Aphrodisiac essential oils have as much power (or more!) as oysters, champagne, kissing and cuddling. When we inhale these scents, they can act as a sort of love potion, especially when combined with a sensual massage that puts our partner’s focus firmly on us.
If you're ready to spice up your sex life, read on for a rundown of the essential oils for libido that will do the trick.
Long-term benefits of using essential oils for your libido
A loss of libido can affect 1 in 5 men, and even more women. Defined as the biological need for sexual activity, libido’s intensity varies not just among individuals, but within each person at a given time. There are many factors that affect a loss of libido, including professional and personal stress, anxiety, the pressures of daily life, or major life changes. It’s not a one-size-fits-all problem. And it’s not just a mental or physical condition - it’s a bit of both.
That’s why aromatherapy is such a great help.
Aromatherapy’s recent surge in popularity lies to a large extent in that it addresses issues in us on the physical, spiritual, mental and emotional planes. And they don’t stop working when we’re not actively exposed to them, either.
Depending on which oils you’re using, you can also look forward to your anxiety, depression and stress levels waning. You’ll also be more generally relaxed, you may find you sleep better and for longer, and your overall quality of life will improve. Aromatherapy has many advantages to offer us, and scientific research is confirming more all the time.
How to use sensual essential oils
The best ways to put aphrodisiac essential oils to use are diffusion and massage.
Diffusion
Start the night by setting the mood in your living space or in the bedroom with a portable diffuser. Choose one oil, create your own blend or choose a curated blend like Volant’s Date Night Blend that will help you relax, de-stress and create a desire for intimacy. Remember, foreplay begins before you ever get in bed!
Massageöl
Create a massage oil by choosing one oil or a blend and diluting it with a carrier oil for topical use. Be sure to choose an oil that won’t clog your pores. Then liberally apply it to each other - externally only - avoiding openings and internal use. When you’ve created a massage blend of essential oils for your sex drive, they’ll work on your bedroom antics for sure, but they’ll also offer other benefits like softer skin, a better sleep, reduced stress and more!
Sensual massage using aphrodisiac essential oils is aimed at stimulating the libido and arousing you and your partner. It’s a lot lighter than other types of massage because it’s not focused on addressing physical pain.
While you won’t be kneading your lover’s muscles that deeply, it’s still a very pleasurable, relaxing experience. It’s a wonderful way for you two to destress together and connect with your significant other on an emotional and physical level.
Don’t just stop at one of these methods. Make use of both! You’ll be doubling up on what your nose can do to get you in the right mood. We absorb essential oils through the skin, which you’ll be covering with a mood-setting massage, and via our noses, which your diffuser will take care of. You’ll have all bases covered and are that much more likely to hit that home run!
Top aphrodisiac essential oils
The right essential oils will help you relax, which naturally enhances sexual desire. They may also help with sexual dysfunction like female anorgasmia and male impotence while simultaneously increasing sexual stamina. They may also help to improve your self-confidence and help you get a better sleep - both of which factor into a healthy sex life. Here are some of the best oils to help get you there!
Bring on the Big O with bergamot
Bergamot essential oil gets extracted from the rind of the Citrus bergamia fruit that grows on bergamot orange trees. The sweet, tangy aroma is very refreshing and can instantly boost your mood.
Its positive, energising vibes can improve your confidence and strengthen your trust in your partner, enhancing your bond with one another. Its fresh scent may stimulate your sex drive and make your lovemaking experience more joyous and enthusiastic.
Bergamot oil can also reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol levels, so it’s an all-around boost to many aspects of your life.
Get jiggy with geranium
Derived by steam distillation from the leaves of Pelargonium graveolens, geranium essential oil is a popular choice for sex massage essential oils because it is such an effective relaxant. Excellent at improving blood circulation, this affects the strength of our sexual desire and it’s thus been used for many years as a way to ramp things up in the bedroom.
Its other benefits include its ability to reduce our feelings of anxiety, fatigue, sadness, stress and tension, all of which are instant libido-killers. Geranium oil can also enhance cognitive function, improves concentration, and balances out hormones and emotions.
Go all night with grapefruit
Grapefruit essential oil gets extracted from the oil glands of the fruit’s peel by cold expression. It’s an invigorating, uplifting oil that energises, and it may also clarify, cleanse and refresh you.
Grapefruit oil is one of the best essential oils for sex drive because it can help with issues like fatigue, hangovers, headaches and jet lag. Its revitalising aroma will increase your energy levels and enhance your mood, both prerequisites for a little NSFW action!
Live a little loved-up with lavender
Famed for its fragrant blossoms, the plant from which lavender essential oil originates has a range of medicinal properties. Inhaling its scent has been revealed to significantly lower stress and anxiety levels. This means it can truly relax us, making it perfect as an essential oil for sex drive.
Lavender will also improve your sleep, soothe irritated skin and combat fungal infections. It can also help prevent hair loss, heal wounds and fight headaches. So, the old not tonight, I’ve got a headache excuse will no longer apply!
Let go with lemon
Lemon essential oil is extracted from the peel of fresh fruit by steam extraction or, less frequently, through a cold-pressing process. Its bright, happy scent is why it’s classed as an erotic massage essential oil because it helps to improve your mood and lift your spirits as it soothes any anxiety.
Lemon oil’s other benefits could make a list as long as your arm. It can clear certain fungal infections and speed up wound healing. Lemon essential oil can also reduce acne and treat an array of other skin conditions as well as fight certain symptoms of depression.
Enjoy some lemongrass lovin’
Derived from the steam distillation of partly dried or fresh leaves of the plant, lemongrass essential oil has a citrus-like, fresh, sweet, grassy aroma and ranks near the top of the essential oils for sex drive list. It’s an excellent stress reliever and will ensure you and your partner can make love without being bothered by intrusive thoughts.
Lemongrass oil can also ease nausea, regulate blood pressure, and it has antifungal as well as anti-inflammatory properties that make it good for relieving certain types of pain.
Play with peppermint
Peppermint essential oil is derived from the leaves and flowering parts of the peppermint plant. This oil is known to heighten the effects of sexual stimulation because it increases sensitivity around the erogenous zones, magnifying sexual pleasure in this way. Add it to your sensual massage oil to enjoy all these benefits and more.
Peppermint oil can also help with issues like headaches, itching, joint pain and muscle aches, and it can help treat colds and coughs.
Increase the yes factor using ylang ylang
Probably the best-known essential oil besides lavender for sex massage essential oils, ylang ylang essential oil gets created via water or distillation from the flowers of the Cananga odorata plant. A potent aphrodisiac, this oil’s sultry aroma boosts libido, elevates sense of touch, encourages intimacy and bonding and heightens sexual arousal.
Its other benefits include its ability to alleviate anxiety, boost your mood, decrease heart rate, lower blood pressure and reduce feelings of sadness.
Be frank with frankincense
Frankincense is an age-old scent that has been used in spiritual ceremonies for thousands of years. It was used to purify the air and was a part of sacrificial and thanksgiving ceremonies. Its earthy, musky, woody and spicy scent is grounding. Today, frankincense essential oil is commonly used during meditation practices, in men’s cologne and for healing purposes.
For some people, the sexual experience is a spiritual experience. Putting some frankincense in the diffuser or in your massage oil could be just the thing to heighten desire, fuel the fire and engage in the sweaty, musky ritual of lovemaking. Add a little vanilla to the mix for a heady combination no one can resist!
How to make a sensual massage oil
You’ll be glad to know that making your own sex massage essential oil is one of the easiest DIY projects you’ll ever undertake! This is even more helpful when you consider the array of benefits, and not just in the bedroom, that these oils have to offer.
Not only can you look forward to relief for sore, tight muscles, but massage will also improve your blood flow and encourage circulation. This brings fresh, oxygenated blood to your body as it rids your tissues of toxins.
Massage is also an amazing remedy for an overactive mind. It offers us the chance to come to the present moment, take a deep breath and let go, as it were. Throw in the sex massage/essential oils combination and you’re looking at having a brilliant time!
You’ve got two recommended options for your homemade massage oil:
- The 2.5% dilution, which is 15 drops of your chosen essential oils per six teaspoons of carrier oil.
- The 3% dilution, where you increase your drops of essential oil to 20 per every 6 teaspoons of carrier oil.
You can premix larger amounts when you start your massage with essential oils journey. Or, you can keep experimenting with mixes made on the spot when the mood strikes you and let your nose, body or curiosity be your guide when choosing which oils to include this time.
Just remember that at no point should your sensual massage oil be used anywhere except on external skin. Don’t be tempted to use it as a lubricant, and always use it on the outside of your body only after it’s been diluted with a carrier oil!
Beddable blends
Blending several essential oils in your diffuser or sensual massage oil can make each one work more powerfully than it would on its own. Many oils work better together to target specific issues and sometimes, a scent that’s overpowering on its own can be balanced out when added to others.
Feel free to explore and experiment with different DIY essential oil combinations on your own. But, if you’re wondering where to start, check out these bootylicious blends from Volant:
Date Night
Our Organic Date Night Blend is made up of amber, bergamot, frankincense and lavender and is guaranteed to set a comfortable, seductive mood. Add a few drops to your diffuser or carrier oil and massage into your partner’s skin for a sweet touch that will set the tone for a sexy evening.
Pick Me Up
If your partner is feeling worn out, then our Organic Pick Me Up Blend may be just what they need to feel desirable. A combination of lemongrass, sweet orange and ylang ylang, add a few drops to your diffuser or carrier oil to create your own special sex massage with this essential oil secret sauce.
Unwind
Perfect to help your partner quickly recover from a long day or a taxing week, our Unwind Blend contains bergamot, clary sage and Roman chamomile. This combination will lift your spirits, help clear your mind and help you relax. Make sure you both leave your stress at the door and stay in the sultry moment with this steamy fragrance.
What the research tells us about essential oils for libido
Libido remains a matter of interest in the scientific community and there’s plenty of research into what affects it and why. Let’s have a look at what science has to say about the efficacy of using essential oils for a libido boost.
Lemon oil’s anti-stress effects
This 2006 study in mice found that lemon oil can be very effective in dealing with the symptoms of anxiety and depression, both conditions that are famous for being a bit of a dampener on our sex lives. It showed the favourable effect that lemon oil had on the dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin receptors in the brain.
And a study in both men and women confirmed these effects where inhaling lemon was found to boost mood and norepinephrine levels.
The effect of ylang ylang oil on the female libido
When the final treatment in this 2013 study on ylang ylang oil’s effect on women was completed, most of the participants reported a decrease in stress along with a boost in concentration, self-esteem and energy levels, all factors in female desire. This makes ylang ylang a powerful essential oil for sex drive enhancement.
Bergamot’s effect on mood and erectile dysfunction
Bergamot is also a mood booster, and it’s been shown to reduce stress levels in a doctor’s waiting room. It also resulted in more people enrolling in clinical trials, allowing us to assume it might help increase confidence and adventurousness and reduce inhibition.
Bergamot, used alone or alongside other medicinal plants, reveals itself as an unusual, totally natural therapeutic option for counteracting erectile dysfunction in men with disorders related to cardio metabolism. In this study, however, bergamot polyphenolic fractions were taken orally, and we do not recommend consuming essential oils. But there’s certainly no harm in experimenting with its scent and topical benefits!
Aromatherapy’s effect on menopausal women facing sexual issues
Aromatherapy treatments with neroli or lavender by themselves or a combination of fennel, geranium, lavender and rose oils significantly improved sexual function in the post-menopausal women taking part in this 2018 study.
Olfactory stimulation due to exposure to essential oils
The results of this 2019 study indicated that olfactory stimulation to essential oils including chamomile increases salivary testosterone, which in turn can have an effect on libido. This puts Roman chamomile essential oil firmly in the aphrodisiac essential oils category!
Sensual, sexy scents that put the spark back
Scientific research is establishing clear links between essential oils and our experiences of our sexuality. There’s also evidence that some oils can be very effective as aphrodisiacs. The best news is that, as long as you take reasonable precautions like not getting undiluted oil on your skin and not using essential oils internally, there’s very little risk associated with using essential oils to spice things up in the bedroom!
Having a low libido or even just mismatched sex drives can seriously damage your relationship over the long term. A satisfying sex life is one of the many facets of a healthy relationship, and boosting your sexual enjoyment will spill over to other areas of your life. The essential oils we’ve recommended here are the perfect starting point for getting your libido back and keeping it there.
All of Volant’s essential oils are 100% natural and organic, so you can rest assured that every drop offers the maximum benefits for your bedroom activities. Our gorgeous portable diffusers also act as functional decor and will look perfectly at home in your boudoir. The soft light they emit and the soothing waterfall effect they create as they release their scent add to the mood and set the scene for a night of sensual seduction!
Indulge yourself, your senses and your partner and rediscover your sexuality. It’s as easy as breathing if you’ve got the right aphrodisiac essential oils.