Essential oils aren’t just for women, and masculinity shouldn’t be challenged by bubble baths, skincare or even essential oils. The latter is a particularly easy self-care practice to pick up that promises worthwhile benefits like waking you up without a countless cups of espresso, easing stress, and aiding digestion.
There is such an aversion to the use of oils, by men, that the majority of them tend to dismiss essential oils as a possible health and wellness alternative. Getting a man to try an essential oil can be a downright Herculean task. This myth about oils being for women is just not true.
The history has a little something to say about men using essential oils. Essential oils were used by the officers of the Roman army. On the eve of a battle, the officers were massaged with a special blend of essential oils that included Black Spruce, Blue Tansy, Rosewood, and Frankincense. The aroma of the oils would calm their nerves and help them to focus their thoughts as they prepared for their military campaigns. You can’t get much manlier than that!
Essential Oils are wonderful ways for men to boost confidence, support their body after a rough workout, relax their senses and even help to support their immune, respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems.
Essential oils help to promote a level of well being – which has been long lost in our society today. Most people are after a cheap fix – whether that be food, body care or their own health. While some may dismiss essential oils as hippie oils, or snake oils, those of us who know and use them regularly can tell you that they DO work wonderfully to help keep our bodies above the wellness line.
Let’s take a look at a few essential oils that can benefit men and highlight their health benefits. You might be surprised to find these powerful plant extractions can be essential for men’s health.
Essential Oils for Stress
Men often struggle with their mental health. Anxiety and depression are quite common in men, and adult men are far less likely to seek advice or help for their symptoms than women are. Essential oils are not a substitute for professional advice when it comes to anxiety and depression, but they can be helpful in a lot of ways.
Using essential oils can help you relax and unwind and can also help to balance emotions and reduce feelings of low-grade stress. Prolonged stress can actually produce physical changes, which can result in anxiety disorders and other issues. Because of this, finding ways to cope with stress productively can be invaluable.
Two of the top essential oils for reducing stress include Lavender and Bergamot.
Clinical trials into aromatherapy with lavender have found that it can help to reduce stress and anxiety in certain circumstances, according to a study looking at individuals undergoing MRI procedures. Studies also show that aromatherapy with oils such as lavender can help regulate moods and behavior.
This is another great essential oil that can help with low moods and boost feelings of well-being. One recent study worked with a group of hospice patients and found that treatment with a blend of lavender, bergamot, and frankincense helped to improve well-being and improve mood.
Essential Oils for Skin & Hair
Men are quite lucky in that shaving the face can be good for the skin. Shaving helps slough off dead skin, being a simple and effective form of exfoliation. However, in some cases, it can irritate the skin and leave you with a feeling of dryness and itchiness. Using essential oils on the skin can help reduce that feeling, and the oils can also serve as a natural antibacterial agent.
Melaleuca (also known as tea tree oil) is an antimicrobial and antibacterial agent that many men will already be familiar with because it is popular among wrestlers and other athletes. Tea tree oil is frequently recommended by high school coaches as a way to ward off ringworm and other infections and with good reason.
Studies show that the terpenes in tea tree oil are effective at fighting many kinds of bacteria, including various forms of streptococcus, as well as lactobacillus and Staphylococcus aureus.
Additionally, men who struggle with male pattern baldness sometimes turn to essential oils to help them. Unfortunately, not all forms of baldness can be remedied, and even ones that can be treated require different treatments because there are many things that can interfere with hair growth.
If you are suffering from a form of baldness that is caused by scalp irritation, then it could be that using mild essential oil solutions topically could help you. Note that essential oils must be mixed into a carrier oil before being applied directly to the skin to ensure that they do not cause irritation. Cedarwood, Lavender, and Rosemary are all oils which can soothe irritated skin.
Essential Oils for The Mind
Many modern jobs require a lot of concentration, focus, and motivation. The jobs that people do today are rather different than the jobs from a few decades ago. People spend more time sitting in front of a computer or hunched over a desk and far less time walking, running, or enjoying nature. It is all too easy to turn to pre-workouts, stimulants, and junk food to stay focused, alleviate boredom, and keep the minds sharp.
If you’re stuck in an office all day, then diffusing essential oils into your workspace could be the answer to your mind-fog problems. It’s no substitute for getting out there and going for a walk in a real forest, but it can help to take away some of the fatigue.
Useful essential oils for improving your concentration include rosemary and peppermint.
Studies show that rosemary essential oil can help boost memory, recall, and concentration in children.7 Researchers at Northumbria University in Newcastle, England found that adults can enjoy similar benefits from breathing the essential oil.8
The idea of using rosemary to improve memory is nothing new. In fact, ancient Greek students would wear garlands of rosemary when taking examinations, and in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the character Ophelia comments that rosemary is used for remembrance.
Our forefathers may not have known exactly how the herb worked, but they did have an understanding that it had beneficial effects.
Another essential oil which has been found to improve memory and cognition is peppermint. Studies show that it can help enhance memory and improve calmness, as well as combat cravings as well, which may be useful if you are struggling with a desire to snack while at work.
Essential Oils for Sleep
Many men do not get enough sleep or get very poor quality of sleep. Sleep disturbances can be a serious threat to physical, emotional and mental health and our overall well-being. A lot of men simply do not realize that they are not getting enough sleep. When you are sleep deprived for a long time, the chronic tiredness that you feel can become your new normal. Common symptoms of sleep deprivation include:
• Feeling tired and lacking energy during day-to-day activities
• Having your mind wander during meetings
• Struggling to get motivated at work or in leisure activities
• Needing to use an alarm clock to wake up each day
• Feeling irritable and grouchy
• Struggling to stay awake when driving
Most people have to stick to a timetable set by college or a workplace, which means getting up at a certain time, staying awake during the day, and then going to bed suitably early. Many people find that because they loaded up on stimulants during the day, they are unable to fall asleep at night. This leaves them tired and irritable the following day, so they must fall back on stimulants again to get through that day, creating a destructive cycle.
Essential oils can help with sleep issues. Lavender has been found to be particularly effective in improving the quality and duration of both light sleep and REM sleep in men and women. It is a simple, non-invasive option that is generally well-tolerated and that could help those who are struggling with sleep quality to enjoy more refreshing rest.
Check out the specially formulated essential oil blends for sleep: Silent Night
Essential Oils for Hormones Balancing
Just as men and women have vastly different hormonal needs, they require a very different set of Essential Oils to address them. When it comes to hormonal imbalances in men, most often they wish to boost their testosterone. While both men and women can use these essential oils, they provide different effects and benefits dependent upon their sex.
Cypress and Sandalwood
These Essential Oils are both excellent examples of testosterone boosters. Sandalwood in particular can help balance the thyroid and endocrine system when mixed with Frankincense. Cypress can also help boost fertility. While cypress is meant more to balance low levels of testosterone, sandalwood is geared more toward erectile dysfunction.
Other than these single notes, there are also specially formulated essential oil blends to enhance male hormones:
A powerful blend of essential oils that enhances male hormones and stimulates neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, effectively reducing stress and anxiety. Turn setbacks into gains and fuel your confidence with the constant support of Tru-Breed.
Stimulates hormones such as dopamine and serotonin which increase confidence and courage therefore making every day an epic day. Spray around the room for positive emotions. Use a cologne with carrier oil and apply it on pulse points and around your neck to promote optimism and self-assurance.
Having a proper balance of estrogen and testosterone is necessary for good health in women and men respectively. Thankfully, Essential Oils can help everyone achieve this equilibrium in a natural way.
Sources:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/men-and-depression/index.shtml
https://www.jscimedcentral.com/Psychiatry/psychiatry-5-1091.pdf
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01809067
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19125379?dopt=Abstract
https://info.achs.edu/blog/depression-and-anxiety-can-essential-oils-help
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360273/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207450601042094
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/why-lack-of-sleep-is-bad-for-your-health/
https://www.uclahealth.org/sleepcenter/sleep-and-men
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16298774