Top Essential Oils for Relaxation

These days, we need all the help we can get to relax. Our lives can be busy and stressful -- I know mine certainly can! One of my favorite tools to help me unwind and get rid of stress are essential oils. I thought I'd make a list of the essential oils that I find the most relaxing and give you tips on what to do with them.

How to Use the Essential Oils

There are several standard ways that I like to use essential oils. My all time favorite is to turn it into a massage oil. Just use 8-10 drops of the essential oil for each cup of carrier oil. Pour the carrier oil into a container, add the essential oil, cover and bottle it. A carrier oil is an oil like almond oil, olive oil, or just plain old vegetable oil from your pantry.

There are other ways to use the essential oils that are also good. I also like to put a few drops of my favorite oil in my bath water. You can also just open up the bottle and sniff when you need to unwind or put a few drops on a tissue and sniff as needed. You can also make a room spray by putting a few drops of the essential oil in a small spray bottle with some water.

Vanilla Essential Oil

I find this scent to be the most relaxing of all. The real essential oil is very expensive but I find that the vanilla extract that most of us have in our pantries also imparts a nice scent and seems to work just as well. This is my favorite perfume and relaxation scent so I do make the investment to buy a bottle of the essential oil. My favorite way is to use it as a massage oil.

Lavender Essential Oil

This scent also instantly relaxes me and is a common ingredient in bath and body products that you can find on the market. In other words, it is a classic scent to help control stress and tension. As an extra bonus it can also help relieve pain. This means that if your stress is actually tied to the fact that you are in pain, rubbing the massage oil on your aching muscles or sitting in a bathtub scented with lavender can actually serve both purposes.

Rose Essential Oil

Rose essential oil is excellent for nervous tension that is tied to a hormonal imbalance such as premenstrual syndrome. The scent is highly soothing and it is also calming to the skin. So, if you have sensitive skin, rose essential oil will give you the added bonus of not only calming your nerves but also calming your skin. The essential oil can be a little expensive. You can either invest in the pure oil or buy a less expensive bath product with pure rose essential oil already added.

Essential oils can go a long way in helping you relax. Just make sure that these oils are okay for you to use and that you aren't allergic to them. Be sure to consult with your physician.