Essential oils can be aromatically motivating, inspiring and encouraging to apprehensive students as they buckle up to buckle down in the coming school year. When you stop to consider the potential academic advantage they evoke, essential oils might be as valuable an addition to a student’s backpack as their laptop. Keep reading to find out why you should add essential oils to your back to school shopping list this fall!

The unique aroma constituents naturally present in essential oils offer many benefits to the back-to-school scholar; from scents that encourage creative inspiration, hit-the-books motivation, or even purifying protection from suddenly being thrown together with other students in classes and dorms. Easy-to-make aromatherapy recipes don’t just smell great, they may just prove to be the learning tools for getting a student to the head of the class.

Rosemary. Inspire a sense of boosted brain-power with the herbal, camphorous aroma of rosemary essential oil. Rosemary is traditionally associated with memory, recollections and nostalgia so is a great adjunct to reading and studying.

Lemon. Bright & sweet, lemon is a kid friendly focus booster that blends well with most essential oils. Mix up as a mist or roll-on and pack for long school days.

Lavender. Well known for its ability to calm or encourage a peaceful slumber, lavender is a great back to school oil for all ages! One whiff will encourage a calm atmosphere.

Manuka. This fresh, herbal scented oil provides a sense of purification and protection. Add it to homemade hand cleansers or diffuse into room spaces (such as stuffy dorm rooms!) to cleanse stagnant air.

Vetiver. Distilled from the tenacious roots of a tropical grass, vetiver’s candy-sweet, rich and earthy scent inspires a sense of grounding and stillness for those who are easily distracted or who are over-sensitive to their environments. Vetiver helps you to focus on the task at hand, whether it be a class lecture or writing a paper.

Tea Tree. The purifying and potent spice and camphor-like aroma of tea tree inspires a sense of cleansed protection during winter season challenges. Create a homemade hand rub or add to hand soap for a cleansing effect.

Tangerine. To encourage creativity in your budding artist, keep fruity tangerine on hand! Diffuse on salts during arts & crafts time.

Use these oils on their own or mix them together to create your own blends!