Longing. Desire. Intimacy. Love. Attraction. These words are associated with sexual arousal, immediacy and fulfillment. But what happens when libido wanes, leaving you and your partner feeling discouraged and perhaps embarrassed?
Libido is the Latin word for desire that Freud apparently expanded to have mental meaning. Use of the term has broadened in the current era. Regardless, living with low or variable libido affects relationships and self-assurance. The lack of desire, or inability to enjoy fulfilling sexual function, can be depressing.
Yet low libido, also known as hypoactive sexual desire, is not uncommon, affecting 25% of Americans, with just a bit more being women than men.
Why Essential Oils are good for Libido
Libido is similarly activated across genders. Arousal results from a complex of physiological and psychological interactions. These involve hormones, neurotransmitters, and a broth of nervous system actions that are part of the nature of sexual response.
Yet all that complexity does not matter a whit when libido lessens. Enter essential oils! There are oils that balance hormones, one vital requirement for an active libido. Others improve mood, helping you to feel confident. They stimulate circulation, assuring that sexual organs are bathed in desirous hormones. Added to all this, oils share wondrous aromas, enhancing the sensuality of the moment.
Best Essential Oils For Libido
1. Rose Otto Oil (Rosa damascena)
Rose is associated with love in its many layers. Its delicate petals and captivating sweetness mirror what you long for during intimacy. Fortunately, rose’s gentle nature offers stress relief because of the compound linalool. Tension fades, being replaced with happiness. Rose is a lovely tonic for female organs, enhancing anticipation and receptivity.
A randomized human subjects study published in 2015 concluded that rose improved sexual dysfunction for males living with major depressive disorders. One valuable finding is that subjects’ depression improved along with sexual function.
Add 6 drops of rose to a 120 ml bowl of warm water for a bedroom diffuser.
Best for: Promoting uplifted relaxation.
2. Jasmine Oil (Jasminum officinale)
One of the common names of the jasmine from which this oil is derived is Poet’s Jasmine. Whether you are attracted to sonnets or the lyrics of rap, poetry has been part of longing and arousal across millennia. Perhaps it is why this oil is the king among many.
Its ester compound linalool offers aphrodisiac traits by balancing female hormones, lifting mood, and arousing physical energy. The alcohol phytol is sedating, doing so without limiting physical ability, providing you with welcome confidence.
Create an intimate massage oil by blending 8 drops jasmine with 20 ml of grapeseed carrier oil.
Best for: Sensual desire with physical confidence.
3. Neroli Oil (Citrus aurantium)
Though this absolute is referred to as bitter orange, its traits are quite sweet for those in a loving frame of mind! The compound limonene reduces anxiety and insomnia, while boosting libido. Improved sleep aids with arousal as does a feeling of calm. The ester linalool releases nervous tension and reduces depression, further enhancing feelings of self-assurance.
Neroli aids in balancing reproductive hormones, as it reduces the level of stress hormones such as cortisol. This results in your overall receptivity to another’s longing.
Add 3 drops of neroli to a small cloth in a bottle; inhale periodically, especially when anxious.
Best for: Anxiety relief.
4. Clary Sage Oil (Salvia sclarea)
Clary sage’s mellow, earthy aroma conveys deep wisdom along with relaxation. The ester linalyl acetate acts on the pituitary gland, supporting balanced hormones in males and females. This happy balance encourages libido.
Clary sage improves life and sleep quality, factors affecting desire. Life and sleep benefits are described in a blended oil study of career women. Clary sage reduces cortisol levels and improves smooth-muscle relaxation, including uterine muscles. The reduction in overall stress and uterine muscle tension provides calm for loving moments.
For steam inhalation add 4 drops clary sage to a large bowl of hot water. Hold your face 7 inches from water with a large towel draping your head to capture aromas.
Best for: Balanced hormones.
5. Fennel Oil (Foeniculum vulgare)
Fennel, with its hint of licorice flavor, offers abundant benefits, including digestion support and feminine cycle regulation. These are related to trans-anethole, an ether present in fennel.
Fennel stimulates clear emotions as it relaxes muscular tension, providing a desirous balance for intimacy. Hormone balancing relieves premenstrual symptoms that interfere with togetherness.
Bathe with fennel during emotional swells associated with hormones. Blend 3 drops with 10 ml whole milk, dispersing in water.
Best for: Feminine hormone balancing.
Note: Has multiple cautions; please review before use and consult with your healthcare provider.
6. Sandalwood Oil (Santalum album)
When sandalwood is used to enhance arousal, you are calling on the sensual strength of mature trees with ancient lore. This oil balances testosterone in both genders. It contains santalol, a special compound that balances the brain hormones and neurotransmitters associated with attraction.
Sandalwood has sedating qualities that promote relaxation yet open you to retaining memory of special moments. Such peacefulness leads to enchanting intimacy.
Add 3 drops to 15 ml of his and hers shower gel to wash in the neurotransmitters of attraction!
Best for: Balancing the hormones of attraction.
7. Ylang ylang Oil (Cananga odorata)
Ylang ylang is a warm, sensual, exotic oil with amazing versatility. It is known for being an aphrodisiac. The oil contains calming esters, releasing emotional tension and stressors that quell intimacy. Its sedating effects in healthy men is reported in a human subjects controlled study published in 2013. The observed reductions in blood pressure and heart rate promote circulatory health, contributing to sensual fulfillment.
Add ylang ylang aroma to your living space to promote romance. Light two jar candles, allowing some melted wax to pool. Add 4 drops of oil to each candle, letting it continue to light your love life!
Best for: Aphrodisiac enhancements.
8. Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
Lavender lovingly reduces stress, supporting sound sleep that allows hormone levels to balance. Several healthy human volunteers had reduced saliva cortisol levels after smelling lavender. This finding is associated with fewer toxins, the sort that contribute to aches and pains that restrict intimacy.
More good news is that the esters in lavender lift mood, promoting emotional wellbeing. As worry decreases, muscular tensions release, opening the possibility for desire.
Add 3 drops of lavender to your lava stone bracelet, supporting you with continuous stress relief.
Best for: Reducing stress.
Best Essential Oils For Libido Recipes
Libido Loving Massage Oil
You’ve decided to have a romantic getaway. Just the two of you, far from responsibilities and distractions that interfere with intimacy. This massage oil supports your desire as it brings on relaxation and balancing, attuning you to mutual attraction and longing.
- A beautiful glass bottle.
- 60 ml passion flower carrier oil
- 12 drops lavender
- 10 drops neroli
- 7 drops ylang ylang
- 4 drops rose
- 3 drops sandalwood
Select a bottle befitting the sensual nature of this oil. Blend oils well.
Place a dab on your wrist pulse points as you prepare for your getaway. Add another dab once you reach your destination.
When the time is right, use this oil for a loving massage focused on large muscle groups such as arms, hips, and legs. This stimulates absorption and arousal.
Hormone Balancing Diffusing Jewelry
You may suspect that your hormonal balance varies. Regardless of your gender, stress, fatigue, and emotional factors affect hormones, including those that are central to sexual functions. This sniffed inhalation is for women and men. This recipe sets the stage throughout the day for special moments at day’s end or when you have time off from work.
- 30 ml carrier oil
- 3 drops lavender
- 2 drops clary sage
- 1 drops fennel
- 1 drops jasmine
Blend the oils well in the carrier oil.
Add a few drops of the blend to a lava necklace or bracelet, inhaling its balancing aromas throughout your day.
Arousal Tub Tonic For Two
Arousal is an interplay of senses, hormones, level of relaxation, and alone time! This recipe can be used in the shower as well as the tub. Regardless of the option you choose, please use caution as surfaces may become a tad slippery.
- 60 ml liquid castile soap
- 6 drops neroli
- 4 drops jasmine
- 3 drops rose
- 2 drops ylang ylang
- 2 drops sandalwood
Blends oils with the castile soap. Store in a glass jar, though place in a shatter proof container for tub or shower.
Use soap as you would a massage oil, providing each other with the gift of touch.
To Summarize
- Libido is sexual desire. When libido wanes or is low, it can affect relationships. Arousal is a complex mix of physical and emotional influences. These include hormone balance, stressors, life and sleep quality, as well as the ability to relax.
- Essential oils encourage libido through calming yet gently stimulating benefits. They balance female and male hormones, stimulate your circulation, boost mood, and increase confidence.
- Best essential oils for libido are clary sage, lavender, sandalwood, fennel, neroli, rose, ylang ylang, and jasmine.
- Tips for use include steam inhalation, massage oils, jar candle vaporizing, in shower gels, and as a personal inhaler.
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