Menopause & Perimenopause: How Essential Oils Support Your Transition
Menopause is a natural biological transition marking the end of menstruation and fertility. While every person’s experience is unique, most begin noticing changes in their mid‑40s (or earlier due to medical or surgical factors). Menopause is confirmed after 12 consecutive months without menstruation; the transition phase leading up to it is known as perimenopause, which is when most symptoms appear.
During perimenopause, the body gradually produces less oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Because oestrogen receptors exist on cells throughout the entire body, including the brain, skin, bones, and cardiovascular system, this decline can lead to a wide range of physical and emotional changes:
Hot flushes & night sweats: Sudden heat surges caused by shifts in central body temperature regulation.
Sleep disruption: Difficulty falling or staying asleep, often linked to night sweats, cortisol fluctuations, and altered melatonin production.
Mood shifts & anxiety: Emotional changes influenced by declining hormones that affect key neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
Brain fog: Temporary concentration lapses and memory friction due to altered cognitive processing.
Dry skin: Decreased oestrogen affects collagen production, skin elasticity, and moisture retention.
Joint discomfort: Hormonal shifts contribute to tissue inflammation, causing joints to feel stiffer and achy.
Education empowers. Understanding what is happening in your body helps you feel confident and supported through this transition. Evidence-informed use of essential oils offers gentle, daily support to enhance wellbeing and comfort along the way.
Hot Flushes & Temperature Surges
Hot flushes and night sweats are sudden heat surges triggered as falling oestrogen levels disrupt the body’s internal temperature regulation. A pre-prepared blend like Restore Balance combines Rose Absolute, Geranium, and Clary Sage - all helpful in balancing hormones and offering a sense of calm and equilibrium. Geraniol, found in Geranium and Rose, supports emotional regulation while offering mild cooling, soothing properties that help stabilise the nervous system and reduce the intensity of heat surges. Additionally, Clary Sage contains sclareol, a component shown to bind to oestrogen receptor sites; while it doesn't replace oestrogen, it may help modulate the body's response to declining hormone levels.
Product Solutions & Rituals:
- Restore Balance Body & Room Mist: Apply the body spray onto your chest as you feel a flush coming on.
- Restore Balance Pulse Point Rollerball: Keep on your nightstand to use during the night if you are woken by a heat surge.
- DIY Hot Flush Blend: If you prefer to create your own blend, add 3 drops of Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) and 2 drops of Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) to 10ml of your chosen blending oil. Take a little of the blend into your palms, rub them together, bring your hands up towards your face to inhale the aroma, and massage into your upper chest daily.
Sleep Disruption & Restlessness
The dip in oestrogen and progesterone can significantly impact your sleep architecture. Lower oestrogen levels are behind nighttime heat surges, while progesterone normally helps us feel naturally calm and ready for rest. When both hormones fall, drifting off becomes harder and waking up during the night becomes much easier. Plant aromatics rich in natural sedatives can help quiet an overactive mind; linalool and linalyl acetate in Lavender, santalol in Sandalwood, and calming esters in Jasmine work in synergy to promote deeper, more restful sleep.
Solutions & Rituals
- Sleep Better Body & Pillow Mist: Spritz onto your pillow just before getting into bed.
- Sleep Better Bath Oil: Add to a warm bath for a deeply relaxing bedtime ritual.
- Diffuser Ritual: 30 minutes before bed, add up to 8 drops of pure Lavender essential oil to your bedroom diffuser. Close the door to let the room fill with aroma, then switch off the diffuser before sleeping.
- Pillow Application: Place 2 drops of Lavender directly onto the corner of your pillow (away from face contact) and breathe deeply.
Mood Changes & Perimenopausal Anxiety
Declining hormone levels directly influence key neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, often leading to sudden emotional shifts and heightened anxiety. Introducing self-massage alongside essential oils helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering cortisol levels so the body can better regulate mood. Oils like Geranium contain citronellol and geraniol to ease emotional fluctuations and ground the nervous system. Combining this with Bergamot, rich in limonene, linalool, and linalyl acetate, helps lift low mood and lower stress markers, creating the ideal conditions for balanced nervous system activity.
Solutions & Rituals:
- Real Calm Room & Body Mist: A balanced blend of grounding Patchouli, sedative Lavender, and uplifting Bergamot. Spritz around your space whenever you feel tension rising.
- DIY Soothing Body Oil: Mix 4 drops of Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) and 6 drops of Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) into 20ml of Jojoba blending oil. Apply in long, slow strokes over the body (avoiding the face) to encourage deep relaxation.
Brain Fog & Mental Fatigue
Brain fog is no laughing matter; losing your train of thought mid-sentence can feel disorienting and alarming. These temporary cognitive lapses happen as fluctuating hormone levels alter processing in the brain. Revitalising plant aromatics help clear mental clutter and restore focus. Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is packed with menthol to invigorate the mind and sharpen concentration, bright Lemon (Citrus limonum) refreshes an exhausted mental state, and crisp Rosemary provides a clean aroma that cuts directly through brain fog.
Solutions & Rituals:
- Mind Clear Roller Ball: Apply to inner wrists and inhale deeply when you need to feel focused and in control.
- Instant Tissue Inhalation: Place 1 drop of Peppermint or Rosemary essential oil onto a tissue. Hold near (but not touching) your nose and inhale deeply for an immediate mental lift.
Dry skin
Menopause directly impacts the skin because declining oestrogen reduces the body's natural capacity to retain moisture. As collagen breaks down more rapidly and natural surface oils decrease, skin can begin to feel drier, thinner, and less supple. Rich blending oils like Jojoba work as an ideal base to replenish lost lipid balance. Pairing Jojoba with skin-supportive essential oils like Neroli, Lavender, Rose, and Geranium provides deep nourishment while offering an uplifting aroma during your daily post-shower routine.
Solutions & Rituals:
- Restore Balance Massage & Body Oil: Enriched with Jojoba and Sesame seed oils alongside Rose, Geranium, and Clary Sage to deeply nourish dry skin. Apply daily after showering.
- DIY Nourishing Body Oil: Add 3 drops of Neroli (Citrus aurantium amara) and 2 drops of Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) to 10ml of Jojoba oil. Apply in long, gentle strokes over damp skin after washing.
Joint Discomfort & Tissue Stiffness
There are over 30 perimenopause symptoms, and one that took me completely by surprise was achy joints. As oestrogen declines, joints can feel noticeably stiffer, less mobile, and generally uncomfortable. As someone who exercises regularly and works hands-on with the body, this was a real nuisance. I wanted to share a blend that brought me genuine relief.
Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) is naturally rich in monoterpenes such as α-pinene and limonene, which help calm the inflammatory response and ease tension in the tissues surrounding the joints. Pairing Frankincense with Chamomile Roman (Anthemis nobilis), another powerful soothing oil packed with esters like isobutyl angelate, bisabolol, and bisabolol oxide, offers gentle, steady comfort for achy, menopausal joints.
Solutions & Rituals:
- DIY Joint Comfort Massage: Combine 4 drops of Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) and 6 drops of Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) in 20ml of Jojoba carrier oil. Take your time massaging the blend into uncomfortable hips, ankles, wrists, fingers, or toes.
Final Thoughts
Menopause is a deeply individual journey. While symptoms can feel overwhelming, small daily rituals provide meaningful, natural support. Whether through pillow sprays, diffusers, or a few moments of self-massage, essential oils offer a nurturing way to reconnect with your body.
Medical Disclaimer: Essential oils are intended to support general wellbeing and should not replace medical advice or treatments. If you are experiencing severe perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms, please consult your GP or healthcare provider.
About Jo Kellett
Our essential oil expert, Jo Kellett TIDHA MIFPA CIMI, graduated from the Tisserand Institute of Holistic Aromatherapy in 1996. She returned to the college in 1999 as an Essential Oil Therapeutics Tutor, where she taught until the college closed. Jo runs a successful private Aromatherapy practice in Brighton, specialising in Women’s health. Jo is also an internationally published author and has lectured on the subject of Aromatherapy both in the UK and abroad.
For more information on Jo Kellett, check out her website or Instagram.
