The 8 essential oils used in aromatherapy for their relaxing effect
The 8 most important essential oils for relaxation are listed below.
All these essential oils are natural, undiluted or uncut, and comply with the European Pharmacopoeia.
These essential oils are suitable for aromatherapy. Ingestion is permitted only on doctor’s advice. Never use these essential oils undiluted on the skin. Always mix them first in, for example, Sweet Almond oil or Grapeseed oil before using the massage oil on the skin.
Essential oil is used in aromatherapy for relaxation or for the delightful spicy scent in aroma burners, on aroma stones, or in diffusers.
1. Lavender oil
Calms and therefore has a soothing effect. Lavender oil has a sweet, floral-spicy, and balsamic-woody aroma. Lavender oil comes from France and is obtained through steam distillation. This essential oil is used to give a relaxing effect to massage oil. Lavender essential oil for aromatherapy is mixed with Tea Tree essential oil for use in face masks against acne. Then use 5 drops of Lavender oil and 5 drops of Tea Tree oil in 100 ml of carrier oil such as Sweet Almond oil, Grapeseed oil, or Argan oil.
2. Litsea Cubeba oil
Litsea Cubeba essential oil is also known as May Chang oil. This essential oil works well for muscle pain, anxiety, and depression. It has an intense, lemony, fresh, and fruity scent. Litsea Cubeba essential oil is extracted by steam distillation from the Litsea Cubeba Press in China. This Litsea Cubeba essential oil for aromatherapy belongs to the citrus family.
3. Ylang Ylang oil
Ylang Ylang means; flower of flowers and has a spicy, camphor-like aroma. This essential oil is well-suited for use in aromatherapy to relax, and for stress and depression. Ylang Ylang essential oil is extracted by steam distillation from Cananga Adorata in Madagascar. This essential oil works well for insomnia and has a general nourishing and moisturizing effect on the skin. This is one of the few affordable essential oils distilled from flowers.
4. Orange Oil
Use this Sweet Orange oil when you feel happy and joyful and experience how it corresponds with your own happiness. Use it also when you feel unhappy and let it warm you.
Orange oil has a fresh, dry, almost floral aroma with a rich, sweet undertone. Essential orange oil blends well with citrus scents, as well as with Mint and Lavender.
Sweet orange essential oil is extracted from the Citrus Sinensis by cold pressing (manual or mechanical pressing) from the outer peel of the nearly ripe fruit. If you use orange oil in sweet almond oil, you should use the massage oil in one go, otherwise it will turn sour after a few days. Additionally, it is important that you do not sunbathe immediately after the massage; therefore, wait 1 to 2 hours.
5. Mandarin Oil
Mandarin essential oil works well in aromatherapy against anxiety/stress and creates a cheerful atmosphere. Mandarin oil (Citrus Reticulata) has an intensely sweet, almost floral, fresh citrus aroma. This red Mandarin oil is an essential oil extracted by pressing the peels of Citrus Nobilis. This essential oil has a sweet scent resembling peeled mandarins. Mandarin oil has a relaxing effect and is very popular with children and babies. Mandarin oil makes children happy and calm. That is why Mandarin oil is often called the children’s oil of essential oils. But this essential oil is also very suitable for adults to regain positive thoughts. So, Mandarin oil makes everyone happy again. Mandarin oil is extremely suitable for use in caring children’s products and on aroma stones.
6. Petit Grain oil
Petit Grain oil has a fresh floral and woody-spicy citrus scent. Petit Grain essential oil belongs to the citrus fragrances.
Petit Grain oil used to be extracted from green, unripe oranges when they were still the size of cherries. Hence the name Petit Grain, or ‘little grains’. Nowadays, the relaxing Petit Grain essential oil is extracted from Citrus Dulcis by means of steam distillation from the leaves and twigs of the same tree that produces bitter orange oil and orange blossom. It is one of the classic ingredients of eau de cologne.
Petit Grain oil works well:
- against stress
- to stimulate creativity
- to combat oily hair and impure skin
- to firm the skin
Do not use during pregnancy and do not apply the oil (diluted) to the skin if you are going to sunbathe shortly afterwards.
7. Lemongrass oil
Lemongrass essential oil has a calming effect on the nervous system and therefore also has a relaxing effect. Lemongrass essential oil has a strong citrus scent and is also known as lemongrass oil. This essential oil is extracted by steam distillation from finely chopped fresh and partially dried leaves. Lemongrass oil belongs to the citrus family and can therefore be combined well with other citrus scents. In Eastern countries such as Thailand, China, and India, Lemongrass is also used in drinks and frequently in food. In the Netherlands, Lemongrass oil is also called Citronella oil. Lemongrass is a type of tall grass that can grow up to 1.5 meters high. This lemongrass essential oil is extracted from Cymbopogon Flexuoses. Lemongrass oil is a purifying essential oil. Please note: always dilute Lemongrass essential oil in Sweet Almond oil before using it on the skin. Do not use this essential oil during pregnancy.
8. Patchouli oil
In aromatherapy, Patchouli essential oil has relaxing, skin-caring, antibacterial, and insect-repellent properties. Patchouli oil has a grounding influence on the root chakra. Patchouli essential oil is suitable for people who worry easily and feel restless. Therefore, this essential oil is also widely used in meditation.
Patchouli consists almost exclusively of rare sesquiterpenes and patchouli. This ensures that the oil has a relaxing effect while also stimulating our subconscious mind. (Pujiarti 2012)
Use of essential oils
Below are a number of examples of how the above relaxing essential oils can be applied.
Aromastone:
Apply 3 to 8 drops of essential oil to an aroma stone and place the aroma stone in a place where no one sees it, or place it in a place where at least babies or children cannot touch it.
Aroma diffuser:
Put water and a few drops of essential oil into the aroma diffuser and turn on the desired program. The longer the diffuser is on, the more scent it spreads in the room.
Sauna:
Add 1.25 ml (25 drops) essential oil 1 liter of ice / water in the sauna tub.
Massage oil or base oil:
Add 1 ml (20 drops) essential oil to 250 ml of massage oil.
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Face mask:
Add 10 drops of essential oil to 20 grams of clay packing powder and 20 ml of water or Argan oil.
Lampe Berger:
Use pure essential oil-based sauna infusion liquid in the Lampe Berger for aromatherapy.
View the scents for Lampe Bergers
Relaxing essential oil blends to mix yourself at home:
- Mandarin oil with Lavender oil (Beauty scent)
- Lemongrass oil with Lavender oil (Hamam mix)
- Lavender oil with Mandarin oil and Lemon oil (Relaxing, spicy, citrus)
- Lavender oil with Bergamot oil and Orange oil (Relaxing, spicy, citrus, also in the bedroom)
- Orange oil with Mandarin oil and Litsea Cubeba oil (Citrus mix)
- Ylang Ylang oil with Lavender oil (Relaxing, spicy and Sensual)
- Ylang Ylang oil with Lavender oil and Orange oil (Relaxing, spicy and sensual)
- Peppermint oil with Lime oil (Mojito)
- Petit Grain oil with Lavender oil and Orange oil (Citrus, herbal mix)
- Lavandin oil and Orange oil (Spring mix)
- Patchouli oil with Pine oil (Autumn mix)
- Lemon oil with Mint oil (Summer mix)
- Lavandin oil with Lime and Mint oil (Me Time mix)
- Lavandin oil with Cedarwood oil and Mandarin oil (Zen mix)
- Patchouli oil with Lemongrass oil
- Cedarwood oil with Patchouli oil and Bergamot oil
- Pine oil with Lemon oil
All these essential oils are natural, undiluted or uncut, and comply with the European Pharmacopoeia. These essential oils are suitable for aromatherapy. Ingestion is permitted only on doctor’s advice. Never use these essential oils pure on the skin. Always mix them first with, for example, Sweet Almond oil before using the massage oil on the skin. Essential oil is used in aromatherapy for relaxation or for the delightful spicy scent in aroma burners, aroma stones, or diffusers.
This information about essential oils is provided in the essential oil encyclopedia and through our customers’ own experiences.
View all relaxing essential oils or relaxing essential oil blends for aromatherapy.
