How to improve your sense of smell

Thought you knew everything there was to know about scents, even though you find that some fragrances remain a mystery? Just like every other sense, your sense of smell can be improved. Simple exercises may help you to quickly develop your sense of smell and identify the scents around you. Ready? Here are a few tips you need to know for improving your sense of smell.

The guessing game

You’ll feel like a kid again as you play this game that’s perfect for beginners. Choose two or three common ingredients with strong scents and try to identify them with your eyes closed. You can start with simple and easily identifiable scents (mint, vanilla, pine). If you want to make the game a little more complicated (if you feel up to it), then ask someone else to choose three different products. They can choose smells that are more difficult to identify (nutmeg, smoked tea, mimosa).

Emotional association

To help you improve your sense of smell and memorize these smells, take the time to associate them with a memory, a word, a place or a person. Smell the sample several times to familiarize yourself with it. These techniques are used by professionals who want to become perfumers. This will help you better understand different smells and identify the smells that reflect who you are. You can then create your own scent by developing your own Bon Parfumeur eau de parfum.

Imagine different scents

Another exercise that can improve your sense of smell: imagining scents in your head. For example, visualize a delicious hot chocolate and imagine the smell of it. Do this for several different scents and repeat the exercise regularly. Similarly, visualize yourself in your garden and concentrate on the scent of the flowers and cut grass around you. This is another exercise worthy of the very best perfumery schools.

Take the time to smell everything

We’re often busy every day that we don’t always pay attention to the smells that surround us. And yet this is the best way that can help to improve your sense of smell. When making coffee, for example, take the time to describe the scents that are produced by the coffee maker. Do the same when cooking, eating and drinking. You can even keep a scent journal. Write down how you feel when you smell something, whether it’s pleasant or not. There’s an opportunity to improve your senses in everything you do.

Take care of your sense of smell

One of the ways to improve your sense of smell is to take care of it. Consequently, you should avoid some substances, such as chemicals that produce fumes and cigarettes. The latter are particularly harmful to your sense of smell. Indeed, you’ve probably noticed that your sense of smell is affected for 30 minutes after smoking a cigarette. Bad smells can also have a negative effect on your sense of smell. It’s therefore best to avoid them. Moreover, respiratory infections such as sinus infection and nasal congestion might affect your nose and cause a change in the way you smell. Furthermore, your age can also affect your ability to smell as you start to lose your sense of smell as you get older due to loss of health.

Blind tasting

The last technique that can improve your sense of smell: blind tasting. Your sense of smell is closely linked to your sense of taste. Boost your senses by closing your eyes when you eat to stimulate your sense of smell and taste. It’s up to you to identify your food.

Improving your sense of smell requires training. Like a muscle, your sense of smell must be constantly stimulated to work well. These training exercises are quite enjoyable: good news for amateur perfumers.