“Scent freaks” unite with Organic Aromas.

I remember going to a martial arts conference once when I was a teenager, I was only 14 – a bit geeky (read: geek-magedon) and I was nervous being away from my mum. My mum suggested I take some of candles and have a nice relaxing bath (already a connoisseur of the finer things) while the older kids were heading out on the town to go clubbing and get blottoed, leaving me and a friend on our own.

One of the older girls, who was what teenagers nowadays would call a fr-enemy (basically a person who you can’t stand and who can’t stand you but have to pretend to be mates for some unknown teen peer pressure reason), noticed that I had my candles and referred to me as “a smell freak”. A bit like the time she told me my skirt was nice because it made my thighs looks slimmer, I wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Had I been insulted? Was it a joke and if I said anything I’d be totes over reacting and causing an atmosphere for nothing? Hmm. I put the candles away and said my mum must have left them in the case when she had it before…

Now, I’d be all up in that “scent freak” life, announcing my nostrils were indeed demanding of sumptuous scents to bathe with. Boom, take that.

I am a big lover of essential oils, scented candles and plug in diffusers that cost so much they make my husband’s eyes water. I find that, from a sensory perspective, my moods can be changed by scents – even to the point where I refuse to feel autumnal until I’ve sprayed that limited edition apple and cinnamon room freshener around the house. It’s got to that level.

The problem is, now that we have children and my mum has a bad chest, I’m not really such a fan of spraying my scented goodness around the house and setting off chemical-induced coughing fits for everyone. I mean, it’s not really friendly to choke everyone is it?

I was contacted by Organic Aromas and asked to consider their diffusers for my Christmas gift guides (which I promise I won’t post until the end of November… maybe mid November.) I was skeptical, I couldn’t help it. As an “Insta-mum” I receive offers daily for wraps, skinny tea products, younique or other make up brands and essential oil pushers all the time, which has totally hardened me to these as prospective gifts. Where are the good ole days when someone would just ask you if you wanted to look at an Avon catalogue over a cuppa and a biscuit? I don’t remember Sarah round the corner starting with a “you’re so pretty, would you like to earn money from home?” in some kind of dodgy attempt to ask me to buy a lipgloss and into a pyramid sales scheme.

Anyway, I digress. Essential oils always used to be one of my favourite things: I remember buying a lush new oil burner and spending forever in a hot bath (complete with bath lights I’d bought from Avon) just breathing in the scent. I’d mix oils with a dilute and plead with Adam for a back massage (FYI, the man has a gift with those paws) which lead to other massages… which eventually lead to children. You get me…

When Reuben was tiny my oils came in use again on his pillows if he had a cold or wasn’t sleeping well, but no more burning. Fire equals danger and there was no way I was going to risk danger for a pretty smell. The burner went in the attic, the oils fell down the back of the dresser and in came the chemical ladened room sprays to beat away the scent of pooch and nappy. Not ideal for Toby as he suffered with juvenile asthma.

I hesitantly offered to take a look at the diffuser, honestly not expecting much. Yes, they were very elegant and stylish, and their hand carved ones were the stuff of dreams but I didn’t think it would really have the same impact as the room spray.

So wrong. By far one of my favourite discoveries this year, trying is believing with Organic Aromas – especially if you’re a skeptic. So far, we’ve had it over a week, it has helped to clear both mine and Edith’s colds and scented the whole of the downstairs without even using a full bottle of essential oil. It doesn’t get hot, which means if one of the kids were to brush against it, there is absolutely no danger. It’s relaxing in the evening and just down right decorative at any time of day.

On top of being a “scent freak” I am also very tight fisted. I try not to be, honestly I do, but I am. It’s a curse. I worked out that if I buy a plug in refill for every room once a month (which I do) I spend £300ish a year on plug ins – this doesn’t include the room spray. Going down the essential oil route, I scent every room downstairs for a fraction of the cost, not to mention such a pretty decorative item.

I will be including this in my Christmas gift guide for mums; but I couldnt let it slip by without a dedicated post. Not only will it save my fellow “scent freaks” a bundle, it’s also healthier and far safer.

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Just in case you were thinking of getting one of these for Christmas, feel free to enjoy a 10% discount using my code TOBYANDROO!

Peace out my fellow sniffers!