a good way. Oh, and P.S. We hooked you up with a purse-worthy Vamp à NY sample so you can try before you buy. Now through February 28th, the first 50 readers to email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with “EcoStiletto Loves to Vamp!” in the subject line get one!
Honore des Pres Vamp a NY Eau de Parfum ($98)
Bar or boite? Wherever you’re meeting your intended, come armed with the most important item in your seduction arsenal: organic chocolate. Biting into this sweet, divine goodness can stimulate neurotransmitters and get your blood flowing to all the right places. Sadly, much of the chocolate in our supermarkets and cupboards is from cocoa farmed with pesticides and slave labor in war-torn regions of the world—not exactly a recipe for love Luckily, we discovered Sweetriot, a globally responsible brand that sources its pesticide-free cacao from Latin America and is working toward Fair Trade certification. Their adorable little recyclable tins of one-to-two calorie dark chocolate nibs fit in your pocket or your purse, so you can get your fix whenever you need it—or share it with a friend. Perhaps a very good friend, indeed.
Sweet Riot One-Ounce Tin ($19.99 for three)
Want more? Our sustainable sex guide covers safety, seduction, staging and, um, toys. Check back here next week!
Stefanie Iris Weiss is the author of Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable (Crown Publishing/Ten Speed Press, 2010) and eight other books. She writes about sustainability, sex and relationships for Above Magazine, TheDailyGreen.com, and many more. Learn more about the ecosexuality movement she started at EcoSex.net and follow Stefanie on Twitter @EcoSexuality and on Facebook.
