How To Scent Your Home To Boost Your Wellbeing

While we have become far more attuned to the wellbeing aspects of our living environment than we once were, our focus tends to fall on the physical; the plants that purify the air, the calming colors we paint the walls, the arrangement of our furniture to create ‘zones’ (apparently essential for a more productive home life) – and yet, often, we still overlook the olfactive qualities of our home. “Scents have the ability to transform our outlook,” says renowned perfumer and Aesop’s creative nose Barnabé Fillion. “They can affect our mood, they can lift and soothe our senses. I think of scent as an expression, because the way we respond to fragrance is unique and changes greatly, depending on our sense of wellbeing at any given time.”

Candles may be our go-to for influencing the feel of our homes, but, occasionally, there are other more effective ways of scenting. “When selecting scents for the home, they have to be adapted to the size of the space and its purpose – is it a hallway or a living room, for example,” explains Fillion. “But the choice of scents will also be influenced by the time of day rather than just the space in which they are diffused.” Oil diffusers and room sprays can fragrance multiple rooms at once, while something like a burning stick of incense works well for smaller, more intimate spaces.

Resins, incense sticks and oil burning all bring a more ritualist aspect to home scenting and are an excellent way to start the day. The mere act of lighting a Costa Brazil Resina De Breu stone, which is designed to help calm anxiety and enhance mental clarity, or ‘smudging’ a space with a sage bundle (part of The Ritual’s Embodied Ritual Kit), signifies a change in the purpose of your home – and can help your mind to reset and slow down.

We’re all familiar with that wonderful feeling when the delicious scent of something used in the bath or shower permeates through your home, as the warmth of the steam gives a heavier quality to the fragrance, helping it to spread and linger. Think of your bath-time regime as a method of home scenting in its own right. Using the steam generated by your bath, and recognizing bathing as an opportunity to clear your mind and soothe anxious thoughts, presents plenty of scenting opportunities. If you have ever traveled to Indonesia, you may be familiar with the tradition of burning incense near a bath or shower – and this calming ritual works just as well at home, too. Incense sticks and cones, with notes of warming woods and amber, can work like a soothing tonic on wrought nerves.

With our homes morphing into multifunctional spaces, it’s important that our evenings feel separate from the day. Fillion recommends accenting your home with a room spray, such as Aesop Cythera, to instigate a shift in mood: “This scent conjures up the mood of a moonlit garden, as flowers relax their petals and nocturnal animals emerge from sleep. It holds a delicate aroma, woven with the memory of the day and the promise of the evening ahead.” Candles, of course, are a great way to slow down the day, to allow your mind to settle into a more relaxed state. “They provide subdued lighting at the end of the day, when a gentle interlude between the workday and your personal life can help to establish or restore equilibrium. I would suggest Aesop’s Callippus scented candle; it’s a woody, earthy, green fragrance overlaid with the drifting smoke of incense.”

There are certain scents that instantly evoke a feeling of home comfort, and that help you to relax and feel content and happy. “Some fragrances create a reaction in the limbic part of the brain,” says Fillion. “Petitgrain, for example, tends to make you feel joyful – or even make you feel more chatty.” Ensuring you have scents that rouse this sense of ease with you when you’re traveling helps to settle an overactive mind. Jo Loves Log Fires scented candle, for example, leaves you feeling just as mentally cocooned as being in a cozy log cabin in the mountains – even if you’re in an apartment in the city; while Diptyque’s bestselling Baies conjures up a sense of soothing familiarity, wherever you are in the world.

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