Which Essential Oil is Best for Sleep? (try this recipe tonight)
By Karen Williams · August 21, 2021 · 4 min read
Frankincense quiets the overthinking
Frankincense is one of the best essential oils for sleep, especially if your sleeplessness is the thinking kind. You know the pattern. Your body is tired, but your mind keeps circling the same worry, and there you are at midnight, staring at the ceiling. Frankincense helps people feel relaxed and eases those cycles of overthinking. It is calming for the nervous system, which is exactly what a racing mind needs when the lights go out.
Roman chamomile makes it a blend
Frankincense works on its own. Roman chamomile blends well with it, and the two together might be one of the best sleep blends I have used. Both oils calm the nervous system and ease cycles of stress and circling thoughts. They also soothe that restless, high-strung feeling that keeps you tossing in bed. The bath salt below pairs four drops of frankincense with one drop of Roman chamomile.
Drift To Sleep Bath Salt
Make this blend in a 1 oz (30 ml) glass jar.
- 1 oz (28 g) Pink Himalayan salt
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Castile soap
- 4 drops Frankincense essential oil (Boswellia carterii)
- 1 drop Roman Chamomile essential oil (Chamaemelum nobile)
Pour the salt into the jar first. Add the drops of essential oil to the Castile soap, then stir everything into the salt with a glass rod.
Any salt works here. I choose pink Himalayan for its nutrients. One note about the soap. Castile soap mixed with salts can sometimes harden the salt. If you would rather leave the soap out, use a carrier oil like jojoba instead.
When you are ready for bed, pour the entire jar into a warm bath. The warm water relaxes and releases muscle tension, and the oils ease that tension further.
No bathtub? Fill a basin with warm water, add the whole jar of bath salt, and settle in for a long foot soak before you climb under the covers.
At bedtime
On nights when your thoughts start looping at lights out, frankincense also works in a diffuser or a bedtime body oil. Roman chamomile suits the nights when body and mind are both wound tight, either in this bath salt or blended into a carrier. It has a traditional use for anxious feelings, and the 3 Chamomiles anxiety roll-on post shows how it pairs with German and Cape chamomile.
For the fuller answer, the essential oils for sleep field guide pulls the research, the safety notes, and several ways to use each oil into one place.
Common questions
Which frankincense should I use?
The recipe calls for Boswellia carterii. That is the species I reach for in this blend.
Can I skip the Castile soap?
Yes. Castile soap can sometimes harden the salt. Leave it out and stir the essential oils into a carrier oil like jojoba instead.
What if I do not have a bathtub?
Use a warm foot bath. Add the entire jar of bath salt to a basin of warm water and soak your feet before bed.
Learn frankincense inside and out
If frankincense has earned a permanent spot on your shelf, the Frankincense Essential Oil Spotlight course goes deep. It covers safe use, clear breathing, a natural incense recipe, the science behind the oil, and when frankincense hydrosol is preferred over the essential oil.
Sleep well.
Lead instructor and face of Aromahead. Karen has taught tens of thousands of students to blend with confidence, from first drop to clinical practice.
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