Make a Happy Home for the Holidays with Aromatherapy

By: Tarah Michelle

This time of year, we’re often on the lookout for those extra touches that can make the season special. The unique decorations, flowers, wreaths, and candles all add a little something to our lives and the lives of our family. How far we go in creating the right space can have a significant impact on the overall enjoyment and shared gratitude of our loved ones. So what little something could you use this year that’s simple, inexpensive and would go a long way to creating a special space? Real aromatherapy using pure essential oils is a wonderful way to do it that might just have the side effect of promoting your family’s health and wellness, too.

Natural aromatics have been used as mood lifters and to create warm and comfortable atmospheres for many years. Thousands, even. The methods are tried and true. Our olfactory sense and our psyche have an affinity for things that smell nice. Science says they even make us healthier - essential oils have been shown to lower stress levels, blood pressure, help us get better rest and even make us stop fighting - well, they’ve been shown to stop rats from fighting, anyway. We can hope for the best when using them in our own homes!

Getting started with aromatherapy is a very simple process - you’ll need just a bottle of essential oil (single or blended - we’ll get to some suggestions in a moment) and a means to diffuse the aroma into your living space. Many great ‘seasonal’ essential oils are available at local health food stores or over the internet. Essential oil diffusers are often found at the same stores, with a wide selection of prices and style to suit your needs.

A warmer simply plugs into an outlet and slowly evaporates the oils from a pad - there are also styles which evaporate the oil floating in a small bowl of water using a tea candle - both are effective. A fan diffuser evaporates the oils from a replaceable pad using cool air; in some cases, cool air will result in a more ‘pure’ aroma, though this is not likely a concern for this application. Then there are nebulizing diffusers - these high end units make a very fine mist of a pure essential oil or blend - excellent for larger spaces, and useful for other therapeutic uses of essential oils in the future. Finally, ultrasonic nebulizers are really small humidifiers designed to make a mist of essential oil and water together - nice if you live in a dry region or have forced air heat. Don’t worry too much about which style you start with - all will do the job for this season nicely; you can always ‘upgrade’ if your needs change down the road.

As for the essential oils - it’s especially delightful that the scents of the season have several timely qualities. Perhaps the most popular are the ‘evergreen’ oils like Balsam Fir, Spruce and Juniper Berry. These are all uplifting, bright aromatics that also have grounding, calming properties. Balsam Fir may be the favorite, with its complex, sweet, balsamic and woody scent; Black Spruce follows a close second, and Juniper Berry, when of fine quality, is also very well-loved. Pine needle is also a wonderful aroma, coming in the more common Scots Pine, with its simple ‘piney’ brilliance, and the more complex and exotic Pinus kessia. A fantastic feature of the evergreen oils is that they blend together so nicely. You may chose any two or more of the above, and blend them at almost any ratio and come out with something smelling really good.

Even somewhat more traditional for the season can be the more resinous oils of Frankincense, Sandalwood and Myrrh. These tend to be more earthy and grounding than the evergreen oils, perhaps a little more calming - exactly what many homes are in need of right about now. Each has unique characteristics: nice Frankincense will have both bright citrus notes and deeper woody notes. Sandalwood is a little softer, and is well known for its calming effects. Myrrh can be slightly sharper (look for a good quality one for the smoothest aroma) with a special scent and calming quality of its own. These three oils can successfully be blended together quite easily (try 2 parts Frankincense, 2 parts Sandalwood, 1 part Myrrh) or blend any one of them in small amounts with the evergreen oil of your choice.

There are of course over a hundred common essential oils to choose from. French Lavender or Roman Chamomile can be useful to calming the little ones - and maybe help you sleep better. Cedarwood, spice oils like Clove, Cinnamon (in small amounts) and Cardamom, or the brightening citrus oils of Sweet Orange, Tangerine, Bergamot and Petitigrain are popular, wonderful choices. Many blends can be found with these oils, or, if you prefer creating your own aroma, buy a little of each and mix up some small test batches. Start slowly, as pure oils seem to have their best effect when their aromas are just pleasantly noticed, rather than overwhelming. With a little practice and intuition, you’ll be able to create your home’s personal flavor for the season.

You’ll really only need one essential oil, or maybe a just a few if you’re feeling adventurous, to get you started. About one-half ounce (15 milliliters) of any pure essential oil will last several days, and you won’t be sorry you have some left over if you don’t use it all by the end of the year. A little pure essential oil goes a long way; it’s always better to get a little hint of aroma than to be overwhelmed by it, so start slowly if this is your first time. With a little intuition, you can create a warm, comfortable, calm and/or happy atmosphere naturally with essential oils - and you’ll have added that extra little something that can bring bigger smiles to your family’s faces this season.

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The author is the owner of Ananda Aromatherapy, a source for world-class essential oil, therapeutic essential oil bends and aromatherapy diffusers. Her site includes wonderful collections of essential oils and aromatherapy resources. More can be found at www.anandaapothecary.com/essential-oils.html

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