March 10, 2025

How to Blend Essential Oils for Stress and Colds: Expert Tips & ECO Favourites

One of my favourite parts of Aromatherapy is blending essential oils. As an Aromatherapy student I remember how excited we all were to get our hands on the essential oils to make our own aromatic creations. Sometimes it was overwhelming as we were quickly trying to create effective and safe blends for our clients at the student clinic. Luckily, we had some very experienced teachers to guide the way.

Blending can be challenging for the beginner and the expert. There are so many essential oils to choose from, where do we start? Thankfully the experienced and creative team at ECO. have got you covered.

We get so many questions about Aromatherapy for stress and colds, so let’s take a closer look at those two topics. The ECO. team share their favourite blends for you to try and we talk about how the blends work. But if you’re feeling ‘blendy’ there’s also a list of useful essential oils to get you started with your own blend.

Blends For Stress

When life feels like a pressure cooker you might notice the mental and physical effects of stress. Stress can cause many physical symptoms like fatigue, muscle pain, digestive upsets, racing heart and headaches. Like everything in life, balance is the key. A little stress gets us moving but too much can stop us in our tracks. Essential oils target stress on many levels and are so easy to use. Open a bottle of Lavender and take a few deep breaths. The sweet scent balances the nervous system creating a calm space. How easy is that?

ECO. Team Favourites

Kylie loves Free Spirit Blend. This blend helps manage stress with grounding Patchouli and Peru Balsam, and hypnotic Ylang Ylang. The sweet citrus top notes boost your day.

Natalie’s favourite pick is Anxiety Blend. Each ingredient has been selected from the TGA list of essential oils for stress management. Lavender slows the nervous system, while Frankincense slows the breath. Added to this powerful duo is Sweet Orange, a traditional remedy for anxiety, and Ylang Ylang for balance and serenity.

Essential Oils For Stress

Lavender: Sedative, lowers blood pressure, regulates flight or fight response.

Frankincense: A sedative that slows the breath, calms upsets, and soothes anxiety.

Vetiver: For stress, insomnia, and burnout. A cooling essential oil that is grounding.

Mandarin: Great for kids, relieves irritation, angry outbursts, and promotes sleep.

Basil: Clears the minds weighed down with worry, aids recovery from long term stress and burnout.

Quick Tip!

Sometimes we feel stress in our abdomen such as cramping or indigestion. To help release stomach tension put a small amount of carrier oil in a dish and add up to 5 drops of essential oil. Olive oil from your pantry works well for this. Gently massage into your abdominal area in a clockwise direction. Try a mix of Vetiver, Mandarin and Basil. These essential oils reduce stress while helping to support the digestive system at the same time.

Blends For Cold and Flu

Cleaning with your own natural disinfectant spray helps stop the spread of germs in the home and office. A benefit of blending is that it increases the power of a single essential oil. If you want to make a disinfectant spray Lemon Myrtle is a great choice. By blending Lemon Myrtle with another essential oil, such as Tea Tree, the antimicrobial power of the blend grows.

ECO. Team Favourites

Eilish’s favourite blend is Exhale. Exhale clears the lungs with Peppermint, disinfects the air with Lime, and helps deepen the breath with Frankincense.

Emma’s top pick is Happy Head Blend. Designed for headaches and brain fog, Happy Head also helps during a cold with sinus clearing Eucalyptus. Lavender has an anti-inflammatory action on sore throats and antibacterial properties to stop germs spreading.

Tess loves Australian Shores Blend which is a delicious blend with the germ stopping power of Eucalyptus and Tea Tree and the cleansing action of Lemon.

Essential Oils For Cold and Flu

Eucalyptus: Clears the sinuses, reduces fever, antiviral, antibacterial.

Rosemary: Clears catarrhal conditions, bronchitis, sinusitis, reduces lethargy.

Pine: Antimicrobial, antiviral, antibacterial, clears phlegm from lungs.

Lemon: Boosts the immune system by stimulating white blood cells and reduces fever.

Tea Tree: Expectorant, immune stimulant, strong antimicrobial.

Pro Tip!

Steam inhalations help clear the lungs and sinuses. Add 2 drops of essential oil to a bowl of steaming hot water, lean over the water and inhale the steam for a few minutes. Don’t be tempted to add more than 2 drops though. Too much essential oil in a steam inhalation can irritate the sinuses and keep your nose blocked.

Feel Like Sharing?

Share your favourite blends and creations on the ECO Family Facebook page. The ECO family would love to hear about your favourite ECO blends and try out your special essential oil blend recipes too.

Take Me There!

Author: Alissa Geddes

Aromatherapist

Alissa is a fully qualified Aromatherapist with further qualifications in Remedial Massage & Myotherapy. She qualified as an Aromatherapist in 2005 and has worked in hospitals, day spas and in clinical practice. Alissa contributes her extensive knowledge to ECO. and helps with detailed education to our ECO. community. Alissa is passionate about assisting and teaching others how to restore and maintain their health and wellbeing.