Are you a bed scenter? Ask that question too quickly and it sounds like I’m nosying my way into what could be some potential childhood trauma. No! I was merely asking if you spray fragrance into your bed linens.
I don’t; never have. Despite pillow mists being around for decades, spraying mine or its matching sheets never appealed to me, but maybe I’ve been missing out.
Carlos Huber, founder of Arquiste fragrances, leads me to believe I have. Like his olfactive collection, his bed scenting ritual sounds both divine and elevated.
“I add a few drops of L’Or de Louis, our newest orange blossom fragrance, to the water used to iron our bed sheets,” he explains. “This just gives enough of a subtle, beautiful crisp and floral cologne scent to our bed.”
He lost me at “iron our bed sheets.” Not that I’m not intrigued, imagining him breezing through some Merchant-Ivory film in his tennis whites while Anthony Hopkins is put to that very task. So I push for more info.
“No, it’s not always the same fragrance, but it’s always something around orange blossom. I find that note the most nostalgic and comfortable for me.”
Ah, nostalgia. There’s the answer I’ve been looking for because ever since I’ve heard of this trend, I’ve been wondering, is scenting one’s bed for comfort or seduction? Carlos is going for comfort, as am I.
If, on the other hand, the goal is aphrodesia, Imaginary Authors founder and scent creator Josh Meyer warns to be sure that all involved enjoy the fragrance.
“You are fully committed once you spray your bed. You have to have the right fragrance for that experience and you both have to love it,” says Meyer. “When you wear perfume during the day, only you have to love it. You spray the bed, you both have to be on the same page. It’s a huge commitment.”
Wondering how the makers of fine bed linens might feel about their creations being sprayed into and wafted about, I asked Dulcinea Sheffer and Jade Carroll, founders of the divinely soft Sister Moons Bedding (based near me in the Berkshires of Massachusetts) how they feel about this, and whether they partake in the ritual.
“We do, in a passive sort of way,” explains Sheffer. “Not spraying directly, but having something that smells good placed in the nearby closet. I also love an air diffuser. In the winter months we diffuse thieves oil, which is also good for killing molds and bacteria that can be in the air.”
After learning that thieves oil is not a typo but a blend of oils aimed at wellness (lemon, rosemary, clove bud, eucalyptus, cinnamon bark), it becomes clear that while they don’t spray their sheets, they are mindful of a bedroom’s aura.
“Periodically we like to clear the energy in a room and sometimes burn a bit of charcoal until it turns white, then add a bead of frankincense or copal or dragon’s blood,” says Jade. “This smokes so nicely, [then] we open the windows and move the energy out!”
Again, I push: But if Sister Moons did create a fragrance for the bed, what would it smell like?
“Something with sleepy calming herbs like camomile, mugwort and lavender, mint and citrus. Nothing too strong, but pleasant.”
To me, scent should never be forced, whether it’s the one you wear or your bed does. If you stink, well, yeah, take a shower before getting under the covers. Conversely, if scenting your bed is for the purposes of attraction, I’ll leave that to you since, well, chances are it’s either the same scent you usually wear when you go out at night or something in that same fragrance category.
At the end of the day, your choice of eau de linens should be familiar and comforting. Something you know. Spraying anything too intense or complicated will just keep you up, like when the neighbor you share a wall with plays their music too loudly.
“We spend a large part of our life with our noses against sheets and pillows,” muses Huber. “And a scent can help us relax and decompress. It’s a very classic habit, definitely something you see in old world style hotels. Perhaps it is a bit old school, but I love old school things, and this one makes home feel like home.”
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