Best Winter Essential Oil Blends

If you’re like me and live in a place that doesn’t get much snow, you have to take matters into your own hands to set the vibe for the winter season. Creating a blend of essential oils that will bring winter feelings into your house is the perfect solution.

Growing up, snow days were some of my all-time favorite memories. After hearing school was canceled, my siblings and I tore out of bed and into our snowy playground. Winter reminds me of rosy cheeks, crackling firewood, and peppermint sticks in hot chocolate.

Research shows scent can activate the limbic system in your brain which is in charge of emotion and mood (https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-009-1215-1_10). This explains why a whiff of sandalwood and cinnamon can transport me in front of the fireplace after a snow day as a child. A scent is a powerful tool for wrapping your home in a blanket of winter memories.

Not only can winter essential oil blends flood your home with cozy aromas, but they can also purify the air during cold and flu season. Take care of your wellness and experience your favorite winter scents simultaneously!

In this article, we will explain how to create your own blend, include essential oil recipes, and suggest a variety of ways to use essential oil blends.

Learning how to make your own blend of essential oils allows you to include any specific scents that you liken to winter.

The easiest way to do this is to simply pick up two to three essential oils in one hand, take a sniff, and decide if you enjoy the fragrance.

If you are interested in a more thorough explanation of creating a winter blend, understanding base, top, and middle notes is crucial.

The top notes are the smell that we immediately experience. They are fleeting due to their light molecular structure but set the tone for your overall fragrance. Keep in mind your top note is a subtle, but important element of your blend. Common winter top notes include:

orange
peppermint
eucalyptus
spearmint
tea tree

The middle notes are commonly referred to as the “heart notes”. They are silky floral or fruit tones, in contrast to the citrus and herbs that are often used as top notes. You can begin to experience the middle note as the top note begins to dissolve. It is the gentle and steady bridge that joins the top and base notes. We recommend common these winter top notes:

cinnamon
nutmeg
lavender
jasmine
cardamon
ylang ylang
clove
chamomile

The base note ties all three together. It adds body and volume while usually encouraging relaxation and calm. The base note lasts the longest and can carry on for hours. It only reveals itself after the top note has completely evaporated. Common base notes for winter may include:

cedarwood
sandalwood
musk
vanilla

Once you have determined a top, middle, and base note for your winter blend, now it’s time to implement the 1-2-3 rule:

for every 1 drop of a base note
2 drops of a middle note
3 drops of a top note

Don’t stress about your blend being ‘perfect’, these are simply guidelines to keep in mind. Get creative and concoct a winter scent that you love! Try a few combinations, then mix it up and be open to surprise yourself with scents you didn’t expect. Maybe you will unlock a childhood memory in the process!

orange
peppermint
eucalyptus
cinnamon
frankincense
bergamot
wintergreen
ylang ylang
clove
cardamom
black spruce
lemon
lavender
fir needle
myrrh
cinnamon bark
sandalwood
cedarwood
vetiver
grapefruit
juniper
balsam
patchouli

If you don’t want to create your own blend, we suggest these 3 recipes to get the winter spirit flowing!

Candy Cane

3 drops peppermint
1 drop cinnamon bark
1 drop spearmint

Holiday Hooray

3 drops frankincense
3 drops orange
1 drop peppermint

Immune Boost

1 drop orange
1 drop clove
1 drop rosemary
1 drop cinnamon
1 drop eucalyptus

There are a number of ways to experience an essential oil blend. In this article, we suggest a few:

A diffuser: First, take off the top of your diffuser and fill up the well with water. There is often a fill line on the inside showing you how much water to add. My diffuser holds about an inch or two of water. Decide on a winter essential oil diffuser blend and add the desired amount of drops to the water. Place the top back on your diffuser, turn it on, and relax into your own personal winter wonderland aromatherapy!
Felt ornaments: Add this holiday craft to your winter vision board! If you have a Christmas tree in your house during the holidays or enjoy decorating your house for the holidays, these felt ornaments are for you. Either buy felt ornaments or do it yourself (DIY). Then add a few drops of your winter essential oil blend. A few drops of cedarwood and fir needle on a felt ornament can bring the woodsy smell of an evergreen without having to buy a Christmas tree. You can scatter these ornaments throughout your house and fill every corner with uplifting winter scents.
Add to a carrier oil: It is important to never apply an essential oil directly to your skin. A carrier oil dilutes the highly concentrated essential oil. A few examples of carrier oils are coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, or arnica oil. Add 28 drops of essential oil for every 0.5 ounces of carrier oil. I use a small jar to combine my carrier oil and essential oil and keep it in my cabinet until I run out.
Room Spray: A room spray can be used on the go and in your house. Spray a few times before guests arrive and they will be looking for where you are hiding the freshly baked gingerbread or jar of candy canes. Using a darker glass bottle will help protect your spray from sun damage. If using a 4 oz. bottle, add 30 drops total of essential oils. You can create your own blend or use one of our winter essential oil recipes. Next, add 1 tablespoon of witch hazel and fill the rest of the bottle with water. Be sure to shake the bottle before use.

Add some warmth to cold winter nights using the best winter essential oils we included in this article.

Keep away germs and melt into winter magic with the winter essential oil diffuser blends. Allow the wafts of sweet orange or cinnamon bark to flood your house with delicious smells and your mind with fond winter memories!