Aromas have a strong influence over us, evoking vivid memories and powerful emotions. Here’s how to use scents to create mood and make your home a healthier place to be
Aromas have a strong influence over us, evoking vivid memories and powerful emotions. Jane Wilks explains how to use scents to create mood and make your home a healthier place to be
Photography: Jane Ussher, Styling: Susan Elijas
Everyone has their own fingerprint odour, which explains why the same perfume can smell different depending on who’s wearing it. And just as individuals can wear a signature scent, our home also carries its own particular aroma. Whether we are aware of it or not, this can play an important role in setting the mood. Just like music, colour and interior design, subtle use of aromatic oils can define your home.
An essential oil is the liquid present in tiny droplets or sacs in different parts of a plant. It is what gives the perfume to a rose and the rich aroma to a sprig of rosemary. It gives a plant its flavour, attracts pollinating insects, repels predators and helps protect it from disease. Essential oils can also benefit us. Clinical research has shown that essential oils are not only antiseptic and antibacterial, but can also have strong antiviral or antifungal properties.
Simple candle diffusion
Essential oils can easily be vaporised in the molten wax of a burning candle. It’s important to use a very fat candle as this will produce a large pool of wax around the wick, enabling the oil to vaporise slowly.
Light the candle. Wait for the wax to melt, then blow it out and immediately add a few drops of essential or fragrant oil around the wick before relighting. It is important to follow this step as the oils are highly flammable.
Keep the wick trimmed very short, otherwise the flame will be too big and the aroma short-lived.
The average person can distinguish around 10,000 different odours. You can choose to scent your home using fragrant oils, but they don’t have the health benefits of essential oils. By diffusing pure essential oils, you can actually cleanse the air rather than simply masking unpleasant odours.
Essential oils enter the body through the skin and through inhalation. Aromatherapy enhances this process with the use of aromatic baths, massages, compresses and diffusers. One essential oil can have anywhere from 200-800 chemical constituents and different oils can have relaxing or stimulating effects. A research study by Japanese professor Dr Shizuo Torii measured the brain’s reaction to a variety of olfactory sensations and found that, in a work environment, lemonscented air increased office efficiency and dramatically reduced keyboard errors. In another trial in the UK’s Wythenshawe Hospital, a machine dispensing essential oils caused a 90 percent drop in the airborne antibacterial count, and infections were reduced over a nine-month trial at the hospital’s burns unit.
With simple vaporising methods, you can use different oil blends to reduce fatigue, aid concentration and introduce a fresh, pleasant-smelling atmosphere into your home or work space. And during the winter months, essential oils can reduce mustiness and help combat the spread of infection.
Scented salt dough balls
Perfume a room with small, scented salt dough balls placed in an attractive ceramic bowl. They harden after a period but remain absorbent and can be regularly refreshed with a few drops of oil.
Dough balls don’t get dry and dusty like potpourri does when neglected. Over time, as the balls become increasingly impregnated with the oil, they develop a glossy appearance. You can also experiment with pebble shapes and various colours.
You need
2 cups plain flour
1 cup table salt
1 cup water
1/4 tsp fragrant oil
Method
Mix the water into the flour and salt to make a modelling-type dough. Add a few drops of food colouring for your desired colour, before adding the fragrant oil.
Knead well until smooth, roll into small balls and leave to dry.
Dry the balls in a warm place over several days, or speed up the process by placing them in an oven at a very low temperature for a few hours.
Tip: Adding 1 tbsp of lemon juice helps the dough to harden.
Make your own fragrant and natural disinfectant room sprays
An easy alternative to a vaporiser is to create a room spray with a few drops of oil blended in a spray bottle filled with water.
Method
Add 20 drops of essential oil to 200ml water in a spray mister bottle. (A couple of drops of dishwashing liquid or a small amount of apple cider vinegar will help disperse the oils.) Shake well before spraying around the room. This spray can be used daily to support the immune system and ease respiratory conditions. Suitable oils include lavender, grapefruit, lemon, sweet orange and rosemary. During an illness such as influenza, you can double the amount of essential oil.
Carpet freshener
Carpet fresheners leave a subtle fragrance underfoot and can be used after entertaining or illness to refresh a room.
Method
Simply add 20 drops of essential oils to a cup of baking soda. Mix well in a small bowl. Seal in a plastic bag or a jar with a lid, and stand overnight or longer.
Sprinkle it over the carpet, brushing it deep into the pile. Leave for an hour before vacuuming.
Tip: For an even simpler method, place 5-6 drops of essential oil such as lavender onto a cotton ball and vacuum it up. Then vacuum as usual and a lovely fragrance will be released.
Antibacterial spray
Help keep colds and flu at bay through the winter months or during an epidemic with this disinfectant room spray.
You need
300ml water
4 drops ginger oil
4 drops lemongrass oil
4 drops lavender oil
8 drops eucalyptus oil
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well before each use. The mixture can be sprayed into the air two or three times a day.
Simple spray alternative 1 cup distilled water
30 drops eucalyptus oil
Place ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well before use.
Tips:
• Other essential oils to help protect you from infection and suitable for use are rosemary, tea tree or thyme white.
• Add a few drops of tea tree oil to a hot bath to induce profuse sweating, after which the patient should have a deep, peaceful sleep. A couple of drops rubbed into the soles of the feet is also beneficial.
• Avoid contact with varnished wooden surfaces and finishes.
Tea light burners
Typically these are ceramic vessels designed to contain tea lights that sit beneath a bowl of water infused with oil. In winter their lit candles help to create a gentle, warm, glowing atmosphere.
For an average-size room simply add 8-10 drops of essential or fragrant oils to the bowl of water. As the oil is gently heated by the tea light’s flame, the room will become permeated with fragrance.
Tips:
• Never leave an oil burner unattended and top up the water regularly so that the bowl does not run dry.
• Look for oil burners with large, removable bowls to allow for longer burning and also ease of handling.
• Remove old oil residue in the bowl by wiping with a cloth dabbed in eucalyptus oil.
More ideas
Fragrant cones
Use pine cones in interesting and simple ways to perfume rooms during winter months. Make an aromatic blend of essential or fragrant oils, mixing at a ratio of 25 drops of oil to 1/2 cup water. Soak the cones in this liquid for at least an hour (preferably overnight). Then tie a few together and hang them over a radiator. They’ll gradually open from the warmth, diffusing a gentle fragrance throughout the room.
Store the liquid in an airtight container and re-soak the cones once a week to keep them smelling fragrant.
Wardrobe freshener
Take a small glass jar and punch six large holes in the lid. Fill the jar with cotton balls and soak the balls with fragrant oil. Replace the lid and put the jar in your wardrobe in an inconspicuous place.
Sniff jars
For a few moments of instant mental clarity, try this new take on the snuff box.
You need
A very small lidded jar or container (such as a clean, recycled ointment jar)
A couple of cotton balls
A few drops of essential oil
Method
Squeeze a couple of cotton balls into the jar, add a few drops of essential oil and replace the lid. Whenever you need an uplift, unscrew the lid and sniff. The effect lasts longer than a few drops on a tissue and you can easily carry the jar around. Rosemary is a good choice of oil, especially when studying.
Electric oil vaporisers
These use a small amount of electricity and a few drops of essential oil placed in the ceramic base, which is then gently heated and kept at a steady low temperature. No water is used. An electric vaporiser is safer than using candles, making it suitable for bedrooms. Alternatively, put a few drops of essential or fragrant oil on a cotton wool ball and tuck it behind a radiator or oil-filled heater.
Reed diffusers
Reed diffusers are an attractive way of diffusing oils. Try making this simple version.
You need
Approximately 10 rattan or reed sticks
(ordinary bamboo skewers do not draw up the oils nearly as efficiently)
Fragrant oils of your choice (their scent lasts longer than essential oils)
Glycerol (available from pharmacies)
Vodka
A narrow-necked clear glass bottle or vase
Method
Make the oil base by adding a few drops of fragrant oil to equal parts of vodka and glycerol. (Glycerol acts as a carrier for the scent and the alcohol promotes evaporation.) Pour this into a container, shake well and add more fragrant oil, shaking each time until you are happy with the scent. Pour into your vase or bottle and add the reeds. Flip the reeds regularly to refresh the scent.
Tips:
• Vegetable glycerol (also called glycerine) is made from plant oils and is available from most health food stores.
• Experiment with creating your own reeds using thin strips of porous material such as balsa. The length to width ratio of the reed sticks should be a minimum of 30 for effective fragrant release.
A quick A to Z of essential oils
Aniseed a warm and spicy liquorice-like scent, used as a general, calming tonic
Bergamot a fresh, uplifting citrus aroma, excellent as a deodoriser and insect repellent
Citronella a fresh, grassy lemony scent. Also a natural deodoriser and insect repellent
Clove bud a sweet, spicy and fruity aroma used in perfumes. Clarifying and fortifying
Cypress refreshing, uplifting and energising
Eucalyptus a strong camphor aroma, invigorating and cleansing. Useful as an antiseptic and an antiviral deodoriser and decongestant
Geranium a sweet floral scent with antifungal properties
Lavender a sweet floral scent with a woody undertone and calming qualities
Lemon a light citrus, uplifting scent, with excellent antibacterial and cleansing properties
Melissa a sweet lemony scent with floral undertones. An antidepressant with antiseptic, antiviral, antifungal and calming qualities
Neroli a bittersweet floral and citrus aroma, also known as orange blossom. Calming and rejuvenating
Patchouli a sweet, rich earthy odour with antiseptic properties. Sensuous and calming
Rose a rich, deep and floral fragrance. A mild sedative and an aphrodisiac
Rosemary a strong, fresh and herbaceous aroma. Antifungal and antibacterial
Tea tree a fresh, spicy camphor aroma. Cleansing, uplifting and a powerful antiseptic
Thyme white a powerful, woody, spicy odour. One of the most antiseptic essential oils
Vetiver a rich, warm, smoky aroma. Astringent and a strong sedative
Tips Be careful to avoid certain essential oils when pregnant or if you have high blood pressure, epilepsy, or hypersensitive skin. Remember to keep the oils out of reach of children.
See The Essence of Living Simply: An eco-friendly and cost-conscious guide to using essential and fragrant oils, by Jane Wilks, Herb Heaven 2010, for more details on specific oils.
Adapted with permission from The Essence of Living Simply by aromatic oils crafter Jane Wilks (Herb Heaven, 2010) available from www.herbheaven.co.nz
Where to find: Small glass bottle, $18 and large bottle, $38, from Gracious Living (www.graciousliving.co.nz); merino wool and bamboo throw, $120, pompom scarf, $45, black boxes, $35 each, all from Citta Design (www.cittadesign.com)
