Winter Diffuser Blends {15 Winter Essential Oil Blends}

These winter diffuser blends will make you feel like you’re wandering in a winter wonderland! Ranging from icy to cozy, this post features 15 winter essential oil blends that celebrate the tranquility and beauty of the winter season.

Winter essential oil blends

Brrr, winter. We live near the mountains and have had 2 feet of snow since early December. I love it (but only after the snowplow has cleared the roads, lol.)

From our house, it’s only a few steps to a trail that takes you along a small creek through meadows and woodland.

While gorgeous in summer, the scenery is truly divine in winter, with the water frozen and every branch frosted. I’m always reminded of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Woods in Winter.

I recently shared 25 festive Christmas diffuser blends and decided to create a couple of winter diffuser blends, too, inspired by the surrounding nature and landscape.

If you’re looking for ways to make your house smell like winter, I hope you’ll enjoy these winter essential oil blends and try one or two!

And if you have a unique diffuser scent you’d like to share, please comment below. I’m always excited to learn new essential oil recipes!

Winter scents

What does winter smell like? Winter isn’t one but a hundred different smells.

You have icy outside smells like cold air, smoky chimneys, snowy forests, frozen lakes, and evergreens, contrasting with cozy indoor aromas such as a roaring fire, roasted chesnuts, or hot cocoa.

Winter smells are much more muted and less intense than the other seasons. The physical reason cold days smell different from warm ones is that the nose isn’t as sensitive to cold smells.

Apparently, odor molecules travel slower when it’s cold, and the smell receptors retract deeper into the nose. The more you know!

What essential oils smell like winter?

The aromas of winter encompass such a variety of different scents. As I outlined in my DIY winter candle tutorial, the scents of winter can be categorized into 3 groups:

• Holiday scents: These are your classic holiday scents, such as gingerbread, candy cane, or Christmas tree. Fragrances in this group often resemble delicious holiday treats and include essential oils like cinnamon, clove bud, and citrus fruits.
• Cozy scents provide a comforting and relaxing atmosphere. In this category, you’ll find woodsy scents such as cedar or pine and warming aromas, for example, patchouli and sandalwood.
• Frosty scents have an outdoorsy feel and smell incredibly refreshing. Peppermint, spearmint, and balm mint bush are some of the best essential oils for winter. These oils contain menthol, which has a cooling sensation.

15 Winter diffuser blends

For these recipes, I focused mainly on cool and refreshing scents, with a few snuggly blends thrown in there as well.

Some of the winter diffuser blends are very calming, reflecting the tranquility of a quiet winter day (like White Hills or First Snow), while others will have a stimulating effect (e.g., Jack Frost or Hot Toddy.)

1 Winter Nights

Clove bud and copaiba round out a tangerine and pine base to make this the perfect cozy winter scent.

• 3 drops tangerine
• 2 drops Scots pine
• 1 drop clove bud
• 1 drop copaiba oleoresin

2 Snowy Forest

Woodsy and refreshing, this essential oil diffuser blend, which contains notes of peppermint and juniper, smells just like a walk through a snowy forest.

• 4 drops balsam fir
• 4 drops black spruce
• 2 drops juniper
• 2 drops peppermint

3 Winter Wonderland

This next blend smells fresh and cozy and is best enjoyed with a mug of hot chocolate.

• 4 drops spearmint
• 3 drops Scots pine
• 2 drops cinnamon bark
• 1 drop eucalyptus

4 Cozy Cabin

My cozy cabin scent combines cedar and siam wood with calming middle notes of vanilla, spearmint, and black pepper, and the result is warming and relaxing.

• 4 drops cedarwood
• 2 drops siam wood
• 2 drops vanilla
• 1 drop spearmint 
• 1 drop black pepper

5 First Snow

Formulated with jasmine absolute, vanilla extract, and sandalwood, this recipe evokes the scent of freshly fallen snow. Calming and beautiful!

• 4 drops jasmine absolute
• 2 drops botanical vanilla extract
• 1 drop grapefruit
• 1 drop sandalwood

6 Northern Lights

Peppermint and jasmine are hit with notes of sage and cypress, lending this winter essential oil blend an arctic feel.

• 3 drops peppermint
• 3 drops jasmine absolute
• 2 drops lemon
• 2 drop sage
• 1 drop cypress
• 1 drop siam wood

7 Crackling Fire

What could be cozier than the smell of crackling fire, infused with the aroma of spruce and cedarwood and hints of frankincense and myrrh?

• 3 drops black spruce
• 2 drops frankincense
• 1 drop cedarwood
• 1 drop myrrh

8 Frosted Berries

An essential oil combo that smells like iced cranberries is perfect for those who love a fresh and fruity scent.

• 3 drops blood orange
• 2 drops cardamom
• 1 drop spearmint

9 Icicles and Snowflakes

Want your home to smell like a snowy mountain breeze? Please meet this refreshing aromatherapy blend with peppermint and bergamot.

• 4 drops peppermint
• 3 drops bergamot
• 2 drops balm mint bush
• 1 drop ho wood

10 Wintergreen

Wintergreen and cedarwood meet vetiver and lavender to make a lovely scent that smells like a lush evergreen wreath.

• 3 drops wintergreen
• 2 drops cedarwood
• 1 drop vetiver
• 1 drop lavender

11 Jack Frost

This winter essential oil recipe is fragrant without being overpowering. The blend is composed of lemon and peppermint with hints of cypress.

• 3 drops lemon
• 2 drops peppermint
• 2 drops cypress

12 Snow Kissed

This floral fragrance with geranium, bergamot, and citrus will remind you of a winter afternoon spent cozied up in a cushiony blanket.

• 3 drops geranium
• 2 drops bergamot
• 2 drops lime
• 1 drop pink grapefruit

13 Hot Toddy

Sweet orange, cinnamon bark, and clove bud make up this well-balanced winter diffuser blend.

• 3 drops sweet orange
• 2 drops cinnamon bark
• 2 drops clove bud

14 Frozen Lakes

This essential oil mix screams winter. It’s a combination of icy peppermint and woodsy pine with floral undertones.

• 4 drops peppermint
• 2 drops ylang ylang
• 2 drop Scots pine

15 White Hills

The only thing better than taking a walk through a snow-clad landscape? This blend with cypress, fir needle, and melissa will leave your home smelling extra fresh.

• 3 drops cypress
• 2 drops black spruce
• 2 drops fir needle
• 1 drop melissa

How to make winter blends

Now that you’re equipped with a lovely selection of the best winter essential oils, it’s time to put them to good use and get your diffuser started.

1. Find a location. Choose a spot in the room you want to diffuse in, and position the diffuser on a flat surface. Plug the machine in.
2. Fill tank. Add room temperature water to the reservoir of your machine. The level line inside the diffuser indicates how much water you should pour in. Distilled water is ideal, tap water works as well.
3. Add essential oils. Drop your essential oil blend of choice onto the water.
4. Diffuse. Close the diffuser and choose a diffuser setting. Switch on and enjoy the lovely winter scents.

FAQs & tips

Are these winter diffuser blends aromatherapeutic?

Yes, these wintery scents provide aromatherapy benefits and can help to enhance your mood and alleviate stress. They also make your house smell refreshed and wintery.

The woodsy blends are incredibly ground and calming, whereas the citrus-infused scents have an energizing effect. The 2 floral concoctions (Snow Kissed and First Snow) evoke a romantic and relaxed atmosphere.

Can I use these winter scents for soap?

Yes, you can fragrance soap with these winter blends. However, there’s one adjustment you must make to ensure the blends are safe for skin care.

Be sure to substitute cinnamon bark with cinnamon leaf essential oil or copaiba essential oil in case of sensitive skin.

Cinnamon bark is very irritating and can lead to redness, rashes, and burns. Cinnamon leaf and copaiba are milder.

You also want to increase the amount of oils. To fragrance 4 oz / 115 g soap, you need approximately 40 drops / 2 g / 0.07 oz essential oils.

Can I use the winter essential oils for candles?

Sure! These winter diffuser recipes are lovely for candle-making as well. To get an excellent hot and cold scent throw, increase the quantities. You’ll need around 140 to 240 drops / 7 to 12 g / 0.24 – 0.42 oz to scent one 8-oz soy candle.

I also have this winter candle recipe on the blog, which includes 7 different winter candle scents.

Can I make a larger batch?

Absolutely!If you come to love one of these seasonal essential oils, consider mixing a larger batch, so you have it ready whenever you want to diffuse it.

It’s easy to scale the diffuser blend recipes up. Simply increase the drop count while maintaining the ratios.

I recommend storing the blend in 0.17-oz / 5 ml amber glass bottles, which can hold approximately 200 drops of essential oils.

One of the benefits of making a greater amount is that the fragrance will be better. Over time, the different oils mingle together. The blend has more complexity and staying power because the volatile oils have a chance to bond to the more stable oils.

For the best results, let your blend rest for 7 to 14 days in a cool, dark location.

How to store winter essential oils

Store your winter essential oil recipe in a dark location where the oils are protected from direct sunlight and heat sources.

Light and heat can break down the chemical composition of the oils and degrade the quality of the blend, thus you want to avoid these influences.