Using Color and Fragrance to Boost Your Mood

One of the main reasons I started my business was my love of color and fragrance.  Surrounding yourself with the colors and scents that make you feel good can work wonders for improving your mood and enhancing your overall sense of happiness.  Our olfactory receptors are directly connected to the limbic system, the most ancient and primitive part of the brain, which is thought to be the seat of emotion.  Scent-preferences are often a highly personal matter.  Scent is powerful and is deeply tied to memory.  Picking the right scent can enhance an already good mood, and it can calm other moods.  Scents can enhance relaxation, create romance, or revive you with energy.  While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, there are some color effects that have universal meaning.  Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow.  These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility.  Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple, and green.  These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.

The fact that colors affect our moods, emotions, and behavior, has been known to humankind from ancient times.  Although, the way a certain color affects someone's mentality is very individual, and one color can have different effects on different people.  Do you find that there is a particular color or shade that you are always drawn to?  Then perhaps you`ve experienced just a hint of how colors affect our emotions.  Chromotherapy is sometimes referred to as light therapy or colourology and is still used today as a holistic or alternative treatment.  Experiment with looking at different colors and choose the ones that make you feel good.  It is important to surround yourself with color that feels good to you!

Red - Red represents strength, ambition, and courage.  It is associated with power and high energy.  It can be used to promote alertness, speed, increase circulation, and to stimulate the body and mind.  It may help to promote confidence and is also an appetite stimulant.

Orange - Orange is a warm, joyful, inviting color that can be used to increase energy levels.  It can create feelings of happiness and socialbility, so it is a wonderful color to use in the gathering spaces of your home.

Yellow - Yellow is associated with optimism, brightness, and mental clarity.  It can be used to promote clear decision making and upbeat thinking. The color yellow may also be helpful for some in easing the symptoms of depression and encouraging brighter moods.

Green - Green is a very pleasing color with many positive qualities associated with it including renewal, balance, refreshment, and peace.  It can provide a calming influence and work as a stress reducer.

Blue - Blue is chosen by the majority of people as their favorite color.  It promotes rest, peace, and calm.  It can be effective to help ward off insomnia, promote relaxing sleep, and to treat pain.  It may also promote balance, imagination, and intuitive thinking.

Purple -  Purple or violet stimulates the problem solving areas in our brain.  It promotes creativity, intuition, and artistic ability.  It is also associated with royalty and communicates richness and sophistication.

Aromatherapy scents can trigger reactions within the body which relieve stress, enhance mental clarity and concentration, help us gain energy, create a sensual mood and setting, help you fall asleep at night, and even help you with pain management.  Many massage therapists and alternative medicine practictioners include aromatherapy in their treatments.  Popular scents for enhancing a calm mood include bergamot, sage, frankincense, lavender, patchouli, sandalwood, and ylang ylang.  Energize and refresh by picking fresh, citrus scents such as lemon, orange, grapefruit, tangerine, or lime.  Some good scents to pick for enhancing a romantic mood are jasmine, gardenia, rose, patchouli, and sandalwood.  Add to the warm and welcoming ambiance of your home by using spicy or bakery scents such as cinnamon, apples, nutmeg, brown sugar, and vanilla.

Scented candles are a wonderful way to experiment with different color and fragrance combinations.  It's an inexpensive way to try different options and determine which ones are the most appealing to you.  They can provide a pop of accent color and aroma to the rooms of your home and can be easily switched out seasonally or anytime you want to change the mood or ambiance.  Another benefit is the ability to combine colors and fragrances by using two or more candles that contain similar or complimentary fragrance notes.  A good example is lighting an apple cinnamon scented candle in your kitchen and a vanilla scented candle in your living room.  The combination is like hot apple pie a la mode.  Yum!

The Prismatic Peacock offers a wide variety of handcrafted soy candles and melting tarts to choose from.  All of our candles and tarts are made by hand in small batches with high quality, eco-friendly ingredients.  We use only all natural 100% soy wax.  This wax is non-toxic, vegetable based, made from renewable resources, and is produced by American farmers.  Soy wax provides a longer, cleaner burn time.  Soy candles melt completely and are consumable, so you are able to enjoy your entire candle.  The glass containers are completely reusable since the remnants of wax are so easily removed with soap and warm water after the life of your candle.  We also use only all cotton, lead-free wicks, and all of our concentrated fragrance oils are phthalate free.  When you choose a soy candle from The Prismatic Peacock, you can breathe easy knowing that you are making a healthier choice for the environment and for your home and family.  Please visit www.prismaticpeacock.com or www.etsy.com/shop/theprismaticpeacock to shop.