The Magic of Smell
Ever wondered about how the scent in your favourite candle or skincare product has the power to relax or revitalise you, or to unlock a memory from your past?
Our sense of smell is incredibly powerful - and uncontrollable - and yet is one of the least appreciated of our senses. We have the ability to pick up and identify over 10,000 smells!
The word 'olfactory' comes from the Latin 'olfacere' to smell, and it is via the olfactory nerve that the magic happens. The inside of our nose is formed of special nerve cells that connect direct to the brain via the olfactory nerves.
Our olfactory nerves are made up of tiny fibres and cilia, tiny hairs on the tip. As air passes through our nostrils, it passes over and touches on the cilia, which in turns sends a signal to our brain to register the smell. The process is incredibly complex and understanding the science behind our ability to smell is ever developing.
Our sense of smell is a significant aspect of our wellbeing; our brain is triggered into categorising any smell into an action - are we safe, friend or foe etc. And interestingly this is different for different people, what you associate as safe and relaxing might have completely the opposite effect on someone else.
The amazing essential oils we use can come from all parts of a plant; rose from the flower, rosemary from leaves, black pepper from seeds, juniper from berries, cedar from wood, ginger from the root.
And they do have the power to take us away... We asked some of our team and customers what they thought of when they lit our candles: 'Cut summer flowers" "Winter's evening in front of a fire" "Arabian Nights, story telling as a child" "Turkish Delight!" Quite a mix! Tell us what different scents evoke for you!
You can find our organic essential oil candles here: