Scents That Improve Your Mental Health
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For centuries, essential oils with strong scents have been used to help treat a variety of ailments, including mental health disorders.
Most essential oils can be used in a variety of forms - from diffusers, to lotions, to sprays. Using essential oils in this way can work for mild cases of many mental health issues, from anxiety to depression. It’s a great way to avoid using chemicals and worth a try with your doctor’s support.
* Lavender – Feeling stressed out? Take a hot bath with lavender oil in the water or put on lotion infused with lavender. Breathe in the scent deeply to help it work faster.
* Chamomile - If you suffer from insomnia it can affect your mental health throughout the day. It’s important to treat this problem of lack of sleep. One way you can do that is to enjoy a nice cup of caffeine-free chamomile tea before bed.
* Peppermint – This essential oil is great in a shampoo if you begin your day with a shower to get your day started. It will energize you and make you feel great.
* Sage – Even science has shown through research (see link below) that sage can improve the mood of research participants. Try using sage lotions, teas, and topicals to help treat foul moods. You can also use supplements instead of just the scent.
* Jasmine – This essential oil can help reduce heart rate, stress, and even blood pressure. You can inhale it or rub it into the skin (which also is a way to inhale the essential oil) to benefit from its healthful properties. Please also dilute, appropriately with a carrier oil, before applying topically.
* Sandalwood – This essential oil is used to treat anxiety, insomnia and even digestive issues. Mix the oil with almond oil and rub into the skin, or sprinkle on a cloth to inhale.
* Ylang Ylang – Comes from the flower cananga odorata, this essential oil has been used for centuries to treat mood disorders. Simply rub the diluted oil on your body and let it absorb to get the full benefits.
* Rosemary – Finding rosemary-infused topical lotions is easy because it is known to help relieve aches and pains, as well as give a boost of energy to help you get your day started.
* Lemon – Bright and fresh-smelling lemon scents can improve your mood by improving your circulation and immunity. Use lemon drops, lemon tea, and lemon candles to improve the mood of any room at any time. Do not use topiccally, if you are going out in the sun, as this oil is photo sensitive and you may easily get a sunburn.
Everyone reacts differently to scents so you might need to experiment for the right scent for you to treat the issues that you have identified. Some people feel better when they are energized with scents like lemon and peppermint; others feel better when they use calming scents like lavender or chamomile. Try one scent at a time for a period of at least a week to figure out what works best for you.
A few things to remember, when choosing what essential oils to buy, as mentioned by me before.
- Therapeutic grade essential oils are NOT REGULATED. Just because it says "100% pure essential oil", does not mean that it is true. The bottle can contain as little as 1% essential oil and manufacturers can still label it as 100%!! I know that is strange, but unfortunately true.
- Only ORGANIC* essential oils can be trusted to some extent, as at least you will be sure that there are not any nasties in them, like pesticides or herbicides etc.
- Whether used topically, diffused or internally, it is best to buy Organic and Food Grade essential oils*. This way you can really be sure to use the safest and purest oils.
- Internal use of essential oils. Please Never Ever do this on your own accord. This practice is mostly popular in France, but even there it is practised by very experienced clinicians. Do not listen to essential oil distributors, that convince you it is safe to do so, even though they have never been trained in aromatherapy and very often their oils are not even Food grade.
I wish you health and radiance!
Please note that we accepts no liability for misuse of essential oils or other products or for any reliance on the information provided by us via our website or other social media channels (see disclaimer page).
