Love and Scent-iments!
February is the month of romance. It is now estimated that around one billion Valentine cards are sent worldwide each year, making Valentines Day the second largest card-sending day of the year, behind Christmas! Instead of giving a mass-produced, corny valentine card this year how about a romantic evening in? Use essential oils to scent the air and create that romantic mood!
Smell is our most powerful of senses that is vastly underestimated and under utilised! Our sense of smell has a strong effect on our mind and emotions; it can transport us to another place and set the scene for romance.
Essential oils are a simple way to create the right atmosphere for love and romance. Sweet smelling oils have been sought after since antiquity as aphrodisiacs! The best aphrodisiac oils have warm, rich aromas. The rose is the symbol of love and this luxurious oil is the oil of love, femininity and emotional feelings. Rose essential oil is harmonising, comforting and has a serenely romantic scent. It helps to open hearts, promotes a sense of happiness and can help to rekindle that spark!
Jasmine oil is an exotic oil and a powerful aphrodisiac that has long been considered as a fertility herb by most cultures. Jasmine oil has a seductive aroma that helps to move emotional blocks, is deeply floral, warm and inviting.
Ginger oil is hot, spicy and invigorating. Its stimulating fragrance opens the heart and raises the body temperature! Patchouli oil promotes relaxation and eases pressure and mental strain. This musky, earthy oil is balancing and grounding, perfect for easing anxiety. Clary sage is noted for its euphoric properties as well as being harmonising, centring and calming.
Ylang ylang translates as the ‘flower of flowers’ and possesses aphrodisiac properties. This sweet and deeply exotic oil is a good balance between masculine and feminine scents. In Indonesia newlyweds beds are strewn with ylang ylang flowers as a symbol of love.
There are many ways to use essential oils to create a romantic mood, either on their own or in a blend of two or three different oils. The best way is in an oil burner or diffuser to scent the room. Other ways to use oils are as a perfume, by adding 2-3 drops to 10ml of almond or grapeseed oil and dabbing behind the ears or on the wrists. Adding essential oils to the bath is another popular way. Scientific research has shown that scents directly affect our consciousness. Good smells lift our spirits, calm or excite our minds and inspire passion- so use with caution!
Have fun-Paula.