Researchers at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Center in Chicago have found out that women who wore a scent combining floral and spice notes were perceived to be 12 pounds lighter than their actual weight! Hello! That is aromatherapy at its very finest. I for one will be stocking up on scents like these, Sephora calls them floral-oriental, to compensate for my extreme love of Haagen-Dazs Pineapple Coconut ice cream. I kid, people, I KID. Mostly.
Here are a few more aromatherapy ideas for the spring season:
Sleep: I know we moved the clocks forward quite a few days ago but my body has still not fully adjusted. If you are having the same problem try some Lavender essential oil, proven to lower stress and relax the nervous system. Reducing stress and anxiety will also boost your immune system for all those colds and allergies we talked about yesterday.
Illness: If you do end up with one of those annoying stuffy nose ailments Douglas Fir and Eucalyptus essential oils will help you breathe freely again. A few drops of each in a humidifier, or a simple bowl of hot water will clear your nose in no time.
Energy: If you need a little more spring in your step (ha!) try Lemon, Orange, Peppermint, or Rosemary essential oil. You can even make a mixture of two or more oils from this list for your own special blend. In a pinch the easiest thing to do is to pop a peppermint in your mouth. You will not only taste but also smell the mint and get a little energy boost on the go.
Weight loss: If you don’t want to rely on floral/spice perfume and would rather lose weight the old-fashioned way try wearing a Vanilla scent, shown to reduce cravings for sweets.
Any scents you rely on to get you through the day? Favorite aromas for your home during the spring months?
Image via bellasugar
I had to share this little gem with all of you. How beautiful is the gutter, or I suppose more appropriately called the down spout, on this house? It is a bit hard to see but it is a series of little metal cups that carry the water down from the roof by overflowing into one another. There was one on each side so that if you were looking from the front it honestly looked like the house was wearing a pair of long earrings. It was gorgeous and much more stylish than the white metal tubes one usually sees. I noticed it on our walk through town a couple of weekends ago. I have never seen anything like this before, but of course now I really want a couple for our house!
I’m not usually a fan of dog breed paraphernalia, but I am in love with this Mod Cairn Terrier print from Mod-Dog Shop! They offer a choice of background color, and from what I can tell almost every breed of dog is represented. Silhouette art seems to be having a comeback lately, I think these dog prints would look really sweet in a collection of family silhouettes. Cat lovers are not left out either, take a look at their Cat prints.
A bunch of perfect, cheery little ranunculus on your desk. Ranunculus are one of my very favorite flowers, aren’t they lovely? They almost look like tiny little peonies. For once I made sure to get a bunch with lots of closed little buds so I’m hoping as the week goes on there will be more and more happy little blooms to look at!
Happy Friday everyone! Don’t you love this photo? This is my spring wish, to stand in a huge field of lavender and get to bring a lovely armful home!! After being teased with a 70 degree Saturday last weekend it seems awfully cruel that it is supposed to be 30 degrees tomorrow. That should mean a head start to spring cleaning since we will be indoors anyway, but I’m thinking it will more likely result in movies and perhaps some baking. I’m not leaving you with any wrap up links this week but I am leaving you with this cocktail recipe:
Lavender Lemonade
Recipe here
Photos via countryliving and designsponge
