KOLONYA

This wonderful thing is a kind of scented alcoholic liquid. It is not perfume and it contains a bit higher percentage of alcohol. It’s not straight alcohol either 😊 but it is used everywhere here in Turkey. Due to its high alcohol and water content it has an excellent disinfectant effect. I have grown very fond of it, but I rarely use it for "washing hands" like most Turkish people do 😊 My skin is very sensitive and dry, and this dries it out even more.

However, it is produced in many different scents and is truly useful. In the summer, it is used not only for disinfection and cleaning but also as a fragrance. For example, on crowded public transport, where—well, let's face it—there is no pleasant smell due to so many sweaty human bodies, someone will occasionally pull a small bottle of kolonya out of their bag, spray or pour it on themselves, and the scent of kolonya floods the entire vehicle. In the best-case scenario, it’s a pleasant fragrance. In the worst-case scenario, it’s not so pleasant; you see, the high alcohol content also means that the alcohol punches through much more, which can be quite pungent if someone uses poor-quality kolonya.

This great liquid is a huge help when there is no water, or in areas where water is not accessible. Of course, you cannot wash clothes or brush your teeth with it, and it cannot be used instead of a shower or a bath, but after all, it is good for getting around with cleaner hands, face, and neck during the day. This helped a lot, for instance, during pandemics like COVID-19. I think people used vast amounts of kolonya to disinfect their hands back then.

Some people believe it cleanses the air of all kinds of harmful or negative energies and makes the it positive. Indeed, when a pleasant, refreshing scent enters the air (like lemon or green tea), you suddenly feel revived and feel as if everything is a little lighter 😊

We might not think about it, but scents have a major impact on a person's state of mind, even if just for a few moments. I might have already written about this in a previous post, but I am still fascinated by how scents or smells affect people, and what they trigger in the brain and the whole body. I think it is very interesting!

Just pay attention to how certain scents or smells affect you! What attracts you, what is it that you absolutely want to stay away from, etc. to get to know yourself better. 

Returning to kolonya, this scented liquid is a very important element of Turkish hospitality. Hospitality itself is a key component of Turkish culture. So, when you arrive at a place where you have been invited for breakfast, dinner, lunch, tea, coffee, or anything else, one of the very first things that happens after you are seated is that they spray or pour some kolonya onto your hands. This is considered a very kind gesture and is an important part of traditional hospitality.

By the way, at home, I use it for practical things like mosquito or spider bites (and it really relieves the symptoms), or if I happen to scratch myself, cut my finger in a kitchen accident, or for pimples and skin cleansing (not regularly, just occasionally... very rarely 😊).