Fall Self-Care With Essential Oils

My very first experience with essential oils was a gift of lavender oil from my mother many, many years ago.

After I smelled the calming and peaceful aroma, I was hooked! I learned everything I could about essential oils—all the different types and their healing properties, including their ability to reduce stress and anxiety, increase mindfulness and a positive mood, and improve sleep. I loved discovering how essential oils are super powerful botanical medicines—essences of plants with the beautiful healing vibration of Mother Nature.

Autumn is one of my favorites seasons of the year, and I’d love to share some fall essential oils with you that are truly perfect for self-care!  Fall is the time of year when nature urges us to slow down, to care for ourselves, to get cozy and comfortable and prepare for winter. When the air gets a bit crisp and chilly, the leaves start to change color, and the warm sweaters and socks come out, that’s when I adore the smell of apples, citrus, and spice. Warming and earthy essential oils are amazing aromatherapy, beautifully stimulating our nervous system and invoking an emotional response of nourishment, nurture, comfort, and self-love.

Autumn essential oils that work wonders on health and well-being:

Cinnamon: Cinnamon is one of the most beautiful scents of fall! It’s woody, spicy, and sweet…just perfect in my opinion. Not only does it smell delicious, helps purify the air, and infuses any space with the nurturing smell of autumn, but it also has many wellness benefits. It’s anti-inflammatory, supports good digestion, and protects immunity. The antioxidants within the plant essence also balance emotions and enhance mood.

Clove: Clove is a lovely warm, spicy, and smoky oil. It’s slightly herbaceous and perhaps a bit stimulating, with the ability to spark your energy! It’s warmth comforts the digestive system, and can also support the nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems. It’s antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, and its phytochemicals can perhaps uplift mood.

Cassia: Another deliciously warm, comforting, and spicy essential oil! It is calming and smells very similar to cinnamon—it can be used as a replacement for cinnamon in baking. This oil is gorgeous used in a diffuser, especially in combination with others to create the perfect fall aromatherapy blend.

Ginger: Ginger is one of my favorite essential oils for autumn. It’s earthy, spicy, and sweet essence is great for soothing digestive issues and for supporting immunity. It is perfect for teas, baking, and cooking! (Ginger cookies, yum!)

Wild Orange: Wild orange is an incredibly uplifting and aromatic essential oil. It goes really well with the other warm and spicy essential oils of fall when added into a diffuser blend. So bright and cheerful and delicious!

Cardamom: Cardamom is an amazing essential oil for fall. It’s super warming, sweet, and spicy, and also has a beautiful positive vibe to it. Very bright and uplifting! It’s very helpful in supporting the respiratory and digestive systems.

Nutmeg: Nutmeg is another fall essential oil that is fantastic for cooking. It helps with relaxation, sleep, and detoxification. It’s warm aroma is ideal for adding into a diffuser and filling your home with the nourishing vibes of autumn.

Frankincense: Frankincense is woody, spicy, and fruity, with a beautiful fresh and herbal aroma. It’s super versatile, with lots of health benefits, and known as “King of Essential Oils”. (What a fantastic title!) It nourishes and calms the skin, soothes the nervous system and promotes feelings of peace, and also uplifts the mood.

Harvest Spice: This is truly one of my favorite essential oil blends for diffusing. It contains a combination of fall scents—cassia, clove, eucalyptus, cedarwood, nutmeg, and cinnamon bark— that are really nice for making a home smell super cozy, warm, and inviting. It’s one of those combos that always makes me want to snuggle up on the sofa with a warm blanket, herbal tea, and a good book.

DIY autumn essential oil recipes for self-care:

There are several ways to use essential oils for self-care and wellness, and my favorite methods are diffusing the healing aromas into a room and using the oils topically, mixed with a carrier oil like coconut oil. Here are seven DIY recipes for you to create on your own (including some amazing nontoxic beauty products!) Get ready to pamper yourself with self-love and to luxuriate in some amazing autumn scents.

Chai Tea Salt Scrub:

During the cooler months, it’s normal for skin to feel a bit dry. This essential oil salt scrub is perfect for giving your skin some love and keeping it exfoliated! It contains warming nutmeg and uplifting cardamom essential oils to brighten your senses, too. You’ll need fractionated coconut oil for this recipe, and you can get it here.

Festive Fall Sugar Scrub:

Another fantastic option to keep skin exfoliated in the autumn is with this sugar scrub recipe. It smells like fall and pumpkin pie and spice! Cassia, clove, and ginger essential oils add some lovely healing aromatherapy to boost your spirits and are the perfect at-home spa treatment during a luxurious bath or shower.

Gingerbread Body Butter:

After an exfoliating scrub, I love to use a super hydrating lotion or body butter to nourish and moisturize my skin. This gingerbread body butter smells amazing, and it’s also incredibly hydrating with shea butter, cocoa butter, and coconut oil. So nurturing for your skin and a great option to add to either a morning or evening self-care routine! Ginger and cinnamon bark essential oils give this clean beauty product a delicious scent.

Fall Scents Aromatherapy:

Instead of using scented candles (since certain types release toxins into the air), I enjoy diffusing essential oils into my home. Using a diffuser is a great way to make your space feel nourishing, nurturing, and cozy for the fall season in a really healthy and non-toxic way. Aromatherapy is truly a wellness powerhouse—the aromas of essential oils can uplift your mood, boost positivity, reduce anxiety, and calm the mind. Inner peace and well-being in a natural way, with no medication! This Fall Scents diffuser blend contains wild orange, ginger, and cinnamon bark essential oils. Put a few drops into your diffuser, and grab your comfy blanket, socks, and favorite journal for an evening of relaxation and self-care.

Autumn Room Spray:

This room spray is another way to use aromatherapy in your home. It’s a quick way to spruce up the air in your space, especially if you have some unexpected guests. (I have a dog, so I love having essential oil room spray around in case someone pops over last minute…no dog smell!) A happy dog, happy friends, and delicious smelling home is the best combo ever.

Fall Scented Pinecones:

Not only do these pinecones smell like the best autumn ever, they also look gorgeous. What we surround ourselves with in our environment makes such a difference in our wellbeing, and for me personally, when my home looks nice, it makes me feel amazing, too. The vibration of our space is so important! For this DIY essential oil recipe, you can get dried pinecones from a craft store, or if you’d like more of an adventure, you can collect them yourself. If you choose the latter option, simply bake the pinecones in an oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Afterwards, all you need is one drop of Harvest Spice essential oil for each pinecone. Place the pinecones in a decorative bowl and enjoy!

Fall DIY Potpourri:

This autumn potpourri recipe is a similar idea to the pinecones, with just a little bit of extra prep. The most fun part about this one is that you can choose whatever herbs and spices you’d like. Once again, all you need is Harvest Spice essential oil blend (so many scents in one bottle, like a beautiful one-stop shop), and a decorative bowl to add to your high-vibe home.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these essential oil self-care recipes for fall! Which one is your favorite?

xoxo, Ana