5 Essential Oils that Scream “Fall”

Fall is now in full swing and it’s one of the most beautiful seasons – the different colored leaves create a scene that is probably the prettiest … ever. Unfortunately, the air is also getting chillier, drier and crisper. This change can lead to dry skin, congestion, seasonal colds and lack of concentration (because we’re all looking outside and wishing we could play in the leaves!) These essential oils and blends bring fall inside and help to prevent the most common symptoms associated with fall. Also, they smell really nice! If you want to experiment for yourself, our advice is to aim for warming, spicier scents and blend them with gentle essential oils, like those from the citrus family. Essential oils like those listed below can be very overpowering, so tempering them with a softer oil may be necessary.

#1 Cinnamon

Do you love apple pie? What about mulled cider? Well, you’ll revel in the smell of cinnamon essential oils diffusing through your space! Its warming scent will give you the illusion of being wrapped in a blanket (perhaps with a good book); but at the same time it’ll energize you and help keep you going when the sun sets oh-so-much earlier than usual. Added bonus? It’s a “brain tonic” – which means it boosts your brain activity, reduces nervous tension and reduces memory loss.

#2 Ginger

There’s something to be said about sinking into a hot bath or relaxing under the skilled hands of a masseuse when the weather outside gets nippy. Add a few drops of ginger essential oil to your bathwater or ask your masseuse to use a ginger-based massage oil to give you a little bit of autumn aromatherapy. Even better… This spicy essential oil has been said to ease the aches and pains cold can bring out in your joints and muscles.

#3 Patchouli

Foliage has a unique and oddly pleasant scent, one that’s very difficult to replicate. Patchouli comes close though, with its rich, musky-sweet, strong, spicy and herbaceous smell. This “fragrance of autumn” will ground you and banish the lethargy that comes with the chilly air. It’s also a good base essential oil to blend with cinnamon, clove and cardamom. Dry skin bothering you? Patchouli oil is known to help sort out rough, cracked and incredibly dry skin, even eczema and psoriasis. (You can also try some of these remedies!)

#4 Sandalwood

This is another essential oil that helps keep dry skin at bay and is a good base oil for blending. Sandalwood has a warmer smell than Patchouli, and invokes the sweet, rich scent of wood. Put a few drops in your aromatherapy diffuser to make your space feel like a maple tree grove. Additional benefits… it promotes relaxation, emotional balance and gives your immune system a much-needed boost.

#5 Clove

The final entry in our list is from an evergreen bud of a tree with the same name. Its sweet, spicy fragrance is at once stimulating and revitalizing (we mentioned it in our list of aphrodisiacs back in August for a reason). While clove essential oil is used frequently in dental hygiene, it is also really good at combating cold and flu symptoms – making it one of the best essential oils to diffuse via an aromatherapy diffuser while the temperature continues to plummet. Tip for the experimenter – blend with cinnamon, vanilla and/or citrus-based essential oils to really take advantage of its immune boosting powers.

Want to blend instead?

Try out one of these 5 fall blends created by Stephanie Gerber for Hello Natural. (You should read her article too; it’s very helpful!)