10 of the best Christmas essential oils

Christmas music, Christmas food, Christmas parties and Christmas scents.

The festive season has a lot of distinguishing features, and of them all, Christmas smells are among the most memorable. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, warm gingerbread, rich mulled wine, spicy cinnamon cloves, the list is endless.

Ahhh, those smells….there’s nothing that quite beats their ability to instantly add a bit of Christmas magic to your home, especially essential oils.

For us, Christmas and essential oils are the ultimate duo. You know they’re there and you can instantly enjoy them. With that in mind, here’s our round-up of 10 of the best Christmas essential oils, it’s a bit shorter than the 12 days of Christmas, but most definitely better!

Cinnamon

With its distinctively warming and calming aroma,¹ cinnamon can provide instant comfort, even on the coldest of winter nights. It’s one of the ingredients that can be found in recipes, such as Star Christmas Bread and Christmas Buns.^2,3

What does it smell like? Spicy and sweet.⁴

Try: Miaroma Cinnamon Essential Oil

Frankincense

When you say frankincense, many of us instantly think of the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh that were given by The Three Wise Men to Jesus Christ, who is widely believed to have been born on Christmas Day.⁵

What does it smell like? Musty pine, earthy, with notes of citrus and spice.⁶

Try: Miaroma Frankincense Pure Essential Oil

Nutmeg

Nutmeg is known as being one of ‘the’ four Christmas spices, alongside cinnamon, cloves and ginger.⁷You’ll find it in lots of festive recipes, such as eggnog, cookies and cake, as well as in chai latte.⁸

What does it smell like? Intense, sweet and musky.⁹

Try: Tisserand Total De-Stress Diffuser Oil, containing nutmeg, orange and geranium

Orange

Dried orange cloves, satsumas in stockings…the zesty scent of orange is a familiar festive scent. Pair it with frankincense and ginger, which it happens to blend well with,¹⁰ and you’ve got a triple power Christmas essential oil blend.

What does it smell like? Citrusy and refreshing.¹¹

Try: Tisserand Orange Organic Essential Oil

Clove

Cloved-studded Christmas pomanders have long been a traditional festivity.¹² Cloves can also be found in mulled wine, festive hams and gingerbread.¹³ Warm and rich, spicy and sweet, cloves are said to be able to help clear the senses, especially during the colder months around Christmas time.¹⁴

What does it smell like? Sweet, warm, woody: cloves smell like Christmas!¹⁵

Try: Holland & Barrett Clove Bud Oil

Pine

One whiff of pine essential oil and you’ll instantly thinking about evergreen trees, which are, of course, used by many people as their Christmas tree. It’s said to help improve concentration and clear the mind,¹⁶ which may come in handy with all the chaos that Christmas can bring!

What does it smell like? Crisp, woody and spicy – just like being outdoors.¹⁷

Try: Miaroma Pine Essential Oil

Lavender

While lavender may be associated with summer, it’s also renowned for having relaxation properties¹⁸ and helping people unwind at bedtime, which may come in handy if you want to get a good night’s sleep before Christmas Day arrives.

What does it smell like? Floral and earthy.¹⁹

Try: Miaroma Lavender Pure Essential Oil

Peppermint

Red and white striped candy canes that hang on the tree or you can eat²⁰ and peppermint-flavoured sweets²¹ are widely associated with Christmas.

What does it smell like? Menthol, sharp, cool and refreshing.²²

Try: Tisserand Organic Peppermint Oil

Ginger

Ginger happens to be the main ingredient in mulled wine, as well as gingerbread houses and gingerbread men. Soothing and uplifting, you can combine it with lemon, cinnamon, rosemary and peppermint oils for even more of a special Christmas essential oil blend.²³

What does it smell like? Peppery sharp, aromatic and warm.²⁴

Try: Miaroma Ginger Pure Essential Oil

Cedarwood

Like pine, cedarwood essential oil can smell a lot like Christmas trees, and the earthy and woody aroma can help create more of a relaxing environment at a time when people look to unwind and enjoy the magic of Christmas.²⁵

What does it smell like? Warm, woody and herbal.²⁶

Try: Miaroma Cedarwood Essential Oil

Feeling inspired by this list of Christmas fragrance oils? Read, ‘Six homemade gifts you can make using essential oils.’

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Last updated: 23 September 2020