My favorite part of October is when Starbucks returns with the pumpkin spice flavor. I absolutely love this even though I know it is a very shallow reason to love fall. I can’t help it. I love the hearty taste of pumpkin and the sweet aroma of the spice with the mix of cinnamon. It just reminds me of colorful leaves falling lackadaisically and without a care to the ground while people walk their dogs, talking about how cold the evenings are getting. If I have to give up summer, I will do it for pumpkin spice.
However, I certainly can’t drink Starbucks all day and I don’t want to use candles with those artificial and toxic synthetic scents either, so I got to thinking about how I could enjoy the scent of pumpkin spice every day. I found some wonderful recipes and I just have to share them with you.
Here are two of my favorites:
Pumpkin Spice Diffuser Blend (From momofftrack.com)
- 4 drops cardamom
- 2 drops orange
- 1 drops cinnamon
- 1 drop clove
Add to your diffuser and enjoy the smell of pumpkin spice, yum!
Pumpkin Spice for the Diffuser (From OneEssentialCommunity.com)
- 1 drop orange
- 1 drop cinnamon
- 1 drop clove
- 1 drop cardamom
- 1 drop ginger
Both of these recipes are fairly close, just slightly different. Just enough to have a small difference in smell. I haven’t decided which one I like best. How about you? I would love to hear your thoughts on this or if you have a great recipe for pumpkin spice I could try.
Next, I found a great recipe for pumpkin spice lotion. This is wonderful and you can smell good all day long. You could even make it for your friends. When I make a bottle, I leave it out for my students to use as well. It is all natural and there is nothing artifical in it at all. They love it as much as I do and I am sure you will, too.
Pumpkin Spice Lotion (pinsandprocrastination.com)
- Heaping 1/4 cup cocoa butter (high in antioxidants, great emollient (prevents loss of moisture), high concentrations of nutrients your skin needs)
- 2 T almond oil (deep moisturizer, soothes irritation)
- 2 T coconut oil (moisturizes skin more efficiently than water or petroleum-based lotions, naturally antibacterial, full of antioxidants and nutrients your skin needs)
- 1 t beeswax (locks in moisture, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory)
- 1/8-1/4 t paprika (gives lotion orange color)
- 10 drops cinnamon essential oil
- 7 drops ginger essential oil
- 5 drops nutmeg essential oil
- 2 drops allspice essential oil
- 2 drops clove oil
- Essential oils (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and clove): For scent, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory)
Directions:
- Mix cocoa butter, coconut oil, almond oil, and beeswax and put over a double boiler (a makeshift double boiler of a pot placed on top of a pot of water works well- that’s what I use). Stir until all ingredients are melted and well combined.
- Once ingredients are all melted, add paprika. If you want a brighter color, you can add more. Let paprika seep and give color for about 10 minutes.
- All the paprika may not dissolve. If that is the case, pour the melted lotion into a mixing bowl and stop before you pour the undissolved paprika in the bowl, leaving it in the pot. The paprika is heavier than the oils so this should be easy.
- Place mixing bowl in the fridge.
- When the lotion is almost solid, but not completely solid, remove it from the fridge. Add the essential oils and whip up with a handheld mixer for about a minute. If you aren’t satisfied with the texture of the lotion, you can let it get closer to room temperature so it will be easier to whip.
- Transfer into a jar with a tight-fitting lid, and use as you would any body lotion. And try to resist eating!
I hope you enjoy these pumpkin spice recipes as much as I do. PS – they are even better with a pumpkin spice latte, too! Happy October everyone!
Kris Bitar