The Best Essential Oils for Stress Relief and How to Use Them

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Are Essential Oils, Exactly?Top Essential Oils for Stress ReliefHow to Use Them Most EffectivelyOther Ways to Naturally Lower Your Stress

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Are Essential Oils, Exactly?

Top Essential Oils for Stress Relief

How to Use Them Most Effectively

Other Ways to Naturally Lower Your Stress

Close

We live in stressful times, and everyone is feeling it for different reasons. There’s the pressure of work,finances, complex relationships, political upheaval, climate change, the list goes on and on.

Read on to learn about their benefits, the top essential oils for stress relief, things to keep in mind and be cautious of, and how to get started.

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Most people have heard of essential oils—Maybe strong wafts of patchouli in a blissed-outyogastudio come to mind—but you may be less familiar with how essential oils and aromatherapy can actually be beneficial from a therapeutic standpoint.

It’s possible you have already written off essential oils for stress relief due to their more “woo-woo” connotations. In truth, the power of essential oils can certainly be overstated, but that doesn’t mean they hold no benefit.

These oils are concentrated plant extracts, also known as volatile oils, derived from a plant’s leaves, bark, seeds etc. They are highly potent distillation of a plant’s active chemical constituents, thus increasing their therapeutic potential. While the science is inconclusive, these oils likely offer a variety of antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects.They can also quell stress and anxiety.

Not all essential oils are the same, so we’ve broken down the top essential oils for stress relief.

Lavender Essential Oil

Bergamot Essential Oil

Bergamot is a fresh citrusyscentwith deep herbal undertones. Beloved for itsanti-inflammatoryand antioxidant properties, it is often recommended for stress relief. In fact, a 2022 study found bergamot oil to be especially helpful in alleviating symptoms ofdepressionamong postpartum women.

Lemongrass Essential Oil

Notes of lemon and rose make lemongrass a dreamy scent for stress relief. A 2015 study found that just a few drops of lemongrass oil made an impressive drop in symptoms ofanxiety.

Neroli Essential Oil

For something bright anduplifting, reach for Neroli. This oil smells like honey, citrus, and flowers, which is all to say it smells like a warm spring day. Not only is neroli effective for de-stressing – it can also relieveanxiety and sensations of pain during childbirth.

Orange Essential Oil

Something to keep in mind is that while many different essential oils can help with stress relief, they all have their own unique advantages. “For example, the orange essential oil is known to alleviate symptoms ofdepression,” shares Faith.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

A recent study found ylang ylang essential oil to be effective in decreasing symptoms of anxiety in mice. This study is revelatory, providing convincing evidence that this oil could reduceanxietysymptoms in humans.

Frankincense Essential Oil

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There are two main ways to use an essential oil: applying it to your skin so it can be absorbed (usually with a carrier oil), or inhaling it via diffuser or placing a bottle under your nose.

Inhalation

Topical Use

Finally, youcanopt to use essential oil topically, but you’ll want to keep a few important safety tips in mind. First, make sure you read the packaging to ensure it is an oil that can be used on your skin. Because these are highly concentrated substances, many plant chemicals can irritate or burn your skin.

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While there’s great evidence that essential oils can turn down stress, some may have scent sensitivities or just may not feel called to essential oils for stress relief. There are plenty of other ways you can decrease stress naturally.

While there is merit in using essential oils, meditation, breathwork, and a supportive community to decrease stress, sometimes we need a bit more. If that’s how you’re feeling, consider reaching out to a therapist for more support. We have plenty of resources onhow to find a therapist,ways to afford therapy, and ourfavorite online therapy platforms.

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7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pezantes-Orellana C, Bermúdez FG, Cruz CMD la, Montalvo JL, Orellana-Manzano A.Essential oils: a systematic review on revolutionizing health, nutrition, and omics for optimal well-being.Frontiers in Medicine. 2024;11:1337785.Sattayakhom A, Wichit S, Koomhin P.The effects of essential oils on the nervous system: a scoping review.Molecules. 2023;28(9):3771. doi: 10.3390/molecules28093771Chen ML, Chen YE, Lee HF.The effect of bergamot essential oil aromatherapy on improving depressive mood and sleep quality in postpartum women: a randomized controlled trial.J Nurs Res.2022;30(2):e201. DOI: 10.1097/jnr.0000000000000459Goes TC, Ursulino FRC, Almeida-Souza TH, Alves PB, Teixeira-Silva F.Effect of lemongrass aroma on experimental anxiety in humans.J Altern Complement Med. 2015;21(12):766-773.Scandurra C, Mezzalira S, Cutillo S, et al.The effectiveness of neroli essential oil in relieving anxiety and perceived pain in women during labor: a randomized controlled trial.Healthcare. 2022;10(2):366. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10020366Agarwal P, Sebghatollahi Z, Kamal M, et al.Citrus essential oils in aromatherapy: therapeutic effects and mechanisms.Antioxidants. 2022;11(12):2374. doi: 10.3390/antiox11122374Borgonetti V, López V, Galeotti N.Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata (lam. ) hook. F. & thomson) essential oil reduced neuropathic-pain and associated anxiety symptoms in mice.J Ethnopharmacol. 2022;294:115362. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115362

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Pezantes-Orellana C, Bermúdez FG, Cruz CMD la, Montalvo JL, Orellana-Manzano A.Essential oils: a systematic review on revolutionizing health, nutrition, and omics for optimal well-being.Frontiers in Medicine. 2024;11:1337785.Sattayakhom A, Wichit S, Koomhin P.The effects of essential oils on the nervous system: a scoping review.Molecules. 2023;28(9):3771. doi: 10.3390/molecules28093771Chen ML, Chen YE, Lee HF.The effect of bergamot essential oil aromatherapy on improving depressive mood and sleep quality in postpartum women: a randomized controlled trial.J Nurs Res.2022;30(2):e201. DOI: 10.1097/jnr.0000000000000459Goes TC, Ursulino FRC, Almeida-Souza TH, Alves PB, Teixeira-Silva F.Effect of lemongrass aroma on experimental anxiety in humans.J Altern Complement Med. 2015;21(12):766-773.Scandurra C, Mezzalira S, Cutillo S, et al.The effectiveness of neroli essential oil in relieving anxiety and perceived pain in women during labor: a randomized controlled trial.Healthcare. 2022;10(2):366. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10020366Agarwal P, Sebghatollahi Z, Kamal M, et al.Citrus essential oils in aromatherapy: therapeutic effects and mechanisms.Antioxidants. 2022;11(12):2374. doi: 10.3390/antiox11122374Borgonetti V, López V, Galeotti N.Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata (lam. ) hook. F. & thomson) essential oil reduced neuropathic-pain and associated anxiety symptoms in mice.J Ethnopharmacol. 2022;294:115362. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115362

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Pezantes-Orellana C, Bermúdez FG, Cruz CMD la, Montalvo JL, Orellana-Manzano A.Essential oils: a systematic review on revolutionizing health, nutrition, and omics for optimal well-being.Frontiers in Medicine. 2024;11:1337785.Sattayakhom A, Wichit S, Koomhin P.The effects of essential oils on the nervous system: a scoping review.Molecules. 2023;28(9):3771. doi: 10.3390/molecules28093771Chen ML, Chen YE, Lee HF.The effect of bergamot essential oil aromatherapy on improving depressive mood and sleep quality in postpartum women: a randomized controlled trial.J Nurs Res.2022;30(2):e201. DOI: 10.1097/jnr.0000000000000459Goes TC, Ursulino FRC, Almeida-Souza TH, Alves PB, Teixeira-Silva F.Effect of lemongrass aroma on experimental anxiety in humans.J Altern Complement Med. 2015;21(12):766-773.Scandurra C, Mezzalira S, Cutillo S, et al.The effectiveness of neroli essential oil in relieving anxiety and perceived pain in women during labor: a randomized controlled trial.Healthcare. 2022;10(2):366. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10020366Agarwal P, Sebghatollahi Z, Kamal M, et al.Citrus essential oils in aromatherapy: therapeutic effects and mechanisms.Antioxidants. 2022;11(12):2374. doi: 10.3390/antiox11122374Borgonetti V, López V, Galeotti N.Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata (lam. ) hook. F. & thomson) essential oil reduced neuropathic-pain and associated anxiety symptoms in mice.J Ethnopharmacol. 2022;294:115362. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115362

Pezantes-Orellana C, Bermúdez FG, Cruz CMD la, Montalvo JL, Orellana-Manzano A.Essential oils: a systematic review on revolutionizing health, nutrition, and omics for optimal well-being.Frontiers in Medicine. 2024;11:1337785.

Sattayakhom A, Wichit S, Koomhin P.The effects of essential oils on the nervous system: a scoping review.Molecules. 2023;28(9):3771. doi: 10.3390/molecules28093771

Chen ML, Chen YE, Lee HF.The effect of bergamot essential oil aromatherapy on improving depressive mood and sleep quality in postpartum women: a randomized controlled trial.J Nurs Res.2022;30(2):e201. DOI: 10.1097/jnr.0000000000000459

Goes TC, Ursulino FRC, Almeida-Souza TH, Alves PB, Teixeira-Silva F.Effect of lemongrass aroma on experimental anxiety in humans.J Altern Complement Med. 2015;21(12):766-773.

Scandurra C, Mezzalira S, Cutillo S, et al.The effectiveness of neroli essential oil in relieving anxiety and perceived pain in women during labor: a randomized controlled trial.Healthcare. 2022;10(2):366. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10020366

Agarwal P, Sebghatollahi Z, Kamal M, et al.Citrus essential oils in aromatherapy: therapeutic effects and mechanisms.Antioxidants. 2022;11(12):2374. doi: 10.3390/antiox11122374

Borgonetti V, López V, Galeotti N.Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata (lam. ) hook. F. & thomson) essential oil reduced neuropathic-pain and associated anxiety symptoms in mice.J Ethnopharmacol. 2022;294:115362. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115362

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