Have you been feeling a bit sluggish and can't seem to find your best self recently? Struggling to break out of the daily grind?
We've used our years of experience with essential oils, recommendations from aromatherapists, and scientific evidence to bring you the best essential oils to boost your mood.
Let's dive right in to discover the mood boosting properties of essential oils.
Contents:
- Causes of low moods
- Can essential oils improve mood?
- Best essential oils for mood lifting
- How to use essential oils for uplifting mood
- Essential oil blends
Causes of low moods
Unfortunately there are so many factors that can cause mood swings and bad mood. Here's just three possible candidates.
- Not enough sleep, or poor quality sleep
- Stressful situations or experiences
- Hormonal imbalance
- Environmental changes, weather for example
- Stuck in the same old thankless routine?
According to the NHS, low mood often gets better after a few days, and you can help boost your mood by making small changes in your life. That's where we think essential oils can help.
However, if low mood persists for more than a few weeks, it could be a sign of something more serious. If this is the case, we recommend speaking to a doctor.
Can essential oils improve mood?
Aromatic plants have been used for thousands of years in traditional and herbal medicine, for almost every ailment you can imagine.
In modern times, there's been so much research on how effective these wondrous oils can be. There’s now real evidence on how essential oils can help uplift mood.
So which essential oils do we recommend to bring some uplifting energy into your life? Well, here's a fine selection which we've chosen for you...
Best essential oils for mood lifting
Lavender essential oil
Lavender essential oil is a classic for a reason. It has so many amazing properties, and research shows that this lovely essential oil can melt away stress and tension [3]
Studies have show that lavender essential oil can help you banish fatigue [1] and calm your mind from future worries [2]. This can help you live in the moment and lift your mood.
Bergamot essential oil
Soothe your stress away with this wondrous essential oil that has a bright citrus scent.
Bergamot essential oil is a gentle relaxant and has a refreshing, uplifting quality. Perfect for uplifting moods! [1] Bergamot is one of the most popular citrus oils as it has a slightly more full and complex scent.
You won't find bergamot in the supermarket with the other citrus fruits, and it does look a little strange. However, the scent is wonderful.
Bergamot essential oil has been reported to possibly reduce stress and anxiety [4]
Ylang ylang essential oil
Ylang ylang essential oil has a scent that will transport you to exotic lands with its complex, floral and musky scent.
Ylang ylang essential oil is also effective in calming and bringing about a sense of relaxation [1]
Ylang ylang isn't the best choice if you're using essential oils topically because it can be sensitising, even when well diluted. However, if you're diffusing essential oils, you'll love it!
Sweet orange essential oil
Sweet orange essential oil can be like a ray of sunshine to bring calm and joy on the darkest of days.
It has a sweet, zingy scent, and citrus essential oils are used in aromatherapy to improve focus, sharpen the mind and uplift moods.
There is preliminary evidence that sweet orange oil can help reduce anxiety [5].
A study of 200 people found that the aroma of orange and lavender can help improve mood. [2]
Peppermint essential oil
Peppermint essential oil has a clear, pure minty scent and can enliven and revive you on the most dull of days. It is used in aromatherapy to focus and sharpen the mind, as well as uplifting mood [6]
One whiff of this fresh essential oil can produce a clearer mind, clarity, focus and energy.
Without any jitters and jangled nerves, you could feel calm as a cucumber while firing on all cylinders.
Peppermint oil is invigorating and stimulating [1], sounds like a recipe for positive mood to us!
Rosemary essential oil
Rosemary essential oil has a pure, cleansing and uplifting aroma. Rosemary oil is used in aromatherapy for to combat mental fatigue and increase energy levels.
Rosemary oil has been the subject of increasing research over the last few years [7] and research suggests that it improves mood and helps people feel fresher [8]
Lemon essential oil
Mmmm the fresh and zesty scent of lemon! Lemon essential oil can be a welcome relief to boost your mood and lift your spirits.
Research suggests that lemon oil can be calming and help relieve stress [9]
Lemon is one of the most popular citrus oils, and for good reason. Its scent is almost instantly recognisable.
How to use essential oils for uplifting mood
Now you’ve got your oils, how do you use them?
Luckily, there’s many ways to use essential oils for their mood boosting benefits and bring some happiness to your day.
Take essential oils with you
When you’re out and about, and need to boost your mood, you could try one of these:
- Place a drop or two of essential oil on a tissue, and breathe the scent in.
- Open the bottle and take a couple of breaths of the scent, let it envelop you.
Use essential oils for a calming bath or massage
Make space in your busy schedule for a calming bath or massage, you won’t regret it!
- Dilute 10ml of essential oil into 500ml of carrier oil, and use the diluted essential oil for aromatherapy massage. Ylang ylang essential oil can be sensitising to skin, choose one of the other essential oils for massage.
- Mix 5ml of essential oil with 5ml of polysorbate 80, and add to a bath.
When you're putting essential oils in the bath water, you always need to mix it with polysorbate 80. This stops the essential oil from floating on top of the water, which could irritate your skin.
Go ahead and pamper yourself, it will be nurturing to mind, body and soul.
Use essential oils around the house
Bring the power of essential oils to your home and allow the uplifting scents to refresh and revitalise.
You can create your own spa environment in your home or office.
- Use them around the house in a diffuser.
- Mix them with liquid soap base and make your own liquid soap
- Mix your favourite essential oils into a room spray recipe
Use essential oils in your skincare routine
Create your own skin treatments with essential oils, you won't regret it!- Make your own body oil by blending essential oils with a carrier oil
- Add essential oils to a body butter recipe
- Make your own bath salts with essential oils
Essential oil blends for uplifting mood
Express your creativity by creating new scents. Blend some essential oils together to create something new and unique.
Here’s a couple of essential oil blends to boost your mood:
Herbal power
- 3 drops lavender oil
- 2 drops rosemary oil
- 4 drops lemon oil
Floral fruits
- 3 drops bergamot oil
- 3 drops lavender oil
- 3 drops ylang ylang oil
Cleansing lemons
- 3 drops bergamot oil
- 2 drops peppermint oil
- 3 drops lavender oil
Mood lifting focus
- 3 drops lemon oil
- 3 drops peppermint oil
- 3 drops sweet orange oil
Conclusion
These are the main takeaways:
There is evidence to suggest that essential oils like lavender, bergamot and ylang ylang can be used to help you through short periods of low mood.
Essential oil blends help you bring these oils together and create your own mood lifting blend.
However, prolonged periods of low mood could be a symptom of depression that should be discussed with a healthcare professional.
Which essential oil blend are you going to try? Was there any that we missed? Comment below and let us know!
Sources
[1] Anthony Dweck: Handbook of Formulating Natural Cosmetics
[2] Ambient odors of orange and lavender reduce anxiety and improve mood in a dental office - PubMed (nih.gov)
[3] The effects of Lavender and Chamomile essential oil inhalation aromatherapy on depression, anxiety and stress in older community-dwelling people: A randomized controlled trial - PubMed (nih.gov)
[4] Effects of bergamot ( Citrus bergamia (Risso) Wright & Arn.) essential oil aromatherapy on mood states, parasympathetic nervous system activity, and salivary cortisol levels in 41 healthy females - PubMed (nih.gov)
[5] Effect of aromatherapy with orange essential oil on salivary cortisol and pulse rate in children during dental treatment: A randomized controlled clinical trial - PMC (nih.gov)
[6] Andrea Butje: The Heart of Aromatherapy: An Easy-to-Use Guide for Essential Oils
[7] Rosmarinus officinalis L.: an update review of its phytochemistry and biological activity - PMC (nih.gov)
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3700080/
[9] Lemon oil vapor causes an anti-stress effect via modulating the 5-HT and DA activities in mice - PubMed (nih.gov)
Continue reading
Now you've found a great essential oil for your mood, why not try out our easy soap recipes?
- Learn how to make soap with our shea butter cold processed soap
- Try some easy soap making with our lavender melt and pour soap
- Learn more about essential oils in soap with out essential oils for soap making
