by Warren Browning
Smell is the sensory input that works fastest to create emotional responses. This has been suggested in numerous commercials for perfumes and bath oils and it's not just marketing hype; the right scent used in the right way will not only attract a man it will give him amorous ideas.
So what is the right scent and what is the right way to use it? There is no one answer but there are some good bets; fruit and flower scents seem to work best but sandalwood and jasmine run a close second in the race to evoke a sensual mood. Following are some more specific ideas on applying this aromatic advice to your bedroom.
Fruit and Flowers! Weaken that man's defenses with fruit and flower scents; why that combination works is a mystery... but it does. Perhaps its the allure of the mental images that are brought on by that combination of fruit and flowers -- the tropical island... the rain forest... the settings that suggest adventure and get a man's blood flowing.
So a strong suggestion is to turn your bedroom into a tropical paradise. Here are some ideas:
But it chanced the other day that I scented a white water- lily.... It is the emblem of purity.... What confirmation of our hopes is in the fragrance of this flower! I shall not so soon despair of the world for it, notwithstanding slavery, and the cowardice and want of principle of Northern men. It suggests what kinds of laws have prevailed longest and widest, and still prevail, and that the time may come when man’s deeds will smell as sweet. Such is the odor which the plant emits.... It reminds me that Nature has been partner to no Missouri compromise. I scent no compromise in the fragrance of the water-lily.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
Try using essential oils, popularized by aromatherapy. Two or three drops of orange or some other citrus oil in a warmer or in a light bulb ring on the bedroom lamp will do it -- don't overdo it, subtle is the word! You can also use juice squeezed from the rind of an orange or grapefruit.
Have a vase of flowers in warm water next to the bed. The warm water will bring out the maximum scent from flowers that have a naturally strong scent... flowers like gardenias or lilies.
Burn a scented candle (orange or jasmine) in the room.
Put a light coating of an essential fruit or flower oil right on the light bulb in the nightstand lamp (naturally, you'll do this when the bulb is cold). When the light is turned on the oil will send it's scent to all corners of the bedroom.
Clean hair! Another scent that drives men wild is the smell of clean hair. Wash your hair with your favorite shampoo and be sure to blow-dry your hair just before joining him in the bedroom for a snuggle; blow-drying will intensify the scent of your clean hair.
Pernicious weed! whose scent the fair annoys,
Unfriendly to society’s chief joys.
—William Cowper (1731–1800)
Thank you Dr. Pavlov! It's a stimulus/response thing right from that high-school psychology text. Find a scent that your man especially likes and use it only in the bedroom or just before a special evening. The object is to get him to identify that scent with the beautiful, erotic times you spend together so that, when he smells it, it will invoke the proper memories (and the proper response) at the proper times. The scent must be something special... reserved exclusively for intimate moment or seduction.
A not so quick soak! Showers are great and quick but not very romantic. Take a bath with lavender, chamomile and sage scents; use a few drops of all three essential oils in a hot tub. Just soak for a while... and invite some special company to soak with you! This combination of hot water and these oils will relax more than invigorate, but what better way to get rid of the tensions that can spoil intimate moments.
Scented satin sheets! Sprinkle some dusting powder on your sheets to make them piquant and silky; better yet, scented satin sheets might just make him loose all his inhibitions.
Does his scent send you? There are a great many men's fragrances on the market but there are many men who reach some type of psychological barrier after they apply their Old Spice aftershave. If that's your man: go shopping for a man's fragrance that turns your legs to jelly.
The next step is rather sneaky but it may be worth it: put some of that men's cologne on your hands and affectionately stroke his cheeks. Tell him how great he smells and then show him just how wild that scent can make you. Its not exactly Pavlovian but its a good bet that, you'll get a response to your stimulus and that he'll be using that particular cologne on a regular basis.