At the end of a busy day, it’s important to make time to relax and unwind. It can seem like a hard task to accomplish when you already have to divide your after-hour time with friends and family.

There are many physical, mental and spiritual benefits that come from ‘me time’. Just to name a few benefits – reduced stress, reboot your brain, better work-life balance, improve concentration, relationships and sleep.

Continuing to ignore our personal wellbeing can also have a negative impact on our mental and physical state. This is because of our stress hormone level increase. This can increase the risk of sleep disturbances, irritability, depression, anxiety, higher systolic blood pressure just to name a few.   

Although there are many ways you can enjoy time to yourself, we are always keen to introduce and highlight the benefits of essential oils paired with simple breathing techniques.

Here are our 5 favourite essential oils to aid you in unwinding after work.

1) Neroli

Neroli is an Essential oil from the flowers of the bitter orange tree, it has a sweet floral aroma, and has been used to ease anxiety and promote calm. 

2) Chamomile

Chamomile contains apigenin, an antioxidant that binds to certain receptors in your brain that may promote sleepiness and a night of deeper sleep. It’s also said to reduce anxiety. 

3) Ylang Ylang 

Some have connected Ylang Ylang to reducing blood pressure, although we cannot confirm this for certain, we do recommend introducing Ylang Ylang into your self-care routine or in your meditation ritual to help reduce stress and unwind.

4) Sandalwood

There are various types of sandalwood trees that contain sandalwood oils. Sandalwood has been thought to aid both physical and mental health. This is because Sandalwood has been commonly used to alleviate anxiety.

5) Lavender 

Lavender has been used for many years when it comes to winding down before bed. After a busy day, we can find ourselves continuing to think about work and other worries. Lavender is a great way to begin to put your mind at ease letting yourself drift into a peaceful sleep.  

Now we get on to how to use aromatherapy

To reap the benefits of essential oils you must inhale through the nose, or you must absorb them through the skin (but make sure you don’t use an irritate or sensitising oil on your skin!).

One of the most common ways to absorb essential oils is in a warm, soothing bath at the end of our day. The nice thing about a bath is you can picture it as your big mixing pot and add whichever essential oils you prefer and simply relax, enjoy and reap the benefits.

Another handy method is lighting up an candle, this way you can set the mood in your room, and continue to go about your activities whilst making a conscious effort to breathe deeply and relax along with the scent taking over.

*TOP TIP* Lighting a candle is a good way to create the habit of transitioning your mindset. For example, when you go home, it can be tricky to leave work behind, and dedicate yourself to your family. Use your Balm every time you are spending quality time with your family, and when you’d like to transition after work. Simply light your candle and let your subconscious mind do the rest of the work.

Massage oils and creams can be double soothing. A simple massage can relax your muscles, improve circulation and physical tension. Essential oils can be tough on the skin, so make sure you have a good carrier oil before applying directly on to your skin. If you’d like to make it simple, check out our DE-STRESS Wash & Lotion duo it comes with all the Essential oils in our DE-STRESS Range including Chamomile, Neroli and Mandarin, but with Jojoba Oil formula to soothe as well as Sweet Almond Oil and Sunflower Oil condition and moisturise the skin.

You can also just as easily smell essential oils from our Wellbeing Ritual Balms, either from the Balm itself or from the application to the wrists, temples or behind the ear.