A FESTIVE GUIDE TO ENTERTAINING WITH ESSENTIAL OILS

This holiday season, many of us are busy setting up festive decorations, planning memorable parties, and preparing the home to be cozy and inviting. If you are hosting a holiday party this winter, it might be worth considering the role that aromas play in creating the perfect atmosphere for lasting memories and experiences.

Pure essential oils can be a great tool for entertaining. One of the first things we do when we walk into a home is to register its unique smells and fragrances. Certain familiar aromas can be particularly welcoming and comforting for invited guests, such as the smell of freshly cut grass, just-baked cookies, and newly laundered curtains. Essential oils can – if used appropriately – allow hosts to replicate and elevate certain ambiances to provide a dazzling guest experience.

However, different people can have different sensitivities to smell – your favorite diffuser blend can be overpowering (or even downright unpleasant) to another. More importantly, though, some guests can have bad reactions to essential oils, including children and those with certain health conditions and allergies. As a host, you must be able to cater to varying needs, tastes, and preferences, as well as use essential oils with purpose and in a way that minimizes risk for both yourself and your guests. This guide will provide useful ideas on how you can incorporate essential oils to entertain friends and family in your home for a safe – but unforgettable – holiday party experience.

SAFETY FIRST: USING ESSENTIAL OILS FOR PARTIES AND ENTERTAINING

While you might be excited about sharing the potentially magical and uplifting experiences essential oils can offer, it is vital to keep in mind some key safety considerations, particularly when it comes to diffusing essential oils for parties and other public gatherings.

• Inhaling essential oils can be harmful for some people (and animals). This includes babies (especially those younger than six months), children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, pets, and individuals suffering from allergies, diabetes, epilepsy, hypertension, or kidney conditions (this is not an exhaustive list).


• If your guest list includes some or all of these risk groups (or you are not sure), it would be better not to diffuse essential oils at your event. After all, as a host, the last thing you would want is for your guests to succumb to unnecessary (or potentially serious) side effects and spoil all your party memories!


• If you are diffusing, try aiming for a very subtle aroma. You can achieve this using a glass diffuser, reed diffuser, or cotton balls placed inside a small bowl or plate.


• If you are using an electric diffuser, only run the diffuser for a little at a time. You may diffuse roughly an hour before the party to ensure the effects stay subtle and muted, while still making the area smell nice.


• Avoid diffusing in the kitchen and around party food, snacks, or drinks.


• Do not incorporate essential oils into your recipes for party food and drinks.

Our overarching safety tip is this: if in doubt, do not diffuse.

With these key safety tips in mind, read on to find out which essential oils you will want to keep on your radar for winter hosting and entertaining.

THE MOST FESTIVE HOLIDAY ESSENTIAL OILS

Here are the top essential oils to create a perfectly festive atmosphere this holiday season:

• Pine Essential Oil
• Sweet Orange Essential Oil
• Cinnamon Essential Oil
• Peppermint Essential Oil
• Frankincense Essential Oil
• Cedarwood Essential Oil
• Fir Balsam Essential Oil
• Rosemary Essential Oil
• Ginger Essential Oil
• Clove Essential Oil
• Lavender Essential Oil

EIGHT ENCHANTING HOLIDAY DIFFUSER BLENDS TO GET YOU STARTED

FESTIVE FOREST ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND

To create an enticing woodsy and wintery aroma that reminds you of Christmas trees, try this blend. The combination of Cinnamon Bark and Pine produces a luxurious, cozy aroma that will warm, calm, uplift, and energize any home.

Recipe adapted from: The Essential Oils Book (Creating Personal Blends for Mind & Body) by Colleen K. Dodt.

HAPPY HANUKKAH ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND

This celebratory blend captures the essence of Hanukkah by featuring some of the glorious spices, flavors, and scents that are incorporated into a traditional Hanukkah menu. The resulting aroma is spicy-sweet and will help stimulate and elevate your guests’ moods and spirits.

COZY DINNER PARTY ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND

This diffuser blend featuring Peppermint will provide a welcoming, comforting ambience that is perfect for a small and cozy dinner party. The rich scent of Peppermint along with the sweet, earthy, herbal aromas of Rosemary and Sweet Orange will both invigorate and revive, while helping to put your guests’ minds and bodies at ease.

LIGHT AND VITALITY ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND

If you’re celebrating Kwanzaa this season, try this cheery and mood-lifting diffuser blend that will provide a much-needed contrast to the dull winter weather. Kwanzaa is all about strength, faith, identity, and togetherness, and this blend features the warm, earthy, and refreshing scent of ginger for a boost of energy, alongside the spirit-lifting powers of Bergamot and Patchouli.

CLEANSING HOLIDAY ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND

This diffuser blend, highlighted by the exotic sweetness of Patchouli along with the floral notes of Lavender and the woodiness of Cinnamon, has a light, pleasant, and cleansing aroma that has the power to refresh and uplift your home space.

Recipe adapted from: The Essential Oils Book (Creating Personal Blends for Mind & Body) by Colleen K. Dodt.

CITRUS CINNAMON ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND

This simple blend produces a beautifully sweet but mildly spicy aroma. Cinnamon and Sweet Orange is a wonderful mixture, invoking a traditional holiday atmosphere that is sure to spark a sense of joy, happiness, and elation.

LIGHT ME UP ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND

Celebrate the holidays with the sweet and woodsy fragrance of Balsam Fir needles with this warming blend that both friends and family are sure to love. Not only is Balsam Fir essential oil perfect for building festive memories, it is also reputed to create a sense of balance while reviving the mind and spirit.

SWEET CHRISTMAS ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND

If you’re on the hunt for perfect Christmas essential oil recipes, try this invigorating holiday diffuser blend designed specifically for a Christmas-themed party. It features Frankincense, Sweet Orange, and Pine to help recharge, brighten, and uplift, while inspiring a charmingly classic ambience for picture-perfect holiday memories.

TOP TIPS AND IDEAS: USING ESSENTIAL OILS FOR PARTIES AND ENTERTAINING

Wondering how you can use these essential oil blend recipes to enhance your holiday party experience? Here are some helpful tips and ideas:

• The holiday essential oil blends listed above may be diffused or incorporated into a fragrant room spray.


• You can customize the amounts and type of essential oil based on your preferences. Experiment well before the event so there is enough time to try out and test your blend around the home. It is always better to go light at first to avoid making the aroma too overpowering.


• For a welcoming first impression, place a diffuser in your entranceway and use a few drops of your favorite blend.


• To make a room spray, first adjust the recipe quantities so you are adding 10-15 drops for every 250 mL of water. Then add the essential oils drop by drop into a 250 mL spray bottle, and fill up the bottle with water. Shake well to mix. To make the spray last longer, use distilled water and add half a tablespoon of vodka.


• To create an enticing mood for a party, lightly mist the room spray on rugs, carpets, curtains, house decor, and sofa cushions.


• As an alternative to traditional diffusing or room spraying, you can add a few drops of your desired blend onto cotton balls and place inside a small bowl or plate. These bowls can be positioned around the home, such as on top of coffee tables and shelves, or inside drawers and cabinets (they should be out of reach of children). The aroma will spread naturally and act as a subtle but fragrant backdrop to your party.


• For a sparkling bathroom experience for your guests, add 1-2 drops of your desired essential oil blend onto the cardboard roll of your toilet paper dispenser, and on the inside of any tissue box covers. This is a popular way to use essential oils that is sure to impress your guests on each bathroom visit.


• To lightly scent your guests’ hand towels and napkins with the relaxing aroma of lavender, simply machine-wash as normal but add a dampened towel infused with a few drops of Lavender essential oil before turning on the dryer.


• If you are planning on giving away party favors, place a few drops of an essential oil blend inside a small pouch or cloth sachet to add a unique aromatic touch for your guests. You can also lightly mist your wrapping paper for holiday-scented gifts.

Essential oils can be a wonderful way to infuse the power of scent into a holiday gathering or party. As a host, however, it is also important to carefully consider any side effects that may be experienced by your guests. That being said, as long as safety is prioritized (when in doubt, do not use!) and proper resources are consulted if uncertain about potential reactions, there are so many creative ways to enjoy essential oil blends with your friends and loved ones this winter.

Happy hosting!

USING ESSENTIAL OILS SAFELY

It is important to enjoy the self-care benefits of these essential oils while using them safely and responsibly. This includes never using them undiluted, performing a skin patch test prior to use, being knowledgeable about the sun’s effects after use, and sourcing them from an ethical brand known for quality and purity.

External use only

As with all other New Directions Aromatics products, essential oils are for external use only. Essential oils must never be used near the eyes, inner nose, and ears, or on any other particularly sensitive areas of skin. It is imperative to consult a medical practitioner before using these oils for therapeutic purposes.

Pregnancy and other health conditions

Pregnant and nursing women are especially advised not to use essential oils without the medical advice of a physician.

Those with the following health conditions are especially recommended to consult the advice of a physician: cancer, heart-related ailments, skin disorders or allergies, hormone-related ailments, or epilepsy.

Individuals that are taking prescription drugs, undergoing major surgery, or who are at a greater risk of experiencing strokes, heart attacks, or atherosclerosis are also advised to seek medical consultation prior to use.

Children and safety

These oils should always be stored in an area that is inaccessible to children, especially those under the age of seven.

How to conduct a skin patch test

Prior to using any essential oil, a skin test is recommended. This can be done by diluting 1 drop of the essential oil in 4 drops of carrier oil and applying a dime-size amount of this blend to a small area of non-sensitive skin.

Essential oil side effects

Potential side effects of essential oils include redness, rash, hives, burning, bleeding disorders, decreased speed of healing, low blood pressure, dizziness, headache, nausea, diarrhea, convulsions, and rapid heartbeat. In the event of an allergic reaction, discontinue use of the products and see a doctor, pharmacist, or allergist immediately for a health assessment and appropriate remedial action. To prevent side effects, consult with a medical professional prior to use.