15 Calming Essential Oils That Create Feelings of Peace and Contentment

Inside: How to use calming essential oils to help support your emotional well-being. This includes using essential oils for sleep and calming essential oils to help us relax not just in the evening, but throughout the day!

For a moment, my husband and I collapsed into the couch the other night. Staring out into space, my mind went numb for a bit thinking about the things I should be doing. I blinked a few times bringing myself back to the moment; then looked to my husband and whispered, “I’m exhausted.”

He nodded looking back at me. “I know…we both are.” And yet, there we were picking ourselves up off the couch to clean the house, get more work done and rush to prepare for the following day. It was seven o’clock, and it felt impossible to calm down, relax and enjoy the evening.

Then I realized something.

We’d gotten off track with using essential oils. We live in a society that operates at a dizzying pace. Between work and kids and activities and the nagging notifications on our smartphones, our brains literally sprint from the moment we wake, until the moment we either collapse or pass out.

This is the BIG reason we’ve turned to essential oils to help support our emotional well-being. This includes using essential oils for sleep and calming essential oils to help us relax not just in the evening, but throughout the day!

Our family has used essential oils for over four years now — ever since we took the leap and grabbed a young living starter kit (Best decision of our lives!).

Using these calming essential oils showed us that we CAN live in a state of peace and contentment and that we do. not. need. to live in a state of constant stress and go-go-go.

You can enjoy.

You can relax.

You can feel peaceful.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to feel that way?! Especially now. So…I’ll start with the single oils we love, followed by the blends we love, and then I will show you the two different ways you can use your calming essential oils for maximum effect.

Best calming essential oils – singles.

1. Patchouli

This oil is strongly grounding and centering. It’s very high in sesquiterpenes, which means it has the power to relax the emotional center of the brain, support emotional equilibrium and energize the mind. I do not care for the smell at all, so we will mix it with a citrus oil or lavender to create a more appealing scent. This should be applied topically or diffused.

2. Spearmint

This is such a stimulating scent, but it also helps relax the respiratory and nervous system. This is powerful is you feel like you’re in what I like to call “go-go-go mode.” Slowing your breathing down is one of the most powerful things you can do to relax your body. Spearmint can also help open and release emotional blocks (watch out for the tears here) and bring about a feeling of balance.

3. Neroli

The oil is to die for! But it’s also very expensive. The oils here are all a variety of price ranges, so everyone can find something to suit their budget. Here’s why neroli is worth looking into: It was used by the ancient Egyptians to support your body’s natural healing of the mind, body and spirit. It is stabilizing and strengthening to the emotions, promoting peace, confidence and awareness. It brings everything into focus!

4. Lavender

This essential oil is highly regarded for the variety of ways it can be used. I often joke that if you don’t know what to use, try lavender. When it comes to calming essential oils, this is the best (and most basic) starting block. Best part is that it can be used on all ages! Plus the smell here is very appealing to most. 

5. Rose

Oh Rose!!! This has the highest frequency among essential oils. It creates a sense of balance, harmony and well being and elevates the mind. It creates a magnetic energy that attracts love and brings joy to the heart. This is also the most expensive oil you can buy. The only time I buy it is around Valentine’s day when it goes on sale for 10% off.

6. Bergamot

This is such a lovely scent that balances hormones, calms emotions and supports the natural release of anxious feelings, stress and tension. This is an oil I find most men love and it’s also very affordable.

7. Ylang ylang

If you’re looking for a calming essential oil that covers all your bases — calming, relaxing, stress relieving and supporting healthy sleep — this is your essential oil. This oil supports relaxation, balances male and female energies and restores confidence and equilibrium. And again, if you find an oil that you aren’t in love with scent-wise, just add a citrus oil, mint oil or lavender.

8. Lemon

The perfect calming essential oil for morning. I LOVE to start my morning by diffusing lemon and spearmint. Also super helpful for getting kids moving and motivated for school. This oil is stimulating, invigorating and promotes a deep sense of well being. A 1995 Mie University study found that citrus oils helped support the body’s natural ability to relax.

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9. German chamomile

This oil is great because it has an electrical frequency that promotes peace and harmony creating a feeling of security. The oil is not so great because I think it stinks to high heaven. Even if you enjoy chamomile tea (which I do!) this is a very potent smell. Young Living Essential Oils are 100 percent pure with standards higher than organic. It’s the Seed to Seal promise. That said, this oil is highly valuable for relaxation. I just put this one on my feet and cover with socks 🙂

10. Melissa

One more final single essential oil to try is Melissa. It brings out gentleness. Because of its powerful effect on the limbic part of the brain (the center of emotions and memory) it is highly calming and balancing to the emotions.

Related: 17 Most Powerful Essential Oils for Stress Relief

Best calming essential oils – blends.

All the singles above are quite a lot of oils! By the time you’re done mixing and blending your favorite ones, you may feel like you’re running a magic potion factory in your kitchen. This is why I love blends! They contain many of the oils listed above AND they are formulated by Gary D. Young who knows his stuff when it comes to pairing and blending calming essential oils for the ultimate relaxing experience.

11. Peace and Calming

This blend promotes relaxation and a deep sense of peace and well-being, helping to dampen tensions and uplift spirits. When massaged on the bottom of the feet, it can be a wonderful prelude to a peaceful night’s rest. It may have a wonderful calming effect on your children too (wink).

12. Joy

Ahhhh, this oil is SO GOOD! It produces a magnetic energy to bring joy to the heart, and this is no joke. I’m not a cryer at all, and after applying this oil I am much more tender-hearted and warm towards everyone (my husband and kids are very appreciative of this oil). I’ll even find myself getting chocked up while listening to music in the car. It also inspires romance and helps support your body’s ability to overcome sadness. Contains rose, bergamot, mandarin, ylang ylang, lemon, geranium, jasmine, palmarosa, roman chamomile, rosewood.

13. White Angelica

Increases the aura around the body to bring a delicate sense of strength and protection, creating a feeling of wholeness in the realm of one’s own spirituality. Its frequency neutralizes negative energy and gives a feeling of protection and security. Perfect for little ones who need reassurance. This is why most, who use this calming essential oil, apply one drop to each shoulder. It’s like a protective shield. This blend contains ylang ylang, rose, melissa, sandalwood, geranium, spruce, myrrh, hyssop, bergamot, rosewood. 

14. Forgiveness

If you’re carrying a lot around with you (i.e. emotional baggage), it will stand straight in the way of you feeling calm and relaxed. This blend helps you to release hurt feelings, insults and negative emotions. It also helps release negative memories, allowing you to move past emotional barriers and attain higher awareness, assisting you to forgive and let go. Contains rose, melissa, helichrysum, angelica, frankincense, sandalwood, lavender, bergamot, geranium, jasmine, lemon, palmarosa, roman chamomile, rosewood, ylang ylang.

15. Stress Away

This calming essential oil blend combines stress-reducing and relaxing properties. With vanilla and lime as central components, Stress Away also features copaiba and lavender, which are known to reduce mental rigidity. Using Stress Away regularly can lead to a more balanced mentality, restoring your equilibrium and creating a calming effect. LOVE the smell. Did you know something can be labeled as fragrance and contain up to 300 chemicals? Stress away is perfect to use in as a natural alternative to perfumes and fragrance. Contains copaiba, lime, cedarwood, lavender, vanilla, ocotea.

You have 15 awesome calming essential oils that you know about, but how in the world do you use them?

How to apply calming essential oils.

There are three ways to use essential oils in general: internal (i.e. ingestion), aromatic and topical application. For emotional support or seeking relaxation, you wouldn’t ingest an essential oil, so I’m not going to there. I’ll just focus on diffusion and topical application.

Topical.

For the kids, I will take 1-3 drops of essential oil and blend it with 1 tsp of olive oil or coconut oil. This is the dilution I use for kids ages 1 and above. For myself and my husband, I will take 1-3 drops of essential oil and blend it with 1-3 drops of olive oil or coconut oil.

Then I apply the essential oils to the back of my neck, bottoms of feet or inside of the wrists. Allow a few minutes for the essential oils to absorb a bit. I will usually take any leftover oil, rub it between my hands, cup over my nose and inhale. This is immediately relaxing. 

You can also make your own roller blends, which is very convenient. I will put about 20-30 drops of essential oil into roller balls like this and then fill the remaining space with fractionated coconut oil, jojoba oil or grapeseed oil. 

Here are some supplies I’ve grabbed off Amazon in the past: Roller bottles, jojoba oil, and spray bottles. Please know that essential oils should only go in dark blue or amber glass bottles because they protect the oil from light. Plus, essential oils break down petrochemicals in plastics, degrading the bottle. 

Aromatic.

You can put essential oils into the palms of your hands, rub them together, cup over your nose and take several deep breaths. That is one way to use essential oils aromatically. Another way–and also my preferred method–is to use a diffuser. I typically put 5-7 drops of essential oil into a diffuser and let it run for a few hours. If you’re putting the essential oil into a diffuser with water, then you can run continuously. 

Where to buy calming essential oils.

There are new essential oil companies popping up everyday, but I’ve used Young Living from the beginning and I wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s because Young Living is the only essential oil company to control the entire process–from planting the seeds all the way to distilling and bottling the essential oil. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s part of their Seed To Seal Guarantee.

More than any other essential oil company, I trust Young Living. When you’re putting oils on those you love the most, trust means everything.

Remember any essential oil company can label something as 100% therapeutic grade and have it contain less than 5% of actual essential oil — the rest is just chemical filler and it’s often dangerous. With Young Living, you know you’re really getting 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oil. 

If you’re looking for calming essential oils that will support your emotional well-being, help your mind relax throughout the day, and help you let go of the “go-go-go mode,” check out my getting started guide for essential oils and grab my BIG freebie special. Here’s to more relaxing and less stressful days!

Want more on essential oils?

• 7 Essential Oils for Sleep That Will Support a Healthy Night’s Rest
• 25 Life-Changing Essential Oil Hacks for Busy Moms
• The Most Cost Effective Chemical Free Make Up Solution 

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