Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Women

When used mindfully and safely, essential oils can greatly help support women's health and wellness.

The topic of aromatherapy for women is incredibly vast. Although this guide covers a lot of ground and discusses numerous topics of importance to women, it can't go into the depth that is really necessary. Where appropriate, this guide mentions books that I have reviewed and find especially helpful.

Medical Care and Qualified Guidance is Necessary

Essential oils and the information on this page should not be used as a substitute for the in-person guidance of qualified medical professionals and aromatherapy practitioners. If you have a medical concern that you have not yet discussed with a qualified medical professional, you should do that first and discuss your interest in incorporating complementary care including essential oils into your daily lifestyle.

Essential Oils for Women

I hesitate to provide a generic list of essential oils for "women" without explanation because no essential oil should be considered a miracle cure for all women's' concerns. Some essential oils are wonderful for skin care, others for pregnancy, others for menstrual or menopausal concerns, some are better for varicose veins, and other essential oils can be helpful for particular emotional concerns.

Having said that, there are a handful of essential oils that are more commonly referenced for their general benefit to women, and it is well worth the effort to learn about their particular uses, benefits and safety precautions for women's health:

Romance, Intimacy & Sexuality

Essential oils can play a special role in helping to enhance intimacy, ease stress that can lead to lack of libido and can help set the stage for romance. Although not written solely for women, AromaWeb's Guide to Essential Oils and Aromatherapy for Romance provides detailed information about using aromatherapy to support intimacy:

Skin Care & Beauty

I love to use essential oils, CO2 Extracts, absolutes, carrier oils, hydrosols, clays and natural exfoliants in my beauty rituals. Look to the Skincare, Beauty & Hygiene section of AromaWeb's Recipes area for a list of 25 free essential oil recipes. One of my favorite books with over 100 beauty and skin care recipes is the Aromatherapy Beauty Guide written by by Danielle Sade, BSc, CAHP, a reputable aromatherapy educator with extensive experience. View AromaWeb's Book Review of The Aromatherapy Beauty Guide.

Hormonal Balance

Hormones are chemical substances produced by the endocrine glands. Hormones affect the activity of other parts of our body. In essence, hormones serve as messengers, controlling and coordinating activities throughout the body. [Source: John E. Morley, MB, BCh, Saint Louis University School of Medicine. "Endocrine Function." Merck Manual, Consumer Version. Accessed: September 2, 2019.]

The glands within our endocrine system produces a number of hormones. For women, the key hormones often discussed are estrogen and progesterone. However, there are other hormones that can also impact women's health and emotional well-being. The Hormone Health Network provides a helpful index of hormones including estrogen and progesterone.

Aromatherapy for Menopause Success is a book written by Angelica Sidlo, a holistic aromatherapist. Although it focuses upon menopausal years, it is also very helpful in providing general insight into the hormones that impact women's health and how essential oils can play a part in helping to support hormonal balance.

Pregnancy

Aromatherapists, aromatherapy books and the public continue to debate which, if any, essential oils are safe enough to use during pregnancy. Some lean towards advising against the use of all oils during pregnancy, some towards advising that all oils are safe to use externally, and other opinions fall between both perspectives. View AromaWeb's Aromatherapy During Pregnancy article to learn more.

Labor

For detailed information about using essential oils safely to support labor, look to the Aromatherapy for Labor and Delivery chapter of Pam Conrad's evidence-based book Women's Health Aromatherapy and to the book Aromatherapy and Herbal Remedies for Pregnancy, Birth and Breastfeeding by Demetria Clark.

Postpartum Concerns

The postpartum period can feel like an emotional rollercoaster for many women. Postpartum depression can be very serious and shouldn't be taken lightly. Pam Conrad's book Women's Health Aromatherapy is evidence based and provides a helpful chapter on postpartum aromatherapy that goes well beyond the brief information that I can provide here.

PMS and Menstrual Pain

PMS and menstrual discomforts can dramatically impact the quality of life for many women. Look to AromaWeb's Menstrual Cramp Recipe that you can try to help ease the discomfort of cramps. For more detailed information, look to the Aromatherapy for Menstrual Discomforts and the Aromatherapy for Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) chapters of Pam Conrad's evidence-based book Women's Health Aromatherapy

Menopause

Hot Flashes, night sweats, weight fluctuations, depression and loss of libido are just a few of the challenges that women can face when going through menopause. Aromatherapy for Menopause Success by Angela Sidlo provides 180 pages of information, blends and recipes that help women to use essential oils to help support their wellness and minimize the discomforts associated with menopause.

Emotional Well-Being

When realistically and carefully used as a complement to appropriate medical care by qualified medical practitioners, particular essential oils have the potential to greatly assist women in supporting emotional wellness. View AromaWeb's Aromatherapy for Emotional Well-Being guide to learn more.

Weight Loss

When used in conjunction with your doctor's recommendations, the mindful use of essential oils have the potential to greatly support your weight loss plan and help to keep your motivation and willpower up. There are many essential oils that can assist with underlying issues that contribute to weight gain and difficulty maintaining a healthy weight. For more information, refer to the Aromatherapy and Weight Loss guide.

Book Recommendations

For more information regarding essential oils for women and related topics, consider the following books:

Aromatherapy and Herbal Remedies for Pregnancy, Birth and Breastfeeding

Author: Demetria Clark
Summary: This beautifully printed book provides a solid overview and background of aromatherapy and herbalism, safety information and a large selection of herbal remedies and aromatherapy recipes for use (as the name states) during pregnancy, birth and while breastfeeding.

Aromatherapy Beauty Guide, The

Author: Danielle Sade, BSc, CAHP
Summary: The Aromatherapy Beauty Guide is an indispensable, necessary book for everyone interested in making effective, natural skin and hair care products for personal use. While this invaluable book isn't exclusively oriented towards women (it even offers a chapter on personal care products for men), it includes many formualtions well suited for women and includes a chapter on products for mothers and mothers-to-be.

Aromatherapy for Menopause Success

Author: Angela Sidlo
Summary: Angela Sidlo has prepared a book that focuses upon the use of essential oils to help support fluctuating hormones and the symptoms/challenges that women face during peri/menopause. What a helpful book and resource this is for those of us facing this special stage in our lives.

Aromatherapy for Women

Author: Maggie Tisserand
Summary: Topics of interest to women and mothers are covered, and recipes are offered in many cases.

Women's Health Aromatherapy

Author: Pam Conrad, PGd, BSN, RN, CCAP
Summary: Women's Health Aromatherapy is a must-have guide and educational resource written especially for nurses and practitioners that desire to effectively and safely utilize aromatherapy to support women's health. Well organized and clearly written, it is also helpful and suitable for reading by non-professionals.

Alchemy of Menopause, The

Author: Cathy Skipper
Summary: I'm looking forward to adding a book review of The Alchemy of Menopause to AromaWeb as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can go to Amazon to view details and purchase (AromaWeb will earn a small affiliate commission if you use this link to make a purchase (thank you!).

For a more expansive list of aromatherapy publications,
visit AromaWeb's Book Shelf section.