Year of the Fire Horse Chinese New Year Aromatherapy Blend!
Happy Chinese New Year! Gong xi fa cai! Xin nian kuai le!
It’s the Year of the Fire Horse! In Chinese culture, there are twelve astrology signs and five elements. Each element-zodiac combination only occurs every sixty years; the last time it was the Year of the Fire Horse was 1966! The Year of the Fire Horse is all about transformation and changes: it can bring good fortune or mishaps; great progress or turmoil! It should be a year of passion and intensity. I am excited for this year since my Chinese astrology sign is a Horse, so hopefully it will be a good year for me!
Every year I enjoy creating New Year aromatherapy blends to celebrate the beginning of the New Year to bring luck, prosperity, and good fortune into my life.
Many years ago, when my aromatherapy and herbalism natural skin care and perfumery company, Earth Alkemie, was open, I created a couple Chinese element-zodiac perfumes. I chose essential oils and other aromatics that were associated with that year’s zodiac sign or element, and that I felt really embodied their energies. I love creating energetic, elemental, and astrology blends!
Since the Year of the Fire Horse is a very special year, I decided to create an aromatherapy blend that celebrates the Fire Horse’s fiery nature to manifest good fortune, prosperity, health, and great changes.
Ingredients:
3 drops Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) essential oil
2 drops Jasmine (Jasminum grandiflorum) absolute
2 drops ginger (Zingiber officinale) fresh essential oil
10 ml Camellia (Camellia oleifera, Camellia spp.) oil
Directions:
In a 10 ml roller bottle, add the mandarin essential oil, ginger essential oil, and jasmine absolute. Add the camellia oil. Insert the roller ball and then cap. Shake well. Apply to your pulse points, your chakras, or acu-points one to a couple times a day.
Notes:
Fragrance has always been a huge part of Chinese culture. However, essential oils have not been historically used in China. So a few aromatherapists, acupuncturists, herbalists, and Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners have explored the use of essential oils based on TCM practices. Many aromatherapists have also investigated energetics through a western perspective. Though I am a plant scientist (I have a couple degrees in environmental science/biology/botany), I study energetics too; I just see it as a different way of looking at the world. Over the years, I have explored both the western and TCM inspired energetics of essential oils.
If there is one plant that represents Chinese New Year to me, it is the humble orange. You might see many types of oranges given as gifts or in supermarkets (with their beautiful leaves still attached to them) during Chinese New Year, such as mandarins, tangerines (Citrus reticulata), clementines (Citrus x clementina), or sweet oranges (Citrus sinensis). Oranges symbolize good luck and health in Chinese culture. In aromatherapy, the orange essential oils evoke happiness and sunshine. I chose mandarin because I love its bright, fresh aroma! I have found that mandarin essential oil’s energetics is like its fruit. It brings good fortune, prosperity, and abundance. Mandarin essential oil is uplifting but sedative. Its sweet, happy aroma alleviates stress, anxiety, and depression.
Jasmine flowers are associated with the Year of the Horse. I feel that jasmine absolute also embodies the essence of the Horse. Jasmine’s divine, sultry scent is known to incite the passionate fire within. Aromatherapy and TCM pioneer Peter Holmes mentions that one of jasmine absolute’s five element affinities is Fire1. There are a few jasmine species used in aromatherapy and natural perfumery. I used Jasminum grandiflorum absolute because Jasminum grandiflorum grows in some parts of China.
Ginger root (the herb) is often used in Chinese foods and in TCM. Ginger essential oil is warming and it can be fiery. Ginger essential oil builds courage, stimulates the mind, and strengthens will power. Holmes states that one of ginger essential oil’s five element affinities is Fire1. I used ginger fresh essential oil (distilled using fresh ginger root), since ginger essential oil made with the dried roots has a musty aroma that many people don’t like.
Camellia oil is green tea seed oil. I chose Camellia oleifera oil because it is used in many parts of China as an edible seed oil. It is also excellent for skin and hair care. Camellia oil is one of my favorite carrier oils for my skin.
Drops are not the most accurate measurement. However, since this recipe only makes a small amount, it is okay to use drops for personal use. If making large amounts or for gifts, use a scale to measure for accuracy.
This recipe makes about a 2.3-3.5% total concentration of aromatics/essential oils/absolutes. Use only on small areas of the skin, sparingly.
If don’t want to use this blend energetically, then no worries! You can just use it for its aroma and its other aromatherapy properties. This blend smells amazing, and it is uplifting, and both calming and stimulating! It’s excellent for many emotional concerns, including depression, anxiety, and stress.
Aromatherapy Safety:
This recipe was formulated for adults.
It is usually not recommended using any essential oils during the first trimester of pregnancy, unless it is absolutely necessary and appropriate to use for your specific situation (and only a very few essential oils are safe to use during this time). Essential oils are generally used in lower concentrations during pregnancy.
Mandarin essential oil is generally safe for children, and most pregnant and breastfeeding women2. Be sure to dilute well to children safe or pregnancy safe concentrations.
For Jasmine absolute, essential oil safety expert Robert Tisserand suggests that a 0.7% concentration is safe during pregnancy (the low max dermal concentration is to reduce potential skin irritation and allergy) 2. It isn’t recommended for kids under 2 because of potential skin irritation and allergy 2.
Though properly diluted ginger essential oil is safe to use for young kids and during pregnancy2, I personally don’t use it on young babies since it can be too warming.
Essential oils and absolutes are usually not used around or on newborns and very young babies. For older babies and toddlers, I don’t suggest using essential oils around or on them unless it is absolutely necessary for specific issues. I tend to try other remedies like herbs first before essential oils. There are a lot of essential oils that can’t be used around or on very young kids. Essential oils are generally used in lower concentrations on kids (concentration is age dependent).
Do not use this aromatherapy roller blend if you are allergic or sensitive to any of the ingredients.
Be sure to research all ingredients well before use to make sure they are safe and appropriate for your specific situation. There are many essential oils that are contraindicated during pregnancy or breastfeeding, that can’t be used on babies and young kids, and that shouldn’t be used with certain medications or health issues.
Substitutions:
In this blend, I used camellia oil. I used Camellia oleifera oil. But you can use other Camellia oils too (a few different Camellia species are pressed for their carrier oil). Or you can use your favorite carrier oil. Good substitutions are jojoba oil (which is really a liquid wax) or fractionated coconut oil for their long shelf life, and little to no odor.
I used mandarin green essential oil. You can use any of the other mandarin essential oils (red or yellow), if you like. If you do not have mandarin essential oil, other good essential oils are sweet orange, tangerine, clementine, or kumquat essential oils. I’ve found that all these citrus essential oils can be used for good fortune and luck. They are also all uplifting.
For the heart note, I used Jasminum grandiflorum absolute. There are a couple other species of jasmine used in aromatherapy; you can use Jasminum sambac or Jasminum auriculatum in this blend. All the jasmine aromatics are linked to the element of Fire. I personally believe that all of the jasmine aromatics can be associated with the Year of the Horse too. All the jasmine absolutes are very expensive, so if you do not have any of the jasmines, you could use a different floral. Ylang ylang essential oil is often called the ‘poor man’s jasmine’. It also has an affinity with Fire1.
I used ginger fresh essential oil in this blend. You could use ginger CO2 extract instead of the essential oil. Ginger CO2 extract is much hotter and potent than the essential oil, so do not add more than 1 drop of the CO2 extract to this blend. If you don’t have any of the ginger aromatics, a good substitute is cardamom essential oil, which is also associated with Fire1.
I have listed some possible substitutions. But if you do not have any of them, you can always leave one or two of the aromatics out of the blend. For example, if you don’t have jasmine absolute, then mandarin essential oil and ginger essential oil still makes a wonderful combination. Or if you only have mandarin, and don’t have the other two aromatics, then you can make a ‘good fortune’ roller with just mandarin essential oil!
I wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year, filled with much joy, blessings, prosperity, health, and fortune!
References:
1 Holmes, P. (2025). Channeling Fragrance – A Clinical Manual for Using Essential Oils in Chinese Medicine. Snow Lotus Press.
2Tisserand, R. (2018). Essential Oil Safety Masterclass: Topical dilutions for specific oils and age ranges. Tisserand Institute.
Want to Learn More about Aromatherapy?
Try some of my other New Year blends, like my ‘Joy, Health, & Wealth Chinese New Year Aromatherapy Diffuser Blend’! https://www.plantalkemie.com/aromatherapy/joynewyearblend/
Make my ‘Happiness & Prosperity Chinese New Year Aromatherapy Diffuser Blend’! https://www.plantalkemie.com/aromatherapy/happiness-prosperity-chinese-new-year-aromatherapy-diffuser-blend/
Need more good fortune? Try my ‘Good Fortune New Year’s Aromatherapy Blend’! https://www.plantalkemie.com/aromatherapy/good-fortune-new-years-aromatherapy-blend/
Confused about percent concentrations? Read my ‘Total Concentration & Max Dermal Concentration In Aromatic Blending’ article! https://www.plantalkemie.com/aromatherapy/percent-concentrations-in-blending/
Learn about blending in my ‘How Many Essential Oils & Other Aromatics Can You Use In A Blend?’ article. https://www.plantalkemie.com/aromatherapy/how-many-aromatics-in-a-blend/
Use ‘Scales For Measuring Small Amounts Of Essential Oils And Other Ingredients!’.
https://www.plantalkemie.com/aromatherapy/formulation-tip-scales-measuring-essential-oils/
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