This uplifting and refreshing spray is filled with the rich scents of a winter forest, balanced by sweet orange and deepened by frankincense. It's naturally antibacterial and antiviral as well as being delightful to smell! It can be used to repel moths, freshen up stale rooms or bedsheets, or to perfume your living spaces with the smells of the forest. It can also be used in accordance with your own meditative practices or spiritual beliefs to set the tone for prayer or focused thought. 

Many people are most familiar with frankincense through the story of Jesus's birth found in the Bible. When the biblical Magi visited Jesus in his manger, they brought with them three gifts: gold, myrrh, and frankincense. These were lavish gifts of riches, yes, but they likely also carried with them a symbolic value. Gold symbolized kingship, myrrh symbolized death (it was often used as an embalming oil), and frankincense symbolized deity or God as it was burned as an incense that drifted up to the heavens. 

It’s no surprise that frankincese was associated with the divine, both in the Bible and in other ancient scriptures. Its scent is both alluring and otherwordly. To me, it smells like fairy forests… with the familiar resinous and coniferous notes, with a layer of golden warmth laying overtop. 

The small golden nuggets of resin are gathered from the Boswellia tree, which grows in many regions in the Middle East. It’s been used for hundreds of years as incense and has particular associations with rituals and offerings. It was thought that the invigorating aroma drifting up to the heavens would attract the attention of God (or gods.) It became literally worth its weight in gold (or even more valuable.) 

I've loved frankincense from the first moment I smelled it, and I wanted to capture that alluring scent in some kind of aromatic spray. This mixture is easy to make once you round up all of your ingredients, which you can find at Mountain Rose Herbs.

Ingredients: 

For each 4 oz spray bottle, you'll need:

2 Tbs. conifer-infused vodka*

2 Tbs. Frankincense hydrosol

20 drops sweet orange essential oil

10 drops white fir essential oil

5 drops cedar wood essential oil

5 drops juniper berry essentail oil

water to top, about 2 Tbs. 

small spruce branch, optional

Directions: 

1. In a small bowl, mix the essential oils with the vodka and frankincense hydrosol. 

2. Stick a small spruce branch into each bottle, then use a funnel to carefully transfer the liquid into it. 

3. Top off the bottles with distilled water and shake well. Your spray is now ready to use - just shake before each use.

*Conifer-infused vodka: you can substitute plain vodka if you'd like, but I've found that infused vodka gives a stronger and richer scent to the finished blend. To make it, fill a clean jar 3/4 full with conifer branches (I used pine, fir, and spruce), then top with vodka and let sit for 4-6 weeks, then strain. 

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