Scent and Wellbeing

Scent and perfumes are hugely topical right now with innumerable blogs dedicated to perfumes and perfume reviews.  Reviewers are highly skilled at identifying the most subtle nuances in perfume formulas, talking about the sillage and the drydown time and other technicalities.  Natural perfume is taking its place beside traditional perfumery where the perfumer uses only natural essential oils and no chemical additives in their blends.

The sense of smell is highly evocative and can trigger marked emotional reactions linking the scent to events in time. Everyone is drawn to certain scents according to their particular likes and dislikes.

The art of aromatherapy is concerned with the effect of the aroma itself but also with the physical effect the aroma has on the wearer. Aromatherapy for health is using the essential oil for its health giving properties and not so much for the scent alone.

One of the easiest scent families for an aromatherapy beginner to use is the citrus family of essential oils: orange, grapefruit, lime, lemon, mandarin and tangerine.  Within each of these main scents are variations depending on the country of origin of the essential oil, where it was grown, and many different factors. So within each of these main scents are many variations. All citrus oils are wonderful at lifting the spirits, particularly grapefruit. The oils can be used in many different ways.  Dropping a few drops in a bath and relaxing for a long soak or sprinkling a few drops on the shower floor before a shower allows the aromas to mix with the hot steam. A steam diffuser or pan of hot water on a radiator are other ways to scent the air.  Mandarin and tangerine oils are also very good for a pick me up on a dreary day and are a good perk.  Because these oils are uplifting on a physical level they are better used in the morning as they could be a little too stimulating at bedtime unless they were mixed with a more soothing essential oil like lavender or chamomile.

Try any one or a combination of these oils in your next bath.  Just 4-5 drops mixed into your bath oil and enjoy!

Blogs of Interest – Part 3 – Scent of The Day

Scent of The Day is the blog of local Toronto blogger, Krista Janicki, reviewing niche-brand perfumes.

The subject of perfume and all things scented is very topical lately. There are hundreds of perfume blogs to choose from. Many are extremely knowledgable listing the levels of notes in the perfumes, information on the perfumers, history of the perfume houses.  Some blogs are very serious and technical, some very witty, the list is endless, so where to begin in finding a well written, informative blog on perfumes?

First off, I like the fact that Krista is a local Toronto blogger.  She often gives news of meet ups and launches on her blog that are very helpful.  The style of her blog is very simple with a lovely vintage header picture that is very appealing. She uses lovely visuals, photos of the actual perfume bottles she is reviewing or a photo or artwork related to the scent. She is knowledgeable about the notes as she describes them, the fragrance families, while maintaining a down to earth writing style.

On the side of her blog page, there is a very comprehensive list of links to other perfume blogs and a list of tags to the different categories of scents that she has written about.  This is a real bonus to the neophyte perfumista.

For anyone who loves perfumes and wants to stay on top of the latest trends and launches in the world of perfumery, I would definitely recommend Scent of the Day.

http://kjanicki-sotd.blogspot.com/

Blogs of Interest – Part 2 – White Lotus Aromatics

White Lotus Aromatics is the website, blog and on-line shop specializing in essential oils, sourced and operated by Suzanne and Christopher McMahon based in Port Angeles, Washington.

This is a wonderful site for those interested in aromatherapy and essential oils for their own use, for those formulating artisanal products and for natural perfumers.

Christopher has been making trips to India and other countries since the 1990’s and buys his oils directly from farmers.  The oils he offers are of the highest quality, either organic or wild harvested and are offered in the form of oils, CO2 extracts or absolutes.  Many of the oils are offered from different countries and all are listed with a brief description of their uses and the types of perfume they would be suited for.

White Lotus also has a newsletter with articles and information on different oils. They have recipes for natural perfumes and attars (a type of Indian perfume) which are easy to follow and prepare.

There are many on-line sellers of essential oils but I recommend White Lotus Aromatics for their integrity and high quality of products offered.

White Lotus Aromatics: http://www.whitelotusaromatics.com/

Blogs of Interest – Part 1 – Scent Hive

Today, I would like to introduce my readers to three scent-related blogs I enjoy reading, that never fail to provide solid information about aromatherapy, organic and natural products and perfume.  The three blogs are not only informative but are visually appealing, well laid out and a pleasure to read.

 

I have been reading Trish at the Scent Hive – http://www.scenthive.com – for the past few years.  Trish is based in Portland and her blog reviews natural and organic perfumes and beauty products.  Her blog is a wealth of information on the latest perfume launches by well-known natural perfumers.  She frequently holds draws to accompany perfume launches.  Although Scenthive primarily reviews natural products, Trish is not a hard and fast purist and will feature non-organic products from time to time.

Style-wise, Scenthive has a spacious and pretty feel to it.  The blog banner is designed by a local Portland artist and Trish accompanies her posts with interesting artwork sourced to fit the theme of her posts.

For up to the minute reviews on the latest in natural perfumes visit Trish at the Scenthive.

Welcome to Aromatics by Anna

Hello and welcome to Aromatics by Anna where you will find information on aromatherapy and related products.