Popular in aromatherapy, essential oils are fragrant oils extracted organically from a variety of plants. In addition to a pleasant aroma, the best essential oils are a lovely addition to your everyday routine.
What is the best essential oil? Read on for our top 10 must-have essential oils.
1. Peppermint Oil
What is the best essential oil, you say? We think peppermint oil provides the perfect combination of positive effects, fragrance, and price. It has a distinctive scent - one you already know. It’s minty and refreshing, and it reenergizes the tired mind with menthol and menthone.
It has a bright, icy cool aroma that feels invigorating throughout the day. It sharpens focus, helping with concentration.
You might have seen that it’s already used in many hair products to thicken and nourish. Add a few drops to your shampoo to see the effects for yourself.
Do you agree with our list of best smelling essential oils? Let us know in the comments below!
2. Lavender Oil
Just missing out on the top spot, lavender oil is possibly the most popular oil on this list - and with good reason. It has a herbal-type scent, reminiscent of fresh flowers. It’s one of the best fragrance-enhancers, blending well with almost every other essential oil. If you’re creating your own perfume, then add a drop of lavender to improve it.
Lavender oil is not only one of the best aromatherapy oils, but also seems to be an essential oil on steroids. It has so many benefits that they’re almost uncountable. It's often used to freshen and clean surfaces around the home.
Use with caution if allergic to mint.
3. Jasmine Oil
Jasmine oil is one of the more luxurious on this list of best essential oils. It has a rich and exotic scent, sweet, floral, and faintly fruity. It is slightly more expensive due to its difficulty to extract, however, the price difference is justified by its benefits.
Many people like to diffuse it in the evening to wind down before bed.
4. Lemon Oil
Like the fruit from which it derived its name, lemon oil is another tangy and zesty scent. It feels somewhat brighter than the sweet orange oil, appearing to clean the air in which it drifts. It has a startling effect on your mood, lifting you up and making you feel cheery and full of life.
It's also a favorite in skincare routines for its scent.
It’s antibacterial and antiseptic, making it a brilliant disinfectant - it’s often used in household cleaners.
5. Eucalyptus Oil
Definitely not for the faint-hearted, eucalyptus oil is one of the most powerfully pungent oils there is. There’s a slight mintiness to it, a touch of pine, and a dash of honey. Inhaling it feels bold and bracing, leaving you revitalized and invigorated.
The scent is certainly strong, but there is nothing better at freshening a room than eucalyptus oil. It also doubles as a natural insect-repellent, reducing your chances of being stung.
6. Sweet Orange Oil
As you can probably imagine, sweet orange oil has a zesty smell. It’s a tangy citrus scent that leaves you feeling cheerful and energized. Simply inhale deeply and feel the woes of the day flood from your body. It flushes anxiety from your system, leaving you revitalized and refreshed.
It’s best used in shower products as it can be irritable for the skin if left for too long.
Due to the strength of the fragrance, it’s great for use around the house. Maybe you can create your own air freshener, filling your home with an energy-giving aroma.
Sweet orange oil is best used when diluted with a carrier oil, in a 1:1 ratio.
7. Rosemary Oil
Bergamot has a faint citrus smell, not quite as pungent as orange, but teasing something far more complex. It appears to have a floral base layer, with a hint of spice. It’s highly regarded in the perfume industry because of its ability to blend naturally with other oils, creating more intense aromas. In particular, orange, rosemary, and jasmine mix well with bergamot.
Bergamot is phototoxic, so avoid sun exposure after applying it to the skin. This means that exposure to the sun can damage the skin where the oil has been applied. Cover up when outdoors to avoid this.
8. Bergamot Oil
Bergamot has a faint citrus smell, not quite as pungent as orange, but teasing something far more complex. It appears to have a floral base layer, with a hint of spice. It’s highly regarded in the perfume industry because of its ability to blend naturally with other oils, creating more intense aromas. In particular, orange, rosemary, and jasmine mix well with bergamot.
Bergamot is phototoxic, so avoid sun exposure after applying it to the skin. This means that exposure to the sun can damage the skin where the oil has been applied. Cover up when outdoors to avoid this.
9. Cinnamon Oil
Much like the spice, the fragrance of this oil contains a unique contrast of sweet and tangy. The scent fills you with a musky warmth, appearing to be both distantly exotic, yet homely and familiar at the same time.
Cinnamon is one of the oldest essential oils, with Ancient Egyptians using it for medicinal purposes over 3,500 years ago. It was only available to the elite for a long period of time.
Today, it’s easy to obtain, yet its qualities remain unchanged. It's a brilliant natural preservative that's remained popular for its rich, warm scent.
10. Rose Oil
Rose oil is possibly the sweetest smelling essential oil there is. A delicate blend of velvety creaminess and exotic sensuality makes this one of the best aromatherapy oils. It works well when combined with jasmine oil as the two complements each other.
Great in perfumes, rose oil is potent, so you don’t need to use too much. Aside from the rich scent, there are numerous other advantages to using rose oil. It's also a popular choice in skincare products.
Health warning: With all of our best smelling essential oils, we advise to test for a reaction with one or two drops on the skin, before using more.
