10 Essential Oils to Boost Your Confidence & Self-Esteem

Do you feel less confident than you would like to? You’re not alone.

For years, rates of depression have steadily risen both in the United States and around the world. According to a study conducted by the World Health Organization, approximately 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression and anxiety disorders. And it’s only become worse in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aromatherapy is an all-natural way to reduce levels of depression and anxiety while helping people build the confidence they deserve.

In this article, we’ll share the top essential oils for confidence based on real science, as well as some DIY recipes you can experiment with to find a confidence blend that works best for you.

But first, let’s talk about confidence.

Confidence vs. Self-Esteem

Confidence is defined as the quality of being certain that something can be achieved or will happen. Unlike self-esteem, which measures how we feel about ourselves overall, confidence specifically speaks to our competency at successfully achieving something.

Confidence isn’t something you have. It’s something you need to create. It’s based on your skill set and experience, and it’s improved through practice.

Low confidence can cause low self-esteem and vice versa. Still, it’s important to keep the difference clear in your mind because they are developed in different ways.

Why Confidence Matters

As mentioned above, confidence in your expertise in a certain area is one of the essential ingredients to success. And this is true in both your personal and professional life.

• Confidence helps us build healthy relationships with others.
• Confidence allows us to make better decisions about the future.
• Confidence creates the circumstances that make it more likely for us to get what we want out of life.
  

Studies have shown that those who are confident in their skills and abilities are more likely to be successful. They’re better positioned for success because they believe in themselves, which then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. At the same time, low levels of confidence can lead people into depression or even addiction.

How Essential Oils Help Build Confidence

The best way to build your confidence in doing something is to practice doing that thing. The more you do something, the better you get at it. This is true of writing, athletics, public speaking, and even meditating.

As you practice, your brain commits more and more of its work to muscle memory, allowing you to focus your thought cycles on higher-order levels of execution.

Essential oils and aromatherapy support this process by activating your smell receptors and sending signals to the limbic system—the part of your brain that manages emotions. When you inhale essential oils that positively affect what we call “the mood center” of the brain (specifically serotonin production), it helps keep those happy chemicals in balance.

Diffusing essential oils every time you practice a given task (e.g., meditation) can help remind your brain that it is time to switch gears and get more out of your practice.

Top 10 Essential Oils for Confidence

Here are the top 10 essential oils we’ve found that are most effective at building confidence:

1. Grapefruit essential oil

Grapefruit is one of our absolute favorite essential oils, for its fruity and refreshing aroma. It’s also one of the essential oils that is most effective at boosting confidence. Citrus oils have been shown to promote healthy cognitive functioning and emotional balance in animal trials and can help increase focus and clarity of thought in human trials.

Key Benefit:

• Calming & anti-anxiety. Grapefruit essential oil contains limonenes, which help to counteract the effects of cortisol, a hormone that gets released in response to stress. ^{1 2}
  

2. Sweet orange essential oil

With a composition that contains abundant amounts of essential fatty acids, vitamin C, and potassium, Orange and Sweet Orange oil has multiple benefits for both physical and mental health. It supports higher levels of confidence by soothing anxiety related to completing challenging tasks. This means that removing one of the practical roadblocks which often prevent people from trying and fully receiving the practice needed to develop confidence in an area.

Key Benefit:

• Anti-anxiety. Studies have tied orange essential oil to lower levels of anxiety among children during dentist appointments and women during labor. ^{3 4}
  

3. Cypress essential oil

Cypress oil is derived from the cypress tree, a type of evergreen conifer species. It is primarily known for its antimicrobial and antibacterial benefits when used topically with carrier oils. However some research has demonstrated a connection between cypress oil and lower levels of stress.

Key Benefit:

• Lower stress. Research has uncovered a link between lower levels of self-reported stress and negative thinking to participants who used a massage oil blend involving cypress, lavender, and sweet marjoram essential oils.⁵
  

4. Lavender essential oil

Lavender is often used to promote relaxation and serenity. In a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), essential oils like lavender were shown to reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and help people feel more positive about their lives in general.

Key Benefits:

• Promotes sleep. Insomnia is a widespread problem that hinders mood and holds us back from feeling confident. Studies have linked lavender oil to reduced levels of insomnia, leading to increased mood and daytime energy. ^{6 7}
• Anti-anxiety. Many studies have linked lavender oil to reduced levels of stress and anxiety among participants. In fact, in the studies cited above related to orange oil also demonstrated the same benefits among laboring women and dental patients when lavender oil was used. ^{8 9}
  

5. Sandalwood essential oil

Sandalwood essential oils are helpful because they promote relaxation and reduce stress. In one study, essential oils like Sandalwood were shown to improve sleep quality and increase feelings of cleanliness.

Key Benefits:

• Increased alertness. Studies have linked aromatherapy using sandalwood oil to activating the physiological signals of alertness, including higher pulse and perspiration. ¹⁰
• Anti-Anxiety. Though we still have much to learn, initial research has shown a promising link between sandalwood oil and lower levels of anxiety. ¹¹
  

6. Bergamot essential oil

Bergamot essential oils promote relaxation and reduce stress. Its aroma closely resembles Earl Grey tea, as it is also the herb used to create it. In addition, bergamot oil has been shown to improve mood and reduce anxiety in both animal and human trials.

Key Benefits:

• Boost happiness. Studies have linked bergamot essential oil to higher levels of seratonin and dopamine, key brain chemicals that regulate mood and motivation. ¹²
• Reduce fatigue. Another study found lower levels of fatigue among women who participated in an aromatherapy practice using bergamot oil. ¹³
  

7. Jasmine essential oil

Jasmine essential oil is known for its calming, uplifting effects, which can help build confidence. Stress reduction and other benefits of Jasmine are part of what makes this popular, with many people looking to build their skills through practice.

Essential oils high in a-pinene content, such as Jasmine, can also improve alertness, mood, emotional balance, and cognitive functioning. Unique to jasmine oil is its ability to help calm the nervous system without making you sleepy. It may make you more alert or awake, and many use it purely for its stimulant effect.

Key Benefits:

• Increased alertness. Studies have linked Jasmine oil to a natural, stimulating effect that makes us more alert, reduces depression symptoms, and enables us to pay attention for longer periods of time. Key factors in determining our likelihood to work on this. ¹⁴
• Anti-Anxiety. While this might sound at odds with the stimulating effect just mentioned, Jasmine has also been shown to have a calming, almost sedative effect. Similar to how stimulants can calm brain activity in ADHD patients, those facing anxiety can use Jasmine oil to achieve similar benefits without medical intervention. ¹⁵
  

8. Lemon essential oil

Possibly our favorite essential oil, lemon oil has been shown to reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Its fruity aroma provides a powerful confidence boost and supports one’s ability to handle stress.

Key Benefit:

• Improved mood. Studies have shown that lemon essential oil has a powerful effect on our mood, reducing feelings of anxiety and depression while increasing feelings of happiness. ^{16 17}
  

9. Ylang ylang essential oil

Essential oils high in benzyl acetate content, such as Ylang ylang, can help you feel less anxious and depressed. One of our favorite oils, ylang ylang oil is ideal when it seems like your stress has gone on for too long or if there are signs that this may be the case.

Key Benefits:

• Higher self esteem. Several studies have linked ylang ylang oil to high self esteem and lower levels of self doubt among research participants. ^{18 19}
• Relaxation. Ylang ylang is also a powerful sedative, with many studies connecting it to lower levels of blood pressure and heart rates among men.
  

10. Rosemary essential oil

Essential oils high in camphor content, such as Rosemary, can reduce stress and decrease emotional difficulties. Such effects enable you to break through cognitive barriers that might be holding you back from the practice and honing necessary to validate your confidence. Rosemary was shown to increase memory consolidation time and improve spatial navigation ability.

Key Benefits:

• Memory and concentration. Many studies have demonstrated a strong link between rosemary oil and higher cognitive functioning, including critical thinking, concentration, and memory by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine. ^{20 21 22}
• Stress relief. Studies also show Rosemary also provides powerful protection against stress, allowing you to stay calm in the face of anxious thoughts. ^{23 24 25}
• Energy and alertness. Studies have linked Rosemary oil to increases in levels of self-reported “freshness” and decreases in levels of reported “drowsiness.” This data was corroborated by physiological changes in heart rate and brain activity that correspond with higher levels of alertness. ²⁶
  

Essential Oil Recipes for Confidence

The best way to get the full value of essential oils is to blend your favorite essential oils into a mixture that fits your unique needs. Here are some of our favorite essential oil recipes.

The proportions listed below assume you are diffusing these blends in 4 fl oz of water. If your diffuser is a different size, adjust up or down accordingly.

You can also adapt any of these recipes for topical use by diluting them with a carrier oil like coconut oil.

Anti-Anxiety Essential Oil Blend

• 10 drops of lavender essential oil
• 10 drops of cypress essential oil
• 5 drops of sweet orange essential oil
• 5 drops of grapefruit essential oil
  

Self Confidence Essential Oil Blend

• 15 drops of ylang ylang essential oil
• 15 drops of lemon essential oil
  

Concentration Essential Oil Blend

• 10 drops of rosemary essential oil
• 10 drops of lavender essential oil
• 10 drops of sandalwood essential oil
  

Self Love Essential Oil Blend

• 15 drops of bergamot essential oil
• 15 drops of ylang ylang essential oil
  

Final Thoughts

Confidence is something that must be built through consistent practice and mastery. In his 2008 book “Outliers,” Malcolm Gladwell cites research indicating that it can take up to 10,000 hours of practice before one can become an expert at a given task.

But building confidence can be difficult when you are struggling with high levels of stress or tackling tasks that make you uncomfortable.

Thankfully, there are plenty of essential oils that help reduce stress, depression, and anxiety so you can devote yourself to the work of building confidence, expertise, and mastery in a given field. These oils have been shown to calm the mind, increase memory consolidation time, and improve spatial navigation ability.

The blends we’ve shared above can help you break through the cognitive barriers that might be holding your confidence back. If you’re struggling with confidence because of high levels of stress, these essential oil recipe blends might be just what you need.

We’d love to hear how this is working for you. Leave a comment below and tell us how essential oils are helping you to build your self-confidence.

1. Lv XN, Liu ZJ, Zhang HJ, Tzeng CM. Aromatherapy and the central nerve system (CNS): therapeutic mechanism and its associated genes. Curr Drug Targets. 2013 Jul;14(8):872-9. doi: 10.2174/1389450111314080007. PMID: 23531112. ↩
2. Costa, Celso A R A et al. “Citrus aurantium L. essential oil exhibits anxiolytic-like activity mediated by 5-HT(1A)-receptors and reduces cholesterol after repeated oral treatment.” BMC complementary and alternative medicine vol. 13 42. 23 Feb. 2013, doi:10.1186/1472-6882-13-42 ↩
3. Jafarzadeh, Mehdi et al. “Effect of aromatherapy with orange essential oil on salivary cortisol and pulse rate in children during dental treatment: A randomized controlled clinical trial.” Advanced biomedical research vol. 2 10. 6 Mar. 2013, doi:10.4103/2277-9175.107968 ↩
4. Rashidi-Fakari, Fahimeh et al. “The effect of aromatherapy by essential oil of orange on anxiety during labor: A randomized clinical trial.” Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research vol. 20,6 (2015): 661-4. doi:10.4103/1735-9066.170001 ↩
5. Kuriyama, Hiroko et al. “Immunological and Psychological Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage.” Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM vol. 2,2 (2005): 179-184. doi:10.1093/ecam/neh087 ↩
6. Angela Smith Lillehei, Linda L. Halcón, Kay Savik, and Reilly Reis.The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.Jul 2015.430-438.http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2014.0327 ↩
7. Faydalı, Saide PhD; Çetinkaya, Funda PhD The Effect of Aromatherapy on Sleep Quality of Elderly People Residing in a Nursing Home, Holistic Nursing Practice: January/February 2018 – Volume 32 – Issue 1 – p 8-16
   doi: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000244 ↩
8. Jafarzadeh, Mehdi et al. “Effect of aromatherapy with orange essential oil on salivary cortisol and pulse rate in children during dental treatment: A randomized controlled clinical trial.” Advanced biomedical research vol. 2 10. 6 Mar. 2013, doi:10.4103/2277-9175.107968 ↩
9. Rashidi-Fakari, Fahimeh et al. “The effect of aromatherapy by essential oil of orange on anxiety during labor: A randomized clinical trial.” Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research vol. 20,6 (2015): 661-4. doi:10.4103/1735-9066.170001 ↩
10. Heuberger E, Hongratanaworakit T, Buchbauer G. East Indian Sandalwood and alpha-santalol odor increase physiological and self-rated arousal in humans. Planta Med. 2006 Jul;72(9):792-800. doi: 10.1055/s-2006-941544. Epub 2006 Jun 19. PMID: 16783696. ↩
11. Kyle G. Evaluating the effectiveness of aromatherapy in reducing levels of anxiety in palliative care patients: results of a pilot study. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2006 May;12(2):148-55. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2005.11.003. Epub 2006 Mar 29. PMID: 16648093. ↩
12. Lv XN, Liu ZJ, Zhang HJ, Tzeng CM. Aromatherapy and the central nerve system (CNS): therapeutic mechanism and its associated genes. Curr Drug Targets. 2013 Jul;14(8):872-9. doi: 10.2174/1389450111314080007. PMID: 23531112. ↩
13. Watanabe E, Kuchta K, Kimura M, Rauwald HW, Kamei T, Imanishi J. Effects of bergamot ( Citrus bergamia (Risso) Wright & Arn.) essential oil aromatherapy on mood states, parasympathetic nervous system activity, and salivary cortisol levels in 41 healthy females. Forsch Komplementmed. 2015;22(1):43-9. doi: 10.1159/000380989. Epub 2015 Feb 19. PMID: 25824404. ↩
14. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tapanee-Hongratanaworakit/publication/41576755StimulatingEffectofAromatherapyMassagewithJasmineOil/links/0deec52676a247e8e2000000/Stimulating-Effect-of-Aromatherapy-Massage-with-Jasmine-Oil.pdf ↩
15. Kuroda K, Inoue N, Ito Y, Kubota K, Sugimoto A, Kakuda T, Fushiki T. Sedative effects of the jasmine tea odor and (R)-(-)-linalool, one of its major odor components, on autonomic nerve activity and mood states. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2005 Oct;95(2-3):107-14. doi: 10.1007/s00421-005-1402-8. Epub 2005 Jun 23. PMID: 15976995. ↩
16. Komiya M, Takeuchi T, Harada E. Lemon oil vapor causes an anti-stress effect via modulating the 5-HT and DA activities in mice. Behav Brain Res. 2006 Sep 25;172(2):240-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2006.05.006. Epub 2006 Jun 15. PMID: 16780969. ↩
17. KAMRANI, F., & NAZARI, M., & SAHEBALZAMANI, M., & AMIN, G., & FARAJZADEH, M. (2016). EFFECT OF AROMATHERAPY WITH LEMON ESSENTIAL OIL ON ANXIETY AFTER ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF REHABILITATION RESEARCH IN NURSING, 2(4 ), 26-31. https://www.sid.ir/en/journal/ViewPaper.aspx?id=599457 ↩
18. Gnatta JR, Piason PP, Lopes Cde L, Rogenski NM, Silva MJ. Aderência ao tratamento por estatinas e fatores associados em usuárias do Sistema Único de Saúde Aromatherapy with ylang ylang for anxiety and self-esteem: a pilot study. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2014 Jun;48(3):492-9. Portuguese. doi: 10.1590/s0080-623420140000300015. PMID: 25076278. ↩
19. Hwang JH. The Effects of the Inhalation Method Using Essential Oils on Blood Pressure and Stress Responses of Clients with Essential Hypertension. J Korean Acad Nurs. 2006 Dec;36(7):1123-1134. https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2006.36.7.1123 ↩
20. Moss M, Oliver L. Plasma 1,8-cineole correlates with cognitive performance following exposure to rosemary essential oil aroma. Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. 2012 Jun;2(3):103-13. doi: 10.1177/2045125312436573. PMID: 23983963; PMCID: PMC3736918. ↩
21. Hasselmo ME. The role of acetylcholine in learning and memory. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2006 Dec;16(6):710-5. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2006.09.002. Epub 2006 Sep 29. PMID: 17011181; PMCID: PMC2659740. ↩
22. Jimbo D, Kimura Y, Taniguchi M, Inoue M, Urakami K. Effect of aromatherapy on patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Psychogeriatrics. 2009 Dec;9(4):173-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1479-8301.2009.00299.x. PMID: 20377818. ↩
23. Smith TW, Houston BK, Zurawski RM. Finger pulse volume as a measure of anxiety in response to evaluative threat. Psychophysiology. 1984 May;21(3):260-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1984.tb02932.x. PMID: 6739667. ↩
24. McCaffrey R, Thomas DJ, Kinzelman AO. The effects of lavender and rosemary essential oils on test-taking anxiety among graduate nursing students. Holist Nurs Pract. 2009 Mar-Apr;23(2):88-93. doi: 10.1097/HNP.0b013e3181a110aa. PMID: 19258850. ↩
25. Atsumi T, Tonosaki K. Smelling lavender and rosemary increases free radical scavenging activity and decreases cortisol level in saliva. Psychiatry Res. 2007 Feb 28;150(1):89-96. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2005.12.012. Epub 2007 Feb 7. PMID: 17291597. ↩
26. Sayorwan W, Ruangrungsi N, Piriyapunyporn T, Hongratanaworakit T, Kotchabhakdi N, Siripornpanich V. Effects of inhaled rosemary oil on subjective feelings and activities of the nervous system. Sci Pharm. 2013 Apr-Jun;81(2):531-42. doi: 10.3797/scipharm.1209-05. Epub 2012 Dec 23. PMID: 23833718; PMCID: PMC3700080. ↩