Beauty with Fragrances: April 2009

Rediscover Home Fragrances (It's worth it!)

Make a good first impression or enjoy a lasting living experience with home fragrances.

How to freshen up your home quickly and easily

There is nothing quite like coming back to a fresh and purely scented home. Whether you do it for yourself and your family, or for your guests, eliminating unwelcome home odors using the finest natural home fragrance products can do wonders for how your house or apartment is appreciated. Luckily, room fragrance sticks, scented candles, draw liners, and a wide variety of other home fragrance products are available to help you create a welcoming environment that leaves a lasting, authentic impression.

Get that home fragrance diffuser party going!

The first thing to consider when setting the tone for how our home feels is the subtle background scent. Using the new popular method of room fragrance sticks, or fragrance diffuser, you can use delicately scented oils to make any room in your home smell lovely. Select a brand that offers sustainable bamboo sticks with their diffuser sets, and choose a fragrance appropriate to the mood you wish for your room. For example, a refreshing tropical scent can be great for your bathroom while soothing lavender can do wonders for your bedroom environment. Elegant, safe and long-lasting reed diffusers are a modern kind of home fragrance diffuser and an essential first step towards an inviting ambiance.

A house without scented candles? The horror!

On special occasions, or when you just wish to add some extra atmosphere to a room, light a richy scented candle. When it comes to room fragrances, this classic diffuses exquisite scents naturally and atmospherically. Choose candles made from natural oils or beeswax, and try to pick the kind that has long burning ozone friendly wicks. They make a perfect addition to the more subtle reed diffusers, and are excellent fast-acting remedies for home odors. For example, if you have been preparing dinner and guests are arriving shortly, a scented candle containing orange or lavender oil can rapidly eliminate the smell of cooking. The room fragrance scent from a lovely, naturally flavored candle lifts moods and inspires.

Don't forget them home fragrance oils?

For those most serene moments at home, set the mood using home fragrance oils. Not only do warming aromatic oils make peaceful and inspiring home fragrance diffusers, they last for a long time and can be used to gently perfume your entire home. Ceramic oil burners are popular accessories for heating oil based home fragrances, but you can also use glass or metal ones according to your preference – add an unscented tealight candle and you are on your way towards a wonderfully scented and atmospheric home environment. To remove odors inside closets, drawers and cabinets, unheated aromatic oils make excellent enhancers for potpourri.

Yes, the shelf and drawer liner

When it comes to your storage spaces, a top drawer liner makes unbeatable home fragrance products. Not only do they smell exquisitely, you can cut them to size for nearly any kind of closet or cabinet drawers – making every inch of your home look chic while smelling fresh at all times. Choose scents that are classic, natural and gentle, since you do not want anything too pungent for clothing, linens and textiles that you will wear close to your skin. For example, you may want to choose a tropical vanilla scent for your bathroom cabinet, refreshing rose for your kitchen textiles and gentle bamboo for your intimates or bedroom linen.

The best way to ensure your home feels and smells fresh is of course to always keep it clean and free from unnecessary odors. When your home is ready for some refreshing scents you can start browsing fragrance shops such as Sabon®, that have lovely reed diffusers, candles and other home fragrance luxuries made from the finest of natural ingredients. Home fragrances distributed through these wonderful products make wonderful ways in which to add an inviting and pure atmosphere to all your living spaces.

Photo by minds-eye

Can't Afford a Natural Body Day Spa? Try Body Scrubs

Being on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the finer things –the benefits of a natural body day spa are available in body scrubs for the home.

Recreate The Day Spa Experience at Home with Body Scrubs

When there is not enough time in our calendars or green in our wallets to supercharge our batteries in a lavish day spa – what are we to do? While few things compare to being pampered at the hands of a trained dermatologist or indulging in professional spa treatments, you can definitely recreate the experience at home using some quality body therapies. To detoxify and cleanse skin, boost circulation and reveal a radiant and healthy complexion from head to toe, nothing compares with exquisite body scrubs infused with vitamins, minerals and oils from some of the finest natural ingredients around. Let's not forget a sugar scrub. (They're so sweet) Choose the right organic scrub products for your at-home body treatments and you will discover a comfortable way to fit advanced body care into your busy lifestyle. A good cleansing, exfoliating and nourishing experience will not only make you look brilliant, it can also help you sleep better, feel less stress and boost both your mood and your energy levels.

If you can reset your age and reveal your real, natural beauty in the comfort of your own home – how do you get started? The success of your very own bath spa depends primarily on choosing the right kind of cleansing and nourishing polish; you should always identify the right body scrub according for your specific skin type. Just like you would choose your body treatments at a professional day spa according to your specific needs, you need to choose your at home scrub products as carefully.

If you have normal skin, a traditional emulsion with Dead Sea salt crystals and natural oils will do wonders softening and refining your skin. Salt crystals are known for their ability to gently slough off dead skin cells while improving circulation and opening up pores so that toxins and impurities are eliminated. The natural oils, whether they are from macadamia nut, almond or soybean, will replenish your skin and add invaluable vitamins to prevent ageing and protect against environmental pollutants. If you prefer your scrub to lather up a little more and envelop you with luxurious foam, choose a Dead Sea salt scrub with added soap – it will work the same way as a traditional salt scrub but is easier to apply if you have sensitive skin.

Very sensitive skin can benefit from a cream body scrub that easily rubs onto delicate surfaces and instead of salts contain completely natural exfoliates such as ground kernels or crushed seeds – look for these in stores such as Sabon, that sell organic body therapies based on the finest natural ingredients. If you have very sensitive skin, always ask your store for advice on any specific allergies or sensitivities you have and make sure that you then try the product on a smaller area before you apply it to your entire body.

When you have chosen your products you are ready to indulge in your very own, relaxing and rejuvenating spa treatments. Apply your beauty body scrub using gentle yet vigorous circular strokes, and pay extra attention to problem areas such as hips, thighs or upper arms. You can use your hand or a loofah, depending on how intense you want your exfoliation to be.

Following your scrub, complete your very own lavish day spa with a nice warm shower followed by a natural lotion or cream that moisturizes, firms and tones your entire body. You will emerge as rejuvenated as you would from any world-class spa services available.

photo by Toprural

The Fragrance Shop Search is Over?

One of the hardest things today is to find the right fragrance, for yourself and for your home. For years I have been searching to discover a place that satisfies my requirements when it comes to body scents and home aromatherapy; the best fragrance for me is one that translates to something unique when I wear it, and that is made with real, natural ingredients so that it not only smells but also feels pure and fresh. You wouldn’t think it would be that hard to find, but it has seemed impossible. I had just about succumbed to the synthetic universe of designer perfumes when I walked past a store on Lexington Avenue and 61st Street in New York City, a small discreet oasis called Sabon.

While I had heard of Sabon, I had never thought of it as a fragrance shop. My friends had mentioned their amazing body scrubs and body butters, but I had never been to a store before. Inside I was amazed by the incredible range of body therapies and scents, everything from a fragrance oil to body sprays lined the shelves. After testing some of the scrubs and lotions, I left dazzled by what I had found – not only did I feel their subtle kiwi mango body dew had lifted my mood and become a natural and unique part of me, I was ultra-excited to know that inside the spray there was no oil or alcohol. Made with pure, distilled water I could spray it all over – even on my sensitive face – and know it was made with nothing but the best, natural components around. It had all the qualities I had been searching for in a fragrance.

Back by my computer later on, I decided to browse the online bath and body store to see if I could match my experience in the store with some quality online shopping. Today I only allow the best highly scented candles and the best fragrance oils into my home – the ones I buy from this privately owned company that cares a great deal about what goes into their bottles and containers.

Only natural oils, salts, sugars and minerals make it into Sabon emulsions and home fragrances. You never have to worry about dangerous chemicals or toxins being released on your skin or in your home. Even better, Sabon does not test their products on animals and all their packaging is recyclable and biodegradable. If you are like me and care about the earth, and about your own health, you’ll appreciate the effort from companies like these – it just adds to the experience of using what is anyways the best kind of fragrance for me.

Their personal home fragrance include some lovely body dews – such as my own personal favorite, the kiwi mango, but also a citrus one and a patchouli lavender vanilla edition. If you want something for your home, their scented candles are some of the best fragrant candles on the market; their reed diffusers, aromatic oils and drawer liners will blow you away. Cozy and familiar, yet fresh and new, all their wonderful fragrances have hints of joy and optimism.

When I have told my friends about Sabon, their first reaction is usually that these products would be expensive luxury goods. But they’re not. In fact, Sabon has some of the best fragrance prices around. What is even better is that they are long-lasting too, so you don’t need to think about buying refills or new products very often. Except for when you need really special gifts of course – with some of the best fragrances around, Sabon is a sure hit with anyone who love the finer things in life. Well ... that's my opinion anyways.

10 Crazy Ways to Make Your House Smell Great

The very first thing you notice when you arrive in anybody’s home is the way it smells. This is probably a good thing to remember when you take care of your own house or apartment, if you want guests to feel welcome and comfortable that is. Or, just for your own wellbeing of course. There are ten easy tips you can follow towards a beautifully scented home.

One: Line your drawers, closets and cabinets with scented paper. Drawer liners in classic, subtle scents make everything from towels, to linens and clothing smell exquisitely – indirectly adding a lovely, fresh feeling all around your home. A perfect example would be the fresh, crisp Rose Drawer Liner from Sabon.

Two: Establish a continual fragrance diffusion system that sets the tone for your entire home. An aromatherapy diffuser are new, modern ways of scenting your living environment. Sustainable bamboo sticks effortlessly distributes the finest fragrances, without any work on your part they make your home look and smell elegant for months on end.

Three: One of the most timeless and tested home fragrance methods is lighting aromatherapy candles. The best scented candles are made from natural ingredients such as oils and beeswax, and will not only add to your home atmosphere but will also kill unwelcome home odors and introduce new, fresh scents. Consider flavors such as orange for your kitchen or lavender for your bedroom.

Four: To add more ambiance to any room, add oil burners with aromatherapy essential oils. Made from ceramic or glass, these natural mood enhancers will lift spirits and create a cozy atmosphere even in the most impersonal space. The best fragrance oils come in pure scents such as coconut or ginger or lavender and they work beautifully in combination with subtly scented candles or reed diffusers, creating an inviting scent for your home.

Five: Adding a scented soap to specific rooms in your home may seem like an obvious step. You may not think of the difference a nice vanilla coconut soap can make for your bathroom, or a nice peach soap for your kitchen – but it can make the whole room smell lovely. Especially when used in combination with other home fragrances which would make any guest bathroom proud.

Six: Don’t forget to bring in fresh flowers. If you are unsure of what flowers are right, ask your florist about what is in season and follow your instinct when it comes to scents you like.

Seven: Add fresh herbs to your kitchen. You will be surprised what a pot of fresh rosemary or oregano or basil will do for the smell of entire whole cooking area.

Eight: Sometimes we forget what a bit of fresh, circulating air, can do for our homes. Open up your windows, and let the fresh outside air come in. It will do wonders for your mood and will help naturally air out unwelcome home odors.

Nine: Inside your home, try to leave doors open between rooms. Circulation inside the home is almost as important as opening your windows and will help your best fragrances move around to treat the entire house or apartment.

Ten: Clean, clean, clean. It may sound like housekeeping 101, but before you introduce any scented products make sure you have your daily cleaning routines down too. Preventing odors from ever happening is after all, the best way to keep your home smelling great.

First image by Orin Optiglot

What others say about Reed diffuser fragrances

Yup, another round of pointers. It's always interesting to see what others are saying. This time though the theme is on reed diffusers. One thing I am still uncertain is if reed diffusers are the same as a woolwick reed diffuser. I saw that on a Yahoo search. I think that's just a brand but can't be sure. It just stuck to my head. Anyway, forget my confusion. Onwards!

Reed Diffuser

Aromatherapy oil

Fragrance oil diffuser stick

Reed diffuser oil

Reed Diffusers

Scented oil diffusers

Scented reed diffusers

Do it yourself diffuser reeds

DIY reed diffuser

Online talk over a stimulating body scrub

I'm always posting on body scrubs but thought I point to a few other guys/gals. Might be of interest to you, I don't know. Today's focus is on body scrubs ... a theme I've been carrying for some time now. Who knows how long that'll be.

Body scrub

best body scrub

natural body scrub

Do it yourself body scrub

DIY body scrub