Many of us love to create fragrance within the home using candles, incense, plug-ins, sprays and diffusers, but did you know that you may be negatively affecting your health? Unless you are using pure essential oils to bless your space with delightful aromas, the synthetic ingredients used in conventional products can have harmful effects.

I personally cannot tolerate artificial fragrance on a regular basis. The smell is too overpowering. I recently visited a family member who had one of those timer based spray units and was startled with a dousing of spray as I walked past. I truly felt like I’d been targeted like some bug!

Studies show that synthetic fragrances can compromise our body’s natural rhythm and negatively affect our endocrine system upsetting our hormone balance.

So what are our options? Well just take a walk outside right now, close your eyes and take note of all the amazing perfumes radiating from the blossoms in your garden. Nature provides an amazing array of exquisite perfumes at different times of the year. At the moment my house is surrounded by the heady blossoms of star jasmine which I know from memory is the start to the warmer weather.

Essential oils are the extracts from plants, whether it be from the roots, bark, flowers or leaves. These precious oils are extracted using different types of methods and at the end of the process the precious oil is collected ready for use.

Essential oils have a therapeutic affect on your mood. They can change the way you feel within three seconds. This is because these powerful oils stimulate the nerve receptors in your nose and access your limbic system. Our emotions, memory and trauma are all stored in the limbic system, when the oils reach our emotions, thoughts and memories are triggered and feel good hormones are released. For instance jasmine always reminds me of balmy summer evenings and as soon as I smell the blossom I am transported to those summer thoughts. Peppermint is another oil I like to burn if I need inspiration or want to boost my mood. I instantly feel revived and alive and ready for what the day may throw at me.

Try some of these mood blends to enhance your day:

Morning Energiser: 4 drops Lemon Oil, 2 drops Peppermint Oil and  2 drops Lemongrass Oil

Love is in the Air: 1 drop Patchouli Oil, 4 drops Ylang Ylang Oil and 2 drops Sandalwood Oil

Children Chillout Blend: 2 drops Cedarwood Oil, 2 drops Vetiver Oil and  2 drops Lavender Oil