Scent of the Pine

T8E Blog - Scent of the Pine

Essential Oils for a Soft Wood Year

If you can’t get to a forest, bring the forest to you. Enjoy the scent of the pine in the comfort of your home. Diffuse doTERRA’s coniferous essential oils or proprietary blends with their woodsy scent and grounding effect. Essential oils that come from evergreens are some of oils I like to work with the most, especially in my daily rituals and energy healing practice. My favorite blend to diffuse is Midnight Forest.

Scent of the pine, you know how I feel.

~ Feeling’ Good lyrics

Single Oils

Black Spruce

Scent: balsamic, green, fruity, woody

Historically, Native Americans used this oil as part of their spiritual healing and cleansing practices. A powerful wood essential oil, Black Spruce oil is distilled from the needles and branches of the Picea Mariana tree. It helps to promote relaxation and calmness and creates feelings of harmony and balance.

Cedarwood

Scent: nutty, woody, sweet

Known for its rich hue and warm, woody scent, Cedarwood essential oil provides a myriad of benefits. It’s native to cold climates, thrives in high altitudes and grows up to 100 feet. Cedarwood oil has a grounding aroma. When applied topically, Cedarwood essential oil has clarifying properties and is frequently used in massage therapy.

Cypress

Scent: clean, fresh, woody, herbaceous

Native to Southern Europe and Western Asia, Cypress essential oil is derived from tall evergreen trees. Cypress has a fresh, clean aroma that’s energizing and refreshing.

Douglas Fir

Scent: clean, fresh, woody, airy

Douglas Fir is a conifer that grows natively throughout North America. This tall, evergreen fir tree is frequently used in the Christmas tree industry and has a lemon-scented note that’s sweet and refreshing.

doTERRA Douglas Fir essential oil is sustainably sourced from young trees in New Zealand, where it is a highly invasive species threatening the country’s ecosystem. By harvesting young Douglas Fir trees and using them for essential oil, doTERRA is helping combat the environmental impact of the trees overtaking the land while providing a premium conifer essential oil.

Douglas Fir has a unique chemical composition that’s particularly rich in β-pinene, contributing to its ability to encourage an optimistic and stimulating environment. Douglas Fir can also be used to purify the skin and surfaces. Blending Douglas Fir with citrus oils will create an uplifting environment while freshening the air.

Guaiacwood

Scent: earthy, grounding aroma with a subtle sweetness

Guaiacwood has been used for centuries in meditation practices and wellness ceremonies by Native Americans. Known as the “impenetrable forest” for its dense and difficult to access biodiversity, the Gran Chaco forms part of the Atlantic Forest, which is the second largest forest in Latin America. Its unusual soil and climate combination have created an unique biodiversity with some native plants that don’t exist endemically anywhere else in the world. One example is the Guaiacwood tree or Bulnesia sarmientoi. Unfortunately, the Gran Chaco Forest is also one of the most rapidly deforested areas of the world. Paraguay has regulations and policies that are helping to minimize deforestation, still much of the forest has already been cut and continues to be cut down for cattle grazing and other agricultural production.

Guaiacwood trees grow in clusters, and the wood density of the tree is among the most dense in the world. The wood is so dense, in fact, that it sinks in water and one log can burn all through the night. These are not the only unique features of Guaiacwood. Due to the high oil content and initial oxidation, when cut, the wood turns a deep, rich hue of blue for a time before fading.

Locally, the trees or harvested wood of Guaiacwood is known as “palo santo.” However, Palo Santo Bursera graveolens is separate and distinct from Guaiacwood Bulnesia sarmientoi. Although the oils have some similarities, they are distinct in their different chemistries and aroma but most importantly in their ability to be harvested sustainably and ethically. Palo Santo or Bursera graveolens has had a long and troubled history in terms of sustainability and illegal harvesting. However, Guaiacwood (Bulnesia sarmientoi) harvesting and production can be sustainably sourced which is why we deliberately worked with our partner to provide this essential oil.

Juniper Berry

Scent: balsamic, fresh, woody, spicy

Woody, fresh, and crisp, Juniper Berry essential oil has a calming and grounding aroma. Use of the berries of the juniper, a coniferous tree, can be traced to the Old Testament and have been used in cleansing and purifying rituals during meditation by indigenous cultures for centuries.

Juniper Berry is high in α-pinene and because of this, according to preclinical studies, may have antioxidant properties. The oil is invigorating, whether added to a diffuser to freshen the air, used in a massage oil blend to revitalize tired muscles, included in personal care cleansers to revive and refresh, or added to home products for an extra boost.

Siberian Fir

Scent: green, woody, fresh

The Siberian fir tree is a tall, light in color, conifer tree native to Russia and Canada. Siberian Fir essential oil has a refreshing, woody scent that is known for its calming and relaxing aroma. Siberian Fir oil has a unique chemical composition that is predominately bornyl acetate, which provides a majority of the benefits of this essential oil. Siberian Fir oil can be very soothing to the skin, making it an ideal essential oil to add to a comforting massage.

Proprietary Blends

Balance

Scent: airy, fresh, sweet, woody

Grounding Blend of: Black Spruce, Ho Leaf, Frankincense, Blue Tansy, Blue Chamomile, Osmanthus Flower

The warm, woody aroma of doTERRA’s Balance Grounding Blend helps creates a calming, quieting environment as you consider all aspects of your life: relationships, work, fitness and health, and emotional well-being. Black Spruce, one of the oils in doTERRA Balance, was used by Native Americans for wellness and spiritual reasons and is still used today as a reminder to bring harmony to the mind and body. Diffuse to create a tranquil and relaxing atmosphere. Or, dab some on your pulse points to wear as a personal fragrance.

Forgive

Scent: herbaceous, fresh, woody

Renewing Blend of: Spruce, Bergamot, Juniper Berry, Distilled Lemon, Myrrh, Arborvitae, Nootka, Thyme, Citronella

When you’re ready to move forward, doTERRA’s Forgive Renewing Blend can serve as your reminder to discover the liberating action of forgiving, forgetting, and moving on. Forgive has a refreshing, woody, and herbaceous aroma with a proprietary combination of essential oils including Spruce, Bergamot, Juniper Berry, and Myrrh. Diffuse or use on your pulse points to create an inspiring and grounding atmosphere while journaling, meditating, or reciting affirmations of patience, peace, joy, and contentment.

Midnight Forest

Scent: piney, woody with a hint of spice

Nature Blend of: Siberian Fir, Cypress, Juniper Berry, Black Spruce, Wild Orange, Frankincense, Caraway, Pimento, Cistus

The Midnight Forest Nature Blend brings the strength of the forest into your home. Midnight Forest provides an atmosphere that’s peaceful and reflective. Its grounding aroma can bring stability and harmony to your environment, while also providing a level of freshness and clarity.

Midnight Forest Nature Blend brings together the powerful aromas of several tree oils, with soft, distinctive touches of a couple spice oils and a citrus oil. The aroma of Midnight Forest is inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing.” While nothing can truly compare to time spent in nature, roaming among towering trees, Midnight Forest captures of glimpse of it. Even on days when you can’t get outside and enjoy the benefits of nature, the aroma of Midnight Forest can remind you of the majestic experience of living on this earth and provide you with some of its lovely aromas.

From the remote forests of Siberia, Siberian Fir essential oil has a crisp, fresh, and distinctive aroma that helps create a calm and tranquil atmosphere.

The bold and woody scent of Cypress is commonly found in spas because of how it contributes to an uplifting, rejuvenating atmosphere.

Juniper Berry has a refreshing, woodsy aroma. It’s distilled from the dusty blue berries of the evergreen juniper shrub. Juniper plants have a long history of use in cultures all around the world.

The grounding aroma of Black Spruce epitomizes the sprucy, piney scent of a conifer essential oil. Its soothing aroma creates a calm atmosphere.

One of the brightest and sweetest of all citrus oils, Wild Orange adds a cheerful twist underneath the warm and woody tones of Midnight Forest.

Frankincense provides a relaxing aroma that’s uniquely recognizable. The king of oils is widely renowned for a plethora of benefits, and in Midnight Forest, its warm, resinous scent has a rounding and settling effect on the overall aroma.

The warm, herbaceous smell of Caraway adds a spicy note to Midnight Forest that deepens and enhances the overall aroma of the tree oils in the oil blend.

Pimento (more commonly known as allspice) is included in Midnight Forest—contributing oils from the pimento fruit and the leaf.

Cistus is an ancient oil that comes from the flowering rockrose—its common nickname—shrub.

Labdanum oil also comes from a rockrose or Cistus species, but it originates in the sticky resin of the plant.

Northern Escape

Scent: fir, spicy, resinous

Woodland Blend of: Black Spruce, Siberian Fir, Balsam Fir, Lavandin, Cedarwood, Cypress, Hinoki, Frankincense, Nootka, Cananga, and Clove

The harmony of the essential oils in this blend creates a familiar and beautiful outdoor ambiance. High in the chemical constituent alpha⍺-pinene, the aroma of Northern Escape may provide a relaxing environment. The blend also contains bornyl acetate, a chemical component that research indicates may be a beneficial cleaning agent and is known for giving fir trees their distinctive aroma. Whether diffused, applied topically, or used as a surface cleaner, Northern Escape is a refreshing addition to your home.

doTERRA Essential Oil Descriptions SOURCE: doTERRA.com

Share in the comments below which coniferous oils you like to diffuse in your home or use in your energy healing modalities or daily self care rituals.

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Dara Eden

Dara Eden is The 8 Elements Master and the creator of The 8 Elements: Feng Shui for YOU! series of guides, blogs, classes and forthcoming books. It’s her application of feng shui principles to the personal energy of people, based on their personal feng shui element. With 25 years of experience in classical feng shui and private coaching, she offers her expert and unique perspective on how YOU can honor your personal energy and feng shui yourself!

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