Let’s brighten up our January with some uplifting Essential Oils!

Hi everyone! Happy New Year 2026! As the weather continues to be very grey, very wet and very cold, and as world news continues to do little to cheer us up either (!), I thought maybe this month I would introduce you to some beautiful Essential Oils, that will lift your spirits, and bring some positivity to the start of your year!

Uplifting Essential Oils

Winter can make some of us feel a bit low in mood. When we lack the sunshine, we lack Vitamin D, which in turn can make us feel down, as well as affecting our sleep, muscles and bones, and this can all leave us feeling a bit fed up and fatigued. My Blog back in May 2025 looked at the benefits of Vitamin D, and the ways we can boost it, in order to support our mental and physical health, so do take a look back at that blog too for some inspiration!

Below I’ve listed some Essential Oils that are real mood-boosters – so these are perfect for this time of year if you feel a bit low on energy, or are feeling a little anxious or depressed.

To make up blends yourself at home, you can mix a maximum of 12 drops of Essential Oil per 30ml of Base/Carrier Oil (I use Sweet Almond Oil). This can then be used for general body massage, or you can mix it with a little milk, and add the blend to a footbath or lovely deep bath as preferred. Warm baths help to warm and soothe the body, and will also boost your circulation. I am also more than happy to make up gorgeous Essential Oil Blends for you if required. I charge just £6 for a 30ml blend or £10 for a 50ml blend, using Essential Oils of your choice.

Please Note: at the end of each of the Essential Oil descriptions below, I have listed any Safety Data to be aware of. If you are blending for a child or anyone with hypersensitivies/hyperallergies, or for those with certain medical conditions, you should reduce the dose, and always contact myself or another qualified Aromatherapist for more advice, prior to application.

Some wonderful uplifting Essential Oils are listed below. I usually put Essential Oils in alphabetical order, but this month I have decided to group them in terms of overall aroma type. These can all be mixed as you prefer (to the maximum drops listed above, along with your base oil). Each of these oils have other properties and benefits too (as mentioned), but they are all are very uplifting to our senses, and help to provide us with much-needed revitalisation at this time of year. There are many more I could have chosen for each section, but in terms of re-energising Essential Oils, I think these are the ones I would most recommend.

1. CITRUS Essential Oils

Bergamot (Citrus Aurantium Subspecies Bergamia)
Bergamot is just wonderful. It dispels emotional tension, irritability and frustration. It is calming and light in aroma, and is a great Essential Oil for cleansing the skin, as it is bactericidal and antifungal, and is a fabulous lymphatic decongestant. It helps us to loosen up a bit, being great for anxiety and depression. It blends beautifully with most other oils, and is safe for almost everyone. Please Note: This oil should not be used in the sun, as citrus oils are known for being potentially phototoxic with prolonged use.

Grapefruit (Citrus Paradisii)
Grapefruit oil is cleansing, uplifting and revitalising, and is great for dissolving negative emotions and feelings of anger, so is wonderful for our mental wellbeing. It also has a cooling, refreshing effect on the body. It is an aerial antiseptic too, and is astringent, bactericidal, decongesting, being a lymphatic and digestive decongestant. It is wonderful for acne, oily skins, blackheads, and congested skin as well as lymphoedema, so is also a perfect choice for use on the skin. Please Note: This oil should not be used in the sun, as citrus oils are known for being potentially phototoxic with prolonged use.

Lemon (Citrus Limonum)
Lemon Essential Oil is a lovely, potent mental cleanser with a sharp aroma. It brings clarity of thought, dispersing our doubts and worries, and is also an amazing tonic for our liver and gallbladder, so is a good choice for all digestive-related issues. It also has neutralising acids which can help to relieve nausea. Like Grapefruit, it is also great used to cleanse and treat the skin. Please Note: This oil should not be used in the sun, as citrus oils are known for being potentially phototoxic with prolonged use.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Flexuosus)
Lemongrass Essential Oil is a popular choice with clients. Hugely cleansing, refreshing and zesty, it simultaneously supports our emotional state - bringing mental clarity - along with physical benefits. It supports our Digestive System, being another amazing tonic for our liver and gallbladder. It also has useful anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties, so is helpful for things like skin infections and athletes foot etc. Please Note: This oil should be generally used in low doses, and not be used in the sun, as citrus oils are known for being potentially phototoxic with prolonged use. Care should also be taken when used on hypersensitive skins, and with children.

Lime (Citrus Aurantifolia)
Lime Essential Oil is really similar in its properties to all the other citrus oils, but bursts through with a sharper aroma than the others, instantly boosting our mood and bringing much-needed energy and positivity. Highly revitalising and fresh in aroma, it helps to clear our brain fog, and is also immune-boosting and antimicrobial. It also blends well with the herbaceous oils. Like the other citrus oils, it is also great for cleansing and brightening the skin. Please Note: This oil should not be used in the sun, as citrus oils are known for being potentially phototoxic with prolonged use.

Mandarin (Citrus Reticulata)
Mandarin is a wonderful refreshing nerve tonic, which can help to dispel depression and anxiety. It is very useful during pregnancy and post-partum to deal with the ups and downs we can feel during this time. Like the other citrus oils, it is great for the Lymphatic and Digestive systems and is really uplifting – a brilliant tonic. It is also great used with the elderly, as it can evoke youthful memories. It is a safe oil for just about everyone, and very popular with children too. Please Note: This oil should not be used in the sun, as citrus oils are known for being potentially phototoxic with prolonged use.

Orange, Sweet (Citrus Sinensis)
Sweet Orange Essential Oil is just a wonderful nerve tonic – I use this oil all the time in my treatment room. Hugely popular with clients, it is instantly uplifting, yet still calming and relaxing, which leads to a wonderful sense of wellbeing. I’m yet to meet someone who doesn’t like the smell of this Essential Oil! It is great for the Lymphatic and Digestive systems too, and is really refreshing – a brilliant tonic for everything. It is also useful for headaches and migraines, and also helps with poor concentration and fatigue. It is a safe oil for everyone, and very popular with children too. Please Note: This oil should not be used in the sun, as citrus oils are known for being potentially phototoxic with prolonged use.

2. FLORAL Essential Oils

Neroli (Citrus Aurantium Var. Amara Flos)
Neroli Essential Oil is simply beautiful, and another one of my absolute favourites. It is a classic stress remedy and as well as being uplifting, it still manages to be calming and relaxing, dealing well with states of anxiety, fear and worry. It can help before tests or exams, and in cases of depression and apathy. It helps to disperse doom and gloom, leaving us soothed, as well as lifting our spirits if we feel frustrated or irritated. It is also non-toxic, non-irritant and non-sensitising, so is generally safe for everyone. Please Note: The heady floral aroma of this oil may cause headaches in those with hypersensitivity, so it should just be used with caution for those individuals.

Rose (Rosa Damascena and Rosa Centifolia)
This Essential Oil is a beautiful (but very expensive!) skin care oil and general tonic. It gives us an instant uplift, a deep breath, a pause, to remember all that is beautiful around us, and that we must care for ourselves. It is useful for dealing with anxiety and depression. It is also truly wonderful for sensitive, irritated and inflamed skins. It helps with dry, dehydrated skins too, dealing well with eczema, psoriasis and broken capilliaries. It also has a strong anti-inflammatory action, is soothing, bactericidal and emollient, and is a real treat for any skin type. Rose is also useful for dealing with grief and bereavement, as it brings real emotional comfort and support. It has a gorgeous aroma and is safe for just about everyone. Please Note: Use with caution in pregnancy.

Rose Geranium (Pelargonium Graveolens var. Roseum)
This Essential Oil is a gorgeous oil, and one of the most popular floral oils in my clinic. Often chosen where someone likes the smell of Rose, but can find the pure essential Rose oil a little overpowering. Rose Geranium gives us the lovely Rose aroma, but in a more subtle way, with the beautiful aroma of Geranium too. It is lovely used on the skin, and has a really uplifting fragrance. It is a great hormone balancer, and helps to reduce anxiety and stress, lifting our mood and supporting our wellbeing. It also blends beautifully with the citrus oils, and is a real treat for any skin type. It has a really lovely aroma. Please Note: Use with caution in pregnancy, and for those with hypersensitive skins.

3. HERBACEOUS Essential Oils

Basil (Ocimum Basilicum)
This Essential Oil is one of the best nerve tonics we have in Aromatherapy. It is instantly uplifting and restorative, and is wonderful used for depression and melancholy, helping to clear the mind of confusion and worry. It is also believed to stimulate mental clarity and help us with concentration and memory, so is great before exams or any stressful situation. It is a perfect choice for those who are exhausted mentally. Please Note: This oil should not be used on babies or children, in pregnancy, or on those with very sensitive skins.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Globulus)
Eucalyptus Essential Oil has a lovely fresh aroma, and helps to uplift us and revive our spirits if we are feeling a little low. It restores vitality and strengthens the mind. It is also great for our Muscular System, being antirheumatic, antineuralgic and analgesic. It is perfect for pre and post sports treatments and for muscular stiffness, cramps and arthritis. It is also wonderful for our Respiratory System, which makes it extra useful in the cold winter months with coughs, colds, chills, fever and chest infections etc. Perfect used for inhalation with a bowl of hot water, for clearing the system. Please Note: This oil may antidote homeopathic remedies, and if ingested by a baby or child can be very dangerous.

Peppermint (Mentha Piperita)
Peppermint Essential Oil clears the head and focuses the mind. It is highly invigorating, and care must be taken to not overuse this oil, as it could then lead to insomnia. It literally ‘wakes up’ our brain and nervous system, which can be great when we are fatigued or feeling low. The menthol active ingredient in Peppermint Essential Oil also brings anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiseptic qualities to the blend. It has a very energising, fresh aroma. Please Note: Peppermint Essential Oil is not safe to use on babies or children, or in pregnancy. It is only to be used in low doses, and not before bedtime, as it is very stimulating.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis)
This Essential Oil is just wonderful for stimulating and uplifting the mind. It is strengthening and exhilarating. Perfect used when we feel a bit low on energy, as it is wonderful for mental fatigue, and it is also very useful for treating the elderly, to bring back their ‘spark’ for life, as it is also great for poor memory and apathy. It also has analgesic properties, so can be blended with more warming oils (such as the spicy ones below), for muscular aches and pains. Please Note: This oil is not safe to use on babies or children, or in pregnancy, and should be used with caution for those with hypersensitivity or hypertension. It should also not be used on those with epilepsy.

4. SPICY Essential Oils

Black Pepper (Piper Nigrum)
This Essential Oil is very stimulating and uplifting, and is great for dispersing mental stagnation and apathy. It is also a great rubefacient (brings warmth), and so is fantastic for osteoarthritis, rheumatism, sciatica, and general muscular aches, pains and fatigue. It is analgesic and strengthening, so is wonderful for releasing sore and tired muscles. It is great added to a warm bath, or in a massage or sports blend with other oils added. Please Note: This oil is very stimulating, so is not recommended for bedtime, and should be used in low-medium doses only. It can be a skin irritant in high doses for those with hypersensitivity, and this oil is too strong for use on babies or young children. It is also thought to antidote some homeopathic remedies.

Ginger (Zingiber Officinalis)
Ginger Essential Oil is another very energising, uplifting choice, promoting strength and motivation – being wonderful for mental exhaustion and fatigue. It is also a warming, and stimulating oil. It is just wonderful for our muscles, helping with all aches, pains and fatigue, as well as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, joint stiffness and muscle tension. It is also analgesic and anti-inflammatory. Fabulous used in a warm bath after a busy day, but perhaps not just before bed. Please Note: This oil should not be used on babies or children as it is much too stimulating, neither should it be used on individuals with hypersensitivity or those with unmedicated high blood pressure.