The Rise of Wellness Rituals

The use of essential oil rituals in aromatherapy has seen a sharp rise in recent years, with people using the scents as a helpful emotional management tool.

Whether it's to calm stress and anxiety, boost energy levels or to promote better sleep, there are lots of ways essential oils can be incorporated into your daily routine.

Here we take a closer look at the growth of self care and wellness practices and give you some ideas you can easily adopt.

What is a wellness ritual?

Wellness rituals fall under the umbrella of self-care, giving you time and space to focus on improving your wellbeing.

More specifically, wellness rituals place an emphasis on integrating regular routines and practises that enhance your mental, physical and emotional health.

There are no rules or guidelines about what constitutes a wellness ritual, only what works best for you. It can be anything from creating a calmer bedtime routine or taking up more exercise, to managing your stress or removing things from your life that you believe are harmful to you.

Why has self-care become so popular?

One of the positives that people managed to take out of the pandemic era of the early 2020s is a greater attention to selfcare. Whether it’s managing our mental health or improving our all-round physical wellbeing, the UK has become something of a self-care hub.

According to Hearst – the publishers of magazines like Women’s Health and Men’s Health – 90% of the UK now recognise the importance of self-care and are taking active steps to incorporate new routines and habits.

During the pandemic, people had more time to focus on exercise, meditation and nutrition, with many coming to the realisation that they needed to change their work-life balance.

Even though many of us have since returned to our pre-pandemic lives and routines, the rise in self-care awareness has thankfully continued, helping countless people to enjoy a better quality of life.

Self care with essential oils

As more people discover the importance of self care, this has helped spark a growing interest in the wellness benefits provided by aromatherapy.

Of course, the use of essential oils to ease and uplift your mind is far from new, with cultures from around the world tapping into their potential hundreds of years ago.

If you are new to essential oils or are thinking of using aromatherapy for emotional wellbeing, here are a few ideas you can try.

Morning energising blends

If you find it difficult to get going in the morning, you may find that citrus can give you the natural, energising boost you need to embrace the day.

• 3 drops of sweet orange essential oil
• 4 drops of Peppermint essential oil

Add this mix to a diffuser or in a handkerchief or tissue so you can carry it around with you for mindfulness top ups through the day.

Evening wind-down products

Whether it’s to help you relax after a stressful day or to create a calming atmosphere before you go to bed, this simple blend should do the trick.

• 5 drops of lavender essential oil
• 3 drops of clary sage essential oil

If you are using the blend to improve your sleep, place a diffuser in your bedroom a couple of hours before you head in and let it release its vapours for no longer than 30-45 minutes.

Bath and body ritual sets

Adding essential oils to your bath time routine can do wonders for your mental health. Be sure to mix these with a carrier oil in the water to reduce the skin sensitivity risks.

• 3 drops Bergamot essential oil
• 3 drops Geranium essential oil
• 2 drops Mandarin essential oil

We also have a simple guide on how to make your own bath salts using essential oils, which you can read here.

Meditation and mindfulness scents

If you are looking for essential oil rituals that are ideal for meditation and mindfulness, but do not involve having to make blends, you could try:

• Meditation Essential Oil Blend: Our own blend combines lavender, thyme and ylang ylang oils to help you switch off your mind and move into a more meditative state.
• Root Chakra Essential Oil Blend: A blend of cedarwood, myrrh, patchouli and ylang ylang help to create a balanced root chakra to boost your overall health and wellbeing.

These blends are ideal for anyone who practises yoga or who incorporates meditation into their daily lives.

Final thoughts

Using aromatherapy for emotional wellbeing provides an easy gateway into the world of self care and focusing more on your all-round health.

The environments we live in have a huge impact on our physical and emotional state and essential oils give you the power to create the right atmosphere to suit your mood.

As always, we advise you to carry out a patch test if the oils are coming into contact with your skin, especially if you are using it for the first time.