Our Sense of Scent is Powerful

While in Mexico, I noticed a certain Scent among the men. Both my guy and I commented on it. It was a bit sweet, but powdery. Not sickening sweet, not floral. Clean. It was almost comforting and relaxing. The men working at the resort, the men in town, the taxis....all had the same scent.

Is it the only men's cologne they have in Mexico? Apparently it is the most popular if it isn't. I kept forgetting to ask what it was they were wearing.

It got me thinking how powerful our sense of smell is. When you 'smell' something, does it bring back a happy(or not so happy) memory? Does it remind you of someone? an ex? your husband, boyfriend or family member?

I know scents do remind me of things and certain scents affect me differently. The scent of the men's cologne "joop" gets my hormones roaring...haha...can't explain why, but my boyfriend learning this, went out and purchased some.

As a young child, I was always sick with croop. I would break the blood vessels in my throat from all the coughing I did. My mother on the advice of the doctor, gave me ipecac. For those who do not know what that is, it's a liquid medicine to make you vomit. The thought was to get rid of the phlegm, so I wouldn't cough, choke and break anymore blood vessels. Anyway, to this day, if I smell anything that remotely smells like ipecac, I gag.

Back to more pleasant scents....How many of you wear different scents in Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer? I do. I'm known at work for the scents of spring/summer. I usually wear vanilla all year round, but once it gets warmer, my coconut perfume comes out. It just reminds me of the beach. My co-workers all tell me they look forward to smelling that perfume. In winter, I stick to the more muskier scents.

Well, now I can add a scent memory to the mind bank. If and when I smell something similar to that certain scent the men wore in Mexico, it will always bring back wonderful memories of our first trip together.

Perfume Can Harm Us?

I love to wear perfume. I have certain fragrances for spring/summer and ones for fall/winter. I'm an earthy type, so fragrances for winter include musk, vanilla...anything woodsy, if you know what I mean.

I recently read something that certainly has me looking at perfumes alittle differently.

According to a report published by the National Academy of Sciences, the following chemicals are commonly used in perfumes and can cause various reactions:

propylene glycol, which is considered to be a chemical that damages the immune system

cyclohexanol, which has a depressive action on the central nervous system

linalool, which has been shown to cause an irregular gait, depression and respiratory problems

methyl ethyl ketone, which can cause unconsciousness, emphysema, and congestion of the liver and kidneys

formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen with many damaging traits.

There's a problem though because perfume companies are not required to list their ingredients. Why? Because chemical formulas of fragrances are considered trade secrets!

The good news is that organic perfumes are slowly emerging into the marketplace and I'll be trying one of these.

Has anyone tried one of these organic perfumes? If so, can you give us your thoughts.