Home Fragrance 101

Your space is more important now than it has ever been. With a majority of us spending 24/7 in our homes is is key that the areas we are in bring us as much happiness as possible. Switching up the scent of your home can make a major difference to your mood as well as how inviting the space is in general. Not only can you feel more relaxed or happy through home fragrance but you could actually improve your health with products such as essential oils being known to decrease stress and anxiety.

There are home fragrances suitable from almost every want and need, taste or lifestyle. From flame free to animal friendly and simply look and smell good. You can get home fragrances through a multitude of different products from diffusers, spray, plug in, pillow mists, candles, inscence, potpourri and many more. To help you choose which could be the best for you keep reading..

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Popular Types of Home Fragrances

Believe it or not, there is a type of home fragrance types to suit every taste, budget, and lifestyle—some you may have never even heard of..

Scented Candles

Scented candles are probably the most obvious way to change the vibe of your home. Not only do they add fragrance to any room but switch off the lights and the candle will dimly light the room too. Whether you want a fresh, clean scent or a warm and cosy fragrance there is a candle for everyone. Not only are candles easy to change and pretty inexpensive but they can also serve a purpose once burnt out, don't forget to upcycle your candle jar! 

As well as being pretty and smelling great scented candles can increase focus, bring back positive memories, improve mood and sleep, and alleviate stress.

Shop our Shay and Blue candles here!

Diffusers

Similarly to scented candles, diffusers now come in many different scents to fit your home. You can get a few different types of diffusers. First there are the diffuers that evaporate themselves, you simply put the sticks into the jar and then every so often turn the sticks so the fragrance can fill the room. Secondly there are diffusers that require power, these are typically used with essential oils and require that your add a few drops of your chosen essential oil into the water. You then pulg the diffuser in and the mixture will be turned into vapour which will then distribute out into the room. 

Using natural scents, diffusers are an affordable way to bring relaxation and health benefits into your space. Some of these benefits include purified air; mosquito, virus, and mold defense; pain and stress relief; and improved sleep.

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Incense

Incense has existed for centuries and is a substance that is burned to produce fragrance. Traditionally, incense has been plant-based—made from barks, seeds, resins, flowers, or roots that are combined with a combustible binding material such as wood or charcoal powders to form a particular shape. Some modern incense is made with man-made fragrances. Today, people use incense not only for religious, spiritual, and cultural reasons but also to create an inviting mood in their homes. Common incense scents include musk, sandalwood, cinnamon, and patchouli.

Benefits from incense include improved creativity, reduced anxiety and stress, sharper mental focus, better sleep, and purified air.

Plug-In Air Fresheners

Plug-in air fresheners help mask unpleasant odors in your home and make your space more inviting. They come in many scents, including tropical fruit, florals, and fresh laundry. These types of air fresheners work with a fragrance refill that is inserted into a warmer which is plugged into an outlet.

Plug-in air fresheners often last for weeks before you need to replace the fragrance component. With some, you can even adjust the fragrance’s intensity, which is a great feature for households with members who have different fragrance tolerances. What’s also great is these air fresheners continuously work on their own, without intervention from you, and they don’t use much electricity.

Fragrance Gels

Fragrance gels are simply gelatinous materials to which fragrance has been added. These types of air fresheners can hold their scent in a room for a long time because the gel suspends and traps the fragrance oil inside. Then, scent particles from the oil are released as the gel gradually evaporates.

What’s nice about fragrance gels is they hold their scent for a long time and, unlike candles, you don’t need to worry about putting out a flame.

Room Refresher Sprays

By strategically spraying a room refresher spray in areas of your home that may not smell the freshest, whether it’s from your gym clothes, the chicken you burned when cooking dinner, your pet, or garbage that needs to be taken out, you can reduce dirty or musty smells and really make the space more inviting.

Like other types of home fragrances, there are many room refresher sprays to choose from, including natural products.

Pillow Mists

Studies have shown that aromatherapy can lift your spirits and change your mood. This certainly applies to pillow mists, which you spritz on your pillow before turning in for the night. These are often made from a blend of herbs, essential oils, and floral water.

It takes mere seconds to reap the benefits of a pillow mist. The idea is you breathe deeply as you fall asleep, surrounded by positive, relaxing vibes. Pillow mists can contribute to a deeper calm with less stress and, ultimately, a better night’s sleep.

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What to Consider When Choosing the Best Home Fragrance

There are lots of different factors to consider when choosing which home fragrance would be best for your space. Consider the size of the room, what you are using the fragrance for - is it simply to gently scent a room or is it to cover up a bad odur that wont go away - consider if you want to be able to change the scent frequently or if you want to stick to one for a long time. Don’t overlook fragrance strength, as everyone has their own preferences and sensitivities. Consider also ease of use, as this will partly inform what you choose.

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Purpose

When choosing the best home fragrance for your space, you’ll want to think about the purpose it will serve. Do you want something to fragrance the room that you can just put in and leave? If you do I would suggest staying clear of candles, you don't need your home to burn down for the sake of fragrance. If you are looking to quickly cover an odur and that is all then a room refresher spray is probably the item for you! Candles provide both mood lighting and scent, so they’re great for specific things like a bubble bath or dinner with your significant other.

Room Size

When it comes to choosing your best home fragrance, particularly with diffusers, you don’t want to ignore the size of the room you’re looking to scent.

With so many different products on the market, you could inadvertently go with something that’s just too small for your space and unable to disperse aromatherapy throughout the entire room. For instance, a large, open-concept living room with high ceilings will require more than the average front entry of a 600-square-foot apartment.

Likewise, it’s smart to choose something that’s proportionate to a smaller space. You don’t want to feel overpowered by fragrance in small spaces like the bathroom but instead get just enough of a pleasant aroma.

Ambience

The type of atmosphere or ambience you’re hoping to create will definitely influence which product makes the best home fragrance for your space.

In the main or larger areas of your home, like the living room and kitchen, you may opt for a diffuser in the corner. You may or may not care about the attractiveness of the diffuser and how it fits into your home decor. However, for a dinner party, you might pour the diffuser liquid into a decorative container or bottle for added appeal. Or, you can always choose to light a scented candle or two at the table to create some mood lighting. In the bathroom, a simple home fragrance plug-in is discreet and masks unfresh odors.

Scent

Your chosen fragrance will ultimately depend on the space you’re scenting and on the personal preferences of your household. Plus, there are numerous scents out there with different properties that change your mood and can, for instance, calm, comfort, or energize.

Fragrances are categorized by four families:

• Floral scents, the most popular family, include those such as lily, lavender, rose, magnolia, jasmine, and orchid. Since these scents are soft and not overbearing, they go well in any space of your home, particularly the bedroom (try lavender or orange flower to encourage relaxation), the bathroom, and the living room. Florals are not great in the kitchen as they can block food aromas; instead, try something mouthwatering like cinnamon, apple pie, or thyme.
• Oriental fragrances feature vanilla, cinnamon, ambra, honey, sandalwood, nutmeg, musk, ginger, incense, and carnation, among others. These scents, which are great for your living room or bedroom (try vanilla, amber, and musk for intimacy), are usually made with rare spices and can be sweet or spicy.
• Woodsy scents (sometimes referred to as chypre, which is French for cyprus) like earth, moss, oak, cedar, patchouli, citrus, and bergamot, typically appeal to all sorts of people and work well in any home space any time of the year.
• Fresh fragrances (sometimes referred to as ocean) such as fresh mountain air, ocean, and flower, are a newer family and suit spaces in which you want to exude cleanliness and freshness, like bathrooms, closets, or entrances.

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Fragrance Strength

If you live with people who are sensitive or allergic to fragrance or don’t like certain or strong scents, consider this when choosing your best home fragrance. Wildflowers, daisies, or sunflowers on a label usually indicate a natural, light, nonperfumy scent. Since these flowers tend to smell very little or not at all, manufacturers don’t actually take oils from them but instead create a scent based on our ideas about these flowers. This results in a lighter, less-fragrant scent that should please everyone.

On the other hand, if a very strong, potent fragrance appeals, you won’t have trouble finding it. Just try to smell it in advance, and read descriptions and reviews before buying, so you know what you’re getting. Avoid a single fragrance (for instance, freesia) unless it’s a very high-end product, as it can draw too much attention. Instead, go for a blend of a few scents that’s hard to define.

Ease of Use

As with learning about and using any new type of product, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t consider its ease of use. After all, you want to get the most out of your home fragrance for the long term, and going with anything too complicated could be a deterrent that makes you start your search all over again. This would be frustrating and not the best use of your time.

If you prefer unfussiness, consider products, like diffusers and plug-ins, that are simply constructed without too many bells and whistles. With so many options on the market, you’re bound to find something that not only checks everything on your list but is also easy to use.

Tips for Using Home Fragrances

Below are some tips for finding and using the best home fragrances. You can use this section as a quick guide that covers various considerations when shopping for a home fragrance product and home fragrance scents.

These tips take into account the type and size of your space, the ambience you’re hoping to create, your purpose for having the home fragrance, how easy you’d like using the product to be, and how to choose the right scent and fragrance intensity for specific rooms and allergies, sensitivities, or preferences.

• Buy a product that will work in the type and size of space you’re looking to scent and for the ambience you’re hoping to achieve.
• Know your purpose and when and how you plan to use your home fragrance, and look for a scent accordingly.
• Consider products that are easy to use, like diffusers and plug-ins that are simply constructed without too many bells and whistles.
• Pick the right scents for each area: for the kitchen, something mouthwatering, like cinnamon, apple pie, or thyme; in the bathroom, linen, citrus, or a perfume fragrance are ideal; and favorable scents in the bedroom include lavender or orange flower for relaxation or vanilla, amber, and musk for intimacy.
• For people who are allergic or sensitive to fragrance or don’t like certain or strong scents, consider products with wildflowers, daisies, or sunflowers on the label, as they usually mean a natural, light, nonperfumy scent.

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References:

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-home-fragrance/