Van Van Oil: The New Orleans Formula for Clearing

Van Van oil is a classic hoodoo formula from New Orleans: a bright, lemony blend built on lemongrass and related grass oils, used to clear away bad influences, "uncross" bad luck and draw fresh luck in. It is dabbed on candles, doorknobs, charms and tools, added to floor washes and baths, and is one of the oldest named products of the African American spiritual supply trade. This page gives a simple, skin-safe household blend and the traditional ways of using it.

How to do it§

1. Prepare. Wash and dry the bottle and funnel. Work at a clean table with a window open. Many workers say a prayer or a short intention first; a simple original wording: "Clear the path, clean the way, let good luck come in."
2. Add the carrier. Fill the bottle almost to the shoulder with the carrier oil.
3. Add lemongrass. Add 5 or 6 drops of lemongrass essential oil — roughly a 1% dilution, appropriate for a blend that may touch the skin. If you want the fuller "grass" blend of some old recipes, add 1–2 drops in total of vetiver, citronella, palmarosa or ginger-grass.
4. Add a solid (optional). Drop in a few pieces of dried lemongrass, or a tiny chip of pyrite, which some workers add for luck and money.
5. Cap and shake. Close the bottle, roll it between your palms and say your intention again. Label it with the name and date.
6. Rest. Leave it in a dark cupboard for a few days for the scent to settle.
7. Use it. Typical uses:
   • Dress a white candle for clearing or a green one for luck (see Green Candle Spell).
   • Touch a drop to the front doorknob and the corners of a door frame after cleaning.
   • Add a few drops to a bucket of floor wash (see Floor Wash for a New Home).
   • Feed a mojo bag or wipe a lucky charm (see Mojo Bag for Luck).
   • Anoint new tools, a car key or the threshold of a business.
8. Store. Keep it cool and dark; use within about a year.

Origins and history§

Van Van belongs to the commercial and domestic world of New Orleans hoodoo in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when druggists, "spiritual supply" shops and mail-order houses sold named oils, powders and washes to African American and Creole customers and, increasingly, to customers across the country. It is mentioned by practitioners interviewed by Harry Middleton Hyatt, and it remained one of the best-known names in the curio trade throughout the twentieth century. Carolyn Morrow Long's Spiritual Merchants (2001) traces this trade and the role of such products in African American religious life.

The origin of the name is uncertain. It is usually explained as a creolised form of French verveine (vervain), a herb with a long magical reputation in Europe and Louisiana, although the formula as it became known uses lemongrass and related tropical grasses rather than vervain itself. Older Van Van was often made as an alcohol-based "essence" rather than an oil, and similar lemongrass waters were used in Afro-Caribbean practice. Historians such as Jeffrey Anderson and Yvonne Chireau place such products within hoodoo's broader African American history: practical, adaptable and woven together with Christian prayer. See hoodoo and rootwork and Louisiana Voodoo.

Variations§

Some makers add a pinch of salt for cleansing, or a small piece of lodestone for drawing. "Van Van water" is made by adding lemongrass oil or a strong lemongrass tea to water with a splash of alcohol, for sprinkling or washing. Commercial versions vary widely in colour and strength.

Safety and good sense§

Never apply undiluted essential oils to the skin. Lemongrass can irritate and sensitise skin; keep blends at about 1%, patch-test on the inner arm and wait a day, avoid broken or sensitive skin, and keep it away from eyes. Do not use on babies, and be cautious in pregnancy. Essential oils are toxic to cats and some other pets; do not diffuse or apply where animals live without care, and store bottles out of reach. Oils are flammable: dress candles lightly, wipe excess oil from your hands and keep oil off the wick. Do not ingest. Magical oils are no substitute for medical, legal or financial help.

Sources and further reading§

• Spiritual Merchants: Religion, Magic, and Commerce — Carolyn Morrow Long, 2001
• Hoodoo—Conjuration—Witchcraft—Rootwork — Harry Middleton Hyatt, 1970
• Hoodoo, Voodoo, and Conjure: A Handbook — Jeffrey E. Anderson, 2008
• Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic — Catherine Yronwode, 2002
• Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition — Yvonne P. Chireau, 2003