« Poetic Mind »
Is this the smell of wellness?
« Poetic Mind »
(Notes on Aromatherapy)
As I walked into my psychologist's waiting room for the first time, I found myself in a small space with a single chair and a wooden screen beside it; rustic. Classical music played while I thought about what I’d say in that day’s session. I noticed a perfume diffuser next to the radio called « Poetic Mind », from a fast fashion brand. The room was filled with a light and refreshing scent.
Weeks later, I had booked a Pilates class. I entered a huge room filled with mats and balls, everything so beige and the shapes so round that even the yoga mats had rounded corners. I noticed the exact same perfume diffuser as the one in my psychologist’s waiting room, « Poetic Mind ». Even in the bathroom, the soaps were from the same collection.
Is this the smell of wellness?
I looked up which fragrances were blended in it, and it turned out to be bergamot, almond blossom, and white wood — offering a kind of powdery, fresh, and light scent. Bergamot (less sweet than orange and less acidic than lemon) is fruity and sunlit, known for its calming and relaxing properties.
It took me back to when I was a child, when my mother bought an essential oil diffuser and would make different blends depending on the time of year. In winter she would do a blend with mandarin, orange and cinnamon, sometimes adding thyme and verbena to purify the air. In spring it was mostly a blend of geranium and lemon; in summer, a mix of mint, lemon and orange fragrances. She also told me sometimes she would add ylang-ylang.
I’ve never had a diffuser of my own until recently, when I decided I wanted to test different essential oil blends to feel grounded and calm my anxiety. I asked my mom and friends, did some research online, and tried out various blends. (The number of drops you use in a diffuser depends on the size of the room and how strong or subtle you want the scent to be, I put 5-15 drops depending on the essential oil I’m using.)
Here is what I’ve come up with so far, a vast blend of anxiety-reducing, mood-balancing, mind-soothing, clarity-giving, and nervous system-regulating fragrances:
Ylang-ylang and sandalwood: Think: warm skin, silk sheets, candlelight.
Lavender, sweet orange, and ylang-ylang: Sweet, soft, sensual.
Bergamot, geranium and lavender: Balanced and harmonizing, smooth, powdery.
Lavender and petitgrain: Fresh but not sharp, floral but not overly sweet, slightly citrusy, with herbal depth. I feel like it is great for unwinding without getting sleepy.
Eucalyptus and bergamot: Bright and airy, clean and refreshing.
Colline Fournier Montgieux is an artist and writer living in Bruxelles.
