Here are a few festive aromatic recipes from my new beautifully illustrated book ‘The Botanical Home’ published by Hale coming out in April 2025. All these classic Christmas treats are easy to make and make wonderful gifts: a lovely and creative, craft-inspired pastime to do with children.
Festive Scented Candles
Why not try making your own beautiful festive candles this Christmas to scent your home and create a warm and comforting Scandinavian-style hygge atmosphere with pure essential oils?
Ingredients:
- Mixture of soy / jojoba / coconut wax and beeswax flakes (or pellets)
- 50 drops essentials oils: 10 drops each of atlas cedarwood, cypress, juniper needle, frankincense & elemi essential oils.
Equipment:
- Waxed and wired cotton wicks with metal fasteners
- clean empty recycled candle holder
- glass jar or suitable heat proof vessel
- thermometer
- double boiler
Method:
- Mix equal parts of soy, jojoba & coconut wax with beeswax flakes (or pellets) at a 75:25 ratio.
- Pour the mix into a heat proof vessel with a lip for pouring, then place into a double boiler (bain marie).
- Turn on the heat and melt the wax mix until it becomes liquid.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool to around 140°C/275°F, checking with a thermometer.
- Add essential oils one by one, aiming for 40-50 drops in total per candle.
- Place the metal tab of the wick at the base of the candle vessel and hold the cotton thread straight while you pour the wax around it to the desired depth.
- Hold the wick vertical at the top by wedging it between two sticks or reeds until the wax has cooled.
- Leave the candle to cure for 2 days, before lighting it.
Tip: Remember to trim your wick after each use to keep your candle burning efficiently.
Pine & Cedar Wood Polish
Pine and cedarwood essential oils create a beautiful clean, green, Christmas tree-like aroma that is naturally antiviral, deterring moths as well as airborne bacteria. Beeswax is a versatile, highly protective natural wax which contains natural protective qualities that replenish and lock in moisture! The combination of cedar, pine, beeswax and olive oil creates a natural colouring that resembles and enhances a natural wood hue, so can often make faded furniture look fresh and vibrant. Use on any wooden furniture to naturally clean, buff and polish having a lovely fresh-green aromatic fragrance.
Ingredients:
- 40ml (1.4 fl oz) olive oil
- 10gm (0.3 oz) beeswax
- 15 drops cedarwood essential oil
- 15 drops pine essential oil.
Equipment:
- Recycled or reusable metal, aluminium or glass jar with lid.
Method:
- Melt the beeswax and olive oil in a bain-marie (double boiler) over medium heat and stir to combine.
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 1 minute, then add the essential oils and stir to combine again.
- Pour into your jar and let cool completely.
- Ready to use within 5 minutes or store until required use.
- Apply to wooden furniture using an eco-cloth, old piece of fabric or tea towel and ‘buff’ in using circular motions, emitting a lovely woody-evergreen scent
Xmas Winter Blend Room-Spritz
You can make a simple room fragrance with just water and essential oils – but the addition of a little witch hazel (or alcohol) will help to prolong its shelf life so it should last for a year. This room-spritz air freshener can be enjoyed in any space – sprayed onto cushions, rugs, fabrics and clothes – but best avoided on silk or very delicate items. These products are not designed for use on skin so avoid contact with the face and body. The recipe below makes a classic Christmas scent.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp witch hazel (or ½ tsp vodka or another pure fragrance-free alcohol),
- 95ml (3.2 fl oz) purified water,
- 50 in total drops essential oils: 15 drops juniperberry, 15 drops mandarin, 10 drops frankincense, 10 drops clove
Equipment:
- 100ml (3.5 fl oz) tinted glass bottle with atomiser spray top
Method:
- Pour the witch hazel (or ½ tsp other alcohol) into your bottle.
- Add 50 drops of essential oil.
- Fill up with purified water.
- Place the cap on and shake vigorously to combine.
- Ready to spritz liberally around the home or for use as an air freshener.
Tip: To make a Pillow Mist, blend 50 drops of lavender oil with pure water in a 100 spray bottle, plus a little witch-hazel and shake well to make a soothing sleep aid – see above.
Add a festive label for a personalised gift.
Aromatic Wax Melts
These mini aromatic cubes create a sense of simple luxury at home and are a lovely way to scent a room using a traditional oil burner – they are also fun to make! Resinous and balsamic oils such as myrrh, benzoin, frankincense or amyris work well combined in this recipe for a traditional festive fragrance. Other essential oils which have a good staying power – such as lemon, grapefruit, lavender, geranium or rosemary – are also perfect for making uplifting aromatic candles and wax melts.
Ingredients:
- 200gm (7oz) soy or vegetable wax flakes,
- 30 drops of essential oils of your choice, dried rose petals (optional).
Equipment:
- Saucepan
- heat-proof jug
- silicon tray (or ice cube container)
- glass stirring rod
- traditional oil burner (with nightlight)
- airtight tin.
Method:
- Put the wax flaxes into the heat-proof jug and place in a saucepan of water.
- Simmer over a low heat until the wax has melted completely and it is hot.
- Add the 30 drops in total of essential oils – see suggestions above – and stir well.
- Prepare the moulds by scattering a few rose petals into the base of the silicon tray (optional).
- Carefully pour the aromatic wax into the moulds and set aside to cool.
- Once hardened, the cubes can be removed from the tray gently.
- To use, place one wax melt into the upper bowl of an oil burner, light the candle and allow the wax to melt infusing the room with its scent which can last for up to 12 hours.
- Store any remaining melts in an airtight tin (or jar) and they will be good for up to 2 years.
Aromatic Diffuser Blends: 4 Festive Blends to Delight
It’s fun to experiment with making your own personalised blend for the festive season that suits your mood and space by mixing a few pure essential oils together. Don’t forget to keep a record of your creations – you can use my Blending Notebook for inspiration or try one the Xmas-themed blends below. For example, a delicious Christmas scent can be made by blending the pure essential oils of orange with the spicy scents of cinnamon, clove & ginger: a traditionally warming winter fragrance, perfect to create a festive atmosphere and uplift the spirits. Then simply add these oils to your diffuser to create a lovely Christmas atmosphere throughout your home.
Pomander:
- 3 drops sweet orange
- 1 drop cinnamon
- 2 drops clove bud
- 1 drop ginger
Classic Christmas:
- 4 drops frankincense
- 1 drop myrrh
- 2 drops cedarwood
Rich Gifts:
- 4 drops sandalwood
- 2 drops cinnamon
- 1 drop patchouli
Winter Woods:
- 2 drops of Pine
- 2 drops of Cypress
- 3 drops of Cedarwood
Making Relaxing Bath Salts & More …
Plenty of other aromatic recipes can be found in my book ‘Mud Salt and Medicine’ – signed copies available from the Aqua Oleum website. For example, home-made Bath Salts make a perfect gift to aid relaxation and are easy to make by simply mixing your chosen essential oils with bath salts, such as Dead Sea Salt or Epsom Salts, then presenting them in a glass jar with a ribbon & tag. Alternatively, you can choose from one of our collated Aromatherapy Gift Boxes for the perfect Christmas gift for all your family and friends.