Chill The Heck Out Calming Essential Oil Blend {Roll-On or Diffuser}

I've had my fair share of stress and anxiety (albeit occasional) over the past year. You, too? It's okay, we'll get through this together. {deep breath}

These types of emotions aren't something you hope for (oh, heck no); nevertheless, it's a great excuse (and possibly even a signal from your body) to slow down for some much-needed self-reflection and self-care.  

And since diving into a pint of ice cream or a bottle of wine every time you feel stressed is unsustainable, I've sought out natural methods for helping me to calm down and relax no matter the situation.

Three of my favorite methods for chilling out lately are:

1. drinking chamomile with lavender hot tea
2. taking herbal adaptogen supplements
3. topically applying or smelling this "chill the heck out" essential oil blend

UPDATE: Two other activities that help me relax are recording my happy moments in a DIY Gratitude Jar and daily Future Self journaling using prompts from The Holistic Psychologist. 

One of the blessings of having a growing collection of essential oils is the ability to craft your own blends. I love being able to research the constituents and benefits of specific oils and then choose which ones best support my body or mind in any given situation.

And I'm constantly blown away at their effectiveness when it comes to emotions. When I started using them on a regular basis nearly 2 1/2 years ago, it was mostly for physical reasons like wanting to support my immune system or digestive system.

The Fastest Way to Get Emotional Support From Essential Oils 

As I started experimenting with them more, I noticed instant positive changes to my mood. If you're new to essential oils, you might not know that one of the quickest ways to experience your oils (and reap emotional benefits) is by smelling them. 

Why? When inhaled, odor molecules from essential oils immediately travel up your nose to the limbic lobe of the brain, which is known as the emotional control center. These molecules stimulate those areas of the brain, which affect your mood.

Even if you've never tried essential oils before, you've still experienced this same effect by smelling things like an orange peel or fresh rosemary or walking through a field in the evening and smelling the trees, flowers, and grass. Pretty awesome, right? 

Although I've used my oils to help me with a variety of basic emotions, I'm sure I've barely scratched the surface. Ideally, I'd like to use them to work through some issues from the past that I've suppressed. (Although my INTJ personality wants to avoid this completely!) 

Two books that I plan on using as a major resource when I do attempt this are Releasing Emotional Patterns with Essential Oils and Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit: Restoring Emotional and Mental Balance with Essential Oils. I own the first book already, and just ordered the second on Amazon. I'm sharing them with you today in hopes that you can also benefit from them, as well!

Calming Oils For When You're Feeling Stressed and Frazzled

Honestly, there are a ton of essential oils you can smell to boost your mood. Whether you're feeling sad, grumpy, mentally drained, angry, hyper, happy, or stressed, smelling any essential oil (so long as it's genuine & not synthetic), will probably help in some way. (I'm not going out of my way to smell goldenrod, oregano, or tea tree, but hey...they're still mighty useful.) 

However, out of the many options, I chose these five essential oils (Lavender, German Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, Sage & Patchouli) for this custom blend because they're well-known (in both plant and essential oil forms) for their relaxing and calming properties. 

Plus, they all smell really good. 

So even on days when you're feeling like you can take on the world with gusto, you can still wear this as a perfume and everyone will think you smell great. And you might even not-so-accidentally relax others around you. :)

Chill The Heck Out Essential Oil Blend
A blend of calming essential oils that you can smell or combine with your favorite carrier oil and apply topically to chill the heck out!

Ingredients

• 8-10 drops of lavender essential oil
• 8 drops of German chamomile essential oil
• 5 drops of ylang ylang essential oil
• 3 drops of sage essential oil
• 3 drops of patchouli essential oil
• carrier oil* (for amounts, see below)

*When I'm adding the blend to a 5-mL roll-on bottle I typically use 1 teaspoon of carrier oil (this is a smaller & more concentrated version). For a 15-mL roll-on bottle, I use 3 1/2 teaspoons of carrier oil and also double the amounts of essential oils used above (this is a larger & slightly less concentrated version).

Note: Use whatever carrier oil dilution ratio you feel comfortable with when making this blend for topical application. I'm sharing what I use as a starting point; however, the amount used will vary from person to person, especially if they follow different schools of thought regarding aromatherapy (English, German, French). At the very least, follow the minimum recommended dilution ratio given to you on the essential oil bottle. If that's not listed, please consult your favorite essential oil reference guide.

Want to know which brand of essential oils I prefer to use? Read here to learn more. 

What You'll Need:

• dark glass bottles for storing the blend (5 mL, 10 mL, 15 mL are popular sizes, but you can definitely go bigger)

For Topical Use (Applying to the Skin):

• glass roll-on bottles with a metal roller ball already included OR roller ball fitments (to attach to the top of glass bottles) 
• carrier oil (like extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, or fractionated coconut oil) for diluting the oils (only needed for topical use) - If you don't have any carrier oils on hand, my recommendation would be to get a bottle of grapeseed oil to start out. It's affordable, gentle on the skin, and has a neutral smell. 

Note: I usually buy metal roll-on fitments from Young Living and attach those to my old, empty 5 & 15-mL essential bottles to re-use them. For making blends for others, I buy roll-on bottles from a local store or Abundant Health. Amazon does sell a variety of roll-on bottles (like these for example), however, the reviews are hit or miss, so I'm not sure about the quality. 

For Aromatic Use (Diffusing in the Air):

• diffuser necklace (handy for personal use - these let you smell the oil on you for a few hours)
• cold-air diffuser (big enough to disperse in a medium-size room - I use the Home diffuser that came with my Premium Starter Kit)
• portable USB diffuser (for using in a car or on-the-go with your laptop - I use this one)

Directions 

Combine essential oils in a dark glass container with a tight-fitting lid, and store away from extreme heat and light. 

For topical use, dilute with your preferred amount of carrier oil (making sure to follow the minimum recommendations on the label) and give the bottle a shake to disperse the essential oils before you apply the mixture. I like to apply this diluted mixture on my wrists and behind my ears, but the bottoms of the feet work, too. Also, whenever I apply it topically, I always smell the oils too! A good way to do this is to put a tiny bit in the palm of each hand, cup your hands over your nose and mouth, and inhale deeply several times! 

For aromatic use, do not add any carrier oil to the blend. When you're ready, add 3-4 drops to a cold-air diffuser or 2-3 drops to a portable USB diffuser. This is an inexpensive, natural way to make any room smell wonderful and relaxing.

I'd like to hear from YOU!

What are your favorite all-natural resources for reducing stress and keeping calm?  

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P.S. Keep Reading! More Posts From The Rising Spoon:

30+ Ways to Relax and Calm Down When You're Feeling Stressed or Anxious

DIY Clay Essential Oil Diffuser Necklace

How to Make Lip Balm with Olive Oil (SO Easy)

MEDICAL DISCLOSURE: The information included on this website is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. None of the opinions expressed here are meant to diagnose or treat any disease or illness. You should always consult your healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for your own situation or if you have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan.