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Top essential oils for women

Looking for the most useful essential oils for women? Most essential oils are multi-taskers, just as women are. Get the lowdown on your best oil choices choices and discover a fragrant world of self care that will benefit you for years to come!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make purchases I’ll get a (very) small commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure here.

My #1 Choice for women

Rose (Rosa damascene) 

First of all, rose is one of the most expensive oils on the planet. Some reasons for this include such factors such as:

  •  extremely low yield of the flowers ( 5 tons of flowers to make 1 liter of essential oil!)
  • supply and demand
  • region of export (Morocco, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Egypt)
  • its botanical origin ie., hybrid or individual species

Benefits of rose oil:

  • excellent for all skin types, it is often used in skin care.
  • rose has a reputation as an aphrodisiac, too.
  • female reproductive problems- endometriosis, infertility; anything to do with periods
  • abdominal cramps
  • circulatory conditions
  • scarring
  • premature aging of skin
  • depression, anxiety
  • stress & tension and all related conditions
  • antiviral

Need to know about rose

I get asked about the difference between rose absolute and rose otto regularly. Here’s the lowdown:

Rose Absolute

  • solvent extracted
  • mainly used for perfumery

Rose Otto

  • steam distilled
  • practitioners generally use rose otto for therapeutic treatments, especially for women

Both are very expensive. Both have a highly potent aroma, and may be used sparingly, allowing your investment to stretch further.

Rose is known as the queen of oils for women. Pregnancy friendly after 4 months.

To purchase rose oil: click here

My #2 Choice for women

Geranium (Pelargonim graveloens)

Benefits of geranium

  • mainly used for balancing hormones and supports adrenal function
  • used for various menopause symptoms
  • useful for dealing with PMS
  • Helps alleviate stress

Safety note on geranium

  • Caution: use highly diluted as this oil may irritate sensitive skin.

To purchase geranium essential oil: click here

Petitgrain (Citrus aurantium)

Petitgrain is distilled from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree. I’m pleased that petitgrain is becoming more known in the essential oil world.

This oil is a serious contender when it comes to helping women.

Benefits of petitgrain

  • used to ease anxiety
  • helps treat acne
  • insomnia
  • stress
  • mental fatigue

Above all, petitgrain smells wonderful, too.

Safety: Pregnancy friendly after 4 months.

To purchase petitgrain essential oil: click here

Women’s trio kit from Nature Notes

This kit is available in Canada for $50

Nature Notes Women’s Trio Kit contains Geranium, Petitgrain and Rose absolute (in jojoba) available for $50.

More top essential oils for women

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

If it seems like lavender is the most widely used essential oil on the earth, that’s because it is. It blends with almost every other oil and is often the first course of treatment for most problems. As a result, lavender is one of the world’s most popular and well known essential oils.

Safety: Lavender is pregnancy friendly after 5 months and children friendly.

Purchase lavender essential oil here

Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

If you are peri-menopausal or going through menopause, peppermint just might become your best friend. It’s cooling action is pretty instant and can provide relief during hot flashes. It is also very effective for easing tummy upsets and other digestive problems.

Safety:  Peppermint is not super pregnancy friendly, and using it when nursing will likely dry up your milk supply. Just FYI.

Purchase peppermint essential oil here

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Main uses for women include inhalation of ginger to combat nausea- either morning sickness or motion sickness. It can be used to manage pain, and also used for sore throat and/or sinus and respiratory issues.

Safety: Ginger may be irritating to your skin, so use it topically highly diluted into a carrier oil.

Purchase ginger essential oil here

Clary sage (Salvia sclarea)

Historically clary sage is a “go-to” oil for women. It is used for headaches, anxiety, and anything relating to the reproductive system. It has even been used for hysteria (yikes!) and throat infections. This oil is covered in more detail in the Aromatherapy for Women online course.

Safety:  Clary sage is not pregnancy friendly, but may be used during late stages of labour.

Purchase clary sage essential oil here

Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi)

This oil is most noted for women to help reduce cellulite and for weight loss. Furthermore, it is a lymphatic stimulant. Grapefruit is also widely used in skin care as an astringent, and for treating congested skin.

Safety: Grapefruit is pregnancy friendly, and child friendly. Most grapefruit oils are considered phototoxic, except for pink grapefruit.

Purchase grapefruit here

Interested in learning more about aromatherapy for women?

Sneak a peek at the online course that covers all the major issues for women:

  1. Stress
  2. PMS
  3. Infertility & miscarriage
  4. Pregnancy, labor and childbirth
  5. Menopause
  6. Weight management

Women the world over are signing up for this course! You can take it too.  For more details on the curriculum GO HERE

If you live in Canada, Nature Notes has several products that are made with women in mind.

Softly EO blend 5ml $15

Delicate Strength EO blend 5ml $14

Mellow EO blend 5ml $15

Rose Body Oil 120ml $40

Rose Hydrosol 60ml $10

Are you looking for Rose Absolute or Rose Otto? Both are available from Nature Notes as a custom order. Contact Deanna for current pricing. (Sorry, available in Canada only.)

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to take the place of medical diagnosis or care. Above all, if you have any conditions, including pregnancy, consult with your care provider before using any essential oils.

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Relaxing essential oil blends: high vs low budget blending

Do you love to use essential oils? Are you on a budget? Interested in saving money while investing in your oils?

Taking financial steps to accomplishing a debt free life is very on trend right now. This tells me a couple of things. First, people are still spending more money than they make. Second, many (if not most) don’t like the feeling of being held prisoner by their debt- and how much it is costing them. Sometimes I get customers who are very interested in purchasing some of my products, but end up stepping away, saying that they don’t want to make a credit card purchase to get it, and they don’t have the cash for it that day. I get it. And if someone is trying to stay on track with their budget, I always respect them for it. Does this make me a lousy salesperson? Maybe, but I can live with that.

This is one reason why I offer my clients a couple of pricing options, especially for custom orders. There is usually more than one way to achieve a desired goal, and the same is true for essential oil blends.

Before we get started with the recipes, you should know what some of the best essential oils for relaxing are. Here are some of my faves:

Relaxing essential oils

  • jasmine
  • chamomile (roman)
  • lavender
  • ylang ylang
  • vetiver
  • benzoin
  • lemongrass
  • bergamot
  • lemon verbena
  • marjoram
  • petitgrain
  • spruce
  • frankincense
  • rose
  • cedarwood

Let’s take a look a couple of essential oil recipes for a relaxing blend.

You have a couple of different ways to save here.

Simple, yet effective options

Option 1: You have the option of using fewer kinds of essential oils in your recipe.

This way you would only need to purchase a couple of oils to make your blend. For example, if your recipe calls for 4 or 5 different oils, maybe you only use 2 or 3 of them. Be sure to make your calculation adjustments accordingly to make the ratios work.

You can also make substitutions if you are experienced and understand what the oils will do for you. For example, use bergamot or petitgrain instead of neroli.

Also, I want to make a quick note here about global accessibility. If you live in a country that exports an oil you may be able to access it for less. For example, Canada exports several types of trees like cedarwood, fir and spruce. It might cost someone who lives in Morocco a bit more to get these. However, the same thing would also work in reverse. Morocco exports rose, and the people who live there can purchase it for much less than I can in Canada.

Option 2: You can use less expensive carrier oils.

Regarding topical applications: you can dilute the essential oils into a less expensive carrier oil. You should always dilute your essential oils into a carrier oil of some kind before applying them topically. You can save here, depending on what carrier oil you select. For example, instead of using jojoba, you could replace it with any combination of the following:

Low budget recipes

Budget relaxing recipe ideas (For the diffuser)

  1. cedarwood + lavender
  2. petitgrain + bergamot +lavender
  3. lemongrass + marjoram

Make the recipes

I often get asked by my students where they can get some of the ingredients needed to make the recipes. To help them (and maybe you too) I have searched the products that I would purchase myself on amazon to save you hours of looking and wondering about quality. Disclosure: If you click through and make purchases I’ll get a (very) small commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure here.

Budget relaxing recipe (topical)

Luxury recipes

Luxury relaxing recipe ideas (For the diffuser)

  1. roman chamomile + lavender
  2. frankincense + ylang ylang + rose
  3. jasmine + ginger

Luxury relaxing recipe (topical)

Bonus: alternate options in the middle of the road

Middle price point recipes

(For the diffuser)

  1. bergamot + frankincense + cedarwood
  2. petitgrain + lemon verbena
  3. marjoram + lemongrass

(topical)

Safety: consult with a qualified practitioner before using essential oils, especially if you have any health issues, including pregnancy.

Want more info?

Check out Carrier oils for Professionals online course here

Check out more details on how to blend essential oils here (part of Aromatherapy Foundational Concepts course) here

Quick Start to using Essential Oils book available here: soft cover and  kindle version

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How to choose your diffuser

how to choose your diffuser

Diffusers: what you need to know before you buy

You are thinking about getting a diffuser for your home or office. But what questions should you be asking? Before you decide what diffuser or nebulizer to purchase, you should consider the following:

  • auto shut off- this is a safety issue and should absolutely have this
  • appropriate room/square foot coverage
  • number of running hours before auto shut off
  • fan settings (allows more control for dispersing oils)
  • intermittent timing feature
  • lighting/color feature
  • quietness of machine
  • ultrasonic nebulizer vs. humidifier
  • manufacturer warranty
  • personal budget

Knowing some features available can help you decide what is important to you, based on how much you want to spend. You can get a fun machine for $40 or you can spend $200+, and many options in between. Be sure to check any reviews for the machines you are considering for purchase.
Whatever type of diffuser you decide to get, be sure to only use pure and natural essential oils- NOT any fragrance or perfume oils. REALLY important! You should have at least 2 or 3 different essential oils to rotate around when using your diffuser.

Nature Notes has a terrific selection of essential oil blends to choose from. They are high quality, pure (not diluted with vegetable oils) and affordable.

Check out pure essential oil blends by Nature Notes

Did you know? Nature Notes has an excellent selection of different types of essential oil blends available (ships within Canada).

Curious about how to blend your own oils? Check out the Learning Hub for courses on how to do this.

What are the benefits of a diffuser?

Good question, I’m glad you asked.
If you are dealing with any of the following, a diffuser can help: (depending on what you put into the machine)

  • cold & flu
  • allergies, airborne germs
  • respiratory issues
  • funny, weird smells in your kitchen or bathroom
  • help create environments to meet a desired goal, for example, sleeping, relaxing, studying, comforting etc.
  • it’s nice to have a pleasant aroma subtly making your life more beautiful

What are the cons of a diffuser?

If you live in a humid area, you may not want to run a diffuser for long periods of time. Keep a lookout for potential mold issues if you decide to use a diffuser in a wet climate. Also, some machines will not last you for years, especially if you run them hard. Check the manufacture’s warranty BEFORE you decide to purchase.

Where can you get a diffuser?

Now you can find various diffusers at home stores, natural health food stores. And, if all else fails, go to amazon.

No matter what type of diffuser or nebulizer you decide to get, make sure that you only put quality essential oil into it. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning (which you should regularly do).

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Cornflower hydrosol

Cornflower is also known by the name “Bachelor’s Buttons”, but the botanical name is Centaurea cyanus. These vibrant colored flowers are distilled to make the hydrosol. This particular hydrosol is quite versatile- one reason I wanted to make it available (in Canada only, sorry!).

Safety first: Although this hydrosol is suitable for babies, it should be avoided during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Shelf life: The average shelf life of this hydrosol is generally around 12- 14 months. It should be stored in a cook and dark place. Cornflower hydrosols may be purchased from boutique distillers, as they are not yet widely available. I find the aroma to be mildly earthy. It would blend well with rose or lavender.

Some of the uses for cornflower hydrosol include:

  • 1st aid applications:
    • eye compress for swollen, itchy eyes, or pink eye
    • compress for bruises (you could add witch hazel and lavender before topical application)
  • Skin care applications:
    • helps to fade scars
    • known to regenerate skin cells
    • known as a collagen booster for skin
    • use for dry skin
    • use for mature skin
    • use to shrink large pores
    • helps to tighten skin
    • helps to remove excess oils
  • Other applications:
    • use as a spray on bedding to aid sleep
    • add to a diffuser for babies
    • uplifting
    • cooling; use for hot flushes

In case you were wondering, I took the picture of cornflowers in bloom in my garden, summer of 2018.

References: Jeanne Rose, 375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols, Berkeley, CA: Frog, Ltd, 1999, 170.
Catty, Suzanne. Hydrosols, The Next Aromatherapy. Vermont: Healing Arts Press. 2001

For more information on other hydrosols, explore the profiles found on Aromaweb .