An Expert Guide To Buying Essential Oils

Here at NEOM, we're big on essential oils... so much so we have expertly blended them into each and every one of our products. Why? Because they can help to bring so many incredible wellbeing benefits.

Whether that's soothing scents to help you drift off or invigorating ones to boost your energy, we've got an Essential Oil Blend for every mood or moment. Not only this but we're proud to say our complete collection is home to 100% natural fragrance. Unsure which blend to be buying? Here's our expert guide...

What Are Essential Oils?

First things first, let's give you a little more info into what essential oils actually are...

Essential oils are extracted from plant material. This can be anything from bark and roots to flowers and seeds – if it’s a part of a plant, chances are you’re able to get essential oils from it. And, because essential oils are the ‘essence’ of a plant, they’re super-concentrated, meaning the fragrance is a lot stronger than if you smelled the plant on its own.

Want to learn more? Check out our guide to Everything You Need To Know About Essential Oils…

What To Look For When Buying Essential Oils

So now you know what they are and how essential oils can help your wellbeing, let's take a little look at how you should pick the perfect blend...

Scent

It’s pretty obvious, but the first thing to think about when buying essential oils is the scent. Whether you’re looking for a single scent or blend of essential oils, choosing the right fragrance will help create the mood you’re looking for.

We understand how the right fragrance can have a big effect in your daily life – which is why we’ve split our essential oils according to four wellbeing pillars: mood, sleep, energy, and stress.

We think that not only is this a fantastic way to make it easy to choose the perfect essential oils for you, but you can be confident that you’re getting a specially curated scent blend to suit the situation. Allow us to explain:

Mood

Citrusy smells, like lemon or orange for example, are most well-known for their abilities to lift your mood and help you feel refreshed1. The same is true for neroli2 – these essential oils come from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree, which is why they smell citrusy and floral at the same time.

We’ve combined these two scents into the perfect mood-boosting fragrance for your home. The sharp sweetness of our Orange Blossom & Neroli Essential Oil Blend is the perfect mixture of comforting and energetic to help lift your mood for the day ahead.

Sleep

When it comes to sleep scents, it’s hard to beat the power of lavender and chamomile3. The floral yet herbal scent of lavender has frequently been shown to help improve sleep quality4 and help you relax – perfect for getting your zzz’s before a busy day.

Bringing together the soothing scents of lavender, chamomile, and patchouli, our dreamy Perfect Night’s Sleep Essential Oil Blend can help you to drift off and is a great addition to any nightly routine.

Energy

Looking for the best scents to put a spring in your step? Then lemon should be top of the list. It's a great one for refreshing the senses and helping you to feel invigorated. Another contender for the ideal energy-boosting blend is bergamot, with its vibrant and fruity scent.

Our Feel Refreshed Essential Oil Blend is the perfect balance of energising and refreshing to give you a much needed energy boost. With welcoming lemon and fresh basil, this essential oil is the perfect mixture to create an uplifting aroma.

De-stress

Essential oils are one of the easiest ways to help you relax and de-stress after a long or hectic day. Usually considered a stimulant (to energise you) black pepper may not be your first instinct to de-stress. But, recent studies have shown that black pepper essential oils can actually help to lower your stress response!5 And, it turns out florals aren’t just for spring – rose essential oils have a calming effect, and can help to reduce stress6.

We couldn’t resist this combination, which is why our Complete Bliss Essential Oil Blend was created. We’ve blended the delicate and welcoming scent of rose with vibrant notes of lime and warming tones of black pepper to create the ultimate, reassuring essential oil blend to help you de-stress and relax.

Ingredients

When it comes to buying essential oils, make sure to pay attention to the ingredients to make sure there are no surprises.

We’re passionate about using only high-quality, 100% natural essential oils across our range. We also expertly curate our essential oil blends to make sure all of the ingredients work in harmony to help you create your desired mood.

Use

Last, but by no means least, you should always think about how you want to use your essential oils. Refreshing a room is completely different to using essential oils as part of your self-care routine – so make sure you pick the best way of using your oil blends.

• Diffuser: adding your favourite essential oil to a diffuser is a great way to spread a scent through a room. They’re also super-easy to use – simply add a few drops of essential oil to your diffuser and enjoy a delicately scented fine mist throughout the day. For example, our Wellbeing Pods come in multiple sizes, allowing you to choose the best one for your home or office.

• Reed diffuser: reed diffusers are a subtle way to enjoy your favourite essential oil blend. The reeds soak up the oil blend and release it for a gentle but constant wave of fragrance – no charging necessary. We have a wide range of Reed Diffusers for you to choose from. Run out of your favourite scent? No problem – simply pick up a refill and you’re good to go.

• Mists: want more control over where your scents are? A mist or spray is an easy way to concentrate where you want the smell to be, like on your pillow. Our Bedtime Hero Pillow Mist for example, has the perfect blend of essential oils to use as your bedtime routine to help you get a good night’s sleep.

• Oil: a drop or two of essential oils in your bath or shower is a great way to bring some aromatherapy to your daily routine.

Top Tips For Using Essential Oils

Essential oils tap into our (often overlooked) sense of smell, and can help us feel grounded from day to day. To help you make the most of your favourites, we’ve picked out some of our top tips on how to use essential oils below.

• Do not ingest essential oils: avoid adding any essential oils to food or drink.
• A little goes a long way: essential oils are incredibly concentrated, so we recommend using them sparingly – a couple of drops will last a long time in your bath or in your Wellbeing Pod.
• Remember to dilute: if you’re using essential oils on your skin, make sure you dilute them in plenty of water, like as part of your bath, or in a natural oil base of your choice.
• Avoid mixing essential oil blends: essential oils blends are an already predetermined, balanced combination of different scents, picked for their unique scent profile. So, to get the most out of your NEOM favourites, they should not be mixed with other essential oil blends.

How To Store Your Essential Oils

Want to make the most of your essential oils? Then you need to make sure you’re storing them correctly.

Remember, too much heat or light can affect the quality of your essential oils, so we recommend keeping them out of direct light in a cool, dark place. You should also keep your bottles tightly sealed between uses, and try to keep them somewhere that is consistently the same temperature to help them last longer.

Find Your Favourite With NEOM Wellbeing

Here at NEOM, we love creating new scent combinations to boost your mood, help you relax, or even help to soothe you off to sleep. So, why not find your favourite today from our Essential Oils Collection?

Interested in learning more? Check out… Sound Bath: What Is It And Why Should You Try It? | The NEOM Guide To Mood Boosting Scents? | Common Sleep Myths… Busted

References

1. Agarwal, P., et al, 2022, ‘Citrus Essential Oils in Aromatherapy: Therapeutic Effects and Mechanisms’, in Antioxidants (Basel)., 11(12):2374.
2. Sowndhararajan, K., & S. Kim, 2016, ‘Influence of Fragrances on Human Psychophysiological Activity: With Special Reference to Human Electroencephalographic Response’, in Sci Pharm., 84(4):724-752.
3. Ebrahimi, H., et al., 2022, ‘The effects of Lavender and Chamomile essential oil inhalation aromatherapy on depression, anxiety and stress in older community-dwelling people: A randomised controlled trial’, in Explore (NY)., 18(3):272-278.
4. Chen, T-Y., et al, 2022, ‘The Effect of Lavender on Sleep Quality in Individuals Without Insomnia: A Systematic Review’, in Holist Nurs Pract., 36(4):223-231.
5. Chayani Dilrukshi, E.A., et al., 2024, ‘Alleviation of acute stress response by black pepper aroma administration’, in J Physiol Anthropol., 43(1):3.
6. Emadikhalaf, M., et al., 2023, ‘Effects of rose and lavender scents on nurses' job stress: A randomised controlled trial’, in Explore (NY)., 19(3):371-375.