Floral + Fir Mood Boosting Lotion Recipe!
Let’s make a calming, mood boosting lotion with essential oils!
The components in these four essential oils (including linalool and limonene) have been studied for their mood-boosting benefits. They help relax the body and inspire warm, positive feelings—making this recipe a real luxury after a long day.
It has a rich, floral, earthy-sweet scent laced with light evergreen notes.
First I’ll share the mood-boosting lotion recipe, then I’ll discuss the science behind the oils!
Floral + Fir Mood Boosting Lotion
1 oz (28 g) Natural, unscented lotion
3 drops Douglas Fir essential oil (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
3 drops Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
2 drops Neroli essential oil (Citrus aurantium var. amara)
2 drops Patchouli essential oil (Pogostemon cablin)
Put the lotion into a 1oz (28 g) jar.
Add the essential oils and stir well with a glass stirring rod (or the handle of a stainless steel spoon).
Use your mood-boosting lotion to soothe your hands throughout the day or as an all-over body moisturizer.
This lotion can calm you down and boost your spirits, and when you’re ready for some deep, restorative sleep, check out this Stress Relieving Sleep Blend from The Aromahead Blog.
Let’s talk about the mood-boosting components in this lotion!
Douglas Fir essential oil
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Douglas Fir is a conifer oil with a fresh evergreen aroma. It contains bornyl acetate, a natural ester component that’s been shown to help the body feel relaxed—even after working at a computer terminal.
Lavender essential oil
Lavandula angustifolia
Lavender oil is a classic for relaxation—and for good reasons! It’s rich in both linalool and linalyl acetate, two molecules proven to calm stress and anxious feelings. When they work hand-in-hand, they enhance each other’s effects! Lavender oil has even performed well when tested against a common drug for anxiety.
Neroli essential oil
Citrus aurantium var. amara
Like Lavender, Neroli oil contains linalool. It also offers limonene, a mood-boosting component that helps lift the spirit out of low energy and chronically sad feelings. The combination of linalool and limonene makes Neroli one of my top oils for feeling calm and happy!
Patchouli essential oil
Pogostemon cablin
In a 2002 study, people who inhaled Patchouli oil saw a decrease in their sympathetic nervous system activity (which means their stress response was decreased). This is possibly due to the high presence of sesquiterpenes in the oil, such as the unique component patchoulol.
Moisturize and smile as often as you like!
The more you use your mood-boosting lotion, the better you’ll feel.
REFERENCES
Akhlaghi, M., Shabanian, G., Rafieian-Kopaei, M., Parvin, M. and Saadat, M. (2011) Citrus aurantium blossom and preoperative anxiety. The Brazilian Journal of Anesthesiology 61, 6, 702-712.
Chen, Y.‐J., Cheng, F., Shih, Y., Chang, T.‐M., Wang, M.‐F., and Lan, S.‐S. (2008) Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine 5, article 18. Cited by Dobetsberger, C. and Buchbauer, G. (2011) Actions of essential oils on the central nervous system: an updated review. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 26, 5, 300-316.
Haze, S., Sakai, K. and Gozu, Y. (2002) Effects of fragrance inhalation on sympathetic activity in normal adults. Japanese Journal of Pharmacology 90, 247-253.
Ito K, Ito M. (2011) Sedative effects of vapor inhalation of the essential oil of Microtoena patchouli and its related compounds. Journal of Natural Medicine 65, 2, 336-43.
Linck, V.M., da Silva, A.L., Figueiró, M., Caramão, E.B., Moreno, P.R.H. and Elisabetsky, E. (2010) Effects of inhaled linalool in anxiety, social interaction and aggressive behaviour in mice. Phytomedicine 17, 679-683.
Matsubara E, Fukagawa M, Okamoto T, Ohnuki K, Shimizu K, Kondo R. (2011) (-)-Bornyl acetate induces autonomic relaxation and reduces arousal level after visual display terminal work without any influences of task performance in low-dose condition. Biomedical Research 32, 151-157.
Woelk, H. and Schläfke, S. (2010) A multi-center, double-blind, randomised study of the Lavender oil preparation Silexan in comparison to Lorazepam for generalized anxiety disorder. Phytomedicine 17, 2, 94-99.
