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the aromatherapy world

Aromatherapy

scent as ritual

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  • A bottle of bergamot essential oil on a sunlit European windowsill beside citrus fruitAromatherapy

    Where Does Bergamot Oil Actually Come From?

    A single, narrow strip of Italian coastline supplies most of the world's true bergamot oil, and since 2001 the law has said so in writing. Here...

    5 min read
  • A linen lavender sachet, a simmer pot, and a cup of lavender tea on a European kitchen windowsill in soft daylightAromatherapy

    Which Lavender Uses Are Actually Worth Your Time

    A cloth sachet under a pillow asks nothing of you but to notice it once in a while. A sprinkle of dried flowers on a carpet,...

    5 min read
  • Dried sage leaves and citrus peel beside a lit incense stick on a wooden kitchen table in soft daylightAromatherapy

    What Are the Spiritual Benefits of Sage and Citrus Incense?

    A stick of incense carries two kinds of information: what it smells like, and what actually went into it. Sage and citrus is one of the...

    6 min read
  • A lit candle on a wooden table catching afternoon light in a quiet European living roomAromatherapy

    Why Does Your Nose Stop Noticing the Candle You Just Lit?

    There is a Japanese word for the practice of paying attention to incense, and it is not "to smell." Kōdō, the art of appreciating incense as...

    6 min read
  • A rattan reed diffuser bottle standing on a wooden console table beside a window in soft autumn lightAromatherapy

    How to Get the Most From a Reed Diffuser: The Physics of Scent

    Rattan is not a wood. It is not even, strictly, a "natural material" in the vague way that phrase gets used on packaging. It is the...

    7 min read
  • A hand wiping clean a flat soapstone incense holder beside an ornate brass burner with residue in its groovesAromatherapy

    The Incense Holder You Will Actually Clean

    Some objects earn their keep through use, others through the good intentions that rarely survive a first cleaning. The incense holder is often the second kind,...

    5 min read
  • A stick of palo santo wood and a bundle of dried white sage smouldering together in a stone dish on a European windowsillAromatherapy

    The Two Forests Behind Palo Santo and Sage

    The rangers who patrol North Etiwanda Preserve, in the foothills above San Bernardino County, keep a rough tally of what disappears from the hillsides each season....

    5 min read
  • Smoke from a backflow incense cone falling like water over a mountain-shaped burner on a table by a windowAromatherapy

    Why Does Backflow Incense Smoke Fall Instead of Rising?

    A backflow incense cone looks unremarkable on the shelf: a small grey or brown pyramid, no different from any other cone until you turn it over...

    5 min read
  • An incense stick burning beside a steaming kettle and teacup on a wooden kitchen table in early morning lightAromatherapy

    The First Scent of the Morning

    Before the kettle has even started to hum, I strike a match. It catches the tip of an incense stick, and for a few seconds the...

    5 min read
  • A reed diffuser and an electric diffuser sitting side by side on a wooden hallway table in soft afternoon lightAromatherapy

    How to Choose Between a Reed and an Electric Diffuser

    A reed diffuser contains no moving part: no motor, no heat, no switch. Only a bottle of scented oil and a handful of thin sticks, drawing...

    6 min read
  • Three dark glass essential oil bottles beside dried vetiver root and a burning frankincense incense stick on unbleached linen, cool north lightRitual and practice

    Essential Oils by Mood: Which Scent for Calm, Focus or Grounding

    Readers write in with practical questions about scent and practice. Alex answers the ones that keep returning to his inbox, because they deserve a real answer....

    7 min read
  • Lava Stone: Born from Fire, Grounded in Stillness, The Complete Guide to Nature's Most Powerful Aromatherapy CompanionAromatherapy

    Lava Stone: Born from Fire, Grounded in Stillness, The Complete Guide to Nature's Most Powerful Aromatherapy Companion

    Discover the volcanic origins of lava stone and its natural ability to absorb and diffuse essential oils throughout the day. Learn how to use lava stone...

    11 min read
  • The Little Tablet That Turns Your Shower into a SpaAromatherapy

    The Little Tablet That Turns Your Shower into a Spa

    What if your shower could do more than clean you? Shower steamers transform ordinary showers into aromatherapy experiences. One small tablet. Real essential oils. A few...

    7 min read
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