Your environment can greatly impact your mood, and one way to enhance your environment is through scent. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, aromatherapy has been around for centuries in healing and healthcare. When inhaled, the pleasant-scented molecules activate endorphins – the chemicals your body releases to combat pain or stress that improve your sense of well-being.
Aromatherapy can help combat anxiety, depression, nausea, insomnia, low appetite, and general stress, not just for you but for the people around you. Here are our top six ways to make your daily life smell (and feel) amazing.
1. Smell Good, Look Good, Feel Good
There’s a reason that fresh linen is one of the top scents of candles and air fresheners. The scent of freshly washed clothes makes you feel clean and fresh. Many laundry detergents use harsh chemicals – including their fragrances, causing skin irritation that outweighs the scent benefits. Finding a nature-friendly, fresh-smelling luxury laundry detergent that uses plant-based enzymes instead of caustic chemicals is healthier and safer for the environment and gentler on your clothes. Use wool dryer balls or unscented dryer sheets to avoid competing scents.
2. A Bouquet of Beautiful Blossoms
Fresh flowers can liven up any room with a splash of color and a pleasant aroma. The most fragrant flowers include gardenias, scented geraniums, lavender, orchids, jasmine, lily of the valley, plumeria, and of course, roses. Whether or not you grow your flowers or purchase bouquets at the florists, adding these to your home can be a delight for your eyes and nose.
3. A Silk Alternative: Artificial Flowers
If you have pollen allergies or fresh flowers aren’t your thing, using artificial flowers is a good option. Silk flowers have come a long way and can even fool the most discriminating eye, except what about the fragrance? Add one drop of pure essential oil to every flower in your bouquet. Jasmine rose oil, lavender, or other floral oils can add just the right amount of fragrance to your simulated blossoms.
4. Spice things up with herbal plants
Aside from flowers, an assortment of other plants placed throughout your space can provide a delicious natural smell – and you can add some of them to your latest recipe when cooking dinner. Most are easy to grow and require little maintenance. The most pleasing scents come from lavender, lemon basil, garden sage, lemon balm, peppermint, rosemary, chives, cilantro, dill, and thyme. You don’t need a lot, and even windowsill kits come with small pots, soil, and seeds. Just add sunlight and water!
5. Potpourri
Potpourri is not just a category on Jeopardy; it is a mixture of flowers, herbs, and essential oils specifically created for its pleasing scent. Both dried and simmered versions can have your home and space smell better. You can make your potpourri or buy some from a retailer. If you have fresh flowers from your bouquet, they can dry and be placed in a pouch as potpourri.
6. Essential Oils
We mentioned adding essential oils to your artificial flowers, but these drops are extremely potent and must be used safely. Diffusers work well in filling a large space with great smells. However, consider the sensitivities or allergies of others when using them in a public place, remembering that some oils can cause adverse reactions in children. Various aromatherapy accessories include necklaces, bracelets, misters, and keychains.
There are various books and websites with essential oil recipes – formulas combining a few drops of different oils for different results, from reducing stress to calming anxiety to boosting energy. You’ll also want to read the effects of each oil in the blend. For example, peppermint oil is good in the morning because it wakes you up and increases alertness. You may not want to add it to your evening blend for the same reasons.
Remember that essential oils are not fragrances, which often contain artificial materials and chemicals. Look for dark glass bottles with “100% pure essential oils” when shopping for them.
Things to Avoid
Many spray air fresheners use similar chemicals unless they are 100% natural. There are good scent sources, and there are poor ones. Paraffin-based candles with scents like “spring day” or “calypso sun” use chemical fragrances and dirty-burning wax – two unhealthy things. Soy candles scented with essential oils are a much cleaner alternative. A few drops of essential oil blended in a spray bottle of distilled water is a desirable alternative.
Improving the smells around you is an excellent way to enhance your world. Not only will the result be pleasing aromas, but conscious and deliberate action to improve your mood and those around you is rewarding.
