This Forgotten Victorian Trick Makes Your Home Smell Incredible – And It Only Requires 2 Ingredients
They're impressively fragrant, non-toxic, and take a minute to make
To scent your space, you might light your favorite candle or use a fruity essential oil in your diffuser. But, as our home fragrance experts agree, there's a natural Victorian way to scent your home, which requires minimal effort and just two ingredients, currently making a comeback.
While modern DIY smelling salts are not the same formulation as those used within the Victorian era in the 19th Century, which typically included ammonia, they are a modern twist that is perfect for non-toxic living.
Article continues belowWhy Making Scented Salts to Is Becoming a Natural Go-To for Health Conscious Fragrance Aficionados
I first found out about using scented salts for home scenting from Jennifer Pressimone, who is an internationally recognized Clinical Aromatherapy Expert, Author, Formulator, and CEO at JennScents and Aromaversity, when I spoke to her about using lemon essential oil to instantly boost focus.
'Smelling salts are a great, non-electric and non-toxic way to calm nerves, balance your mood, and enhance focus throughout the day,' she says.
At a time when more households than ever are concerned about the secret toxins that can appear in their home, be it leached microplastics from an air fryer, or the smoky toxins of a paraffin wax candle, turning to natural ingredients for safer home fragrancing is a key consideration in creating a non-toxic home.
Victorian smelling salts are being increasingly used for straightforward and natural scenting, which you can change at any time with minimal cost.
Chiana Dickson, our resident expert for non-toxicity in the home, says, 'DIY home fragrancing hacks are becoming increasingly popular, and for good reason. We have never been more conscious about what we are introducing to our homes, from furniture to cookware, so it is hardly surprising that home fragrance is seeing a shift, too. They are a shift away from the synthetic, artificially fragranced products commonly found on store shelves.
'Taking full control over your home’s scent allows for a more intentional and personalised approach, while also offering greater peace of mind about avoiding ingredients that may irritate airways or affect children and pets.'
How to Make Your Own Scented Salts for Home Fragrancing
To make a four-ounce smelling salt, in a glass jar, Jennifer advises combining four ounces of Epsom or sea salt with 10-20 total drops of essential oils.
For this, I recommend using the Edington Handmade Glass Apothecary Jar, available at Wayfair.
The essential oils you use will depend on the effect you'd like to achieve − for example, says Jennifer, for a relaxing smelling salt, combine 10 drops each of lavender essential oil, Lavandula angustifolia [available at Amazon], with 10 drops of red mandarin essential oil, Citrus reticulata.
'Place the cap on the bottle and shake well,' she advises. 'Label your jar so you know what it is, and how it helps you. When you need a whiff of relaxation to quiet mental chatter, open the lid and sniff.
'You can also place this jar, with the lid off, on your desk or counter so the scent gets emitted into the air. Make sure your pets don't lick or eat it. Lavender is known to calm your nerves, while red mandarin helps you combat fatigue.'
Equally, you may prefer something a little more uplifting, either to use alone or for fragrance layering.
'If you'd like a refreshing and invigorating smelling salt, one of my favorite combinations is pink grapefruit and peppermint essential oils,' Jennifer adds. 'These are wonderful to give you energy, help you focus, and refresh a tired mind.'
To make the process is just the same: 10 drops of pink grapefruit and peppermint essential oils, with four ounces of sea or Epsom salt, available at Walmart.
'Shake it up and use it anytime you need a quick pick-me-up in the morning or afternoon. Peppermint is wonderful to smell, especially when you are working on a project. Pink grapefruit gives your motivation level a boost, so you don't feel stuck.'
I Tried Making My Own Scented Salts
I used a clean and dry airtight mason jar to add my smelling salts and essential oil, pictured.
Intrigued by Jennifer's advice and with a large bag of Epsom salt and bottles of essential oils at home, I decided to give it a go for myself.
To first try it, I combined about one ounce of unscented Epsom salt (I keep these on hand for bathing after running) with five drops of my current favorite essential oil − the Happiness Essential Oil Blend, available at NEOM.
It only took me a minute to make, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the essential oil didn't cause the salt to clump at all.
The result was impressively fragrant and powerful, and I've decided to leave my jar with the lid off beside where I work from home, for a fragrant mood boost whenever I need it.
I love lighting my best candles for this, usually, but I also love how affordable, simple, and low-maintenance this natural scenting trick is, and that I don't have to remember to blow the flame out when I head out after work.
What to Shop
Apothecary jars like this work perfectly.
If you're interested in making your own scented salts, below, I've curated a selection of six essentials to get you started. Choose an essential oil based on your scenting preferences: I love orange notes generally, and lavender, as Jennifer suggests, specifically for my bedroom.
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
These fragrance-free Epsom salts are ideal for making your own scented salts. They're paraben and phthalate-free, with a vegan formula that's never tested on animals.
This orange essential oil is aromatherapy-grade, and each batch is lab-tested to confirm its purity and quality. This particular one is specifically profiled to energize, purify, and uplift.
With these apothecary jars, you can make different scented salts for different rooms of your house. For example, you might opt for a relaxing scent in your bedroom, a mood-boosting one for your home office, and something a little cozier for your living room.
This vintage-inspired glass apothecary jar will look beautiful on display on a mantelpiece, nightstand, or windowsill in your bathroom. It's large enough to double Jennifer's recipe for extra longevity.
If you'd prefer to use sea salt over Epsom salts, this whole crystal sea salt is sustainably hand-harvested. It has a unique, natural light grey color, which will be visible in your scented salt jars.
This lavender essential oil is free from any fillers and additives, and will blend well with basil, bergamot, eucalyptus, lemon, lemongrass, peppermint, rosemary, and tea tree, if you'd like to try to make your own signature scent.
Meet the Expert
Jennifer is an internationally recognized Clinical Aromatherapy Expert, Author, Formulator, and CEO at JennScents and Aromaversity. She has been providing holistic health and scent therapy solutions for over two decades, helping people improve physical, mental, and emotional well-being. She is also the author of JennScents Holistic Aromatherapy Comprehensive Guide, Aromatherapy for Brain Health, and numerous other books, a keynote and motivational speaker at health conferences, and the 2023 recipient of the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy Lifetime Achievement Leadership award. Jennifer has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and numerous holistic health and aromatherapy certifications.
Do you know what your home fragrance says about you? From floral and fruity to earthy and gourmand scents, the fragrances you gravitate towards can speak volumes.
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