Scent Yourself Happy

I love scents, I don’t think they are for special occasions they are for everyday usage!

Research has shown that smelling citrus for 10 minutes can boost your mood for up to ½ hour. A quick spritz of perfume can transform how you feel for the day. Most days I spray myself with Frangipani and Grapefruit, an artisan perfume from The Bathhouse, which uplifts and energises me for the day ahead. Its quite a summery fragrance but I wear it in winter to remind me of summer days.  Now 75% of how we feel is trigged by smell so can we use scent to feel happier? Well, the perfume industry spends a small fortune on advertising the facts that wearing their perfume will transform your life. Some like Clinique actually call their perfume Happy, there are now Happy Peace and Happy lily of the Beach perfumes, I guess for different types of happiness, these have a mix of Grapefruit, lemon, Jasmine and Bergamot. (All known for their uplifting and anti-depressant qualities) Joe Malone, has a best-selling Lime, Basil and Mandarin scent, which combines Mandarin which is soothing and restful with Lime which is vibrant and uplifting with herby Basil. So perhaps there is something in this theory after all.

Aromachology- is the study of how smell effects behaviours. Scientists tell us that nerve endings in the nose send messages to the brain. When developing a new fragrance, Shiseido used this research for their scent Rising Sun this is a blend of Coconut, citrus and Ylang-Ylang notes carefully chosen to energize. Neom, who use essential oils and aromatherapy in their products have a new range of natural perfumes to make you feel good, using grapefruit, jasmine, rosemary and vetiver to boost your mood and energy.

Fresher citrus, herby and aquatic notes will give emotions of well-being and perfumes with more top notes than base notes are generally more uplifting. (Base notes are usually spicy) Sea air is charged with negative hydrogen ions which balance serotonin, the feel-good hormone which stabilizes moods, and gives a feeling of happiness. I find walking along the seashore and smelling the sea breeze really relaxing, I think that’s one of the things that people look forward to going on holiday for, in absence of actually smelling the sea air an aquatic scent would be a great boost for the moment.

I hope you are going to treat yourself to a scent you can spritz daily, this is very much about self-care rather than a luxury for occasional use. Companies that favour natural ingredients are better for your skin and health than brands that are chemically formulated.

Have fun exploring and hopefully scent yourself happy!