If you’re anything like me, you let stress and procrastination get on top of you. I have to dedicate days to cleaning my room and organising different aspects of my life. One of the things I like to do while I’m doing those things is put my diffuser on and let the essential oils do their thing. 

I always think it gives the whole room a clean and relaxing feeling, especially after everything’s spotless and in the right places. 

When I first discovered diffusers, I used them as a tool to help me wind down before bed and so I used a ton of lavender oil which is great for relaxation and sleep. But I wanted to venture further and test out the effects of the different scents.

Lemon

To me, when I smell lemon, I think “clean”. There’s a reason why I’m not wrong and that’s because lemons are great disinfectants and are known to cleanse and purify. Lemon oil is actually the most antimicrobial of all the essential oils because of this. Other benefits of the delicious citrusy smell is that it can boost your energy from it’s invigorating stimulant and can enhance your mood. No wonder it’s called “liquid sunshine”. 

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a very popular ingredient known for its purifying and cleansing abilities. It’s often used in balms, massage blends and of course, aromatherapy. Eucalyptus oil can help to cleanse the air around you and creates a relaxing and refreshing feeling which is why it’s in my top 3 favourite scents to use. Whenever I singularly have eucalyptus oil in my diffuser, I know that I’m doing my day right.

Peppermint

Again, another really refreshing scent that can be used to stimulate yourself. The minty menthol is known to reduce pain and energise you. I always think that those really fresh scents like peppermint immediately wake you up. Think about those early winter mornings when you step outside and the cold hits your face. That’s always the way I think about peppermint essential oil – but with a lot more love.

Be careful with how much you use and how often because the constant stimulation can impact your sleeping pattern. 

Grapefruit

enhancing a sense of energy, helping to manage stressful and anxious feelings, and helping to manage feelings of discomfort experienced from stiffness and aches.

My love for the smell of grapefruit came from a popular grapefruit infused gin that I found working behind the bar. I knew I immediately needed it in my essential oil collection because of its fresh and fruity smell. Unlike some other fruit scented oils, grapefruit is a little subtler but still enhances your energy which can help anxious feelings. It can also assist with any aches or stiffness that you’ve been experiencing which may help you get off your bum and do something.

Ginger

Ginger oil is otherwise known as the “oil of empowerment” based on its ability to boost your confidence. It targets any stress, sadness, fatigue, anxiety and all those things that stop you from wanting to get up and start your day. Ginger is not only special as an essential oil and has many other benefits for your skin, hair and even in your digestive system – though I don’t recommend drinking any essential oils. 

Lemongrass

To put it simply, lemongrass is the essential oil you want to use when you’re feeling achy or unwell. It helps to relieve pains and digestive issues, eliminate bad bacteria and even help with flu symptoms like a high temperature. Therefore lemongrass will help you to feel better so that you can be more productive!

Jasmine

Jasmine is used as an all round positivity booster. It increases the oxygen in your blood and so helps you feel more alert, energetic and even a little bit romantic. Jasmine can help to increase your mood and just feel so much better.

Basil

The warm floral scent of basil has been described as uplifting and calming. It can energise, clarify, stimulate and lift your mood like no other. It’s crispness also repels any unwanted insects (great if you have any houseplants) and can soothe headaches. It is a great combination with other essential oils like grapefruit, lemon, ginger and lavender all mentioned above.

Rosemary

Rosemary was said to have been used in ancient times to help with memory improvement. Though this may be only partly true, it does boost your mental activity, improve alertness and help with your concentration – which may in turn help your memory! Like many of the others, rosemary also soothes and encourages a clearer mind. It’s also a bonus that it’s really good for your respiratory function, which you know, is good because you’re breathing it in. 

So have a play around, buy a mixture of them and even try some different combinations of two, three or more to see what you think boosts your mood and productivity.

You can buy one of my favourite essential oil brands on Amazon here.