Essential Oils for Chakra: Heal and Balance with Aromatherapy

• Chakra healing & oils
• How to apply?
• For 7 chakras
• Root
• Sacral
• Solar plexus
• Heart
• Throat
• Third eye
• Crown
• Science
• Safety measures

Aromatherapy or the use of essential oils to soothe your mind has been one of the most recommended forms of relieving stress and tiredness. In recent years, the use of essential oils for chakra healing has also been in trend and is said to be extremely beneficial. 

Alongside other methods like yoga, meditation, a healthy diet, and using stones, applying essential oils is one of the most versatile ways for chakra balancing. These essential oils are being used in perfumes, diffusers, incense, makeup, bath salts, etc by practitioners all over the world.

In this article, we will see how effective essential oils are and know which essential oil can be used for each chakra.

Essential oils significance in chakra healing

Essential oils are concentrated oils extracted from plants through a careful distillation process. Due to their active molecular composition, they are easily absorbed by the skin and can influence your mental and emotional wellbeing.

Since each chakra has unique vibrations and energy flow, there are bound to be imbalances or blockages due to multiple environmental factors. Essential oils play a pivotal role in maintaining the balance of chakra. Be it through massages, bathing, along with or essential oils therapy, practitioners and healers have been using them in multiple ways to calm and soothe the chakra. This helps in stimulating the energy flow thereby removing any imbalances in the chakra.

How to apply essential oils for chakra healing?

There are many ways of using essential oils. For chakra healing, you can choose to apply essential oil using one of the below ways.

1. Massage – Mix essential oils with a carrier oil to massage on each chakra location. For every one teaspoon of carrier oil (coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, etc.) put 2-3 drops of chakra-related essential oil in it.

2. Bath –  Start using essential oils during your bath twice or thrice a week. You can use anywhere between 8 to 10 drops of essential oil in warm bath water and let them work their magic in removing any imbalances in your chakra. Have a bath before your meditation session for enhanced relaxation and improved focus.

3. Diffusers – Mix at least 5 drops of chakra essential oil in a diffuser for direct inhalation. This is one of the best forms of working with essential oils to remove imbalances and blockages in your chakra. Keep this diffuser in your meditation or yoga space to enhance the benefits of activating, balancing, and cleansing the chakras.

4. Blends – By mixing different essential oils in carrier oils and applying them topically, you can effectively create an essential oil chakra blend to reduce the effects of imbalanced chakras.     

Best Essential oils for 7 Chakras

1. Root chakra (Muladhara) – Patchouli, Cinnamon
2. Sacral chakra (Svadhishthana) – Ylang Ylang, Geranium
3. Solar plexus chakra (Manipura) – Neroli, Lemongrass
4. Heart chakra (Anahata) – Lavender, Rosewood
5. Throat chakra (Vishudhaa) – Eucalyptus, Peppermint
6. Third eye chakra (Ajna) – Sandalwood, Rosemary
7. Crown chakra (Sahasrara) – Palo Santo, Lotus

1. Root Chakra

• Name in Sanskrit – Muladhara
• Location – Tailbone, base of the spine
• Chakra Color – Red
• Chakra healing focus – sense of security, belonging, self-respect, trust, connection to earth, survival, pleasure, stability

Unbalanced symptoms – When your root chakra is unbalanced, you will sense an emotional and bodily disconnection. Feelings of resentment and mistrust will be enhanced. Due to lack of energy, you will feel isolated. Eating disorders, substance abuse, closed-mindedness, and overthinking are some other symptoms of the unbalanced root chakra.

Balanced symptoms – A balanced root chakra make you feel safe and secure along with being grounded. An increase in physical energy will improve your vitality. Feelings of happiness, excitement, motivation, and courage will enhance your self-esteem, integrity, and will to live. A balanced root chakra will make you stress-free and passionate.

Essential oils for root chakra

Root chakra essential oils have an earthy aroma which can help calm down the chakra and make you feel grounded. Frankincense, Cedarwood, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Balsam Fir, and Pine are some of the oils that have grounding effects.

For different root chakra symptoms, you can use the following essential oils;

• For activating underactive root chakra – nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper 
• For calming down overactive root chakra – patchouli, vetiver
• For root chakra balancing – bergamot 

Out of all the above, we recommend these three essential oils for root chakra:

1. Vetiver – Also known as khus oil, its earthy smoky scent is apt for grounding and anchoring yourself. It is effective in calming an overactive root chakra, therefore, aids in reducing irritability, restlessness, and anger. It enhances clarity, mind-body connection, and helps you find the purpose of life.

2. Patchouli – One of the most common essential oils to be used for balancing the root chakra, Patchouli is an excellent aid in grounding. Its musky and earthy fragrance removes any feelings of not belonging, isolation and fear by making you feel stable, peaceful, abundant, and aids in personal growth. It is also beneficial for people having sexual issues or women with gynaecological issues. 

3. Frankincense – It is also linked to the crown chakra, hence it not only has grounding effects but also promotes a calm mind. Frankincense assists in getting your mind out of the past and making you live in the present. Its woody & citrusy scent help in warding away feelings of fear, isolation, and anxiety.

How to use root chakra essential oils?

The best way to use the root chakra essential oils is to have a foot massage, specifically at the sole of your feet. It will provide a balance to the root chakra and stimulate a sense of groundedness and stability.

Moreover, you can apply essential oils on the lower back, where the root chakra is located.

2. Sacral Chakra

• Name in Sanskrit – Svadhishthana
• Location – Below the navel
• Color – Orange
• Chakra healing focus – creativity, self-confidence, endurance, relationships, passion, enjoyment, emotional balance, pleasure, sexuality, sensuality.

Unbalanced symptoms – Feelings of insecurity, confusion, shame, emotional detachment are some of the common symptoms of an unbalanced sacral chakra. You may become doubtful, experience loneliness, anxiety, and feel that your life has become stagnant. Moreover, underactive chakra can bring you a lack of creativity and overwhelming feelings.

Balanced symptoms – A balanced sacral chakra will instil abundance, fulfilment, joy, and empowerment in your life. You will have better relationships with people, enhanced creativity, along a healthy emotional balance. Better and improved sexual health is also one of the key effects of a balanced sacral chakra.

Essential oils for sacral chakra

Bergamot, Gardenia, Rose, Lemon, Geranium, are some of the best known essential oils for the sacral chakra. The citrusy and fruity scent of these essential oils associates well with the sacral chakra functioning.

For different sacral chakra symptoms, you can use the following essential oils;

• For activating underactive sacral chakra – Spicy Cardamom 
• For calming down overactive sacral chakra – Ylang Ylang, Neroli
• For sacral chakra balancing – Sweet Orange, Sandalwood, Jasmin, Helichrysum 

Out of all of the above, we recommend the following 3 essential oils for the sacral chakra:

1. Ylang Ylang – It is one of the most preferred essential oils to treat the sacral chakra. It has a floral undertone that aids in hormonal balance, uplifting your mood, balanced emotional well-being, better sexual drive, and calms your nerves.

You will also feel your relationship with yourself and the world around you improve with regular usage of ylang ylang. Women experiencing severe menstrual cramps can use this to soothe their pain.

2. Geranium – Geranium can also be used for emotional and hormonal balance. It is great for instilling feelings of joy and hope. It is gentle and cool which is beneficial for providing a sense of security and to get over any past painful memories. People with creative backgrounds and talents can use this essential oil to enhance and stimulate their talent.

3. Sweet Orange – This sweet and energizing oil resonates with vibrancy and fun, which makes it another go-to essential oil to balance the sacral chakra. It can aid in reigniting your creativity and uplift your energy. Through its wonderful aroma, it helps drive away feelings of fear, anger, self-doubt and instills optimism and emotional balance. Sweet orange stimulates and provides energy flow to the sacral chakra.

How to use sacral chakra essential oils? 

Rub the essential oil on the sacral chakra location in a circular motion. A lower back massage with any one of the above or a blend of essential oils is also quite effective in activating, balancing, and healing the sacral chakra.

3. Solar Plexus Chakra

• Name in Sanskrit – Manipura
• Location – around the navel
• Color – yellow
• Chakra healing focus – personal power, motivation, growth, transformation, confidence, responsibility, independence

Unbalanced symptoms – when your solar plexus chakra is imbalanced, you will have low confidence and self-worth, have control issues, and become obsessive. Stress, lack of self-acceptance, victimization, irresponsibility, and digestive issues are other symptoms that you may experience. 

Balanced symptoms – With a balanced solar plexus chakra, you will be able to make better decisions and have better intuitive abilities. You will find a sense of purpose in life that helps you in overcoming challenges. This will make you empowered and promote harmonious relationships with clear intentions. Proper self-care will lead to having feelings of happiness and joy.

Essential oils for solar plexus chakra

Scents of Ginger, Tea Tree, Peppermint, Coriander, Neroli are a few of the essential oils that are apt for healing and balancing solar plexus chakra. These essential oils have a spicy undertone with floral aromas that will benefit in healing the solar plexus chakra.

For different solar plexus chakra symptoms, you can use the following essential oils;

• For activating underactive solar plexus chakra – Eucalyptus, Juniper Berry 
• For calming down overactive solar plexus chakra – Vetiver, Helichrysum
• For solar plexus chakra balancing – Grapefruit, Lemon, Lemongrass 

We recommend the following 3 essential oils, out of the above, for the solar plexus chakra:

1. Neroli – Extracted from the orange blossom flowers, Neroli is a great antidepressant, antibacterial, and immunity-boosting essential oil. It has a sweet floral scent that can be used to ease anxiety, stress, irritability, and frigidity. It promotes joy, self-acceptance, self-worth, and connection to the spiritual world.

You can use neroli during your meditation sessions to bring peace and calm into your mind. Also, when used in preparing foods, it helps improve your gut and digestive health. 

2. Ginger – The spicy yet sweet aroma of ginger is effective in stimulating and energizing the solar plexus chakra. It is extremely helpful in relieving stress, mental exhaustion, restlessness, negativity, and anxiety. By removing these blockages, you will be able to attract love, courage, peace, and prosperity.

Ginger is often used in food as it is a wonderful digestive aid and pain reliever. A warm, healing, and invigorating essential oil, it is a great antioxidant.

3. Lemongrass – Lemongrass is used for balancing the solar plexus chakra by releasing feelings of regret and resentment. Through this, feelings of hope, courage, and optimism get enhanced.

If you’re feeling anxious, use lemongrass in a diffuser or make lemongrass tea as an elixir to relieve the anxiety and feelings of despair. It encourages self-confidence, concentration, clarity, and the ability to move forward in life. 

How to use solar plexus chakra essential oils? 

Having a gentle massage on the abdomen and mid-back area with the essential oils will assist in better functioning of the solar plexus chakra. Some of the essential oils, that have a spicy undertone, may cause a burning sensation while inhalation or applying on the skin. Hence it is recommended to do a patch test ¹ before using them.

4. Heart Chakra

• Name in Sanskrit – Anahata
• Location – center of the chest
• Color – green
• Chakra healing focus – love, trust, forgiveness, self-love, gratitude, loyalty, compassion, wholeness

Unbalanced symptoms – an imbalanced heart chakra can lead to you being possessive, uncompassionate, and an emotional manipulator. You will have fear of love and commitment, and have insecurity in your relationship. You will be prone to holding grudges, and will not show empathy towards yourself or other people.

Balanced symptoms – A balanced heart chakra will fill you with love for life, happiness, joy, unconditional love for yourself and others. You will feel at peace and will be easily able to accept your true self. Being in touch with your emotions, your relationships will improve and you will become compassionate, empathetic, and nurturing.

Essential oils for heart chakra

Rosewood, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Melissa are a few essential oils that you can work with to heal the heart chakra. Their sweet & fresh scents will promote the feeling of love and balance your heart chakra.

For different heart chakra symptoms, you can use the following essential oils;

• For activating underactive heart chakra – Palmarosa 
• For calming down overactive heart chakra – Lavender, Sweet Marjoram
• For heart chakra balancing – Geranium 

For the heart chakra, below 3 essential oils are recommended by us, out of the above:

1. Lavender – Lavender essential oil is one of the most common and widely used essential oils due to its chakra balancing and medicinal characteristics.

This potent essential oil soothes the emotions hence making it one of the ideal heart chakra essential oils. Its fresh, floral, and clean scent helps promote love, peace, prosperity, and purification by opening your heart. You will feel compassionate towards yourself and others as it will also aid in cleansing your heart chakra of any negative energies.

2. Rosewood – It has a very pleasing woodsy aroma that is effective in emotional and physical well-being.

Rosewood essential oil encourages a free flow of emotions such that you will be able to balance between your thoughts and feelings. It instills feelings of compassion and clears away any depressed feelings by promoting joy and happiness.

The warm scent of this heart chakra essential oil cleanses your aura and releases any blocked feelings. You can use rosewood essential oils during meditation as it is known to calm the mind and nerves.

3. Melissa – Melissa has a sweet pleasant aroma which has a positive effect on the emotions and heart. Also known as Lemonbalm, it penetrates deep into the human psyche and helps restore the clarity and balance of the heart chakra.

If you’re feeling anger, grief, fear, or shock, Melissa essential oil’s fresh lemony scent can help reduce these emotional blockages by uplifting your mood and help bring understanding and acceptance. It will calm you down and instill joy and happiness within you by easing heartache and mental pain and bringing forth the sense of self-love.

How to use heart chakra essential oils?

Apply a few drops of essential oils on the heart chakra location and upper back area. Massage the area thoroughly by moving upwards, from the chest or upper back towards the shoulders. Essential oils such as Lavender can be used while creating a heart chakra essential oil blend due to its calming and relaxing aroma.

5. Throat Chakra

• Name in Sanskrit – Vishuddha
• Location – throat, and area around the neck
• Color – blue
• Chakra healing focus – communication, self-expression, loyalty, clarity, articulation, truthful 

Unbalanced symptoms – A blocked and imbalanced throat chakra will make you feel anxious, insignificant, and isolated. With the fear of speaking out your emotions or thoughts and the inability to discern the truth, you will become timid, quiet and get a sense that you’re not being listened to. Due to this, you may come off as devious and unreliable. 

Balanced symptoms – You will gain a sense of self, pride, with improved clarity and decision-making abilities. A balanced throat chakra will make you a good speaker, make you creatively inspired, independent, centered, self-confident, and have a better vocation.

Essential oils for throat chakra

Peppermint, Clove, Basil, Cypress, Sage, Eucalyptus, Blue Tansy, Lemongrass, Cedarwood, Geranium, Spearmint are some of the essential oils that resonate with the throat chakra. Along with having a citrusy scent, their woody yet sweet and calming aromas provide a boost to the chakra energy.

For different throat chakra symptoms, you can use the following essential oils;

• For activating underactive throat chakra – Lemon 
• For calming down overactive throat chakra – Vanilla, Roman Chamomile
• For heart throat balancing – Coriander seeds 

We recommend the following 3 essential oils, out of the above, for the throat chakra:

1. Eucalyptus – Eucalyptus essential oil is widely used for inhalation. Its medicinal yet fresh woody aroma relieves you of any restricted or overwhelming feeling and opens your inner space. With this clarity, you will feel inner freedom and will be able to clearly express your thoughts and emotions.

Eucalyptus’s cooling effect also promotes physical wellbeing as inhaling the aroma of peppermint can calm and clear sore throats, which is essential for good communication and voice. Overall, it can be used to balance, stimulate, purify, and protect your throat chakra.    

2. Peppermint – With its fresh and minty aroma, peppermint essential oil keeps your mood happy and provides a feeling of optimism and vibrancy. This helps instills confidence for better self-expression and confidence to face people. You will think before you speak and experience better articulation.

Peppermint contains menthol, which is good for curing headaches and relieving stress helping you retain memory and improve concentration. Its stimulating and invigorating effect will help in enhanced creativity along with a sense of pride and self-acceptance.  

3. Spearmint – Spearmint is less empowering than peppermint, however, its benefits transcend its characteristics. It is great in uplifting your mood and instilling confidence to put yourself out there. The energizing abilities of spearmint essential oil aid mental clarity and releases any emotional blockages that are hindering your free flow of communication and self-expression.

It promotes self-trust by making you feel good about yourself. If you’re about to face a large crowd, put a few drops of spearmint essential oil under your tongue for encouragement. For those who fear voicing out their thoughts, opinions, and ideas, this essential oil is extremely beneficial.

How to use throat chakra essential oils?

By using the essential oils as body spray in the neck and chest area, you can influence the functioning of the throat chakra. Most of the essential oils can be used as elixirs by mixing them with tea or only water.

6. Third Eye Chakra

• Name in Sanskrit – Ajna
• Location – between the brows
• Color – indigo, purple
• Chakra healing focus – awareness, perception, intuition, wisdom, intellect, vision, clairvoyance, imagination

Unbalanced Symptoms – exhaustion, stress, emotional conflict, nightmares, lack of imagination, feelings of separation, fogginess, difficulty concentrating

Balanced Symptoms – Along with strong intuition and good memory, you will be able to experience lucid dreaming. Having the ability to visualize and a guiding vision for life, you will get heightened psychic abilities and release any limiting beliefs and fears. You will find it easy to embrace life as it is and be able to achieve your goals.

Essential oils for third eye chakra

Jasmine, Vanilla, Anise, Acacia, Clary Sage, Myrrh, Patchouli, Pure Angelica, Bay Laurel are common essential oils used for the third eye chakra. Their calming, fresh, soothing, and floral scents are of great benefit to the third eye chakra.

For different third eye chakra symptoms, you can use the following essential oils;

• For activating underactive third eye chakra – Rosemary 
• For calming down overactive third eye chakra – German Chamomile
• For third eye throat balancing – Frankincense, Sandalwood

We recommend the following 3 essential oils, out of the above, for the third eye chakra:

1. Rosemary – It is one of the best essential oils for enhancing concentration. The fresh and invigorating scent of rosemary will promote wisdom and help tackle any mind-related tasks with ease. It stimulates the conscious mind which improves mental clarity and supports your mental well-being.

You will be able to retain your memories and improve concentration as rosemary’s herbaceous aroma eliminates fatigue and tension. By balancing your mental, spiritual and physical well-being, rosemary supports longevity and vitality.

2. Sandalwood – This grounding essential oil assists in increasing inner awareness and connection with the higher consciousness. It helps you realize your true self by breaking illusions and blockages in the path of your spirituality.

You can use sandalwood during meditation as it helps you focus by reducing the chaos in your mind. Its woody yet soft scent will help you attain mental clarity and can also aid in regulating your sleep cycle.

3. Clary Sage – Due to its spicy, sharp, and grassy scent, Clary Sage essential oil can aid in calming your mind and instill a sense of peace. Through this, you will easily be able to attain emotional stability and mental clarity.

By using clary sage regularly, you will have better intuition which will guide you to new experiences and perceptions. It is also known to promote lucid dreaming and opening your soul to new ideas. This helps you in overcoming your rigidity in beliefs and negative thought patterns. Clary Sage removes emotional and creative blocks making it another essential oil that is extremely effective during meditation.

How to use third eye chakra essential oils?

Diffusion or inhalation of these essential oils is the best form of absorbing their properties. You can also use a few drops of the oils to massage on the chakra location. Applying third eye chakra essential oil blends or individually to temples, forehead, or bottoms of feet is also beneficial.

7. Crown Chakra

• Name in Sanskrit – Sahasrara 
• Location – on top of the head
• Color – violet or white
• Chakra healing focus – spirituality, enlightenment, self-realization, fulfillment

Unbalanced symptoms – An imbalanced crown chakra will make you feel lost and confused. You will be disconnected from the divine, and experience spiritual cynicism, closed-mindedness, have rigid beliefs and may become egoistic.

Balanced symptoms – Balancing your crown chakra will open your mind and soul to divinity, and give you access to conscious and unconscious. Enhanced wisdom, intelligence, ability to analyze, enhanced spiritual connection, open-mindedness, improved clarity are other balancing effects that you will experience with the balanced crown chakra.

Essential oils for crown chakra

Rose, Lotus, Palo Santo, Jasmine, Lavender, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Basil, Spikenard, Helichrysum, Lime, are of great benefit to the crown chakra due to their soothing and sweet floral scents.

For different crown chakra symptoms, you can use the following essential oils;

• For activating underactive crown chakra – Lavandin 
• For calming down overactive crown chakra – Vanilla, Neroli
• For crown throat balancing – Frankincense

We recommend the following 3 essential oils, out of the above, for the crown chakra:

1. Palo Santo – For a tree, whose name literally translates to ‘holy wood’, it is imperative that its oil is beneficial for the crown chakra. It is highly regarded as crown chakra essential oil for aiding in spiritual connection and healing abilities.

Palo Santo’s soothing and calming aroma is extremely uplifting and is good for emotional balance. It is also known to cleanse your chakra and body of any negative energy through its high frequency and aiding in aligning to the higher self.   

2. Lavandin – Lavandin is a hybrid of lavender and spike lavender variants. It has a soothing and relaxing aroma but is a bit stronger than lavender.

Lavandin essential oil is a great stress-reliever and also helps with your sleep. It will calm your anxiety and soothe your nerves, making you feel centered and relaxed. The bluish-purple color of Lavandin aids in a deeper connection to the divine and understanding by improving mental clarity. Just like Lavender, it is also termed as a universal healer.

3. Lotus – Essential oil made from Lotus takes us on the path of enlightenment. It stimulates your subconscious mind and its sweet scent makes you feel at peace. The earthy and floral aroma awakens your mind to spiritual growth and is excellent for seeking protection from negative energies.

By promoting mental clarity, lotus essential oil helps you to connect with the higher consciousness and guides. This healing essential oil will aid you in letting go of the material world and embracing the divine.

How to use crown chakra essential oils?

Use the essential oils in a diffuser to spread the wonderful aroma around your home, meditation, or yoga space to surround yourself with peace and serenity.

What does science say about use of essential oils?

A study published in 2015 ² found that with proper considerations on diet and other life aspects, some essential oils prove to be beneficial in providing relief from depression, insomnia, headaches, etc. 

In 2011 ³, another research was published which showed the positive effects of aromatherapy in quelling anxiety. Another study in the same year ⁴ suggested that inhaling lavender essential oil was beneficial in improving sleep patterns in women.

However, a 2012 study by Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine ⁵ showed no convincing evidence of the benefits of aromatherapy.

Even though there may not be conclusive evidence that essential oils are guaranteed to cure some ailments or help with the proper functioning of the chakras, their calming and soothing benefits have been experienced by people using them.

Hence, the onus is on you to give these essential oils a try, along with following some safety measures.

Safety measures while using essential oils

You should be cautious of the fact that essential oils should not be directly applied to the skin. Always mix a few drops of it in a carrier oil and do a patch test on your skin. If you do not have any allergic reaction, you can move forward with using them in your bath or topical application

Children, babies, pregnant and breastfeeding women should be more careful when using essential oils as they may cause skin irritation. Also during inhalation, asthma patients must be extremely careful of its side effects.

For households having pets, be sure to read their effects on pets before using them as a diffuser as some essential oils can be harmful to them.

Overall, it is always safe to do a bit more research and check the dosage amount for each essential oil before you start using them as a chakra healing aid. 

Conclusion

Essential oils, along with a myriad of other ways, are effective in activating, balancing, and healing your chakra. Every essential oil has unique characteristics and it may take time to find the correct oil that cures the imbalanced or blocked chakra. However, you must be patient to see the effects of these essential oils.

Once you find resonance with a chakra essential oil, stick to it and play with other oils to create a healthy blend. Still, you should be cautious about using these essential oils and do research before using them. 

Nevertheless, chakra essential oils are effective in soothing the mind and soul, which helps in keeping your chakras healthy.  

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