A step-by-step home aromatherapy ritual: lavender, chamomile and bergamot

An aromatherapy ritual doesn’t require a special room or much time. All you need is a quarter of an hour, a fixed spot in your home and a scent you like. This guide takes you through five steps: from choosing the time of day and the diffuser, through selecting the scent, to creating your own blend of lavender, Roman chamomile and bergamot.

This is for people who come home tired and want to separate their working day from the evening. Home aromatherapy is based on scent and mood, so we don’t promise any health benefits here. An aromatherapy ritual is meant to be a pleasant habit, not just another task to tick off a list.

How do you choose a place and time for your aromatherapy ritual?

Step 1. Choose a place where you can sit or lie down without being in a rush, and a time that you’ll be able to stick to: in the evening after work or a quarter of an hour before bed. An aromatherapy ritual only becomes a habit when it takes place at the same time each day. Your bedroom, an armchair by the window or a corner of the living room – any of these places will do.

Before your session, air the room, put your phone on silent and get a comfortable seat ready. It’s easier to smell the fragrance then, as it isn’t mixed with stale air. A dozen or so minutes of silence is quite enough.

It’s good to have a simple routine: air the room, switch on the diffuser, take a few calm breaths, and then be still. For some, a cup of tea helps; for others, a notebook; for others still, simply the silence itself. There’s no single right way to do it – the important thing is that the order remains the same every time. A familiar sequence makes it easier to get into the evening mood, and the aromatherapy ritual then takes on a rhythm of its own.

Do also think about the rest of the household. If there are young children, pets or someone who is pregnant in the house, diffuse the essential oils in a room they cannot access, and if in doubt, consult a doctor. You’ll find practical tips in the article on the rules for the safe use of essential oils at home with children. Cats and dogs react to essential oils differently to humans.

[tip: Start with ten minutes. It’s easier to repeat a short session tomorrow than a one-hour one.]

Nebuliser or diffuser: which should you use to disperse essential oils?

Step 2. An ultrasonic diffuser disperses the oil together with water, whilst an essential oil nebuliser works without water and disperses the oil on its own. In a diffuser, the oil is diluted with water, so the scent tends to be more subtle. In a nebuliser, pure oil is dispersed, which is why the scent is more pronounced.

For a small bedroom and a short session, a diffuser is usually sufficient. In a larger room, where you want the scent to fill the entire space, a nebuliser is more commonly chosen. You’ll find the operating range of a specific model in its instruction manual.

Place the device on a stable, dry surface, a few steps away from where you are sitting. The scent should reach you gently, not hit you straight in the face. Whichever you choose, clean the device after each session in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, as oil residues alter the scent of the next blend. A clean device is essential for a successful aromatherapy ritual.

We’ve described the differences in more detail in our comparison of a nebuliser with an ultrasonic diffuser. If you’re just starting to choose your equipment, take a look at our collection of diffusers and nebulisers for the home.

How to choose a scent: lavender, Roman chamomile or bergamot?

Step 3. Three scents with different characteristics are ideal for the evening: floral-herbal lavender, apple-herbal Roman chamomile and fresh, citrusy bergamot. In aromatherapy, they are traditionally associated with evening tranquillity, and lavender oil can promote relaxation as part of a calming routine.

Lavender has a clean, floral scent with a herbal note and is usually the easiest to take to in the beginning. Roman chamomile has a sweet, apple-like scent, so it complements more distinctive scents well. Bergamot oil opens the blend with citrus freshness and is perfect for the start of the evening. If you like citrus, find out how to choose citrus scents for your home.

Before your first session, have a sniff of each oil separately, straight from the bottle. The scent is milder in a diffuser than in the bottle, but your first impression says a lot about whether a particular oil suits you. If your evening starts off in a rush, begin with bergamot, then wind down with lavender and chamomile. Choose a scent you’ll want to return to, because an aromatherapy ritual should be a pleasure, not a chore.

When choosing, consider where the oil comes from and how it was produced. Among pure essential oils, it’s easier to find one whose scent feels natural to you.

[note: Bilovit essential oils are 100% natural. The region of origin, the producer and the distillation method are all clearly stated, so you know exactly what you’re diffusing in your home.]

How do you prepare for a session and how do you use essential oils in a diffuser?

Step 4. How do you use essential oils in a diffuser so that the scent is pleasant rather than overpowering? Fill the diffuser as per the instructions and add a few drops. It’s easier to increase the intensity than to reduce it, so start with a small amount. Once the session is over, air the room.

A short session is better suited to an aromatherapy ritual than leaving the diffuser running all night. After a while, your sense of smell gets used to the scent and stops noticing it, so leaving it on for longer doesn’t make it any more enjoyable. A quarter of an hour or two is enough for the scent to set the mood for the evening.

Pour clean water into the diffuser’s reservoir in the amount specified in the instructions, add the essential oil and switch the device on. After the session, switch it off, empty the reservoir and wipe it down. It’s also worth noting down straight away how the scent came across: whether it was too strong or well-suited to the time of day. These brief notes help you refine your aromatherapy ritual for the next evening.

If you’d like to add a gentle hand or neck massage to your evening, dilute the essential oil in a carrier oil and test it on a small patch of skin. Never apply undiluted essential oil directly to the skin.

[Warning: Essential oils are not intended for consumption. Only apply them to the skin after diluting them in a carrier oil. After applying citrus oils, including bergamot, avoid the sun, as they can increase the skin’s sensitivity to light.]

How do you create your own blend for an aromatherapy ritual?

Step 5. Create your own blend for an aromatherapy ritual just as you would a perfume: fresh bergamot opens the scent, lavender forms the base, and Roman chamomile rounds it off with a gentle, apple-like note. Start with a few drops and adjust the proportions until the scent feels right to you.

This classification comes from perfumery, where a fragrance is divided into top, middle and base notes. Bergamot is a typical top note, so it evaporates quickest and provides the first impression. Lavender belongs to the middle notes and lasts longer, whilst Roman chamomile softens the transition between the two.

The 3:2:1 ratio is a starting point, not a fixed recipe. If the chamomile seems too strong, use less of it. If you want a fresher scent, add more bergamot. Adjust the total number of drops according to your device’s instructions.

Change one thing at a time. One time add more lavender, the next time less chamomile, and compare how the scent changes. A gentler version is 2 drops of each of the three oils; a fresher one is 4 drops of bergamot and 1 drop of lavender. After a few evenings, you’ll know which proportions suit your aromatherapy ritual best.

To start with, a beginner’s essential oil set will come in handy, as it gives you several scents to compare straight away. We’ve outlined the principles of blending in our step-by-step article on essential oil compositions.

[tip: Make a note of the ingredients in each blend, along with the date. After a week, you’ll see which one you come back to most often.]

What should you look out for when buying and storing essential oils?

When buying, check that the oil has a documented origin: region, producer and method of distillation. Keep the dark glass bottle tightly sealed, in a cool place and away from light. Stored this way, the oil retains its scent for longer.

Look for the plant’s Latin name and information about the country of origin on the label. True lavender is Lavandula angustifolia, Roman chamomile is Chamaemelum nobile, and bergamot is Citrus bergamia. This ensures you’re buying the correct species, rather than a fragrance with a similar name. A high-quality essential oil is a good foundation if you want your aromatherapy routine to remain enjoyable even after several months.

Screw the cap back on after each use to prevent the volatile components from evaporating. Citrus essential oils, such as bergamot, are best used regularly. If you use it every evening, a 30 ml bottle is a practical choice, as it lasts longer than a small bottle.