Winter Essential Oils

Winter is a great time to experience the aromatic benefits of essential oils -- to cleanse and freshen the air in a home shut tight against cold weather. The familiar scents of seasonal oils also define many warm holiday moments. Winter season essential oils include woody, evergreen, citrus, spice, and resin oils. The aroma of your holiday greenery is captured in fir needle, juniper berry and cypress oils. The delectable smell of spice cake and gingerbread come to mind when savoring spice oils like clove, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg. Pungent, fresh citrus oils including sweet orange, tangerine, bergamot and lemon evoke memories of old fashioned citrus pomanders or that perfect orange, tucked in the toe of your Christmas stocking. Meditate on the heartwarming holiday message of peace and goodwill with the richly balsamic fragrance of frankincense and myrrh. Use these blends to melt the frozen spirit of the most steadfast Scrooge or revive hibernating couch potatoes.

Citrus and Spice Blend In the days before air shipment and large scale trucking networks, fresh fruit was a rare and expensive treat in the depths of winter. A single fresh orange was considered a special gift -- or an orange might be studded with cloves, rolled in ground spices and carefully dried to preserve its pungent aroma for months to come. The bright scent of citrus and spice can melt the feelings of lethargy that often accompanies winter. Add 12 drops per ounce of tepid water and mist the air throughout your home.

Ingredients 32 ounces water 1/2 teaspoon sweet orange essential oil 1/2 teaspoon clove bud essential oil 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon essential oil Directions Mix oils and water in a 32 ounce mister bottle. Shake well and use to mist the air throughout your home.

Sweet Evergreen Forest Blend This blend will produce a fresh, sweet, forest-like atmosphere when diffused. The blend's balsamic, evergreen fragrance and sweet citrus-woody undertone is refreshing and uplifting.

Ingredients 37 drops fir needle essential oil 33 drops tangerine essential oil 10 drops juniper berry essential oil 20 drops cedarwood essential oil Directions: Blend oils and keep in a tightly capped glass bottle. Use 10 drops with ¼ cup water in a candle aromatherapy lamp.

December 2014