Aromatherapy
Essential Oils for Relaxation

There are a number of aromatherapy essential oils that can be used to manage stress, support relaxation, and help balance your subtle energies. (Scroll down to learn about specific essential oils, relaxation blends, and how to use them.)

How Aromatherapy Essential Oils Benefit Your Subtle Energies
The energy field of a person when they are relaxed feels very different from when they are tense and anxious. Certain essential oils, by helping us to relax, help our subtle energies shift more easily to a state of healthy balance and flow. They also connect us to earth energy (because they come from plants) and help to balance our overactive mental bodies. And, because the beautiful scents bring us joy, they lift and brighten our energies.

What Aromatherapy Essential Oils Are
Essential oils are highly aromatic oils extracted from plants. Unlike artificially created perfume oils, they have healing properties, and unlike vegetable oils expressed from nuts and seeds, they are not actually oily.

Essential oils have been used for healing, beauty treatment and body care for centuries. They are the most concentrated form of any botanical, providing a concentrated dose of nature's vast pharmacological ingredients in a single drop.

I believe that, like homeopathy, aromatherapy essential oils work primarily on an energetic level—especially when they are used as a scent only, rather than applied directly to the skin.

Inexpensive Essential Oils for Relaxation and Stress Relief
Some essential oils can be wildly expensive. However, there are a number of very useful essential oils that are quite affordable.

The following affordable essential oils are helpful for relaxation. If you are purchasing them, make sure that they are true essential oils and not perfume oils (which are artificial).

If you try only one essential oil, make it lavender. It has a multitude of uses and benefits, is affordable, is readily available at many stores, and is marvelous for helping you relax.

Essential oils can be used in a number of ways, however you should never ingest them (take them orally).

The safest way to use them is simply to put a few drops on a tissue or cotton ball and inhale them, taking care not to hold the tissue or cotton ball to close to your nose, as they can be very strong!

If they are to be used on the skin, you should always dilute them in a carrier oil—a maximum of five drops per ounce of oil. (Essential oils really go a long way!)

Please see the cautions for using essential oils at the end of this page.

Carrier Oils
You can also spend a lot of money on carrier oils, but you can also use any food-grade oil in your cupboard. Just make sure that it hasn’t gone rancid (it will take on a bad smell), and for best effect, use a carrier oil without a strong smell.

Personally, I like jojoba oil best. Although it’s a little pricey and can usually only be found at health food stores, it’s great for the skin, absorbs quickly, and never goes rancid.

My next favorite carrier oil is grapeseed oil. It’s a light oil that can usually be found at the grocery store. I buy mine at Trader Joe’s where it’s very inexpensive.

Aromatherapy Essential Oil Recipes for Relaxation
While each of the essential oils above can be used alone, you may find that you enjoy blending them as well. You can experiment to find a blend that works best to help you relax and manage stress. Here are some ideas.

Calming Blend
Blend these essential oils in a small glass container, and then use the blend in one of the ways described at the bottom of this section.

* 4 drops Lavender * 2 drops Geranium * 2 drops Ylang Ylang * 2 drops Sweet Orange (or Tangerine)

Deep Relaxation Blend
Add these essential oils to a small glass container, and then use the blend in one of the ways described at the top of this page.

* 3 drops Lavender * 3 drops Tangerine (or Sweet Orange) * 1 drop Ylang Ylang * 2 drops Patchouli

How to Use the Blends
For massage, dilute 3-5 drops of the essential oil blend in an ounce of carrier oil (such as grapeseed or jojoba oil).

For diffusion, use the essential oil blend (undiluted) in an electric nebulizer; for passive diffusion, place a few drops on a tissue or cotton ball and sniff.

For the bath, use 1-4 drops of the essential oil blend mixed with 1/4-1/2 cup bath salts, or with 2 ounces of milk (not non-fat milk). A word of caution: especially without the milk, the essential oils can sit on top of the water rather than mixing in, allowing them to make undiluted contact with your skin. Do a “patch test” before using them in the bath, to make sure that the oils don’t irritate your skin. (And believe me, they can!)

Cautions
Always keep essential oils out of the reach of children. Do not use essential oils on children without discussing it first with their health care provider.

If you are pregnant or nursing a baby, have heart disease, epilepsy, high blood pressure or diabetes, seek the advice of a health care professional before using any aromatherapy essential oils.

Skin test all essential oils before using. Apply a small amount to the skin on your inner arm. Do not use if redness or irritation occurs.

Do not ingest essential oils, either straight or blended. They are not intended to be taken orally.

Keep all aromatherapy essential oils away from eyes and mucous membranes. If redness, burning, itching or irritation occur, stop using product immediately and consult your medical provider if self treatment is not effective. If irritation does occur, wash the area with mild soap, then apply vegetable oil, not water, to the affected area and dry.

Citrus oils are photosensitizers. Stay out of the sun after using.

Storing Aromatherapy Essential Oils
Essential oils are volatile and will not last forever. They should be stored in a cool, dry place away from light. You should cover them tightly after use.


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