Right now, it seems like a very stressful world. Not just because of the grand scale stuff, like Covid-19 and the political upheaval, but also because of everyday challenges, like the constant battle of homeschooling. We feel pretty confident in saying that everyone could do with some feel-good vibes at the moment! And that’s just what we’re in the business of helping here at Melt.
We pour a whole lot of love into each one of our luxury scented candles because we want them each of them to to elicit their own set of positive emotions – whether that’s joyful optimism, blissful relaxation, or peace and contentment. Here are just a few of the ways in which the right scented candle can do wonders for helping you to stay positive, so you can feel refreshed and re-energised for whatever else life brings.
Scent from heaven
You might have heard us talk about this on the blog before here at Melt; there’s a powerful link between smells and emotions in your brain. Essentially, the scent from a luxury scented candle stimulates our limbic system, which is the part of the brain that’s responsible for our emotions and memory. Here, hormones like dopamine and serotonin are produced, which help to regulate our mood and influence our emotions. Certain scents help to activate the release of these hormones, which is a big part of how scented candles can help to boost our energy or relieve stress.
Scents can also trigger pleasant or treasured memories, which can also have a direct effect on your mood. In fact, a lot of interesting research has been done in this area, and scientists have discovered that memories triggered by scents and smells tend to be stronger and more emotional than those prompted by sight, sound or touch. What’s more, they tend to be from earlier in our lives, as opposed to memories we’ve made as adults.
That’s why smell can be such a powerful factor in reminding you of your mother’s perfume, for example, or the summer’s day you spent walking in fields with a loved one, or your first Christmas away from home.
As you’ve probably guessed, most of these are subjective, and vary greatly from person to person. But there are a couple of scents that most people find universally pleasing – oranges or lemons, for example, or lavender or peppermint. Just a few reasons why they’re such mainstays of our scented candles right here at Melt!
The mesmerising light from their flame
The feeling of peace and calm from a luxury scented candle is an almost universal experience, and there are a couple of different theories on why this might be.
Firstly, there’s the idea of the fire itself. Our love of this flickering warm light may have been instilled into us by evolution itself. In humanity’s early stages, we were wholly dependent on fire for survival – it helped us to make food, protected us from the elements and helped us protect against predators. To early man, fire itself was warmth and safety, and it’s possible that candlelight still triggers those same instincts in us today, even if we don’t always realise why.
Another reason why candlelight can be so calming is that our brains are constantly processing sensory information from our environments. (It’s part of the reason why mess or clutter can make us feel so stressed.) Low candlelight illuminates part of our environment, but leaves the rest obscured by darkness – thus giving our brains less background ‘noise’ to process, and allowing us to become more relaxed and focused.
The motion of the candlelight can also be a factor, in the same way that many other slow and rhythmic images can soothe us – like waterfalls for example, or lava lamps. Some people even find that watching the light from a candle can help them achieve a meditative state.
And of course, for millions of people all over the world, lighting candles has a religious or spiritual significance. We may do it to remember loved ones, or honour a higher power that we believe to be watching over us. These simple acts alone can be powerful gestures in difficult times, helping to give us strength and resolve.
Right now, here at Melt we’re finding that citrusy scents like Joy and Dance are some of the most popular for our customers, helping to keep them happy and energised. But there’s also a clear preference for calmer, more relaxing scents, like Hush, Lavender and Angel. You can shop them all right here on our site, or find your own favourites from amongst our range!
