What is aromatherapy?

Put simply, aromatherapy means using essential oils, the scented oils taken from the flowers, leaves, peel or wood of plants, in your everyday life. At home that usually means a reed diffuser, a candle or an aroma burner.

We remember scent more than we realise. The same scent every evening makes a bedroom feel like a bedroom. A bright scent in the morning tells you the day has started. That is why many people use scent as a small signal for each part of the day.

Each essential oil has its own character. Lavender feels soft, lemongrass and bergamot feel fresh, eucalyptus feels cool and clear, and ylang-ylang is sweet and floral.

The same scent every evening makes a bedroom feel like a bedroom.

Aromatherapy vs aromatic, what is the difference?

The two words sound alike, but the difference is in what goes into the bottle. At Somuti we keep our scents in two clear families.

• Aromatherapy is blended only from the essential oils of aromatic plants. The scent is natural, light and simple.
• Aromatic blends natural essential oils with fine fragrance oil. The scent has more layers and lasts longer. All of our Eau de Parfum belong here.

Neither is better. It depends on what you enjoy. If you love herbal and floral scents that smell like the plant itself, start with aromatherapy. If you love scents that tell a story and stay with you all day, our aromatic scents are for you.

Our three aromatherapy scents

Somuti has three aromatherapy scents, each made as a reed diffuser, a scented candle and a blended oil for aroma burners.

• Somuti One, lavender, geranium and bergamot. Herbal and citrus, the feeling of setting off on a journey.
• White Aloha, ylang-ylang, lavender, rosewood and grapefruit. Sweet flowers brightened by citrus, like a holiday by the sea.
• Neojito, lemongrass, rosewood and eucalyptus. Sour, cool and fresh, like the first sip of a summer mojito.

Somuti One also comes as a Body & Hand Cleanser and a Body & Hand Lotion, so you can have the same scent at home and on your skin.

How to use essential oils safely

Essential oils come from nature, but they are very concentrated, so use them the right way.

• Never put them on your skin. Our blended oil is made to scent a room, nothing else.
• Use an aroma burner. Add 3 to 5 drops to the water in the bowl, then light the candle underneath. Never heat oil in a dry bowl.
• Never leave a flame alone. Blow the candle out before you leave the room or go to sleep.
• Let the air move. A light scent in an open room is nicer than a strong scent in a closed one.
• Keep it out of reach. Put burners, candles and diffusers somewhere high and stable, away from children and pets.

Which home fragrance suits which room?

• Reed Diffuser 130ml, 1,390 THB. Scent all the time with no flame. Best for a room up to 25 square metres and lasts around one to two months. Keep it out of direct sun, wind and heat.
• Scented Candle 185g, 1,390 THB. Made with soy, beeswax and coconut wax. Softer than a diffuser, with the warmth of candlelight, and burns for about 45 to 60 hours.
• Blended Oil 10ml, 590 THB. You choose when the scent is on, which makes it lovely for short moments like reading or a quiet evening.

Not sure where to start? Put a reed diffuser in the room you spend the most time in, then add a candle for special evenings.

Smell before you choose

Scent is personal, and the best way to choose is with your own nose. Every Somuti scent is on testers at our shop, 981/5 Song Wat Road, Bangkok, open daily 11:00 to 19:00. Find the shop or shop home fragrance online. Shipping in Thailand is free on orders over 2,000 THB.