A whiff of perfume brings back the excitement of your wedding day, or the feel of your grandma’s hugs. A piney breeze with a hint of woodsmoke suddenly makes you want to go camping. The aroma of your favorite cookies baking in the oven returns you to your childhood days of coming home after school for your favorite snack. Chlorine mixed with sunscreen and warm grass takes you back to your neighborhood pool in the summer. Rain on pavement and fresh bread transports you to your rainy honeymoon walks down the streets of Paris. Or…apple cider, fallen leaves, woodsmoke, and pumpkin spice let you know that fall is here!
Scent has a powerful way of bringing back memories. It’s because out of our five senses, smell is the only one that is not processed by the thalamus in the brain first, the “central command” where sensory information is processed before being sent to the relevant brain areas. Instead, scents go directly to the olfactory bulb, which is connected to the amygdala (emotional processing) and the hippocampus (memory), creating a deep link between smells and association of place, occasion, or people. This may explain why certain smells bring back clear memories even from decades ago. (source)
This is why we love scent so much at Sea Love. It’s so much more than putting together a great combination of scents—it’s creating and preserving memories. When you come to our candle bars and create a custom candle with your own unique choice of scents, you get to create memories—not just the fun of getting together with someone you love and enjoying the experience of making candles together, but also making your candle with a scent unique to your own special memories. Want to recreate the smell of your grandma’s herb garden or enjoy that once-a-year family camping trip smell all year round? Or make a new tradition of lighting the same custom candle every fall so that your kids will remember the way your home smelled even when they’re coming home from college? You’ve come to the right place. With locations on the East Coast and expanding into the rest of the country, you can create and recreate your own scent memories at Sea Love’s candle bars (and if there’s not a location near you yet, you can create your own online!)
Sea Love | A Candle Bar & Boutique Locations:
& more coming soon!
If you’re looking for some inspiration for creating your own fall scent, here are some of our staff favorites:
Fiona: autumn leaves, firewood, mulled cider
Kristi: firewood, vanilla, autumn leaves “This combination brings back childhood memories of my Papa’s old flannel shirts he used to wear while stacking firewood and working outdoors at their property in the Berkshire Mountains.”
Ina: spiced honey, apple, mulled cider “It takes me to a day at the orchard picking apples and having cider donuts with my family. It’s my favorite time of year!”
Alison: pumpkin spice, apple, autumn leaves
Hannah: tobacco, vanilla bean, cinnamon “Just smells like a cozy day at home!”
Hillary: firewood, barber shop, rosemary
Kristine: rosemary, red currant, firewood
Becca: lemon verbena, basil, cranberry
Don’t forget to check out our limited edition Fall Collection of candles and aroma melts online and in boutiques, just released for a limited time!
Happy fall everyone!
Written By: Kristi Clark, Sea Love Scent Stylist and Author of Pine & Tide (pineandtidemaine.com) Instagram @pine_and_tide