Scents in Feng Shui

In Feng Shui we use scents and aromatherapy throughout your home to encourage balance and harmony, and to trigger a specific emotional response. Scents can be released into your indoor environment in a variety of ways, including essential oils, candles, incense, room sprays, and aromatherapy machines. According to Freud, the quickest way to trigger an emotional response is with scent, and using fragrance and scents in Feng Shui is one simple way you can help awaken and direct these emotions.

We all dislike the musty smell of a damp basement, but we love the fresh smell of a newly-cleaned home. These opposites illustrate how scents can make you feel. In Feng Shui, aromas and scents also have a powerful effect on the flow of chi, or energy, in your home or office. Positive scents not only raise the chi, but also can relate directly to specific emotions. For example, the scent of lavender can relax you, the scent of jasmine can put you in a romantic mood, the scent of juniper will cleanse you, the scent of clary sage will make you feel secure, and the scent of grapefruit stimulates your memory.

Here is a description of some of the more common scents involved in making Feng Shui changes, and the most auspicious place to use them in your home or office.

Front Door -- Vanilla for well-being.

Living Room -- Cinnamon for harmony and intellectual conversation, lavender for relaxation, basil for cheer.

Kitchen -- Citrus (orange, lemon, lime) for cleansing, stimulating your mind, and improving your mood.

Dining Room -- Mint to cleanse your palate, encourage appetite, and reduce your stress level.

Bathroom -- Clove, cedar, and sandalwood to stimulate and balance the overabundance of water in this room and make it feel balanced.

Master Bedroom -- Lavender for relaxation and sleep, rose, gardenia, ylang ylang, musk, and jasmine for love and romance.

Children’s Rooms -- Lavender for relaxation and vanilla to encourage family harmony.

Office -- Citrus to clear your mind and concentrate, peppermint to stimulate prosperity, rosemary for memory, geranium for self-esteem, bergamot for wealth, eucalyptus when you need to stay up late and finish a project.

Workout Room -- Strawberry to encourage exercise and movement.

Whole House -- Sage as part of a cleansing ritual to clear stale air.

And don’t forget, if you are trying to sell your home, Feng Shui consultants and real estate agents alike recommend filling your home with the aroma of cinnamon or the scent of a batch of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies.