Do you want to start losing weight but feel like your own body is fighting against you?
Does the thought of making healthy lifestyle changes send your stress levels through the roof?
Have you been on countless traditional weight loss diets, and even pursued intensive, fat-burning exercise programs, but aren’t impressed with the mediocre results you’re getting?
Then you should consider using essential oils for weight loss.
Now, to be perfectly honest, essential oils aren’t miracle cures. But, if you incorporate them alongside a number of other healthy habits like: working out a few days a week, planning your meals, and tracking your habits, you’ll be amazed at the results.
By using essential oils, you can supercharge these positive, healthy habits. With just a few drops of the oils described below, you can overcome common hang-ups that plague people on weight loss journeys, like fatigue, digestive problems, inflammation, sugar cravings, and lack of motivation.
So, read on to discover the 11 best essential oils that we recommend for weight loss…
How Essential Oils Can Help You Lose Weight
Everyone knows there is no miracle solution to weight loss. Fad diets and magic potions will only work temporarily, if at all, and can lead to health problems later.
Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly are the most fool-proof ways to lose weight and keep it off. However, using essential oils in your daily routine can help promote emotional and physical health that will help you lose weight faster and more easily.
Essential oils are known for their ability to affect your mood and can either calm you down or energize you. This can help with the psychological hang-ups many people experience during their weight loss journeys, including emotional eating, junk food cravings, fatigue, and a decrease in motivation.
Keeping you from wrecking your diet will let your body continue to be fueled with healthy foods and keep your self-esteem high. Increasing your energy and motivation levels allow you to do your best at scheduled workouts, and not feel emotionally overwhelmed by your weight loss journey.
Certain essential oils also have physical health benefits. They can speed up your metabolism, aid in digestion, and boost your energy.
A fast metabolism and healthy digestive system will allow your body to burn more calories each day without you even trying! It’ll also increase energy, which will make workouts less daunting.
Though they are by no means a replacement for a healthy lifestyle, adding essential oils to your daily routine can help pave the road to your successful weight loss journey.
Now that you understand how these oils can help you shed those pounds, let's talk about the 11 best essential oils for weight loss.
(Side note: We recommend Rocky Mountain Oils for each item on this list. The reason we suggest this site is because they only sell 100% pure essential oils. To learn more about why this is important, check out this article that explains the differences between fake and pure essential oils.)
Best Essential Oils for Weight Loss
1. Organic Grapefruit Essential Oil
Grapefruit essential oil is one of the best aromatic oils for boosting your metabolism.
This yummy-smelling citrus oil is perfect for switching your body into fat-burning mode.
Grapefruit oil contains nootkatone, a compound that increases your metabolism and helps your body melt fat away. This cherished constituent triggers a vital protein/enzyme in the liver and muscular skeletal system to boost physical performance and metabolism.
A higher, boosted metabolism is important if you wish to lose weight, and this action of grapefruit oil facilitates that.
Also, consider a study that reveals grapefruit oil’s ability to shrink fat-storing cells (adipocytes). Housing smaller fat cells indicate better weight management, and that’s always sought-after.
But, this zesty, fresh, and crisp-fragranced oil does more than increase metabolism and reduce adipocytes. It keeps obesity at bay, acts as an appetite suppressant, balances mood, and reduces stress.
These benefits wrapped up nicely in a beautiful oil makes grapefruit extract a potent, effective agent for weight loss. “The force is strong with this one.”
Combined with a healthy diet, you’ll reap the fruits of your hard work in no time!
As its cheerful aroma uplifts and invigorates the mind and emotions, you’ll feel refreshed and revived on your weight loss journey. While grapefruit works to shed the weight, you also benefit with an enhanced well-being.
To learn more, here is our favorite organic grapefruit essential oil.
How to Use:
- Combine 4 drops of grapefruit oil in a teaspoon of olive oil, and use to massage the abdominal region to melt fat. Washing off the area after a therapeutic, fat-burning massage isn’t necessary. Allow it to absorb into the skin.
- Add 3 drops of grapefruit oil to a tissue and use as an inhalant to reduce food cravings/appetite. More drops can be added throughout the day once the aroma begins to dissipate from the tissue. An alternative is to diffuse up to 10 drops for about 15 minutes.
2. Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
If you love eating cakes, cookies, and other sweets, cinnamon essential oil will really help you with your weight loss.
The oil helps to control blood sugar and insulin release, which in turn keeps your sugar cravings in check.
Stabilizing blood sugar levels with cinnamon bark oil keeps your body from craving sugary junk foods. You are also less likely to overeat if you add the spicy-warm aromatic oil to your routine, which is key to staying on track with your healthy diet.
Scientists are also reportingthat cinnamon bark essential oil may well be a force to reckon with for weight loss.
Cinnamaldehyde, the active compound in cinnamon bark essential oil, raises metabolism by targeting fat cells. Like grapefruit, cinnamon bark can be used to stimulate thermogenesis, a process where your body is influenced to burn adipocytes. Feel free to read about the science here.
To learn more, here is our favorite cinnamon bark grapefruit essential oil.
How to Use:
Tap into your body’s fat-burning mechanism by combining 5 drops of cinnamon bark oil in 30 ml of carrier oil. Cinnamon bark oil is a known irritant and may cause skin irritation or sensitization if used in inappropriate dilutions.
Hence, with cinnamon bark oil, less is always more, not the reverse. Use the blend to massage the abdomen, lower, and upper back region.
3. Ginger Root Essential Oil
You might know ginger root oil as a great digestive aid, but what you might not have considered is its action against obesity.
It contains gingerols, compounds that reduce inflammation in your intestines and help you absorb vitamins and minerals from the food you eat.
Reducing inflammation can lower your risk of contracting many diseases, and affect how you gain or lose weight. In fact, recurring inflammation may cause weight gain and also difficulties losing that weight.
Like cinnamon bark oil, ginger essential oil also helps curb sugar cravings that could take you off track from your healthy diet.
A randomized clinical study with 70 to 80 Korean participants revealed ginger oil as an anti-obesity agent. The 12-week, placebo-controlled experiment showed the triumphant ginger oil in all its glory, significantly reducing the body fat, Body Mass Index, and body weight of participants.
This success was attributed to major constituents, 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol found in the spicy, rooty oil.
To learn more, here is our favorite ginger root essential oil.
How to Use:
- In a container (not plastic), combine 2 drops of ginger and sweet orange oil each with a teaspoon of honey (5ml). Mix everything well together, and then add a teaspoon of lemon extract and 2fl.oz of water. This blend should be taken in 2 doses daily.
- Combine 2 drops of ginger and 3 drops of sweet orange oil in a teaspoon of olive oil. Use to massage the abdomen twice daily.
4. Lime Essential Oil
The perky, vibrant aroma of lime essential oil is useful for burning fat and providing moral support.
Looking for an all-in-one essential oil? Lime essential oil benefits both your mental and physical health, so it’s perfect for people who have a small essential oil budget.
Its limonene compound helps dissolve body fat, all while enhancing your mood through an increase in norepinephrine levels in the brain.
Lemon is a tremendous addition to workout days, as its zesty fragrance energizes and reinvigorates your mental faculty to keep you pushing.
A study using mice showed lime essential oil’s advocacy of weight loss. Subjects were induced to gain weight through administration of an antihistaminic drug. After oral use of lime during the 45-day study, subjects showed a loss in body weight.
Researchers concluded that this success likely came about as a result of the chemical properties in lime, which induced anorexia (a loss of appetite) in the test subjects.
To learn more, here is our favorite lime essential oil.
How to Use:
Diffuse 10 to 20 drops of lime essential oil when the insatiable desire to eat nonstop rears its ugly head.
5. Organic Turmeric Essential Oil
Turmeric essential oil is an agent of weight loss, especially in individuals with metabolic diseases.
We all know how vital one’s metabolism is to weight loss. A low, or suppressed metabolism is a strong indicator that you aren’t burning enough fat.
Your body’s ability to strip off fat is important if you want to reap success on your weight loss journey and progress to a new level of confidence.
Various studies reveal that turmeric oil may be used to jumpstart your metabolism and increase adiponectin in the blood. An increased level of adiponectin occurs when your body is working to evict that stubborn tenant we call unwanted body fat.
So, get that bottle of turmeric oil out, and start using it like the dissolution of your body’s visceral fat depends on it.
To learn more, here is our favorite organic turmeric essential oil.
Burn fat with a cup of turmeric-ginger tea in the mornings. Add a few slices of ginger rhizomes (can be grated) into a cup of hot water.
In a small container, add 10 ml of honey (or as preferred). To your honey, add 2 drops of turmeric essential oil and combine well. Pour the honey-essential oil mixture into the hot water. Drink daily.
Do not ingest turmeric oil if you are on diabetic medication as these could likely interact. Instead of using the essential oil as a diabetic, use turmeric rhizomes/powder to brew tea.
6. Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint essential oil is a superb choice for weight loss due to its appetite suppressant properties, and its effect on exercise performance.
Peppermint is not just for Christmas anymore!
This oil naturally suppresses your appetite to keep you from overeating. It also helps to keep bloating and indigestion at bay.
Peppermint oil is perfect for people trying to improve their digestive health. The strong, minty scent of peppermint oil rejuvenates and revives the mind to keep you alert and attentive. It’s perfect for early morning workouts or days when you lack focus and clarity.
Although peppermint doesn’t melt or burn fat cells that we hate so much, research shows that it has exercise-enhancing actions.
Yes, if you’re looking to maximize on exercise sessions and burn more calories through physical stamina, peppermint oil will take you for the ride and help you stick it out.
Tired of aching all over because of those exercise sessions? Peppermint oil is your trusted pain killer. The oil is naturally cooling, so use to soothe tense, sore muscles. You may also use peppermint to warm up before working out.
To learn more, here is our favorite peppermint essential oil.
- Add 1 drop (0.05ml) of peppermint oil to a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and ingest. An alternative is to add 1 drop of peppermint to an enteric-coated capsule and fill with olive oil to take daily.
- Diffuse 5 to 10 drops of peppermint oil to improve focus before working out.
- Combine 4 drops of peppermint and 2 drops of wintergreen oil in a teaspoon of sesame seed oil. Use to massage sore and tense joints after workouts.
7. Bergamot FCF Essential Oil
Bergamot essential oil has mood-enhancing properties. With the right mind-set and attitude, it’s easier to workout and eat right.
Use bergamot oil on those days when you feel defeated or unmotivated. This citrusy, floral oil increases stamina and well-being, preventing problems like emotional eating and skipping workouts.
As a tremendous essential oil for weight loss, bergamot oil showed positive effects on body weight when used in a study. Daily use of the citrusy extract not only decreased Body Mass Index but glucose levels, which contributes to weight gain if not controlled.
To learn more, here is our favorite bergamot fcf essential oil.
- Diffuse 10 drops of bergamot to uplift and cheer you on before workout sessions.
- Combine 5 drops in a teaspoon of olive oil and massage the abdominal region.
8. Fennel Essential Oil
Fennel essential oil is important for weight loss because it gives you energy.
This essential oil with an interesting licorice scent has tons of benefits that will make you look and feel amazing. Its melatonin temporarily curbs your appetite and helps reduce weight gain. It also promotes overall digestive health.
Fennel oil also helps you sleep better and longer, which naturally boosts your energy levels for the next day's workout.
Regular, restful sleep will lower your stress levels, too. This is beneficial because high amounts of stress have been shown to lead to weight gain and other health problems.
Fennel oil may also give your metabolism added juice to aid in the fat-burning process. So, don’t forget to stack up on this highly stimulating essential oil.
To learn more, here is our favorite fennel essential oil.
Diffuse 10 drops of fennel oil in a well-ventilated area.
9. Sandalwood Essential Oil
Nutrition and dietetics department head, Tanisha Mehta, chimed in to give her take on sandalwood’s weight loss action.
According to the expert, sandalwood oil tones digestive function to boost operations of the intestines and stomach. This seemingly simple act could help you lose weight, as your digestive system would be entertaining healthy gut bacteria for peak performance.
Sandalwood curbs emotional eating to prevent overindulgence. When are you most likely to curl up with a bowl of ice-cream or mouth-watering cake?
The oil’s aroma leaves you clear-headed during these vulnerable moments, ensuring you aren’t stuffing your face with cake, and adding inches to your waist.
Emotional eating discredits every bit of progress made on your weight loss journey. It’s time to grip the bull by its horns and break free from your ‘sweet tooth’ fiasco with consistent sandalwood oil usage.
To learn more, here is our favorite sandalwood essential oil.
Break free from the clutches of emotional eating, curb overindulgence, and dispel stress with sandalwood oil by diffusing 10 drops with 4 drops of grapefruit oil.
You’ll fall in love with the aroma!
10. Rocky Mountain Oils Fitness Blend
This buoyant, aromatic blend was designed to support your fitness journey. It’s natural to get tired, sulky, and even express desires to throw in the towel.
Can you relate to these negative emotions?
‘This blend was conceived just for you!
‘Fitness’ was designed to strengthen resolve and energize a flagging spirit by imbuing your weary bones with power and zest to push on.
Lemon, grapefruit, cinnamon bark, among others, were carefully infused to dispel agitation and disappointments, so that you can deal with varying negative emotions that may surface on your weight loss trek.
By using this blend of essential oils for weight loss before workout sessions, you position your heart and mind to stick to it, regardless of how tough and gruff the work gets.
And trust me, you’ll have head-banging, frustrating days to contend with!
You can learn more here about the Fitness essential oil blend.
Add 10 drops of “Fitness” to your diffuser and allow the soothing fragrance to cosset your fears, strengthen your resolve, and invigorate your body and mind with stamina and power.
11. Rocky Mountain Oils Tohi Burst Blend
‘Tohi Burst’ is a natural supplement that infuses all the goodness from the ‘Fitness’ blend to enhance physical and mental strength.
As a strong advocate of focus and mental clarity, ‘Tohi Burst’ keeps you attentive and alert.
To provide physical stamina, while improving cognitive function during workout sessions. You get added juice to survive a bustling day, without worrying about nasty side effects or burning out.
Do you often grow weary and tired of the thought of having to exercise?
The uplifting, energizing essential oils in Tohi Burst keep you fully engaged and awake to tackle your normal workout routine daily.
Food cravings are no match for this supplement, as it reduces your appetite to ensure the desire to sneak away with a cookie, or two, isn’t there.
The soft gels are infused with small traces of essential oils from the ‘Fitness’ blend, along with vitamin B-complex, niacin, guarana seed powder, and so much more goodies to complement your health.
This all-natural supplement helps you bring the fight to fat with clarity, vitality, mental fortification, and dynamic power. Fat has no hold on you with Tohi Burst cheering you on.
You can learn more here about the Tohi Burst essential oil blend.
Ingest 2 supplements daily. Take one in the morning and afternoon.
How to Use Essential Oils to Lose Weight
To enjoy the benefits of watching those visceral fat cells melt away, apply essential oils directly to the skin.
But, be warned! NEVER apply undiluted essential oils to your body!
Essential oils contain the highly concentrated “essences” of the spices, herbs, and trees from which they’re extracted. They are potent and can cause skin irritation, sensitization, and phototoxicity if used undiluted, or in immoderate ratios.
Always use essential oils according to their safety profile.
By the way, essential oils aren’t diluted equally. You will find some oils with their own maximum topical dilution percentage.
Before topical use, a few drops of essential oils should be combined with a carrier oil like almond, olive, or coconut to avoid any nasty reaction.
When using carrier oils, unscented or lightly-fragranced are preferred, so as not to mask or ‘outshine’ the aroma of essential oils. However, this isn’t much of an issue, since carrier oils do have their own therapeutic value, and help essential oils absorb more quickly through the skin.
Caution should be taken if oils are to be massaged on to damaged or diseased skin.
Option #1: Topical Application of Essential Oils
Massage the oil on to your abdomen, arms, legs, or the soles of your feet to feel their benefits.
When applying essential oils that reduce fat-storing cells in the body, target areas that are most vulnerable to fat.
Through years of snacking on fast foods and sugary treats, where do you think those diabolical fat cells sit and thrive? You know darn well it’s your tummy.
In this case, a relaxing, fat-melting massage using the recommended oils each day helps.
That means using them to support your weight loss journey, even if a particular oil doesn’t necessarily burn fat or boost your body’s metabolic rate.
On days when you’re exercising, proper blood circulation is important, and a warm massage of the legs accommodates free blood flow.
I don’t know about you, but after an intensive exercise program, my body is rife with aches.
Many essential oils act as analgesics. They have the same effect as painkillers when massaged on to sore, achy areas.
For a more localized effect, use essential oils in a hot or cold compress.
Option #2: Use an Essential Oil Diffuser
Having a functional essential oil diffuser will serve you well on your exercise journey. You’ll need a cheerleader to cheer you on while you work to ditch the extra pounds.
As the aromatic nature of essential oils enhance well-being, you’ll feel great working out, even if you hate laborious physical activity.
I’ve had moments where my energy flagged, but my lovely citrus essential oils knew how to infuse my body and mind with strength.
A whiff of a mood-enhancing oil is all it takes for me.
Like my dear citrus oils, you’ll need support, and you’ll find it with essential oils.
Diffusing essential oils regularly may also reduce food cravings. Stop being victimized by emotional eating. When you’re feeling overwhelmed and depleted, use essential oils to chase the monsters away, unwind, and relax.
When you avoid stress eating, you turn away from a path that could ruin all the progress you’ve made.
When diffusing your oils, always ensure the area is well-ventilated. And, if you have pets, keep the door open so that they can leave should they become agitated.
If you don't have an essential oil diffuser (or want to grab a new one), then here are favorite three options. Just find the diffuser that looks interesting and then click the yellow button to get more information:
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Best Overall Choice: Lux Blue Marble Diffuser by Rocky Mountain Oils | CLICK HERE FOR PRICE |
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Best High-End Oil Diffuser: Aroma Tech AroMini | CLICK HERE FOR PRICE |
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Most Budget-Friendly Option: InnoGear Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser | CLICK HERE FOR PRICE |
Option #3: Oral Use
As an essential oil isn’t a one-size-fits-all type of thing, you may need to use in very low oral doses depending on the desired effect.
Some essential oils do interact with some medications. So, it’s best to avoid internal use if taking diabetic and hypertensive medications or is recovering from recent surgery.
Avoid using internally if pregnant and breastfeeding.
As some essential oils are contraindicated in epilepsy, please consult your doctor before attempting the recommended oils on this list if you’ve had a history of convulsions or seizures.
Final Thoughts on Essential Oils for Weight Loss
An essential oil is like a supportive friend who travels the extra mile with you.
When you’re afraid to take the journey, or when your thoughts bow to fear and self-doubt, let essential oils wrap you under its wings like a caring, encouraging parent.
With essential oils, you’re imbued with the ruthless determination to stick to a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise, and self-care.
These precious plant-based extracts contain powerful, natural chemical compounds that burn fat, improve metabolism, enhance well-being, energize the body, and so much more.
Don’t wait until obesity sets in to act.
Start using essential oils now and lose weight to take back your control and feel confident and radiant in your own skin.
Check out the 11 essential oils recommended for use on your weight loss journey.
I hope you fall in love the same way I have.
- Rocky Mountain Oils Organic Grapefruit Essential Oil
- Rocky Mountain Oils Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
- Rocky Mountain Oils Ginger Root Essential Oil
- Rocky Mountain Oils Organic Lime Essential Oil
- Rocky Mountain Oils Turmeric Essential Oil
- Rocky Mountain Oils Peppermint Essential Oil
- Rocky Mountain Oils Bergamot FCF Essential Oil
- Healing Solutions Fennel Essential Oil
- Rocky Mountain Oils Sandalwood Essential Oil
- Rocky Mountain Oils Fitness Blend
- Rocky Mountain Oils Tohi Burst Blend
Did you enjoy this article on essential oils for weight loss? Let us know in the comment section below and be sure to share the article with family and friends.
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Samantha Burris is a full-time creative wordsmith with an insatiable desire for all things essential oil. Years spent learning aromatherapy from Robert Tisserand, Julia Lawless, Jane Buckle, and other moguls within the aromatherapy niche, has equipped her with practical knowledge, with onus on creating safe, synergistic essential oil blends to support her family’s physiological and psychological well-being. It’s her desire to take the plunge and invest in becoming a Clinical Aromatherapist.
Awesome details & depth post!
Thank you for sharing this useful list of oils. All the oils you shared are very helpful for weight loss and cellulite.
I am using Bergamot, a fragrant fruit oil. This oil also contains polyphenols, which is found in green tea, that help the body burn fats & sugar.
Thanks,
Shalini
Thanks for sharing. Do you have any tips for mixing the oils?
Debra
Hello,
Thank you so much for the information. I noticed that you didn’t mention taking the oils orally? I have my veggie capsules and just wasn’t sure how much of the oils to ingest on a daily basis? I would appreciate any direction.
Thanks again!!
Some can.. and some cannot be taken orally. I really just avoid that so I don’t have enougvh facts to write on oral use of Essential oils. Maybe that is something I should research and write on….
Can I ingest these oils to help with weight loss? If so do I purchase all the oils or use just one consistently. How much can i use in water in order for it to be effective? I would rather use in water than to place on my skin
No. Well, mostly no. Something like a couple drops of lemongrass oil in water could be fine, but most of these oils are concentrated and not meant for direct ingestion. The best way is not skin contact either but using a a diffuser machine. To turn the water into vapor where it is taken into the body through the mucous membrane
Very useful info. I’m in the long process of weight loss but I have a problem with junk foods. I also do fennel, mint peppermint and lemongrass farming. How can I get the oils from the crops?
Thank you for such an insightful post. This is a hairy subject for many but to know I have many of these oils in my arsenal already I feel inspired. Thanks
Hello,
This really looks good for diet. But how to use this please advice
waiting for your reply
Thanks
Hina bashir
Hello,
Consumable essential oils are not easily available here for the weight loss.Can oral application help ? How do I start with those ? Kindly guide me for the same.
I never knew that essential oils can speed up metabolism and boost energy. My wife recently introduced me to essential oils the other day, and I wasn’t sure I believed they could really do all of these things she mentioned. After reading this, it’s incredible to see all of the things that essential oils can do! I think I’m going to get some for myself as well.
apart from bergamot (which i personally do not have a problem with) all the oils are injestable – most are used in everyday cooking !
Hi:
I would like to know how to mix the essential oils that I have with my carrier oil, Jojoba Oil/Castor Oil/Rosehip Oil.
I want to blend these oil with my carrier oil however I am still a beginner in mixing EOs.
These are the oils I want to mix:
Grapefruit
Patchouli
Juniper
Lemon
Geranium
Ginger
Cypress
What should I use also as my carrier oil? And how many drops per essential oil?
The oils above are for slimming also.
You should ad that women seeking to get pregnant should avoid taking fennel oil internally as it can not only affect a woman’s normal menstruation but in long-term use can cause infertility. I had used it for my ulcerative colitis years ago, which helped a lot, but my cycles changed drastically to the point where they were cut down to maybe 2 days of spotting. I believe the infertility is temporary so once use of fennel is stopped it’s really only a matter of time for your body to reboot. For me it took about a month to notice normality but I had only been using fennel in my tea once or twice a day for a couple months.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing a great list of essential oils for weight loss. It’s very helpful.
This is also another approach to losing weight. Thank you for sharing this wonderful idea. This is a must read to people who are a fan also of essential oils.
I am interested in locating pure capsaicin oil. Or pure cyanne pepper oil.