Sleep Assist

Aromatherapy Roll-On

by Christine Pressler, CA

momaromas

August 24, 2022

6 minutes

Sleep-supporting Lavender, German Chamomile, and Green Mandarin essential oils are blended into Jojoba and Passion Fruit seed oils for a soothing topical aromatherapy roll-on blend that, when applied before bed, encourages relaxation, release of tension, and restful sleep.

Sleep Assist Roll-On Recipe

• 10 ml roller bottle
• 2 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
• 1 drop German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
• 1 drop Green Mandarin (Citrus reticulata)
• 4.5 ml (approximately) Jojoba oil (Simmondsia chinensis)
• 4.5 ml (approximately) Passion Fruit seed oil (Passiflora edulis or Passiflora incarnata)
• See my Recommended Suppliers below.

To make Sleep Assist Roll-On, add essential oils to roller bottle, fill half way with Jojoba oil, then top with Passion Fruit seed oil. Push roller top into place and tighten cap. Tip gently back and forth to combine the essential oils and lipid carrier oils. (Remember to affix a label!)

Using Sleep Assist Roll-On

When preparing for bed, roll Sleep Assist over chest and massage gently. Roll lightly over palms, then rub hands together and cup over nose, inhaling deeply and slowly several times. If desired, massaged Sleep Assist into shoulders and/or feet to help release tension before sleep. This is a 2% dilution and safe for daily use.

Child-safe option

For children 5-12 years old we recommend no more than a 1% dilution for topical blends. Here are two options for a child-safe blend:

1. Our favorite: Make a stock blend of the essential oils in a 5 ml essential oil bottle with a reducer. Multiply each essential oil by 10 (20 drops Lavender, 10 drops German Chamomile, 10 drops Green Mandarin). This will give you about 2 ml of the blend. Then add 2 drops of the blend to the roller bottle, fill half way with Jojoba, then top with Passion Fruit seed oil. ― Then make a roller for yourself with 4 drops of the blend and use the rest for sleep supporting diffusion near bedtime (5-8 drops/100 ml water).
2. Another option: Omit the Green Mandarin altogether. Into the roller bottle add 1 drop Lavender and 1 drop German Chamomile, fill half way with Jojoba, then top with Passionfruit seed oil.

Why Does This Blend Work?

Lavender, German Chamomile, and Mandarin essential oils are all known for their calming and stress, anxiety and tension reducing natures.

Lavender essential oil is one of the most researched essential oils and is well-loved in the aromatherapy world for its many psyche-supporting attributes including calming, soothing, nurturing, and balancing. The combination of the phytochemicals linalool and linalyl acetate, both occurring in high percentages in Lavender essential oil, produces a marked sedative effect, making it the top essential oil used for sleep support. With its revitalizing and restorative nature, soft, floral Lavender essential oil acts as a tonic for both mind and body.

Next to Lavender, German Chamomile essential oil is considered one of the gentlest of oils. It has been used therapeutically for over 2000 years, dating back to the Ancient Egyptians who dedicated the herb to the Sun god Ra and favored it as an anointing oil.(1) Reaching for chamomile tea before bed? This is the type of chamomile in your cup! More accurately called a tisane, the herbal tea is used in traditional medicine to manage tension and sleeplessness. The grassy, very ripe apple-like aroma of German Chamomile essential oil is due to the phytochemical chamazulene, which also gives the oil its blue color and contributes to its comforting nature. German Chamomile essential oil is considered a grounding, harmonizing oil that reduces over-thinking, making it a perfect addition to a blend for sleep support

While in the same family as sweet Orange and sparkling Lime, Green Mandarin essential oil has a more exotic aroma, citrusy with a touch of pine. Green Mandarin, like its sister citruses, contains a majority of the anxiety-soothing phytochemical d-limonene, and it also includes a significant percentage of γ-terpinene, a phytochemical currently being researched as an aid for insomnia.(2)

Even the lipid carrier oils contribute to the efficacy of this blend. Passion fruit and passionflower are used in traditional herbal medicine as a sleep aid and to reduce stress and anxiety. The soft sweet fragrance of Passion Fruit seed oil enhances the calming aromas of the essential oils, and because it’s a very light oil (high in linoleic fatty acid) it absorbs into the skin rapidly without leaving an oily residue. Jojoba oil is actually a liquid wax with a fatty acid profile similar to human sebum. Jojoba has no appreciable aroma of its own and, as a wax, it provides a means for extending the aroma of the blend on your skin.

☀️Research Spotlight

Calming Passiflora

From leaf tea to seed oil, Passiflora is known in herbal medicine for its therapeutic properties. Modern research confirms that this plant truly is a medicinal wonder with properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidepressant, anxiolytic (helps ease anxiety), and sedative. [Maybe consider adding some loose leaf Passiflora to that cup of Chamomile for some extra sleep support!]

And to top it off passionflowers are beautifully exotic and the passion fruit is fresh, sweet, and delicious! Learn more about why Passiflora has long been considered beneficial to our health in this 2020 review of the research.(3)

🔶️An Important Note About Insomnia

If you are experiencing chronic sleep disturbance or insomnia that doesn’t respond to aromatherapy and consistent sleep hygiene, please seek the advice of a naturopath or general practitioner.

Mom’s Recommended Suppliers

^{[This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links I may earn a commission. This does not impact your price. For more information, please see our disclosure.]}

I generally use Amazon for most of my product containers, including roller bottles and essential oils bottles for stock blends. You can find my tried and true favorites on my Aromatherapy Containers idea list.

I’ve put together another list on Amazon of the essential oils, carrier oils, and herbs I like for restful Sleep & Stress support—featuring Plant Therapy, Renewalize, and Elanen naturals.

Check out Mom’s Favorites on Amazon

The sleep-supporting essential oils used in Mom’s Sleep Assist Roll-On can be found at the following preferred Essential Oil Suppliers.

Click to Read About Them!

• Aromatics International for several types of organic Lavender, organic German Chamomile, and organic Green Mandarin
• Plant Therapy for a couple of different organic Lavenders, organic German Chamomile, and organic Green Mandarin
• Plant Therapy (on Amazon) for all of those^^
• Edens Garden (on Amazon) for several types of Lavender, German Chamomile, and Green Mandarin

Jojoba oil/wax is available from a variety of excellent suppliers, including:

• Aromatics International
• Plant Therapy
• Plant Therapy (on Amazon)
• Cliganic (on Amazon)

Mom’s favorite supplier for Passion Fruit Seed oil is:

• Renewalize (on Amazon)

References

1. Lawless, J. (1994). Aromatherapy and the mind. San Francisco, California: Thorsons.
2. Kobayashi, Y., Takemoto, H., Fu, Z., Shimizu, E., Kinjo, Y. (2016). Enhancement of pentobarbital-induced sleep by the vaporized essential oil of Citrus keraji var kabuchii and its characteristic component, γ-terpinene. Nat Prod Commun, 11(8). https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578X1601100836
3. He, X., Luan, F., Yang, Y., Wang, Z., Zhao, Z., Fang, J., Wang, M., Zuo, M., Li, Y. (2020). Passiflora edulis: an insight into current research on phytochemistry and pharmacology. Front Pharmacol, 11(617). https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.00617