Beat the Blues: The 5 Best Essential Oils to Feel Good This Winter
Whether you are snuggling up under a cozy blanket and enjoying a good book or your favourite TV show or you're relaxing in a warm bubble bath after a long day, there's nothing better than finding the perfect essential oil to soothe your senses. So here's a list of the best essential oils to help you warm up this winter. But first...
What are essential oils?
"Essential oils are aromatic liquid substances that are extracted from different kinds of plant materials using the process of steam distillation," says Amy Galper, founder of the New York Institute of Aromatherapy. Inhaling essential oils has been found to improve mental and physical wellbeing and is a great, natural alternative to commonly used perfumes and artificial fragrances that are known hormone disruptors.
Top 5 Essential Oils for Winter
1. Neroli Oil
Neroli oil (Citrus aurantium var. amara), also known as orange blossom oil, is an essential oil extracted from the flowers of bitter orange trees through steam distillation. Neroli has a beautiful citrus scent with beautiful floral tones. It has numerous benefits including aiding anxiety and depression and regulating blood pressure and pulse rate. We love this soothing scent and would recommend incorporating it into nighttime routine to help you wind down before bed either through adding the oil straight into your diffuser or burning EL ALMA, our beautiful, neroli-rich candle.
2. Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is the most frequently used essential oil and is well known for its medicinal benefits. Lavender oil has been used since ancient times and is still beloved today. It's benefits include mood improvement, reducing stress, relieving head aches and improving sleep and the list goes on. This beautiful, floral scent is our favourite essential oil for relaxing after a long day and helping you find peace. Try burning our AL NAEEM candle, its name means bliss and this is what it feels you with as the strong notes of lavender fill your room.
3. Jasmine Oil
One of the most expensive essential oils (1kg of jasmine flowers is worth $5,000) due to the precious nature of its flowers, jasmine oil has been found to improve depressive symptoms and is a known aphrodisiac. So if you're looking for an excuse to get warm and have an intimate evening with your partner or even alone, try jasmine oil and light up our SURYA AST candle to really set the mood...
4. Fir Oil
We all know that when winter comes, sore throats and colds come creeping around, so look no further for a way to cure your inflamed sinuses than fir oil. With its rich, woody scent, it will have you feeling like your talking a hike through a magical woodland, surrounded by beautiful flowers and tall, evergreen trees. Fir oil has a grounding effect for when you're in your head and need to re-centre. Our AYÉ candle is inspired by this gorgeous wintery scent and transports you to a woodsy paradise.
5. Cocoa Butter
So, technically this one isn't an essential oil but it has a scent we are head over heals for. You can't think of winter without thinking about a warm cup of cocoa. It doesn't have the benefits of the essential oils in this list when burned but the smell feels like a warm hug. Cocoa is rich and buttery and when pared with spearmint and lemon as it is in our CURHAT candle, it becomes an energising pick-me-up when you're having a hard time getting out of bed on a dark, winter morning.
