Scents for Depression - when you're down and need a boost

[aurore]

OK I have a very picky nose and little tolerance for most scents so I tend to pick things based on how they smell. Like I might pick the shampoo for dry hair even though mine's oily just cause it smells better. But I know that EOs can be so so helpful and healing and I've GOT to get past this very long-running slump I'm in so I'm asking for scent recommendations based on desired mood-shift rather than the smell. Fatigue, apathy, and depression are my big problems, any ideas?

 

I got my first few BPALs today in a lush swap, I tried cerberus and hearth and was very pleased to find that I DO have a good nose!! I read scent descriptions of various perfume-counter scents and I'm sniffing going 'what?? VANILLA???? I'm so not getting that, it just smells like friggin' perfume!!!'. But I have always been a big fan of natural scents and obviously my nose is perfectly capable of picking apart scents that aren't synthetic. Going completely blind without descriptions I got pepper from Cerberus (and, lo!, cubeb is a type of pepper, I discover) and I got cherries and wet wood from hearth. I like hearth's sweet cherry-honey scent but cerberus smells like sniffing cheap lemony soap in a head shop, no, more like shoving the soap up your nose and feeling the burn on your mucos membranes! Blah.

 

So, I'm tired and sick and just rambling pointlessly aren't I? Not that I care...

 

<nudge, nudge, wink, wink... apathy joke, get it? teehee>

 

Aurore

[gwynhwyfar]

Hmm. Things that I've tried out and I get a boost out of ...

 

The Unicorn -- To me, this is the unicorn from The Last Unicorn. Purity and water and light greens and very refressing and uplifting and sweet.

 

Ultraviolet -- This is, hands down, the most uplifting scent from BPAL that I've tested so far. I get mint and eucalpytus with a hint of violet from it.

 

Undertow -- Surprisingly, despite the name, this boosts my mood, too. Probably because I get a heavy mint scent out of it and mint is one of those things that perks me up.

 

Lady of Shalott -- Another aquatic, this, with much more of a floral note to it than I get out of the others I listed.

 

Dragon's Milk -- This is all honey and incense on me and just delicious. Dragon's Eye is another booster for me, with much more floral to it.

 

What might help is if you can think about scents that have the desired effect for you and then look for things with that as a strong note. Like if the smell of roses is something that is a mood-booster for you, then you might want to look at the rose-heavy oils, but if it's mint that does it, then those would be a good place to start.

[Macha]

I found BPAL for very similar reasons: I was having trouble with depression and I wanted to try a more natural way of dealing with it, namely scent. It's not a cure-all, but it really does help.

 

Unfortunately, I'm not so certain I can give you a list of recommendations. It does seem that what triggers a happy association and memory for one person may have the opposite effect on another. It may help you to sit down and try to figure out if there are scents you associate with positive memories. Does sweet vanilla tea always make you smile? Then Dorian's for you. Chocolate? Try Bliss. If you can find a scent that reminds you a happy place, the battle is won.

 

To start, however, you may wish to try those fragrances that are designed to be mood lifting: Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo for example, or one of the Panaceas (perhaps Succor or Quietude?) I personally find Van Van Oil to be a very positive scent, and Has No Hanna is quite specifically designed to alleviate depression. My own current mood-altering scent of choice is Tarot: the High Priestess. It's not that the scent snaps me out of a depression, but little things don't get under my skin the same way when I'm wearing it.

 

The best thing is to probably find the scent you love, and then just smelling it will make your day a little brighter.

[aurore]

Good point, figuring scents that uplift me. I'm just not good about that sort of thing, I guess you could say I lack self-awareness. I can say which scents I like and which I don't...

 

Mint is no, usually. I hate mint toothpaste, gum, candy, etc. The only mint candy I ever liked were those beechnut breathmints, which I haven't come across since I was a teenager. I also dislike patchoulli and other incense-y smells.

 

Orange is generally good, a real, fresh orange. I used to scent my car with orange oil in one of those cigarette lighter oil diffusers. Reminds me of summer, walking around eating fresh-picked oranges all day (I live in Florida). I'm not real fond of lemon scents though.

 

I used to like rose a lot but I'm kinda neutral there now. Every spring I really enjoy when the orange trees blossom, wish I knew what neroli smelled like, if it's just the same as those blossoms then neroli is definitely at the top of the list. And night-blooming jasmine, MMMM, my mom always has several of these going and the scent is to die for. Magnolias, too.

 

Leather is always a wonderful scent, and VERY comforting to me, reminds me of long trips in my dad's car, or his jacket. The scent of wine is somewhat comforting, too. I also drink a lot of black tea, mostly straight black teas, sometimes earl grey or jasmine green tea. I don't like coffee.

 

I like simple scents with only one or two heavy notes, and I usually don't like any hodge-podge scents. Like I said, when I was younger I wore oils, and they were always pure... orange, bulgarian rose, vanilla, patchoulli, the two latter I have since grown out of though.

 

My favorite Lush scents are potion, you snap the whip, candy fluff, flying fox, soft couer, and h'suan wen hua. Potion especially, it reminds me of a perfume I had when I was a wee thing, part of some toiletries-for-little-girls gift. Oh and I love the way I smell after smothering myself in pure melted cocoa butter. Candy fluff goes perfectly over it, too.

 

I'm going to take a shower now and try out high john the conqueror....

 

Thanks for the help! I'm adding some of your suggestions to my 'to try' list now.

 

Aurore

Edited April 23, 2005 by aurore

[Malista]

Hmmm. Your dislike for complex scents may make things a little harder, since Beth excels at creating subtle, complex, deep scents which her fans, as you may have noticed from reading the forums here and at Lush, delight in making even more complex with layering. :-D

 

Finding a list of scents and their traditional aromatherapy uses might be a good idea. I ran across one recently on this or the Lush forum, but I can’t remember which. Sorry. Been sick all week, and have oatmeal for a brain.

 

Our tastes aren’t that similar (I love incense type scents and complex blends), but I suffer from depression, too, and I’m going to suggest that things with grapefruit in them are, to me, tremendously energizing, and mood elevators (I have some grapefruit shower gel and body lotion I keep around just for times of depression and the accompanying exhaustion). I tried, just as I was getting sick, Cheshire Cat, and loved the grapefruit waft that shifted down to softer, subtler florals and fruit without being at all foody or overly sweet. I’m going to have another test when I can smell things again to be sure I didn’t miss anything in my growing congestion, but I suspect that there’s a bottle of this one in my future, and it’s not in my usual style, at all. Go read the reviews and see what you think.

 

I would also point out that Beth has a way with blends that can change your mind about what you like and don’t. Not always, but sometimes. Don’t necessarily write off her rose scents, for instance, because rose leaves you “meh” these days. Rose is traditionally a good scent for alleviating depression, and it’s likely worth the price of an Imp or two to try a couple (especially if there are spices involved, as well as the floral). Sometimes single notes don’t engage us as strongly when we develop more complicated lives and sophisticated tastes, but blends that include formerly favorite notes can still give us a lift, and keep our interest.

 

Are you still doing your photography, BTW? I’m SMJohns on photoSIG; I wrote critiques on a couple of your photos, and quite like your work. I recognized your Lush forum avatar immediately as one of the first photos I commented on.

[Macha]

Just to comment on what Malista said, you may discover as you experience more BPAL, that your tastes in perfumes are not always what you expect. From my own personal experience and discussions with others on this forum, I know that tastes tend to "evolve." There's nothing at all wrong with only liking simple combinations, but you may not wish to limit yourself. For instance, I also wore some single note oils as a teenager and avoided the commercial "complex" stuff, but Beth's complex blends aren't like those....

 

BPAL has some great fragrances with wine, leather, orange and tea in a variety of styles and combinations (not necessarily together.) I recommend reading through some reviews and using the search engine on the black phoenix site to get a better idea of what's available and what appeals to you. Sometimes the idea of a fragrance can be uplifing all on its own, if it tickles your fancy in some manner.

[mmcfa2]

Good point, figuring scents that uplift me.  I'm just not good about that sort of thing, I guess you could say I lack self-awareness.  I can say which scents I like and which I don't...

 

Mint is no, usually.  I hate mint toothpaste, gum, candy, etc.  The only mint candy I ever liked were those beechnut breathmints, which I haven't come across since I was a teenager.  I also dislike patchoulli and other incense-y smells. 

 

Orange is generally good, a real, fresh orange.  I used to scent my car with orange oil in one of those cigarette lighter oil diffusers.  Reminds me of summer, walking around eating fresh-picked oranges all day (I live in Florida).  I'm not real fond of lemon scents though.

 

I used to like rose a lot but I'm kinda neutral there now.  Every spring I really enjoy when the orange trees blossom, wish I knew what neroli smelled like, if it's just the same as those blossoms then neroli is definitely at the top of the list.  And night-blooming jasmine, MMMM, my mom always has several of these going and the scent is to die for.  Magnolias, too.

 

Leather is always a wonderful scent, and VERY comforting to me, reminds me of long trips in my dad's car, or his jacket.  The scent of wine is somewhat comforting, too.  I also drink a lot of black tea, mostly straight black teas, sometimes earl grey or jasmine green tea.  I don't like coffee.

 

I like simple scents with only one or two heavy notes, and I usually don't like any hodge-podge scents.  Like I said, when I was younger I wore oils, and they were always pure... orange, bulgarian rose, vanilla, patchoulli, the two latter I have since grown out of though.

 

My favorite Lush scents are potion, you snap the whip, candy fluff, flying fox, soft couer, and h'suan wen hua.  Potion especially, it reminds me of a perfume I had when I was a wee thing, part of some toiletries-for-little-girls gift.  Oh and I love the way I smell after smothering myself in pure melted cocoa butter.  Candy fluff goes perfectly over it, too.

 

I'm going to take a shower now and try out high john the conqueror....

 

Thanks for the help!  I'm adding some of your suggestions to my 'to try' list now.

 

Aurore

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

for your loe of magnolia and night blooming jasmine I can reccommend New Orleans for sure. I find that I too am drawn to beth's simpler scents.

[aurore]

SMJohns, I remember you! Which means we must have interacted more than just a little, as I don't remember people/names all that well. Did you chat in the psig room too? Thank you for the vote of confidence, I actually lost my darkroom when we moved a year and a half ago and it has definitely affected my level of activity re: photography. I have a very competent scanner with 4x9" neg scanning but it's just not the same. I do still shoot in fits and bursts and there may be some stuff on usefilm that is newer than my psig stuff. http://www.usefilm.com/artist/aurore I have lots of neg strips that I hope to get around to soon, my computer wasn't working up to par for the last several months.

 

OK so as to BPAL, I tried two oils and recorded my impressions;

 

Cerberus - In the bottle - Very peppery with a cloyingly sweet undertone, I want to say honeysuckle or something of the sort, sweet but green. On application - EWWW, it smells like soap. Very biting, nose-tickling soap scent, like I've walked into a small local head shop and picked up some lemon soap to sniff and we're not talking Lush, here. This is cheap health-food-store lemon soap. And, oh yeah, there are some incense-y smells under the soap, that's the head shop/health-food-store scent.

 

Hearth - In the bottle - Wet smooshed cherries soaking in fresh, raw honey. If a bee hive fell from a cherry tree, cracked open, and languished in the sun a day amongst the fallen cherries, it would smell like this. On application - Strong honey and fresh wet wood, with a slight green tang. Later - this is what my blankie smelled like on a saturday afternoon when I was 5, a few hours after a pancake breakfast. Yes, syrup-smothered cotton wrapped around clean warm child skin.

 

I don't like either of them to wear regularly. I definitely dislike Cerberus and Hearth is allright, a bit too sickly sweet. I tried John the Conqueror last night and didn't like it at all but didn't record my impression of it. I recall it also had a hint of that soapy smell, eck.

 

Thanks for all the recommendations, I've added some more stuff to my list based on the comments here. It'll take me awhile to afford to try all of them though, lol!

 

Aurore

Edited April 24, 2005 by aurore

[Malista]

SMJohns, I remember you!  Which means we must have interacted more than just a little, as I don't remember people/names all that well.  Did you chat in the psig room too?  Thank you for the vote of confidence, I actually lost my darkroom when we moved a year and a half ago and it has definitely affected my level of activity re: photography. I have a very competent scanner with 4x9" neg scanning but it's just not the same.  I do still shoot in fits and bursts and there may be some stuff on usefilm that is newer than my psig stuff. http://www.usefilm.com/artist/aurore  I have lots of neg strips that I hope to get around to soon, my computer wasn't working up to par for the last several months.

 

I helped you figure out your monitor needed calibrating, when you first posted the Demonic Kitty photo, and wrote a critique on the resubmit. I also wrote crits on at least two other of your photos. I'll check out your usefilm postings when I'm back in photo mode, fer sher! Don't chat much -- dyslexia makes it hard to follow fast-moving convos, alas, but I sometimes drop into the pSIG chat room.

 

OK so as to BPAL, I tried two oils and recorded my impressions;

 

Cerberus  -  In the bottle - Very peppery with a cloyingly sweet undertone, I want to say honeysuckle or something of the sort, sweet but green.  On application - EWWW, it smells like soap.  Very biting, nose-tickling soap scent, like I've walked into a small local head shop and picked up some lemon soap to sniff and we're not talking Lush, here.  This is cheap health-food-store lemon soap.  And, oh yeah, there are some incense-y smells under the soap, that's the head shop/health-food-store scent.

 

Hearth  -  In the bottle - Wet smooshed cherries soaking in fresh, raw honey.  If a bee hive fell from a cherry tree, cracked open, and languished in the sun a day amongst the fallen cherries, it would smell like this.  On application - Strong honey and fresh wet wood, with a slight green tang.  Later - this is what my blankie smelled like on a saturday afternoon when I was 5, a few hours after a pancake breakfast.  Yes, syrup-smothered cotton wrapped around clean warm child skin.

 

I don't like either of them to wear regularly.  I definitely dislike Cerberus and Hearth is allright, a bit too sickly sweet.  I tried John the Conqueror last night and didn't like it at all but didn't record my impression of it.  I recall it also had a hint of that soapy smell, eck.

 

Aurore

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Sounds like your first two choices were a little "dark" for you. I love Cerberus, but it dries down to pure dark chocolate on me after starting out boozy and fun, so, what's not to love? Isn't personal chemistry fascinating? Hearth: the jury is still out. I need to try it when I'm not sick, but I found it beyond smoky (not in the incense way, but as in fireplace or campfire smoke) the one time I have tried it. It should work on me, but it may not, after all.

 

Absinthe goes straight to pure castile soap on me and then triggers an asthma attack just as it dries down to something I think I'd quite like. Shame, because the reviews sound as though this could be one of my Good Mood Inducers, and I loved the sniff and a half I got of the dry scent, on me. I'm going to blame the wormwood, because I don't want it to be the anise , but I'm afraid the anise, when wet, is what went soapy on me. It's all trial and error, which is why swaps are great when you're just starting. Since Cerberus is now discontinued and Hearth was an LE, you should be able to swap them fairly easily for things on your growing Wish List.

 

 

Malista/Sam

[Macha]

You may also have more luck buying imps until you can figure out what works best for you. Cheaper that way too.

 

I was going back through my notes on scents I've tried and it struck me that Xiuhtecuhtli is a beautiful orange scent that you might really like, so I wanted to recommend that one too.

[tart]

All of my BPAL scents lift my mood. Wearing them makes me happy.

 

I like to wear a lot of comforting scents. All of my favorite blends will even out my mood, and bring me up a bit. As others have said, your idea of a mood-lifting scent will be very different from mine, but here are some good ones:

 

Dana O'shee - Milky and honey, basically. This is not a new scent for me at all, but just the other day, The Boy said, "Mmm, this smells like baby milk!" I don't really know what he meant (he didn't mean breast milk or anything, ha) but it was so cute

 

Bliss - Chocolate! It can be a little weird to wear at first, but it's good! Chocolate and endorphins and all that good stuff, right?

 

Wearing my #1 Favorite BPAL of the Moment helps to put me in a terrific mood.

[ChupaChup]

Almost all my favorite BPALs fall into the foodie category (check my profile) and I find them very comforting, I wonder if it's a seratonin thing? I wouldn't say they are very uplifting or energizing, except for maybe the ones with a little patchouli in them, like Voodoo, Samhain or Desire.

 

Unless I want to have a good cry (that helps sometimes, huh?), I stay away from blends with frankincense in them, so that might be something for you to watch out for. There are some gorgeous BPAL blends with frankincense, like Hymn and Tzadikim Nistarim, they have such a "pure" sense about them that they make me sad. I love them but I don't wear them much.

 

Actually, the best oil I can recommend for depression is cod liver oil, and I'm not joking! The DHA/EPA and vitamin D work wonders for mood. But don't wear it, ok?

 

I'm sorry to hear you are going through something like this, I hope you find some comfort here on the forum.

[AllyKat]

Does anyone have any recs for oils to help with depression, loneliness, and bringing more happiness and love into one's life?

 

I REALLY need something like that. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Edited October 19, 2005 by AllyKat

[LyndaM]

I would look through the descriptions of the voodoo oil blends on the BPAL site, if I were you. I've seen something for just about every need, there.

 

I hope things get better for you soon! I think everyone has had times like that. When I'm down, I make an effort to stay connected with people, and not withdraw. I'm glad you posted about it, I'm sure the more experienced forumites will have more specific suggestions.

 

Edited to add:

Edited October 19, 2005 by LyndaM

[AllyKat]

I would look through the descriptions of the voodoo oil blends on the BPAL site, if I were you. I've seen something for just about every need, there.

 

I hope things get better for you soon! I think everyone has had times like that. When I'm down, I make an effort to stay connected with people, and not withdraw. I'm glad you posted about it, I'm sure the more experienced forumites will have more specific suggestions.

 

Edited to add:

 

Thanks. For some reason, I've had a lot of these times of extreme depression and loneliness this year. I wonder if it's jut in my stars for awhile?

[TroubleDoll]

 

Sudha Segara is ultra-relaxing

 

Follow Me Boy is comforting and makes you feel super sexy

 

Bliss is just like it sounds.

 

Shanghai is a bright spring day

 

Good luck!

[WidgetAlley]

It's not a TAL or a voodoo blend, but Dorian makes me feel loved.

 

[edit] Oh, and, by the way..... I hope you feel much, much better soon, and find some light in your life, lovely!

Edited October 19, 2005 by WidgetAlley

[wickedgoddess]

If you can get your hands on some TAL, I would recommend Lionheart for depression and Mantle of Venus for bringing more love into your life.

 

ETA - I forgot about Helping Hand, Bastet's Laugther, and Anthelion, they would be good as well.

Edited October 19, 2005 by wickedgoddess

[pranashakti]

What wickkedgoddess said. Special emphasis for me on Bastet's Laughter...which has amazing effect on dark or heavy moods. Mantle of Venus would be my second choice to grab under those circumstances.

[LyndaM]

Bliss is just like it sounds.

 

Great suggestion, I know I've read a couple of studies about chocolate increasing seratonin levels in the brain. I wonder if the fragrance would have an uplifting effect, just like ingesting it? I know Bliss makes me feel good!

[vyvyan]

Second the Dorian. When I'm having a crap time of it, Dorian makes me feel cozy and comforted. I had to get a big bottle, just for that effect.

 

Best of luck!

[Merlu]

I got Coyote as a frimp and it's so cozy and comforting, I immediately reach to it when I feel sad.

[diabolique]

I can't recommend any of the TAL blends because I haven't tried them, but Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo definitely inspires a good mood. It's just a shame it doesn't agree with my skin (it burned like crazy!) and I don't have a scent locket, because it's definitely a keeper.

 

Also, any blend that you really love can be motivation to just.. be alive, I think. That may seem weird, but having something to look forward to, like a little BPAL-picking ritual in the morning, or wearing a favorite blend, can be enough to get me through a hard time. When I was ordering a lot, just knowing that I had a good-smelly package lifted my mood considerably.

 

I think anything that makes you feel sexy and powerful would work. Personally, if I can't stand the smell of something, it won't really help me. I'm not sure if you're the same way. A lot of the Voodoo blends have herbal notes that my nose doesn't appreciate. Sugary or smooth notes, like vanilla or honey, help my mood a lot. Dana O'Shee, Dorian, and Dragon's Milk (The Three Mighty D's! Okay, I'm cheesy) all helped me a lot.

Edited October 19, 2005 by diabolique

[Rosaleen Dhu]

Coiled Serpent always makes me feel up when I'm down...especially if I dab a bit at the base of my spine.

 

[LushNatty]

Thanks. For some reason, I've had a lot of these times of extreme depression and loneliness this year. I wonder if it's jut in my stars for awhile?

 

It's possible. I have an actual depression disorder, so I've had to work really hard to learn how to deal with it. Lately things have been rocky...I was actually happy to see that you had posted this because I need the advice too! So, you're not the only one, if that helps at all.

 

So, from a person who understands-- hang in there. All things pass eventually and there will eventually be experiences that make you happy you endured all the crapola.

 

Also, make sure that you are taking care of yourself. If it starts interfering with your ability to handle your daily schedule, get some help before it gets worse. Again, I have been there--trust me, it gets exponentially more difficult to handle stuff if it's not taken seriously at the beginning. It's like going on a diet when you've only gained 10 pounds, as opposed to waiting until you've gained 50. Just that much easier to handle.

 

And I got my Samhain today, and I was having a really bad day before I put that on, and now I feel better... so if you can get your hands on some of that, try it and see.

For you,

(And for me, time to get back to work.)