Essential Oils for Relaxation

Many people use aromatherapy essential oils for relaxation. Does that mean that their houses smell like incense 24/7? Of course not!

Aromatherapy for relaxation has been around for centuries and aromatherapy relaxation techniques keep popping up left and right. I will focus on some of the traditional ways to use aromatherapy to relax at home, but there are many more.

While you can easily benefit from aromatherapy by using aromatherapy bath products and receiving aromatherapy massages, these relaxation techniques require a decent amount of time (not to mention access to a professional spa or home spa.

Relaxation With Aromatherapy

The easiest and fastest ways to use aromatherapy at home are inhalation of essential oil vapors through one of the following methods:

• You can use oil in aromatherapy diffusers.
• Put a few drops of oil onto a tissue and attach it to a fan. The aroma will quickly disperse throughout the room.
• Put a few drops of oil into a cup of boiling water on your desk. (But make sure to leave it far enough from you that you won’t be tempted to drink it!)
• Use reed diffusers as a safe alternative to candles.
• Add a few drops of oil into your favorite unscented body lotion to make it an aromatherapy body lotion.

Aromatherapy Essential Oils for Relaxation

Many women (and men!) love to use specific aromatherapy essential oils for relaxation. Here is a list of the most common ones:

• Anthemis nobilis or Chamomile. This flower produces an oil with calming effects which may help relieve insomnia. Learn more about chamomile here.
• Cedrus atlantica, Juniperus Mexicana, Juniperus virginiana or Cedarwood. This oil can help relieve stress. Add 4 drops of cedarwood oil to a warm bath or use it to improve your meditation by adding a few drops to your diffuser.
• Citrus bergamia or Bergamot. This oil is extracted from the rind of citrus fruit and it can help improve your mood and relax your mind. Learn more about bergamot here.
• Cupressus sempervirens or Cypress. This oil may cause allergic reactions, so use it with care. It may help you build emotional and mental resolve.
• Lavendula officinalis or Lavender. This well-known flower creates an essential oil that can help improve sleep and alleviate depression. Include lavender in your aromatherapy relaxation kit.
• Salvia sclarea or Clary Sage. This essential oil is particularly recommended for those who suffer from depression, and especially for those with postpartum depression. It can be used to give sensual massages (mix 4 drops of ylang ylang with 3 drops of clary sage essential oil to 1 oz of carrier oil) and to stimulate creativity (a few drops in a diffuser).

Aromatherapy and Relaxation at Home

Learn more about aromatherapy essential oils here. If you still haven’t found the right oil for you, look at this aromatherapy table showing the benefits of specific oils.

Finding the Perfect Aromatherapy Fragrance Oil

Using alternative health remedies such as burning an aromatherapy fragrance oil is becoming very popular and relatively affordable. Should you start adding aromatherapy diffusers, aromatherapy massages or some other form of aromatherapy to your life?

Aromatherapy and Relaxation At Home

Aromatherapy is far from being a new practice. Hippocrates recommended the use of aromatherapy bath products and massages on a daily basis to ensure health and happiness.

The easiest and fastest ways to use aromatherapy at home are:

• inhalation of essential oil vapors
• massages with essential oils diluted in a carrier oil
• aromatherapy bath products

Of course, there are other ways to use aromatherapy to relax at home but these are the most common and most affordable methods.

Recommendations for Aromatherapy at Home

My personal recommendation for those who have at least 20 minutes to spend is to have an aromatherapy bath with a few drops of your favorite essential oil(s). Keep it to about 5 to 6 drops up to a maximum of 8 drops.

The oils will improve your mood and health through:

• skin contact
• vapor inhalation

If you don’t have this much time or need to keep an eye on the children or on the stove, try putting a drop of essential oil on a tissue, then wiping the tissue onto an unlit light bulb. Then, turn on the light and the room will be filled with the fragrance of your choice within seconds.

Choosing Essential Oils

Essential oils can affect your mood in several ways, therefore it is essential (get the pun?) that you start by determining your goal. Knowing that, you can select your aromatherapy scents:

If you want to apply essential oils to your skin, you must dilute them in a carrier oil first.

You can also use oil in aromatherapy diffusers or add a few drops of oil into your favorite unscented body lotion to make it an aromatherapy body lotion.

Did you know that humans can distinguish 10,000 different smells? Learn more about aromatherapy fragrance oil and relaxation.