Smell is one of the most powerful components of memory making. For many of us, the smell of campfire reminds us of summertime, while the smell of cinnamon reminds us of the winter holidays. For an extra festive holiday season this year, try out some of these do-it-yourself (DIY) holiday ideas to make your home smell delicious!
BENEFITS FOR YOUR HEALTH:
iMany holiday candles and potpourri contain harmful synthetic chemicals. The Environmental Working Group categorizes “fragrance” (also sometimes written on labels as “parfum”) as in between moderate and high for overall hazard to human health.1 The Environmental Working Group warns, “A rose may be a rose. But that rose-like fragrance in your perfume may be something else entirely, concocted from any number of the fragrance industry’s 3,100 stock chemical ingredients, the blend of which is almost always kept hidden from the consumer.” Unfortunately, due to a loophole in the Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973, the federal government does not require companies to list the ingredients of the fragrance on their products labels. Furthermore, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not assessed the health and environmental impacts of the majority of the chemicals used in fragrances.2 Fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory issues, and reproductive system issues.3 By making your own fragrant crafts, you have full control over what you are inhaling in your home!
BENEFITS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT:
What is bad for human health is usually also bad for the environment. Fragrances, which are listed as a single ingredient on product labels but are truly a combination of many toxic chemicals, are washed away in our showers, sinks, dishwashers, and laundry machines and into our rivers, lakes, and oceans where they negatively impact the health of aquatic life.4
BENEFITS FOR ANIMALS:
By making your own crafts, you avoid accidentally supporting animal testing. For more information on animal testing: .
Option #1: Scented Pine Cones5
Cost: Low
Most of the supplies you’ll already have in the kitchen.
Time and Effort: Medium
Materials Needed:
Pine cones (however many you would like)
Essential oils (whichever type you like, some festive options include cinnamon or peppermint, pumpkin, and more!)
Gallon Ziploc bag
Aluminum
Large bowl
Large plate
Water
Cookie sheet
Instructions:
- Go for a walk in the woods or your local park and collect pine cones that have fallen on the ground. Or maybe you just need to take a walk around your neighborhood depending on where you live ☺
- Fill the large bowl with water and let the pine cones soak for about an hour to remove soil. Place a plate on the pine cones to keep them submerged underwater.
- While the pine cones are soaking, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the pine cones on the cookie sheet. Bake the pine cones for 30 minutes.
- Remove the pine cones from the oven and let them cool off.
- Put the cooled pine cones in the gallon bag and 25 drops of the essential oil of your choice in the bag. Seal the bag and shake to spread the essential oil.
- Let the pine cones soak in the essential oil while sealed in the bag for at least one week before taking them out.
***Note: baking in the oven is an extra step that can be eliminated; you may just place the pine cones in the Ziploc bag for a week in the scented solution you formulate.
Option #2: Pot Simmers6
Cost: Low
You may already have some of the spices and you can use the peels of fruit (oranges, etc.) that you would otherwise compost.
Time and Effort: Low
Possible Ingredients:
Cinnamon sticks
Apple peels
Orange peels
Pumpkin
Cranberries
Star anise
Vanilla extract
Nutmeg
Bay leaves
Whole cloves
Ginger
Coffee beens
***This list could go on and on, just think about what you have in your pantry that you enjoy smelling!
Materials Needed:
Small saucepan or pot
Water
Instructions:
- Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan or pot.
- Add all of the ingredients you chose and allow the water to continue to boil. After a few minutes, turn the stove heat down so that the water just simmers.
- Add water as it evaporates (usually after 30 minutes).
- You can even put your mélanges into gift bags and give them away to friends and family as a creative little extra holiday gift!
Option #3: Potpourri7
Cost: Low
Time and Effort: Low
Possible Ingredients:
Cinnamon sticks
Pine cones
Bay leaves
Dried apple slices
Dried orange slices
Juniper berries
Fir needles
Coarse rock salt
Evergreen sections
Essential oils (e.g. orange, cinnamon, cedarwood, eucalyptus, etc.)
***Note: this list could also go on for quite some time. Many of the items listed for your pot simmer can also be used in potpourri as long as it’s in dried form.
Materials Needed:
Glass jar or bowl—mason jars are good economical and aesthetically pleasing options!
Instructions:
- Choose the combination of ingredients you want in your potpourri. If you have planned ahead and have a week or two, gather evergreen pieces—2 inches in size works well—and dry them in the sun to mix into your potpourri blend.
- Add more of the larger items (such as pine cones and cinnamon sticks) and less of the smaller, intensely scented items (such as juniper berries).
- Sprinkle the essential oil of your choice over the potpourri and gently toss the mixture through the jar or bowl to spread the oil throughout ☺
