By Heather Little-White, Ph.D., Freelance Writer 
Fragrant henna with spikenard, spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.
Song of Solomon 4: 13-14
LOVE IS in the air -- Valentine's Day approaches -- you want to be irresistible for your mate or to be attracted to a new date. You hope that Cupid will strike if you have not yet been struck by love. How do you say and demonstrate your "I love you's" to your special one or how do you want to be told? Saying "I love you" in French "Je t'aime", in Spanish "Te quiero" or even in Cantonese "Moi oiy neya" is creative but it would not be Valentine's celebration without red, long-stemmed roses, cards with eloquent poetic words, decadent chocolates, romantic dinners and scents.
The message of affection is commonly conveyed by scents on Valentine's Day and other times of amorous interaction. So you are planning a romantic evening for your Valentine! For Valentine's evening, you should rely heavily on the power of the sense of smell to captivate the person you desire. Smell may be most important sexual sense, with a whiff of a sensual smell moving quickly up the sensory olfactory pathway from the nose to the brain. The Smell and Taste Research Foundation Ltd., through several studies, has concluded that sexual urge in males and females are triggered by specific odours.
SWEET-SALTY ODOUR
Rachel Herz, Professor of Psychology at Brown University, in a survey of students to determine traits for selecting a lover, found that for women, smell played an important role in finding a partner, while looks were important to men. Women were turned on by a man's body odour which supports women's claim that they like to make love to their men with their sweet-salty odour early in the morning, before the men showered and splashed on after shave or cologne. Men produce a pheromone called androstenone in sweat and this raunchy smell is what attracts some women to men.
Reliance on the power of scents in the bedroom or other intimate setting is necessary to create an enticing atmosphere in as short a time as possible since couples are spending longer hours commuting and working, limiting time for intimacy. The sense of smell encourages a sense of playfulness in the intimate moments and helps to facilitate foreplay.
MYRRH AND FRANKINCENSE
The use of fragrances to attract the appeal of another person is an age-old practice. The Bible recounts Solomon's preparation for his wedding. He provided his bride, Abishag, with exotic range of perfumes from around the world as an indication of his love for her. Solomon even supervised the preparation of the fragrances for the wedding night. Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the merchant's fragrant powders.
Song of Solomon 3:6
History has shown that lovers and prospective lovers lavished in scents and expected magical outcomes from their use. However, research has shown that scents, in the form of essential oils and perfumery, create attraction, not because of magic but because of science.
MATING SCENTS
At the root of the scientific explanation is the theory behind pheromones. What are pheromones? These are natural chemical scents produced by the body as sexual stimulants, sending signals out to others. In animals, pheromones arouse and induce mating. In humans, pheromones stimulate the libido and produce sexual desire through subliminal seduction. In early times, the sweat of Roman gladiators were scraped from their bodies, distilled for use in expensive oils and perfumes and sold as an aphrodisiac with the sole purpose of attracting the opposite sex.
Scents trigger hormonal changes and arouse passion in the body. Aromatherapy uses scented oils and fragrances to treat ailments including stress and boost sexual arousal. Sandalwood is oil that is an aphrodisiac, used extensively in India to aid meditation and helps relationships. The claim is that sandalwood bonds partners in a way that they forget their fantasies and ideas about what "should be" and enjoy a moment of intimate pleasure.
POWER OF ROSE
Rose, the universal symbol of love, has been known for its sweet, soothing and healing nature and is used to make love oil aimed at softening emotions. The rose oil is known as the "Queen of Flowers" in aromatherapy, is enjoyed by both men and women especially when combined with frankincense or spice oil. The powerful perfume, Poison, is made from a natural essence of roses and holds its attraction ability well. To demonstrate your love on Valentine's Day, you may want to give your partner a full body massage with anointing rose oil, made from jojoba and rose absolute oils.
What else can you do with scents on Valentine's Day? If you want to attract a man, try one to three drops of lavender or jasmine. Jasmine, a white flower that blooms at night, is said to be the greatest aphrodisiac oil. To get his attention, Cleopatra used jasmine in her hair to distract Marc Anthony during business meetings. Ylang Ylang is useful if a man wants to attract a woman.
LESS IS MORE
The application of fragrances is important to be successful in attraction. Despite the manufacturers instructions, men and women, depending on preferences, can use all fragrances. Use less fragrance for better effect. You will recall instances when you approached people and were repelled by overpowering scents. When you apply fragrances to yourself, it should be done like a whisper so people will be drawn to you to get a better smell.
If your perfume or cologne bottle has a sprayer, spray the fragrance into the air and walk into the mist. Repeat about three times. You may use the fivefold anointing technique, applying fragrances to hot spots on the body. They help to warm the oil and dissipate the scent slowly. Place one drop on your finger and apply to either side of the neck or apply to your belly or between the breasts. Another way is to place one drop on the finger and touch the back of each knee.
SENSITIVE SKIN
Your Valentine's Day plans may include intimate encounter with your partner, apply fragrance to the less erogenous area or to your hair to prevent your partner tasting your fragrance. If your skin becomes irritated by strong scents, apply fragrance to cotton balls and place in a pocket or bra. Some fragrances last longer than others so you should know when to reapply depending on their potency.
Fragrances are affected by your skin chemistry so touching fragrances can contaminate them and they will go rancid more quickly. Using fragrances without a spray head, you should not tip the bottle over with your finger. It is better to use a glass dropper that you store in its own empty bottle, preferably using one for each fragrance.
DESIGNER CHOICES
Scents are manufactured on a large scale, to create romantic moods and sensual experiences to improve your sex life. If you are not going to make your own fragrance, you may want to give a Valentine's Day gift of bottled pre-made fragrance. In selecting scents you may want to go with favourite designers like Gianni Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Ralph Lauren, Alfred Sung, Calvin Klein, Claude Montana, Giorgio Armani and Gucci. Outside of colognes and perfumes, you may treat your Valentine to other sexual attractants like bubble baths, dusting powders, body lotions and after-shaves. However, you should know what makes up a good perfume. A good perfume is a concentrated and oil-based and should be pleasing to smell. You should have an idea what your Valentine likes and select from the family of fragrances such as citrus, floral and oriental. Men are less sensitive to subtle scents so the stronger ones may work better for them. Be careful of giving cheap imitation brands as your partner may find it insulting and if you wear imitation brands you stand the chance of ruining your evening.
Whatever you do on Valentine's Day, ensure that your sense of smell is not impaired by a cold, chronic sinus problems or any other nasal disorders. You certainly would not want to miss the sensual, intriguing thrills from the scents your partner may chose to use as an expression of love.
