What is the most Calming Candle Fragrance?

Candle companies market their products as a way to relieve stress. There is some truth to this. Studies have shown that lighting candles can have calming effects on the brain and can help relieve things like anxiety. The question is, what candles are the most calming?

The most calming candle fragrance varies from person to person, however here are some general scents of candles if you’re looking to calm down and create a relaxing environment:

Lavender
Basil
Bergamot
Vanilla
Sea Breeze
Lemon
Rose
Cinnamon

Many of these scents are calming when they’re used together but don’t be afraid to mix and match them. The candles can have different effects that can calm you and help you in other ways. Many of them can calm you down by helping you with the underlying problem.

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Why Can Candle Scents Be Calming

The brain is a complex organ. The reason candles can be calming has a lot to do with the limbic system, the part of the brain that deals with our memories. Certain scents can bring back good memories and trigger hormones like dopamine. Some scents, depending on the memory can trigger these hormones over and over again. Certain other scents have other helpful properties, some based on science. Let’s get into them now.

Lavender

What is the most Calming Candle Fragrance?

Lavender is one of the most popular scents for candles. There is scientific evidence that it can (when coupled with conventional medicine and therapy) help relieve anxiety, help you sleep better, help with some neurological disorders, and elevate your mood. When you feel wired, and need some assistance calming down, a quality lavender candle can helpful. It does this by reacting with your parasympathetic nervous system (the part of your nervous system that deals with your heart rate and hormones).

Lavender candles can also help reduce headaches and migraines. For people who have issues with headache medicines like Advil, or just don’t want to overdo it, a lavender candle can be a big help in controlling headaches.

If you’re running a business where you need people to be calm and relaxed, such as doctor’s offices or yoga studios, a good lavender candle may improve the mood of your clients.

Basil

If you’ve ever been to an Italian restaurant and felt more relaxed even if the drive was tense, the scent of basil in the air probably helped. Basil can help relieve things like sadness. There are a few reasons for this. One of the main reasons scented candles have such an effect on our moods is that they can evoke good memories. According to psychologists., scents that are most tied to childhood memories are the ones that can have the most powerful effects on us. A lot of us have good memories of eating out at Italian restaurants with our families.

Basil can also help you improve your breathing and circulation. Better breathing can help you stay calm. Especially if you have asthma where breathing issues can be a source of worry for you and your family.Bergamot

If you’ve never heard of Bergamot before, it’s one of the key ingredients in Earl Grey Tea. The citrus fruit from the Mediterranean has several calming properties. According to some aromatherapists, bergamot’s major chemical component, limonene, can release some neurotransmitters like dopamine. This will help you calm down and relieve things like anxiety and depression. A small study also showed that bergamot also helped reduce fatigue.

The uplifting citrus aroma of bergamot can help boost your happiness in general. Plus, it is a scent you probably haven’t had in your house before and it’s always good to get a more unique candle in your candle rotation.

Vanilla

Since scented candles often affect us based on our memories, it’s no wonder a vanilla candle can help us calm down. Many of us have memories of baking things with our families and having a good time eating the results. But childhood memories aren’t the only reason to choose a vanilla candle.

A Tubingen University (a university in Germany) did a study on vanilla in the 90s. The study said that the scent of vanilla helps reduce the startle reflex in humans and animals. Meaning a vanilla candle can be good for those who get easily frightened. Another study done on MRI patients found that 63% of patients reported feeling calmer when a variant of vanilla fragrance.

Another good thing about vanilla is that it’s so plain that it can be combined with many different scents. Mixing it with a chocolate candle will help bring back more childhood memories. Combining it with pine can be like a breath of fresh air.

Sea Breeze

If there’s one thing that can help calm you down, it’s the scent of the sea. After all, there’s so much it brings to mind to relax you. Fun family vacations, a sunny day by the beach, going fishing, or even the waves themselves. If you can’t get to the beach by yourself, do the next best thing and get a sea breeze candle. For maximum effect, turn on a Youtube video with sounds of the sea or an ambient noise device with sea sounds. That being said, this is a wholly artificial scent so keep that in mind if you have sensitivities to certain chemicals.

Never leave summer behind with these 8 summer scents!

Lemon

A lot of us have memories of setting up lemonade stands during the summer (if we were lucky, our lemonade was made from real lemons rather than artificial flavors). Others have memories of having lemonade on a hot day after baseball or some other sporting event. Lemon is a major component of people’s childhood summer memories but that’s only one reason lemon candles can be a calming agent.

Chemicals in lemon candles can help you stay calm when you are angry or stressed out. This can be helpful if you have a family and you’re trying to resist the urge to say something you shouldn’t say. They can also help you with concentrating on difficult tasks. Perfect for if you have to study for a test or complete a difficult assignment from work.

Plus, they can even help you if you’re pregnant. A study done in 2014 showed that lemon candles can help relieve digestive issues associated with pregnancy like nausea and morning sickness. While lemon candles won’t completely remove the symptoms, they can help and since lemon candles won’t hurt the baby, it may be a good idea to have a few around.

Lemon and other citrus scents can also be handy if winter is a source of frustration. As someone who is a summer person, I like to light a lemon candle when I’m stuck in the house during a winter storm.

Best of all, lemon is mild enough that it can be combined with other scented candles. They go particularly well with other citrus candles.

Rose

Of the floral scents, rose candles can be the best choice for some people. Unlike many floral scents that can be overpowering, rose candles are milder. Like lavender, it can help lift your spirits. It can also help calm you down and possibly lower your blood pressure. The scent of a rose can evoke memories of romance.

Not being overpowering is one of its calming qualities. For some people, overpowering scents can be the opposite of calming. Rose’s more mild scent can be perfect if you want some of the benefits of a lavender candle but don’t like the smell of lavender.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is more than just a spice. Cinnamon candles can help with many things including helping you stay calm. Memories of cooking, baking, and going to the mall for a cinnamon roll. Additionally, it can help you with completing tasks and studying. This is helpful if you have trouble concentrating. It can also help with things like joint pain. It’s hard being calm when you’re in pain so a cinnamon candle along with whatever medicine your doctor recommends can be a major help in improving your quality of life.