Our extraordinary rainbow sense
We carry around the most extraordinary piece of equipment. It needs very little maintenance, yet is able to transmit the most complex information to our brains: data that need surprisingly little processing. It helps us sense many things like danger, attraction, fear; food, poison, even memory. This amazing equipment is our nose.
Our noses are better at ‘seeing’ than our eyes. For a dog or an anteater this totally makes sense, however evidence from fMRI scans have shown that the areas of the human brain that process emotions are more active when people have memories triggered by smell than by pictures. And guess what, people can actually smell in colour.
According to Dawn Goldworm, co-founder of 12.29, a company specialising in the ‘visceral language of scent to transform brand building,’ people associate citrus scents with the colours orange, yellow, and green. When smelling vetiver, a grassy scent, people report seeing green and brown.
So what colours might come to you when smelling the oils in our special edition Koala Eco x Christy Dawn Laundry Wash? The eucalyptus and peppermint will conjure up various shades of green, for sure. What about the lemon (Citrus limonum) oil? A blaze of sunshine? For the lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), a delicate frosted mauve? And what about the dash of frankincense (Boswellia carterii), or the ginger (Zingiber officinale) root oil? A warm ivory? A spicy, toasted terracotta?
Not only are these oils able to deliver a thorough and effective wash without harsh chemicals and not fade the colours of your garments, they will fill your home (and linger on your laundry) with the most evocative and mood-enhancing aromas. And that is very good for maintaining what is arguably the most powerful trigger for behaviour, emotions, perceptions and memories we possess: our sense of smell. And the good news, according to Goldworm, is ‘the more you use your nose, the stronger it gets.’
