6 Best Essential Oils for Relieving Anxiety: Benefits, Uses, Recipes, and Precautions (Updated 2020)

About 40 million people in the United States suffer from anxiety disorders. At its core, anxiety is an emotion involving fear, apprehension, nervousness, and the anticipation that something bad might happen. While these are things that occur in the mind, anxiety also translates to physical symptoms like increased heart rate and sweating.

When you have a disproportionate reaction to a certain event or stressor, it’s possible that you might have an anxiety disorder. It’s best to make an appointment with a therapist to be sure, but just because you don’t have an official diagnosis doesn’t mean that you can’t find ways to deal with feelings of anxiety. 

If you feel overwhelmed or you sense that you’re about to have an anxiety attack, you can use one or a combination of the essential oils in Aroma Foundry’s Calming Collection. This collection includes six essential oils—all with properties that can help you relax, feel grounded, and avoid severe anxiety.

 

Calming Collection Essential Oil Six-Pack

 

Essential Oils for Anxiety Relief

All of the oils in the Calming Collection Essential Oil Six-Pack have the ability to help ease anxiety and induce relaxation. There are also a number of ways you can use the oils in order to keep yourself calm and keep symptoms of anxiety at bay.

Dealing with anxiety can be difficult, so it’s worth it to try different kinds of remedies.

anxiety reliefLooking for a way to leave your anxieties behind? Find the best essential oils for anxiety relief here.

 

Some essential oils are better than others at relieving anxiety. Of course, these essential oils aren’t good for relieving anxiety alone. They each have a host of other benefits that can also help you deal with a range of different issues.


1. Tangerine Essential Oil

Tangerines (Citrus reticulata) are known to have many health benefits. They don’t just make for a healthy and delicious snack, but they also have a long history that stretches back over a couple of millennia.

Tangerine essential oil is produced from the fruit peel via cold press extraction. Tangerine peels are considered to be medicinal as they have been found to be rich in compounds such as linalool, alpha-pinene, terpineol, myrcene, sabinene, nerol, and more.

The produced oil boasts of a citrusy, and sweet aroma, making it a great standalone oil and a refreshing inclusion in various essential oil aromatherapy blends.

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Rich with sedative properties, tangerine oil can help you relax, clear your mind, and focus on the task at hand.

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Using tangerine essential oil is definitely is healthy and effective. This oil has calming and sedative properties that can help relieve tension as well as relieve anxiety and nervousness.

Additionally, tangerine essential oil is also great for improving metabolism, getting rid of harmful microbes, relieving physical pain, reducing inflammation, and more.

But as with any essential oil, make sure to be careful when using tangerine oil. It can cause photosensitivity, so make sure to avoid applying it topically if you’re due to go out into the sun soon.

Related: Tangerine Essential Oils Benefits, Uses, and Recipes


2. Bergamot Essential Oil

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is perhaps best known for its fragrance. It is a fruit plant that resulted from cross-breeding lemon and bitter orange. It originated from Southeast Asia, though it has also been cultivated in Italy. In fact, the name “bergamot” comes from Bergamo, a city in Italy’s Calabria region.

Interestingly, it can take about 100 bergamot oranges in order to produce all of three ounces of bergamot oil. Fortunately, the effort it takes to produce the oil is well worth it. Bergamot essential oil has many beneficial active compounds, including linalool and linalyl acetate. It also has extremely effective sooting, analgesic, antispasmodic, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties.

While these are beneficial properties that lend bergamot oil many abilities and uses, another important thing about the oil is that it can also be soothing. Thus, it can be a great tool against anxiety and its symptoms.

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Regardless of what triggered your worry, bergamot essential oil can help calm your mind, slow down your heart rate, and soothe other physical symptoms of anxiety.

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Researchers have found that using bergamot oil is a great way to help decrease heart rate, given that increased heart rate is a symptom of anxiety. It has also been found that bergamot oil has anxiolytic effects comparable to those of diazepam, a type of medication known to induce calmness in those who take it.

Other than that, bergamot oil was also found to be able to reduce the production of corticosterone, a hormone involved in inducing stress responses.

Related: Bergamot Essential Oils Benefits, Uses, and Recipes


3. Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Ylang ylang (Cananga odorata) is best known for its flowers, which in turn are best known for their sweet, delicate fragranBecause of this fragrance, the flowers are used in making cosmetics and perfumes.

However, the best uses for ylang ylang aren’t purely for cosmetic purposes. Its essential oil, which is extracted from the flowers, is known for its fragrance as well as its medicinal and calming properties.

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With its active compounds, ylang ylang essential oil can help reduce stress and relieve anxiety in a safe and natural way. It’s also known to help lower blood pressure.

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Ylang ylang essential oil is full of potent active compounds, such as methyl benzoate, linalool, and sesquiterpenes, the last of which refer to compounds involved in the oil’s fragrance as well as its medicinal capabilities.

The best ways to use ylang ylang oil are topically and through aromatherapy. You can also simply inhale its aroma right out of the bottle. Just be sure to observe proper caution.

Related: Ylang Ylang Essential Oils Benefits, Uses, and Recipes


4. Lemongrass Essential Oil

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) is a tall grass that grows mainly in tropical and subtropical regions and commonly used in a variety of dishes. However, the plant goes farther than lending flavor to food. It also has uses in herbal medicine, skincare, and in repelling insects.

In India, people take fresh lemongrass leaves, crush them, and soak them in water used for washing hair and flushing toilets. The plant has a fresh, lemony scent that works well as a deodorizer and air freshener.

Aside from that, lemongrass oil can also be effective in relieving many types of body pain, managing symptoms of anxiety and stress, and inducing sleep.

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A tropical, lemony fragrance refreshes the mind and soothes the physical manifestations of stress. Deal with anxiety today with the help of pure lemongrass oil.

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Sleep is an important factor in managing anxiety. Anxiety can often lead to sleep deprivation, while sleep deprivation can also lead to a poorer ability to handle stressful situations. Thus, lemongrass oil can help beat this vicious cycle because it can help manage both problems. Using lemongrass oil in this situation is a lot like hitting two birds with one stone.

Related: Lemongrass Essential Oils Benefits, Uses, and Recipes


5. Patchouli Essential Oil

Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin or Pogostemon patchouli) is a plant that’s commonly found in Southeast Asia and other tropical regions. Though patchouli oil is often associated with hippies and the groovy 1960s, it actually has a much longer history.

Europeans considered patchouli oil to be a very valuable trade commodity, so much so that it was worth as much as gold. Meanwhile, in 19th century India, patchouli oil functioned as a moth repellent for fabrics and clothes. Eventually, the scent of patchouli oil became an indicator that a piece of fabric or garment came from Asia.

In modern times, patchouli oil is used in a wide range of products, like incense, perfumes, and personal care products.

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More than its reinvigorating fragrance, patchouli essential oil can also help boost your mood. This oil is great for aromatherapy, diffusion, and more!

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Of course, patchouli essential oil isn’t just fragrant. It also has antidepressant, diuretic, astringent, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties that enable it to have many other benefits. Some of these benefits can help manage symptoms of anxiety as well as emotional stress.

Patchouli oil is one of the more common essential oils used in aromatherapy. Its aroma can stimulate the production of serotonin and dopaminehormones that regulate mood and the brain’s reward centers.

Related: Patchouli Essential Oils Benefits, Uses, and Recipes


6. Mandarin Essential Oil

Mandarin oranges (Citrus reticulata) have been around for thousands of years, having been first cultivated in China and Japan. Mandarin oil has also been used for a long time, going back to 400 AD. The plant also made its way from East Asia to Europe, particularly Italy, which has become one of the biggest producers of mandarin oil.

According to traditional medicine, the peel of an unripe mandarin orange can treat a wide range of conditions, from hiccups to gastrointestinal disorders and liver cirrhosis.

Mandarin oil has also been found to be able to help manage symptoms of anxiety. It has sedative properties that can calm not just anxiety and stress, but convulsions and epilepsy as well. 

 

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With history backing up its medicinal properties, mandarin oil promises amazing benefits in relieving anxiety and more. Great for topical use and aromatherapy.

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So if you’re experiencing particularly bad anxiety symptoms, mandarin oil may be a good choice to help you calm down.

Mandarin oil can also help you get over insomnia. Insomnia or trouble sleeping can be a problem in itself, but it can also be linked to anxiety and stress. Anxiety over something can affect sleep, which can then lead to more anxiety when sleeplessness begins to affect you in various ways.

Related: Mandarin Essential Oils Benefits, Uses, and Recipes


Precautions

Even though the best essential oils are all-natural and come from verifiably good sources, that does not mean that you can use them in any amount you may deem suitable. As a general rule, it’s unsafe to use more essential oil than recommended or necessary.

The aroma of some oils may become too strong and overwhelming if you use too much, and you should also apply no more than a few drops of essential oil onto your skin to prevent negative effects.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it’s best to avoid using essential oils. While there is little evidence that essential oils are unsafe for pregnant women to use, there is also little evidence that it is safe. Thus, it’s best to avoid essential oils while pregnant until more conclusive information is available.

You also should not use oils on very young children, as their bodies have not yet developed enough to withstand the more potent effects of the oils.

Certain essential oils may also interfere with certain medications. If you have a health condition and are taking medication for it, you should first consult your doctor if you can safely use essential oils.

 

How to Use Essential Oils for Anxiety Relief

anxiety reliefThere are a lot of ways you can use essential oils to induce calmness and help yourself relax.

 

While every oil in this Six-Pack can work individually to help relieve anxiety, you can also have fun with discovering how they can work with each other. Each oil in the package has been chosen for their abilities to help manage anxiety, but they also have many distinct characteristics.

Thus, this Six-Pack isn’t just for anxiety. It can also provide you some relief for a wide range of other issues, like digestive problems, tense muscles, and more.

Take a look at the recipes below to see how you can mix and match the oils in the Six-Pack for the best results possible.

 

Calming Aromatherapy Blend

Aromatherapy is one of the best ways to fully enjoy the effects of essential oils. With the right combination of oils, you can induce a variety of effects like boosting energy, sharpening focus, and fostering creativity. You just need to make sure that you use oils with properties that can induce your desired effects.

For anxiety relief, you can try out different combinations of oils in our anxiety relief Six-Pack. You can start with this:

  • 4 drops of mandarin essential oil
  • 2 drops of lemongrass essential oil
  • 2 drops of ylang ylang essential oil

Here’s another possible combination:

  • 3 drops patchouli essential oil
  • 5 drops lemongrass essential oil
  • 2 drops ylang ylang essential oil

While you can use a diffuser, you can also go the steam inhalation route. Simply boil a pot of water and pour it into a large bowl. Add the essential oils and inhale the steam.


Easy Zen Room Spray

Sometimes, a quick fix for anxiety is necessary. You won’t always have the luxury of a diffuser, and it’s easier to simply spray a mixture around a room. You can mix a few essential oils with water and witch hazel in order to come up with with a room spray that can help you relieve symptoms of anxiety.

You can mix and match different essential oils in the Six-Pack until you come up with a combination you like. Until then, however, you can try this:

  • 6 ounces of distilled water
  • 2 ounces of witch hazel (preferably the paraben-free version)
  • 24 of drops tangerine essential oil
  • 12 drops of ylang ylang essential oil
  • 4 drops of bergamot essential oil

Take a glass spray bottle to mix the ingredients in. It’s best to use durable ultraviolet glass bottles, since this type of glass filters ultraviolet and infrared light in while blocking visible light. This can then extend the shelf life of natural products like Aroma Foundry’s essential oils.

If you don’t have a suitable ultraviolet glass spray bottle, you can find one with Infinity Jars.

Once you have a spray bottle, pour in the water first before adding the witch hazel. You can then add the essential oils into the mixture. Screw the cap on and shake the bottle until all the ingredients have mixed together. You can then spray the mixture around the room and wait for its relaxing effects to kick in.


Relaxing Essential Oil Roll-On

Essential oils can get a little messy. If, for example, you feel an anxiety attack coming on while you’re in a moving vehicle, uncapping a bottle of essential oil may be a little like tempting fate.

One way you can neatly apply your essential oil blend anywhere you are without the risk of a small mess is to use a roller bottle. You can make sure that you won’t use too much, and that the application of essential oils will remain neat.

Here are the things you’ll need:

  • 10 drops of tangerine essential oil
  • 7 drops of ylang ylang essential oil
  • 5 drops of patchouli essential oil
  • 3 drops of bergamot essential oil
  • 6 ounces of carrier oil (coconut oil or jojoba oil)

For this recipe, you’ll need an ultraviolet glass roller bottle, preferably with a stainless steel ball roller. The UV glass will protect the contents of the bottle since it keeps harmful visible light from filtering through. This can help extend the shelf life of the contents.

Infinity Jars has exactly the kind of bottle you need. It’s made of UV glass, and its stainless steel ball roller is guaranteed to be protected from the effects of essential oils.

You can now mix all the ingredients in the bottle. Apply the mixture onto your temples, on acupressure points, or any other spots you may think of.

Something you need to remember, however, is that the carrier oil in this recipe is vital. You should not apply more than a few drops of pure and undiluted essential oil onto your skin, as this can cause irritation or dermatitis. Carrier oils make sure that you’ll be able to apply the essential oils onto your skin without problems.

Find the ingredients you need for your recipes from our collection of 100% pure and all-natural essential oils!

 

Summary

Aroma Foundry’s Essential Oil Six-Pack for anxiety is like a box set of books. Each entry has its own personality, story, and set of characteristics, but they all drive to the same conclusion. There are ones that you like best, and others that you may not be too fond of, but without them the set is incomplete.

And like a good set of books, this Six-Pack is something you’ll keep coming back to.

Immerse yourself in a new world with Aroma Foundry’s Essential Oil Six-Pack for anxiety relief. Anxiety can be a very unpleasant thing, and it can also be quite difficult to deal with. However, with the right blend of essential oils, you’ll be able to find an effective way to keep calm and zen even in the most stressful of times.


References

  1. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety
  2. https://www.essentialoilhaven.com/how-to-use-essential-oils/#diffuser
  3. https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-tangerine-essential-oil.html
  4. https://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/bergamot-oil.aspx
  5. https://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/ylang-ylang-oil.aspx
  6. https://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/lemongrass-oil.aspx
  7. https://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/patchouli-oil.aspx
  8. https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-patchouli-essential-oil.html
  9. https://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/mandarin-orange-oil.aspx
  10. https://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/tangerine-oil.aspx

Author Profile

Fagjun Santos

Fagjun Santos is an avid reader who eventually decided to try her hand at writing her own stuff. After spending her teen years writing what can be considered to be Vogon poetry, she now writes things that aren't a pain to read. Her favorite Aroma Foundry scent is peppermint, with lavender coming in a close second.

  1. Overview
  2. Essential Oils for Anxiety Relief
    1. Tangerine
    2. Bergamot
    3. Ylang Ylang
    4. Lemongrass
    5. Patchouli
    6. Mandarin
  3. Precautions
  4. How to Use Essential Oils for Anxiety Relief
    1. Calming Aromatherapy Blend
    2. Easy Zen Room Spray
    3. Relaxing Essential Oil Roll-On
  5. Summary
  6. References