Did you know that smell can directly affect your brain? In Fact, the sense of smell is so closely related to the brain that it can trigger emotions and even memories. Think of how you randomly smell perfume and it reminds you of a loved one, or even the fact that babies smell their mothers and instantly calm down. The sense of smell is one of the most developed senses as a child, until it’s over powered by sight during our preteen years.
Since smell can stimulate the brain, that means that both “bad” and “good” smells can affect one’s mood and emotions. To differentiate good smells from bad smells, we use words like scent, fragrance, or aroma, as opposed to words like odor or stench. When food has an odor we instantly know that we do not want to taste it. Why is that? Because we smell the stench, our bodies instantly send stress signals to the brain that tells us this is bad for us. Likewise when we smell flowers or fresh fruit, we feel relaxed or full of energy.
Although both good and bad smells can trigger emotions and memories, it is more common for people to associate memories with good smells, that tend to put them in a positive mood, or remind them of a good moment in their life.
Mental health benefits of these memories include boosts to self-esteem, improved social interactions, and optimistic thinking. Smell linked memories have also been shown to inspire self-confidence and motivation.
So what kinds of scents reduce stress and boost health? The most effective scent in boosting mood and health are scents that are naturally found in nature; so think flowers (chamomile, lavender), trees (cedar), plants (lemongrass) and citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit). Having scents like these in a candle, perfume, or even body care products, are small ways that you can encourage positivity in your daily life.
Nalim's Aroma products with mood boosting, and stress relieving scents:
Zest( candle and bath salts): lemongrass
It's Sunnah (body butter and oil): orange and vanilla
Grapefruit and Mint (candle and body butter): grapefruit, mint bergamot, lavender
Pomegranate Blast (candle, body butter, body oil): grapefruit, rosemary, cedar leaf, citronella, blue chamomile flower, clary sage, lemongrass and black pepper.
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