12 Essential Oils To Ease Anxiety & Support Mental Health

Scent is the only one of our senses that stimulates the limbic system and also one of the biggest triggers of memory, so we have learned to never discount the power of essential oils and scent for mental health support.  Signalling the limbic system (which is the part of your brain that controls emotional stimuli), is how we get those effects that we talk about often – relaxation from lavender, uplifting from frankincense, and alertness from rosemary.  The relationship between a scent and emotion is a beautiful thing as it lets you hold onto memories in your life and is wonderful to support mental health. As a self care ritual, scents can bring back calmness, relaxation and feelings of positivity and emotional stability- many things that are needed in our lives today. 

How Can Essential Oils Help with Anxiety? 

Belle About Town spoke to Emilie de Block, founder of Bio Scents and aromatherapy expert. Here’s what she told us…

All essential oils have an emotional component so can be used to help support all symptoms of mental health and ground the body and mind. Some oils are more specifically considered as neurotonic (strengthening and toning the nerves and nervous system), calmative or balancing. Many grounding oils come from trees, barks and resins as they are grounded through their root structure into the earth. But it’s important to remember that stress and anxiety can allow us to become ungrounded so you should look for essential oils that help with these conditions. Some oils are also very pungent so blending them, to make them more palatable to our sense of smell, is essential. Smells can evoke powerful responses in our limbic systems in the brain (where we process emotion) so it is really important to work with smells you like and remind you of positive times. Here are our recommendations based on specific feelings.  Always perform a patch test by applying 1-2 drops onto the skin such as the forearm before use.

1. CLARY SAGE (Mental Fatigue): 

Clary Sage is a neurotonic so should be considered for mental fatigue. It’s scent provides a mental-emotional uplift. Used for anxiety & stress relief, clarity sage can elicit feelings of relaxation and reduce negative thinking, stress and anxiety and help aid blood pressure reduction. As the most potent anti-stress effective scent available it has been used for thousands of years in aromatherapy. Clary Sage also contains an ester called linalyl acetate which is renowned for its ability to balance hormones so it can help naturally centre and balance you.

2. PATCHOULI (Negative Thought Cleanser): 

When we feel disconnected from our body because of judgement, body shame or tension, Patchouli can help bring us back to appreciate our physicality and promote a healthy and positive body image. This rich, smoky scent from Sri Lanka has also been used for years in Ayurveda to relieve anxiety, stress & depression. 

3. FRANKINCENSE (Mood Enhancing): 

Extracted from resin, Frankincense essential oil It has also been used for thousands of years as a natural respiratory relief to help colds, coughs and symptoms of asthma. Frankincense has the capacity to relax the diaphragm, enabling deeper breathing, therefore having a deeply calming effect on your body. It’s beautifully scented, extremely healing and is highly beneficial for countless stress-related conditions and is widely used in aromatherapy. 

4. CEDARWOOD (Anxiety & Stress Relief): 

Grounding & Relaxing this sweet, woody scent is filled with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties which help calm the skin, alleviate anxiety and stress. Similar to lavender, cedarwood is a natural sedative and great for detoxifying and clearing negative emotions. When inhaled cedarwood triggers the release of serotonin in the brain which converts to melatonin. It is also known to have a soothing effect on your mood and can be used for anxiety, bringing a sense of calm to the body and mind whilst supporting emotional balance.  

5. CINNAMON LEAF (Sleep Enhancer): 

Uplifting & Relaxing this warming scent is a natural sedative for insomnia and fatigue, whilst working as pain relief for menstrual cramps when applied to the lower abdomen (diluted). Cinnamon can also help uplift your spirit after a long day promoting natural positivity. Caution Cinnamon is a hot oil. 

6. EUCALYPTUS (Energising & Respiratory Relief): Eucalyptus can help enhance breathing by promoting the uptake of oxygen by the red blood cells. This is a wonderful natural solution to consider inhaling  if you suffer from shallow breathing and panic attacks. This empowering oil is also great for mental fatigue as it helps boost blood flow to the brain.

7. YLANG YLANG (Anxiety & Stress Relief): 

When you are feeling stressed, your adrenal glands create a hormone called cortisol and release it into your bloodstream. It’s this Cortisol in your bloodstream that increases your heart rate and increases your blood pressure. Studies have shown that Ylang Ylang lowers the levels of cortisol, naturally lowering your blood pressure and heart rate back down. It is also a natural soothing antidepressant which has been widely used by experts to alleviate depression, panic attacks, anxiety and chronic stress.

8. GERANIUM (Emotional Imbalance): 

Thanks to its qualities as an astringent and all-round healer, Geranium has powerful effects when it comes to balancing hormones and mood swings and adding a few drops to your bath at night will help lift your mood and leave you feeling re-balanced. This sweet & floral scent is also used to reduce stress, promote relaxation and alleviates feelings of anxiety and depression, and as a natural alternative for Premenstrual & Menopausal symptoms.

9. LAVENDER (Sleep Support): 

The relaxing experience of lavender fragrance led to its deliberate, therapeutic use in aromatherapy to relieve mild anxiety when experts started using the scent. Lavender has been also used internally for mood imbalances such as anxiety, insomnia, and gastrointestinal distress, including “nervous stomach”. It’s also a grend oil to blend with other scents, we love blending it with Cedarwood for a great night’s sleep and to ground us after a long day at work. 

10. CLOVE (Mind & Body Energiser): 

This invigorating spicy scent is great for the mind and memory, working as a natural energiser for the body. When used topically (diluted) its antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties also help soothe the skin. 

11. BERGAMOT FCF (Negative Thought Cleanser):  

Negative thoughts and anxiety are conditions that can keep us ungrounded and feeling disconnected. Bergamot is a powerful cleanser creating movement in our energy system, and releasing pent-up feelings. Our organic bergamot oil (FCF) is obtained from Bergamot grown in Italy. This Bergamot comes from the last harvest and has been grown, processed and bottled in Europe. “Bergamot” is named after the Italian town of Bergamo, where Bergamot was first sold. FCF means that the oil is free of bergapten and furocoumarin, so that the oil does not evoke photosynthetic reactions.

12. LEMON (Mind & Body Energiser): 

Known as “Liquid Sunshine” due to its vibrant yellow colour, refreshing scent, purifying properties and the burst of energy that lemon oil provides. When diffused and inhaled it can have invigorating and energising effects that have been shown to improve concentration and alertness and reduce feelings of sluggishness which is often caused by an overworked liver. NB: Lemon oil is phototoxic, therefore do not use undiluted on the skin or on the skin before it is exposed to the sun.

What is the best way to use Essential Oils for self care? Inhalation! By inhaling the essential oils, their vapours go through the olfactory nerve and get to the limbic system the quickest, which is where they have the desired effects. But if you want to take your time and make it into a ritual, you can also add a few drops to a hot bath (we recommend 3 drops), or meditate at home with dimmed lights or candle light and essential oils in an oil burner or diffuser. Here are a few other rituals for inspiration! 

• Detox Baths for Anxiety & Soothing the Mind: We all know the restorative power of a good bath, but an essential oil detox bath is the way to get your emotions and health back on track. From balancing hormones to calming a busy mind, easing anxiety and improving sleeping problems, it’s a fantastic way to troubleshoot your individual concerns according to the scents you use. Simply add a few drops to your Epsom or Himalayan Bath Salts before adding them to the water. We love Sweet Orange and Lemongrass to improve sluggishness and increase your energy levels, but it’s all about finding what works for you based on your needs – Geranium, Lavender, Eucalyptus – the choice is yours! 
• Empowering Morning Ritual to Cleanse & Heal Negative Emotions: One of our favourite mood-boosting rituals is to use a Cedarwood and Ylang Ylang facial mist that not only works to cleanse any negative emotions but leaves you feeling empowered, energised and ready for the day ahead thanks to it’s essential oil benefits. All essential oils have an emotional component so are amazing selfcare support rituals which can help ground the body and mind. The smell of essential oils evoke powerful responses in our limbic systems in the brain (the part of your brain that controls emotional stimuli) because they stimulate the olfactory nerve; the short nerve between your nose and brain, which is how we access those effects that we talk about often; relaxation from lavender, a lift from frankincense and alertness from rosemary. Scent is also the only one of our senses that stimulates the limbic system and it’s also one of the biggest triggers of memory. The relationship between a scent and emotion is a beautiful thing as it lets you hold onto memories in your life. As a self care ritual, scents can bring back instant happiness, which is so empowering in life. 

Our emotionally cleansing facial mist includes a blend of Cedarwood; a natural remedy for detoxifying and clearing negative emotions, when inhaled it also has a soothing effect on your mood, whilst working to support your emotional balance, and a hint of Ylang Ylang which is known to bring calmness to the mind and body. It is 100% natural and doesn’t include any alcohol (which dries out skin) or toxins to ensure you know exactly what you are applying to your skin and inhaling in your body. 

• In a 100ml glass bottle with a spritzer lid ad 10 drops pure cedarwood essential oil with 5 drops of pure ylang ylang essential oil 
  • Add 10ml jojoba oil to dilute the essential oils – if you don’t have jojoba oil you can use any carrier oil of choice 
  • Fill your bottle up with distilled water and shake well before using
  • Close your eyes and mouth, and spritz your whole face inhaling deeply

• For hot Summer nights:  Peppermint oil is known to have a cooling effect on the body so is a great remedy for hot summer nights. We like to recommend DIY face oil made from 40-60 drops (you get approx. 20 drops per ml when using our oils) of pure Peppermint Essential Oil per 100ml carrier oil (any oil like almond oil or coconut oil works). You can dab this on your cheeks and neck when you wake up from a hot flash to help you cool down naturally and quickly. But note – it is essential that if you are using pure oils that you mix them with a carrier oil, using 100% pure essential oils like ours at Bio-Scents directly on your skin can cause irritation!