7 Essential Oils For An Amazing Aromatic Christmas
Christmas is not only a time for beautiful decorations, family get-togethers, and the joy of giving and receiving gifts, it’s also a special time to delight the senses with wonderful fragrances too.
The mouth-watering aroma of roasting turkey, freshly cooked mince pies, and spicy pomanders never fails to bring back treasured memories of Christmases past with friends and family.
So this year, make your Christmas even more fragrantly festive by filling your home with the welcoming aromas traditionally associated with Yuletide by simply diffusing your essential oils. Instead of using chemical aerosol sprays, you will be using safe and natural essential oils to produce a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere that will make it your best ever Christmas and New Year.
Here’s a selection of those traditional aromas to use during the holiday celebrations, and I’ve chosen these essential oils specifically because they all smell great individually, and will blend together really well too. You can mix all of these essential oils together in various combinations for your diffuser or burner to suit your personal taste, but however, you employ them they will be sure to invoke a truly aromatic season of goodwill!
Pine Needle essential oil
Nothing beats the uplifting aroma of a freshly cut Christmas tree, but sometimes an environmentally-friendly artificial tree is preferable to avoid getting all those prickly pine needles everywhere. To put back the enlivening smell of a real tree, fill a water-spray bottle with around 50mls of water, add 5 or 6 drops of pine essential oil, a little washing-up liquid, and shake the mixture vigorously. Now lightly spray the tree, and be sure to avoid spraying near any expensive polished wooden surfaces.
If you don’t have a spray bottle, just put a few drops of the essential oil on cotton-wool balls and hide them inside the tree, or alternatively place a few drops of pine essential oil in your aromatherapy diffuser. You can also use a few drops of grapefruit essential oil with pine to give an extra uplifting, fresh effect that really lifts the spirits.
Cinnamon essential oil
The spicy fragrance of cinnamon is warming, comforting and strengthening, which is just perfect for the winter weather and Yuletide season. If you’re struggling to concentrate on that long list of jobs you still have to do, diffusing cinnamon essential oil helps to focus the mind and strengthen your resolve. Cinnamon oil also acts as a tonic to the mind and body, bringing a welcome boost to flagging energy levels when you’re back home after all that Xmas shopping!
Frankincense essential oil
Apart from the obvious religious connection as one of the gifts to the baby Jesus, frankincense is the perfect essential oil for the Christmas celebrations. It is a wonderfully relaxing oil (hence its use in meditation) and is ideal for keeping you chilled during the hectic run-up to Christmas, and through all the celebrations. Use frankincense essential oil in your burner or diffuser to radiate a beautiful atmosphere of serenity when your nerves become frazzled or frayed, and to calm and soothe over-excited children. Works on adults too!
Clove Bud essential oil
The wonderfully warm and full-bodied aroma of clove bud essential oil is another one closely associated with Xmas, due to the spices historic connection in making fragrant orange-clove pomanders, mulled wine and scrumptious baked ham. The classic blend of sweet orange oil and clove bud in your vaporiser creates an instant enlivening effect that appeals to everyone and creates a welcoming atmosphere to your visitors.
Ginger essential oil
This warming, sweet and spicy oil can be helpful when you are indecisive or lacking in motivation (typical symptoms of Christmas!) since it brings clarity, strength and determination. If you find yourself unable to escape the clutches of the sofa when you should be out and about, an equal mix of stimulating ginger essential oil and refreshing bergamot will soon get you back on your feet.
Nutmeg essential oil
Here’s another oil to help combat Christmas fatigue. Nutmeg essential oil has a stimulating action on the brain, helping to support both mind and body during challenging times, so use it in your diffuser at the first signs of brain-fade. Remember also to set realistic goals, plan well ahead, and then get everyone in the family to help with holiday arrangements. You can’t do it all yourself!
Sweet orange essential oil
All of the spice oils have quite strong aromas, and you don’t need to very much of them to fill a room. So the uplifting and refreshing aroma of sweet orange oil is the perfect choice to blend with any, or all of the above spice oils if you want to add a burst of citrus freshness. Sweet orange essential oil always brings a ray of sunshine indoors during the cold winter months and it is an amazingly versatile essential oil when it comes to blending. Mandarin essential oil can be used instead of sweet orange if you prefer.
Spicy protection
This time of year usually sees an increase in coughs, colds and flu, but the good news is that all of these spice oils have powerful anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. So whilst you are using them to fragrance your home during the holidays, they will be helping to protect you against all those nasty bugs. Clove bud essential oil, for example, has almost unrivalled antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal properties which are lethal to a wide range of harmful organisms.
Whatever you plan to do during your holidays, be sure to put your essential oils to use in a creative way at home and you will enjoy a relaxing and peaceful, aromatic Christmas.
Copyright © Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd 2021. Written by Sue Charles
