It’s maybe something we don’t generally notice or think about, but colours play a huge part in how we feel about certain things, or in certain situations.Think about how you feel when out in nature; Happy? Re-energised? At peace? This can be down to many factors such as fresh air, sunshine, exercise, however the colours consumed by your brain also play a part. And since one of the main colours you see in nature is green, you are likely to feel the emotions most commonly associated with this colour.
Not only do the actual colours bring out certain feelings, but different shades of the same colour can also evoke different moods. Lighter pastel shades are known to be more calming and relaxing, whereas loud vibrant shades may spark a more heightened emotional response.
Of course there may also be other reasons that some colours make you feel a certain way, depending on where you’re from and what cultural attachments you may have to different colours.
A Brief History of Colour Psychology
Colour Psychology can be traced all the way back to the Ancient Egyptians, who were known to use holistic therapies such as colour therapy, which is still around today. They believed that colours had healing properties and used different colours to treat different ailments.
Thousands of years later, English mathematician Sir Isaac Newton created the colour wheel through experimentation with white light and prisms. This wheel comprised of all the colours in a rainbow, organised according to wavelength. It has been used ever since to demonstrate how the colours are linked to each other, and became a foundation for many people to further study colours in different ways.
One of these people was Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung who, in the early 20th century, investigated colours on a psychological level. He delved into how different colours could mirror different characteristics in people, and his work has been one of the biggest contributions to modern colour psychology.
Examples of Colours and their Associated Emotions
Below are the three current colours of each Embox Self-Care box, along with the emotional effects most commonly related to them.
| Light Pink | Light Green | Light Blue |
| Calming, Soothing | Refreshing, Renewing | Peaceful, Tranquil |
Read on for some suggestions of ways you could harness the benefits of colour psychology in your own self-care routine.
Incorporating Colour Psychology into your Self-Care routine
Set the Scene:
Pick one of the colours above, or any other colour that makes you feel good. Now, find something of that colour in your home – maybe a cushion, blanket, candle, anything that might bring you comfort. Before you start your self-care routine, whether it’s yoga, breathing, meditation, reading, or using your favourite pamper products, set the scene a little with the items you’ve just found; make a little self-care sanctuary for yourself. In the same way that you’d burn a candle or incense to set the mood with your favourite aromas, you’re doing the same thing here but with colours.
Decorate with your Favourite Colours:
This suggestion might seem a bit extreme, but hear me out. If you’re re-decorating anyway, then just have a think about the colours you want in different rooms depending on what you use each room for. Especially in whichever room you’d typically use for your self-care routine. And it doesn’t even have to be as far as painting or wallpapering your home; it could be simple things like throws, pillows, bedsheets, plants, or any decorative item you like. You’d be amazed at the difference even the smallest of things can make.
Pick Colourful Self-Care Items:
When it comes to using products in your self-care routine, it helps to have aesthetically pleasing items that will set your mood from the outset. Similarly to setting up your self-care sanctuary as mentioned above, having self-care products in colours that make you feel good will also help you to set the tone for the rest of your me-time.
Embox Self-Care’s use of Colour
Embox Self Care’s debut boxes have been colour co-ordinated for two reasons. One; it looks nice. Simple as that, it’s satisfying to look at, and I love me some colour co-ordination. Two; colour psychology. Since these boxes are all about self-care, I wanted the whole unboxing experience to play a part in your self-care routine, just as much as the products themselves do when you use them. The hope is that the feelings commonly attached to each colour will be sparked in you when you open your self-care box, setting the mood for your brand new self-care routine ♥
Although I love how co-ordinated these boxes are, and do plan to introduce more just like them, I can’t promise that every future Embox Self Care box will be fully colour co-ordinated like these ones, as there are other factors to be taken into account when selecting the right products. However, I will always take colours, and their emotional effects, into account when curating new boxes for you ♥
You can browse these colourful boxes here ♥
Disclaimer: I am not a psychologist. The information in this blog comes from a combination of my own research, opinion, and experiences.