Fall is officially here, and in the Pacific Northwest, we’re seeing cozy sweaters and autumn tone jackets on the streets. Our umbrellas are almost out and ready for the rain. The air is thick with pine and cedar, and the markets have been full of red apples, squash, gourds, pomegranates, and walnuts. Don’t forget that winter is officially right around the corner. So naturally, my mind turns to the Essential Oils and Essential Oil blends of winter. Our Essential Oil Blends for Winter Collection features unique seasonal blends plus a wide selection of single note EOs for you to use as is or to create your own signature scent.
Essential Oils for Winter — Our Blends Collection
When creating essential oil blends for the winter season, you’ll want to think about the smells nature provides during the dark, wet winter days. Cedar, citrus, pine, and rosemary come to mind. So do traditional scents like orange, cinnamon, and ginger. Your blends should hint at those iconic smells but have a unique twist all your own. It’s okay to blend in some summer-like mint, rose and lavender or ylang-ylang. We’ve created some blends to give you a starting off point. Use as is or make them your own. You’ll also find some single note ideas below to get your mind– and spirit– thinking.
Winter Spruce Blend is the new name of Essential’s Christmas Blend. This winter-forest inspired blend captures the sharp, crisp scent of spruce, and softens it with peppermint and sweet orange. Use it in balms, lotions, cremes, room fresheners, and diffusers. I like to add to our Body Linen Spray for freshening blankets that may have been tucked away for the summer. It also can be used in our Thick Basic Hair & Body Wash to create a terrific hand cleanser.
Celestial Blend is the new name for the Soteriology blend. Australian sandalwood, lavender, cistus, frankincense, myrrh, patchouli, rosewood, Roman chamomile, German chamomile, jasmine, and Bulgarian rose all work synergistically together to create this gorgeous blend. It is perfectly balanced for floral, spice, and wood aromas. With the addition of cistus essential oil from the resinous rock rose so common in the Mediterranean, this blend is quite simply, heavenly. You’ll love this in body wash, perfume balm, room sprays, and in your bath soak.
Spiced Orange is the new name of our Spicy EO Blend. Think spiced cider and warm orange-glazed cinnamon buns. This blend includes some of my favorite essential oils for winter including allspice, anise, cinnamon leaf, patchouli, and sweet orange. It is a perfect blend to diffuse, and also works well in men’s body care products. I love this in our Barrier Balm to create a warm, soothing rub for tired feet and legs.
Freshmint is as fresh and minty as you could want. Diffuse into your bathroom and breathe deep and enjoy the scents of lemon, rosemary, peppermint, eucalyptus, and spearmint as they combine to lift your spirits. Freshmint is terrific for a foot and shoe deodorizer, cooling lotion or creme and makes a wonderful foot and leg spray for tired, aching feet. The peppermint and spearmint deliver a bright and buoyant scent, while the rosemary and eucalyptus bring a herbaceous and woodsy tone to ground and balance this blend.
New Single Note Essential Oils for Winter
USDA Certified Organic Cypress is a fabulously clean, energizing scent invigorates and revives a weary spirit. I like blending cypress with citrus notes like Organic Sweet Orange. You can also try blending cypress with other woods, like sandalwood or juniper. Ylang and lavender will also work, but probably not for a winter blend.
Hiba. Steam-distilled from the wood of the Japanese hiba or “deerhorn cedar,” this Essential Oil is used most often as a top note. It delivers a coniferous bouquet with a delicate balsamic-spicy undertone that blends well with rosewood, bergamot, cypress, cassia, juniper, jasmine, neroli, clary sage, labdanum, and vetiver Essential Oils.
Scotch Pine, also called Norway Pine, is also new this year and a great winter addition to your diffusers, massage lotions, soaps, lotions, and bath soaks. A little goes a long way with Scotch Pine, but you’ll love the heady aroma of a fresh cut tree to brighten your room, your mood, and soothe tired muscles. Blend with lemon, rosemary, cedarwood, and lavender.
Our Favorite Single Note Essential Oils for Winter
Frankincense, myrrh, cardamom, and neroli are the royal scents of winter. Popular in hand and leg cremes, bath soaks, body scrubs, and diffused into the air, these EOs have been used for centuries to enhance, soothe, balance, and delight. Peppermint, cinnamon, clove, allspice, and anise are traditional scents of winter reminiscent of cookies, cakes, candy canes, and home. They warm and cool, and bring back memories of holiday gatherings with friends and family. Cinnamon and clove are fabulous together in a warming muscle balm for legs and arms. Peppermint and anise create a light and uplifting scent when diffused in stuffy, closed up rooms. Add cinnamon, clove, allspice, and neroli to your hair and body oil– they work great added to the pomegranate, pumpkin, and cranberry oils in the Exquisite Face & Body Oil. Cardamom and blood orange turn our Walnut Polish into something truly amazing. And peppermint or cinnamon to coffee body wash will create an invigorating shower gel for men and women.
Aromatherapy Scenting Guidelines
The Essential Oil Blends for Winter collection will let you easily create seasonal gifts and products you know your customers, gift-recipients, family and friends will love. If you are new to scenting, here are a few of my tips and tricks for success. Knowing how much of an essential oil or essential oil blend to add to your product is both science and art, and is very personal. A medium scent for one person might be a heavy scent for another person. Below are some industry guidelines for scenting different base products with essential or fragrance oils. It’s best to start scenting with a portion of your base so you can get an idea of how strong you will want the final product. It’s easier to add more scent than it is to remove it. And as always, keep notes while you are creating. It is vital for a consistent product, especially when sizing up to larger batches. Have fun and let your creativity blossom.
Astringents, Toners & Splashes: | 0.25% – 0.75% |
Bath Salts & Powders: | 0.25% – 1.5% |
Conditioners: | 0.50% – 1.0% |
Jellies: | 0.25% – 1.0% |
Lotions & Crèmes: | 0.25% – 1.5% (Depending on whether face or body) |
Masques: | 0.25% – 1.0% |
Melt & Pour Lip Balm: | 0.50% – 3.0% |
Melt & Pour Soap: | 0.50% – 3.0% |
Serums: | 0.25% – 1.0% |
Shampoos & Gels; Household & Laundry: | 0.25% – 1.5% |
Make Your Own Room Spray
Our Body and Linen Spray makes a great base for creating your favorite room spray in time for the holidays. We recommend adding in your favorite essential and/or fragrance oils at %1-%3.
If you add the oils straight in, it will be a shake-well product before use. However, if you want to solubilize the oils, you can add in polysorbate 80 in a ratio of 2:1 with the scenting oils.
Fresh Carpet Powder Recipe
Help freshen up carpets in your home for guests (or to help hide the scents of your furry friends) with this easy DIY carpet powder. You can follow along with our video here.
This is a fabulous dry shampoo for carpets! The borax, sea salt, and baking soda all work to bind to dirt and odors leaving your carpets smelling fresh and clean, naturally!
Equipment You’ll Need:
Mixing Bowl
Scale
Whisk
Jars
Ingredients
• 1 Lb – sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
• 0.005 Lbs – borax
• 0.005 Lbs – fine Atlantic sea salt
• 0.01 Lbs – essential oil – We used Uplifting Essential Oil Blend
Instructions
1. Simply add all ingredients to your mixing bowl and blend well with your whisk.
2. Store in jars or powder containers.
3. Use as needed on carpets. This works great for cars too!
4. Enjoy!
If you need additional help, please contact us at info@ewlnatural.com or 866-252-9639.
Aromatherapy Resources
You’ll find more aromatherapy resources on the Essential blog. A few of the most popular ones are here for quick reference, including a Kitchen Chemistry video on scenting lotions. Please note the video and recipe use the discontinued “Holiday Spice Blend” but we encourage you to mix up your own favorite holiday spices!
Essential Oil Scent Profile eBook
Scenting Secrets of an Aromatherapist