March 7, 2023
The kids have soccer practice, you’ve got an important deadline coming up, there are toys all over the floor, (or laundry if you’re single) and a thousand to-do items on your list.
You’re beyond stressed, a when you’ve got a jam-packed life to keep up with it’s hard to maintain a healthy headspace!
Under stress many of us find it difficult to stay focused, stay energized, and maintain the positive attitude you need to get the most out of your life.
Stress can even make it hard to truly unwind and get that rest and relaxation you need to stay on top of everything.
If you’re anything like me you approach dealing with this stress through grit, sheer willpower, and iron discipline.
If you’re anything like me you eventually find out that that willpower eventually reaches an end, and you find yourself burned out, sluggish, and barely able to pull yourself out of bed in the morning.
Rather than continuously throwing ourselves into life’s challenges with a ‘pull-ourselves-by-the-bootstraps’ mentality, it’s important that we start finding ways to support and improve our minds and emotions.
That means that we’re better prepared to face those challenges more effortlessly!
The past few decades of scientific study have begun to show how we can use aromatherapy and essential oils to naturally ‘nudge’ our brains into more relaxed or productive states.
This lets us easily slip into brain-states that are more attentive, more focused, more creative, and less stressed.
Getting an essential oil diffuser and diffusing oils is an excellent way to start learning how to ‘nudge’ yourself into those different brain states. However, learning how to blend oils with different characteristics can take your ‘brain nudging’ to a whole new level!* To get you started on your oil mixing adventure, here are a few unique recipes for your essential oil diffuser, that you can make to start changing your atmosphere for the better!
The following list of recipes for your essential oil diffuser are intended to create about three “uses” of each blend.
Once you’ve mixed a batch of a particular recipe place three drops into a good-quality diffuser and store the rest of the blend in a sealed glass bottle for future use.
Before trying to invent any of your own blends, make sure you look into the health and safety notes associated with any oils.
Some specific oils should be used carefully with specific types of diffusers (atomizing, ultrasonic, etc). These oils can include thicker oils like Vetiver and Sandalwood.
Always read the instructions that come with your diffuser carefully before trying to diffuse any blend.
Diffused when you want to melt the stress of a busy day away, this diffuser recipe relies on the calming and mood elevating properties that have been observed in Lavender (1) and Wild Orange Essential Oil (2).
When that's mixed with the rest-inducing properties observed in Cedar Essential Oil (3), and the blood-pressure influencing properties that have been observed in Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (4), you get a beautifully oil blend, designed to help you de-stress!
Mix:
4 drops Lavender Oil
2 drops Cedarwood Oil
2 drops Wild Orange Oil
1 drop Ylang Ylang Oil
Place three drops into your diffuser, sit back, and rest! (Or keep powering through stressful projects!)
The bright, refreshing scent of Grapefruit oil uplifts the senses and leaves you feeling alert and energized.
When it’s mixed with Peppermint, an oil that’s been shows to help relieve mental fatigue, (One of the benefits of peppermint oil is it’s ability to help you feel more awake and active!) (5), and Rosemary, an oil that’s been observed to have positive effects on your brain (6) you’ve got a great recipe for you diffuser that will leave you feeling awake and energized! As a bonus, Grapefruit oil has been shown to help slow down weight gain! (7)
Mix:
2 drops Grapefruit Oil
3 drops Peppermint Oil
3 drops Rosemary Oil
The two most important oils in this blend are Peppermint and Wild Orange. Wild orange has been observed to reduce stress levels, (8) and when it’s blended with Peppermint’s “wake your brain up” properties (5) you end up with an oil blend designed to help you feel soothed, alert, and ready to take on the world! (The Frankincense and Lime in this recipe have been observed to have positive brain-protecting (9) and anti-oxidizing properties (10), and we love how they smell!)
Mix
2 drops Frankincense Oil
2 drops Peppermint Oil
2 drops Wild orange Oil
2 drops Lime Oil
This diffuser recipe is perfect for those times that you really need to hone in and focus. Clinical trials have shown that Rosemary and Lemon oil may have a strong effect on the quality of your memory, alertness, and ability to learn new concepts, (11) (12). Blend that with some powerful mind-waking peppermint you’ve made the perfect oil blend to take on a busy day!
Mix
1 drop Basil Oil
1 drop Rosemary Oil
2 drops Lemon Oil
2 drops Peppermint Oil
2 drops Grapefruit Oil
Relaxing after a hard day of working, taking care of housework, running after kids, or studying is no easy feat in our ‘always-on’ society. This simple diffuser recipe is a great way to help yourself wind-down after handling all the responsibilities of life.
By combining the relaxing power of Lavender oil with the anti-stress, antidepressant, and anti-anxiety properties that scientists have observed in Lemon oil. (13) you end up with beautifully-scented oil blend that's designed to help you relax and ultimately recharge.
Mix
3 drops Lavender Oil
3 drops Lemon Oil
3 drops Clary Sage (Optional)
In our busy, stress-filled days, it’s important to find naturally ways to make our lives easier, more effortlessly productive, and ultimately more enjoyable.
Essential Oils are a great, scientifically-backed way to bring more balance and harmony into your everyday life, and learning to blend great recipes for your diffuser can make them even more effective (and it’s a lot of fun!).
This list of oils is by no means exhaustive, and you should go ahead and make your own blends! Are there any blends you’ve found particularly useful? Have you made any unique blends that you’d like to share with the community? If so, let us know down in the comments.
Now go out there, mix some oils, and enjoy life!
If you want to learn more about using oils in your day-to-day life, reach out to Daphne to book a one-on-one Essential Oil consultation to get the perfect oils for your lifestyle.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
1. Koulivand, P. H., Khaleghi Ghadiri, M., & Gorji, A. (2013). Lavender and the nervous system. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2013, 681304. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/681304
2. Rashidi-Fakari, F., Tabatabaeichehr, M., & Mortazavi, H. (2015). The effect of aromatherapy by essential oil of orange on anxiety during labor: A randomized clinical trial. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 20(6), 661–664. https://doi.org/10.4103/1735-9066.170001
3. SANO, A., SEI, H., SENO, H., MORITA, Y. and MORITOKI, H. (1998), Influence of cedar essence on spontaneous activity and sleep of rats and human daytime nap. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 52: 133-135. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1819.1998.tb00991.x
4. Jung, D. J., Cha, J. Y., Kim, S. E., Ko, I. G., & Jee, Y. S. (2013). Effects of Ylang-Ylang aroma on blood pressure and heart rate in healthy men. Journal of exercise rehabilitation, 9 (2), 250–255. https://doi.org/10.12965/jer.130007
5. Shrivastava, Alankar. (2009). A REVIEW ON PEPPERMINT OIL. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research. 2. 27-33. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237842903_A_REVIEW_ON_PEPPERMINT_OIL
6. Habtemariam S. (2016). The Therapeutic Potential of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Diterpenes for Alzheimer's Disease. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2016, 2680409. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/2680409
7. Dosoky, N. S., & Setzer, W. N. (2018). Biological Activities and Safety of Citrusspp. Essential Oils. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(7), 1966. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19071966
8. Jafarzadeh, M., Arman, S., & Pour, F. F. (2013). Effect of aromatherapy with orange essential oil on salivary cortisol and pulse rate in children during dental treatment: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Advanced biomedical research, 2, 10. https://doi.org/10.4103/2277-9175.107968
9. Moussaieff, A., Shein, N. A., Tsenter, J., Grigoriadis, S., Simeonidou, C., Alexandrovich, A. G., Trembovler, V., Ben-Neriah, Y., Schmitz, M. L., Fiebich, B. L., Munoz, E., Mechoulam, R., & Shohami, E. (2008). Incensole acetate: a novel neuroprotective agent isolated from Boswellia carterii. Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, 28(7), 1341–1352. https://doi.org/10.1038/jcbfm.2008.28
10. Tundis, R., Loizzo, M. R., Bonesi, M., Menichini, F., Mastellone, V., Colica, C., & Menichini, F. (2012). Comparative study on the antioxidant capacity and cholinesterase inhibitory activity of Citrus aurantifolia Swingle, C. aurantium L., and C. bergamia Risso and Poit. peel essential oils. Journal of food science, 77(1), H40–H46. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02511.x
11. Moss, M., Cook, J., Wesnes, K., & Duckett, P. (2003). Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults. The International journal of neuroscience, 113(1), 15–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207450390161903
12. Ogeturk, Murat & Kose, Evren & Sarsilmaz, Mustafa & Akpinar, Burhan & Kus, Ilter & Meydan, Sedat. (2010). Effects of lemon essential oil aroma on the learning behaviors of rats. Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). 15. 292-3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/47459871_Effects_of_lemon_essential_oil_aroma_on_the_learning_behaviors_of_rats
13. Komiya, M., Takeuchi, T., & Harada, E. (2006). Lemon oil vapor causes an anti-stress effect via modulating the 5-HT and DA activities in mice. Behavioural brain research, 172(2), 240–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2006.05.006
