Chapter Two: The introduction of scent — HOP into 2021
It began with the sudden disappearance of my sense of smell after contracting COVID in late 2020. It was disorienting, almost surreal, to wake up in a world where everything was visually familiar but sensorially muted.
I searched and searched online, trying to find out how to get it back but only finding horror stories of people never getting it back or getting it back partially.
The fear of not knowing if your senses would return, the anxiety of losing something you always took for granted was too much!
My olfactory system needed retraining, and in that search for answers, I found something unexpected: essential oils could help bring smell back.
Rose essential oil. Lemon essential oil. Clove essential oil. Eucalyptus essential oil.
I chose two of the simple scents, which became my teachers.
Every day, I practiced olfactory training slowly, and intentionally and in just eight days, my sense of smell returned. That moment opened a new world for me. It wasn’t just the recovery that stunned me. It was the realization of how powerful scent truly is.
As I dug deeper, I learned what science was proving to be true about aromatherapy.
It could interact with the nervous system, calm the body, lift mood, soothe anxiety, restore balance, and help regulate emotions. it wasn't just wishful thinking but the intersection of science and a wholistic practice.
As someone who has dealt with chronic anxiety for most of my life; the racing thoughts, the stress, the feeling of being “on alert” aromatherapy became a quiet form of medicine.
It grounded me. It re-centred me. It helped me smell again.
And that’s when I realized:
this needed to be part of House of Parnel.
Fashion had always been the first medium: the body, the visuals, the storytelling.
But scent made the brand more functional, intimate, and meaningful.
It allowed for the dimension of feeling as opposed to just wearing.
Aromatherapy officially became the second pillar of House of Parnel in 2021 as a lived experience and a healing tool. A reminder that wellness and creativity can coexist, and that beauty can also care for you.
This chapter marked the beginning of House of Parnel as a wellness-driven lifestyle brand, where scent, story, and style meet.
