ShoppingScent

There are many ways to scent your home using perfumes and herbs. In today’s world, you will find many gadgets on the market that are designed to make your home smell like scented flower fields or warm ocean winds.

The main problem with using modern products like air fresheners and incense is that the fragrance fades quickly. Air fresheners also put chemicals in the air that those with sensitive lungs may find disagreeable.

There are many alternative ways to scent a home where the fragrance lasts for weeks, months or years…that are not only more affordable but that also smell more wonderful.

One method would be to take squares of cloth and make little pillows about 4 inches square stuffed with herbs or nicely scented potpourri. Lavender buds make wonderful smelling sachets, as do dried citrus rinds and dried flowers.

Place these small pillows wherever you would like the scent to linger…in the bathroom, closet or under your sofa.

You can also make nice decorations of plaster of Paris to hang in your closets, by your windows or in your car. To do this, purchase candy moulds, essential oils (or any scented item like perfume or potpourri) and small twine. Mix the scent of your choice into your plaster of Paris, pour into your moulds, then take pieces of twin and tie the ends into a knot to create a loop. Press the knot into your plaster so that the twine will stay in place once the plaster dries.

A nice twist for this method would be to mould your plaster into small oval Tupperware bowls then stack them neatly in baskets throughout your home, These are known as scented rocks and make attractive décor.

A nice way to get the scent of roses in your home would be to make rosewater soaked papers, and use these as stuffing inside of your scented pillows instead of dried florals or herbs.

To do this, simmer a cup of rose petals with one cup of water for 3 to 4 hours until the water is strongly scented. If the water evaporates during the simmering, just add a bit more.

Once the concentration is strong, strain the mixture, then place strips of paper in the water and simmer until most of the water is evaporated. Next, lay your paper somewhere to dry, such as laying them on a towel or hanging them from a clothes hanger. Once dry, tear into little pieces and place in your sachets. Although the scent may not be as strong as you would like, once your pillows have been made and sit in place for a time, you will notice a nice, slight rose scent in your home. You simply need to give your home time to warm the papers, which releases the scent.

You may also use these papers in your vacuum cleaner. Place the strips in an envelope and place the envelope in your vacuums bag. As you vacuum your home, you will notice a nice rose scent in the air.

About The Author
Paul Duxbury is Head of Training for a major UK Charitable Organisation with a wealth of experience in personal development, management development, e-learning and operational management. In addition he owns PK eBooks (http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk) and has just published a Guide to the Art of Perfumery which can be found at http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk/making_perfume.htm.

Not only do scented candles lend flattering, soft light and a special atmosphere to a room, they also fill the space with a wonderful fragrance of your choice. Even unscented candles burn away unpleasant smells, in or out of doors and they are as effective as any atomizer. (Any candle will burn away the smell of cigarette smoke – and more effectively so if a little vanilla perfume is added to it.)

The longer a it burns, the more aromatic it will be. This is because the greater the area of molten wax, the more vapour and perfume is released. As container ones have a bigger pool of molten wax, they are particularly suited as scented candles.

If you like a richly scented candle, one way is to go for a larger container or mould and give it more than one wick. This will create a bigger pool of molten wax and thus a stronger aroma.

Scents or essential oils, herbs or aromatic flowers can also be added – i.e. you can infuse the wax with these scents.

The best known, for utilitarian purposes, are probably those scented with citronella, as they will keep mosquitoes and midges at bay, in or out of doors. Generally, however, we associate them with romance, festivity and luxury. They can really do wonders for creating a general feeling or mood.

Adding perfume to candle wax makes the wax more liquid. This is the reason why most of them come in some kind of a container — a glass or jar of some kind, often terracotta. Used fragrances can be anything you like – from heavy oriental fragrances to fresh floral scents.

Floating candles are usually scented; not only do they have a broad base, but the cool water helps to prevent the molten wax from becoming too liquid and messy. (Small foil cupcake holders make wonderful moulds for them!)

Generally speaking, they should not be lit before serving a meal – their strong aroma, mixed with that of the food you have prepared, may not go well together. Light them after dinner, when you serve coffee.

One can choose from a wide range of fragrances — whatever suits your mood — rich, heady, strong fragrances such as jasmine or rose, or earthy woody scents such as sandalwood and cedar. Furthermore, aromatherapists will tell you that certain smells have certain effects on humans; their research tells you that some fragrances are soothing, relaxing and create a general feeling of well-being — Jasmine, Lavender, Ylang Ylang and Geranium.

For more information on Candles, please visit: http://www.custom-scented-candles.com

About The Author
Robert Simic

Author of http://www.custom-scented-candles.com.

Long before the term alternative medicine was being used, aromatherapy was being practiced by the Egyptians for over 5,000 years. When being used by the Egyptians oil was being extracted from the many aromatic plants around them through infusion and then used for their not only cosmetic and medicinal purposes but also for embalming as well. They then passed the knowledge they had gained on to the Greeks and it served as the beginning of their research into how to use the oils and fragrance of some flowers for their relaxing and stimulating effects. In fact when looking back further in history we find that ancient man depended very much on his environment for their basic needs and to survive which led them to discover the more natural ways of preserving food and how certain conditions could be treated using herbs and aromatics.

First of all we will look at Eastern Roots. The use of aromatics are shown in a Chinese Herbal Book by Shen Nung dated 2,700 BC and which provides specific details on over 300 plants and how they can be used. Also the ancient Chinese would burn incense and wood as part of their religious beliefs and practices and even in today’s modern society many Chinese still observe these practices today. You will also discover that the Chinese used aromatics in relation to the acupressure, massage and other therapies that they used.

Whilst now in modern society many people place a very high premium on their health and well being but due to the high cost of traditional and conventional medicines available (surgery and Medicare) more and more people are turning to aromatherapy and essential oil therapy as well as other forms of alternative medicine.

The basics of using essential oils in an aromatherapy bath are as follows:

1. It facilitates equilibrium of both the physical, mental and spiritual health of a person through natural means.

2. In some cases it has been found that alternative treatments are considered as strong and effective as complementary treatments to regular medical practices.

3. The main component of aromatherapy is the essential oils and are highly concentrated essences which are known for their healing effects.

Essentials oils are aroma producing oils which come from flowers such as the rose, from leaves such as basil, twig, bark, fruit rind and many other parts of plants. Although experts say that extracting the oils can be quite time consuming and complex and requires a large amount of patience on behalf of the person carrying out the work the benefits at the end are great. Certainly you need to recognize and accept that if you want to get about 5 tsp of oil from rose petals it will take about 220lbs of petals to do it and this is why pure essential oils are so expensive. Although the effectiveness of the oils is not comprised as it only takes a few drops to generate the effect required. However there is a cheaper alternative namely synthetic oil, however they do not offer the person the same healing properties as their natural counterparts.

Essential oils work by stimulating a person’s olfactory system and later on the brain or limbic system. The fragrance along with other properties and effects relating to the oils will determine how a person’s body system and its parts are stimulated. Whilst having a massage using these oils they are not only absorbed by the body but are inhaled at the same time and eventually when being absorbed through the skin they will reach the organs and body system of the person being treated. The time it takes for the oils to absorb through the skin can be from as little as 20 minutes and take as long as 2 hours or more and there it is wise to avoid taking a shower or bath straight after any massage so that the maximum effect is received from the massage therapy.

The time that the effect lasts on a person can vary from 3-24 hours to 2-3 days or even as long as week. Oils that have a short live time span in regard to their scent are Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Thyme and Bergamot whilst Hyssop, Lavender, Balm and various other oils can last between 2 to 3 days. The oils that take as long as a week to completely evaporate are Jasmine, Sandalwood, Ginger and Cedar Wood.

Many people when using aromatherapy are looking to achieve a sense of calm in their lives and these people will look to using a combination of three types of oils to help with this and they will base them on how long they last. They can be used by mixing them into a warm bath and will help the person to become relaxed and calm, they will help to eliminate the stress and depression that they are feeling as well as both energizing and soothing the body of any aches that they are feeling. Certainly by using essential oils during a massage will help increase the healing and calming effect that the person is feeling. However any massage carried out using essential oils must also include a carrier oil to help prevent irritation and skin reactions on the person being treated. Such carrier oils that are used to help dilute the essential oils are avocado oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, wheat germ oil, almond oil, soya oil and hazelnut oil.

About The Author

Kerris Samson a work from home mum who has carried out extensive research in all forms of alternative medicines, treatments and therapies over the last year.