For many people, Christmas just isn’t the same without the wonderful aromas of festive potpourri, scented candles and room sprays. Stores are already beginning to fill with commercially prepared products containing scents such as cinnamon, orange, frankincense and myrrh to evoke the Christmas spirit. Unfortunately, many of these products contain harmful synthetic fragrances, instead of natural essential oils for aromatherapy.
The dangers of synthetic fragrances
Synthetic fragrances are essentially a cocktail of harmful chemicals derived from petroleum, which can include everything from carcinogens, allergens, respiratory irritants, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxic chemicals and environmental toxins. Statistics show that popular commercial products contain an average of fourteen known toxic chemicals – and this is not always obvious from the packaging. Scary huh?
How can we avoid them? Firstly, if you want to purchase scented products such as candles, potpourri or reed diffusers this Christmas, look for products that contain aromatherapy essential oils as the main source of scent, and avoid products that contain ‘perfume’ or ‘fragrance’ in their product. ingredients list, because these two words can hide a lot of sins!
The best way to ensure that you get a 100% pure and natural scent that can actually improve (rather than detract from) your health and well-being is to make your own scent. It’s relatively cheap and easy to do and can be a lot of fun too!
There are many different combinations of essential oils that work well together during the Christmas season, so it’s best to just experiment and find what works best for you. To help you get started, we’ve rounded up our favorite festive essential oils, along with some recommended blends to get the creative juices flowing.
Popular essential oils for Christmas
| Citrus oils | Oils from coniferous trees | Resinous oils | Spicy oils |
| Lemon | Black spruce | Incense | Cardamom |
| Sweet orange | Pine needle | Myrrh | Cinnamon |
| Mandarine | Pine needle | Clove | |
| Mandarine | Ginger | ||
| Nutmeg | |||
| Star anise |
How to use your oils
Before you get started, there are some general guidelines worth keeping in mind when making your own Christmas aromatherapy blends. Cinnamon and ginger, for example, can be overpowering and cause irritation of the mucous membranes when used in large amounts. Nutmeg should also be used with caution because, according to some experts, it can cause hallucinations. We therefore recommend using only a few drops of these essential oils in combination with softer oils such as tangerine, sweet orange or tangerine. Although citrus oils can also be mixed successfully with frankincense, it is such a beautiful oil that you can easily use it on its own to create a much-needed peaceful atmosphere during what can be a hectic time of year.
The easiest way to use your essential oils for Christmas aromatherapy is to mix 3 complementary oils and place 6-8 drops in an aromatherapy diffuser or candle burner. If you don’t have these, you can simply put the oil on cotton swabs and place them on the radiators in your house. The heat from the radiators helps release the aromatic scent and they can be easier to use and less messy than oil burners. Other ideas are to sprinkle your oil on Christmas decorations, pine cones or make your own festive potpourri. You can also use your oils for candle making or scenting natural, fragrance-free candles and for making natural room sprays or reed diffusers.
To make a natural room spray, mix 20-30 drops of essential oil with 30 ml of grain alcohol (e.g. vodka) and make up to 100 ml with distilled water. Shake well before use and avoid spraying on soft furnishings or polished surfaces. You can also use our Polysorbate 20 as a solubilizer instead of alcohol. Or try our Augeo Clean Multi which can be used to make room sprays and reed diffusers (read more on the product page).
To smell fragrance-free candles, light your candle and wait for some of the wax to melt before carefully adding 1 drop of your chosen mixture to the melted wax (remember that essential oils are flammable, so make sure you keep the avoid flame when adding the oil – or blow out the flame and relight it once you’ve added the oil). Always remember to keep your oils away from open flames and Christmas tree lights.
Our favorite essential oil blends for Christmas
Still don’t know where to start? Here are some of our therapists’ favorite seasonal essential oil blends, guaranteed to get you in the festive spirit. Make the mixtures and use them as indicated above.
- 4 drops Sweet Orange essential oil, 2 drops Star Anise and 3 drops Pine OR Frankincense
- 5 drops Clove essential oil, 4 drops Cinnamon, 3 drops Sweet Orange and 1 drop Lemongrass
- 6 drops of pine needle essential oil, 6 drops of tangerine, 3 drops of star anise and 2 drops of pine
- 4 drops cedarwood, 4 drops pine needle and 4 drops frankincense
- 8 drops Star Anise, 3 drops Lemon and 3 drops Frankincense
- 6 drops Sweet Orange, 3 drops Frankincense and 3 drops Myrrh
- 4 drops of Mandarin, 3 drops of Frankincense and 1 drop of Cinnamon
- 4 drops Sweet Orange, 1 drop Cinnamon and 1 drop Nutmeg
- 3 drops of Mandarin, 3 drops of Myrrh and 3 drops of Pine
- 5 drops Sweet Orange, 3 drops Black Spruce, 2 drops Frankincense
While it may be tempting to buy commercially produced products this Christmas, we believe there is nothing more satisfying than creating your own 100% natural blends. Using essential oils for therapeutic aromatherapy gives you the confidence that you won’t experience headaches, chest tightness, or nausea, as can sometimes happen with artificial fragrances. You can also rest easy knowing that you, your family, and your pets are less likely to experience sensitivity or allergic reactions to your homemade blends! And don’t forget that essential oils also have powerful therapeutic properties, so these natural blends will not only smell great, they’ll work to improve your health and well-being at the same time.
So be creative, have fun and enjoy a happier and healthier Christmas with nature’s best essential oils.
If you’re short on time and looking for convenience, but still want a 100% natural scent, check out our fantastic trio of Christmas essential oils that are expertly pre-blended and ready to use!
Basic formula
Disclaimer and safety advice