DIY Postpartum Soothing Spray with Essential Oils

Childbirth is one of the most amazing and taxing feats the human body can perform. For many women, recovery after labor and delivery involves tender skin, and medical professionals often recommend warm water sitz baths and sprays to help alleviate some of this discomfort.

Using essential oils postpartum can be helpful for many women. Essential oils for postpartum recovery are simple, natural solutions for helping new mothers through this big transition period.

Essential Oils for Postpartum

Essential oils with soothing, calming aromas are perfect for postpartum self-care. Diffuse Lavender, Roman Chamomile, or Frankincense to cultivate a restful atmosphere. You can also apply essential oils topically to the pulse points, neck, or wrists to carry soft aromas with you throughout the day. doTERRA Touch^® oils Magnolia, Neroli, Rose, and Jasmine are all beautiful florals that can promote a relaxed, tranquil ambiance—plus they’re pre-diluted with Fractionated Coconut Oil, making them easy to apply and perfect for moisturizing the tired skin on your belly.

Tree oils, which have grounding scents, are also great essential oils for postnatal environments. Essential oils like Black Spruce, Cedarwood, and Douglas Fir, just to name a few, can help create a harmonious, rooted atmosphere.

Caring for a newborn comes with highs and lows, making essential oils with cheerful, uplifting aromas another excellent choice during this time. Bright scents like Wild Orange, Lemon, and Grapefruit can contribute to a supportive, happy environment. Adding a drop or two of one of these to your water is also an excellent way to motivate yourself to stay hydrated after giving birth.

When choosing essential oils for postpartum, you should also consider blends. While you can make your own blend of essential oils for postnatal support, there are many blends already created that offer calming or uplifting aromas. Try Adaptiv^® Calming Blend, which also comes as a roll-on touch; doTERRA Balance^® Grounding Blend; or Northern Escape^® Woodland Blend. To cultivate a restful bedtime environment, try doTERRA Serenity^® Restful Blend or Calmer^® Restful Blend, which is the prediluted kid’s blend. Apply Deep Blue^® Soothing Blend to tired muscles for soothing support—giving birth is a whole-body workout.

Natural Postpartum Soothing Spray with Essential Oils

This natural postpartum spray includes Lavender and Frankincense essential oils, which are both known for many benefits. They’re the perfect essential oils for postpartum self-care. Combined with the cooling, natural astringent witch hazel, this spray is sure to provide soothing comfort.

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons alcohol-free witch hazel
• 4 tablespoons filtered water
• 5 drops pure Lavender oil
• 5 drops pure Frankincense oil

Instructions:

1. Combine the witch hazel and water in a small glass spray bottle. (The bottle pictured here is much larger, demonstrating a larger portion.)
2. Add the Lavender and Frankincense essential oils.
3. Shake well spritz directly on the perineum or on feminine hygiene pads.

Frequently Asked Questions about Essential Oils Postpartum

What essential oils are good during postpartum?
Essential oils are an excellent way to support your skin anytime, but especially during the postpartum period. Your face, stomach, and perineum could all use a little love after childbirth. Lavender, Frankincense, Helichrysum, and Rose all soothe and support your skin. Tea Tree and Peppermint both provide a cooling effect—plus, Tea Tree can help reduce the appearance of blemishes, which are common during the postpartum period.

Labor and delivery are also taxing on your muscles. Diluting, then massaging essential oils like Copaiba, Wintergreen, or Eucalyptus into affected areas can provide soothing comfort.

How you apply essential oils postpartum is important, because you don’t want to accidentally upset or aggravate sensitive areas. Use a spray (like the one outlined above) to care for your perineum during those first several weeks of recovery instead of massaging essential oils directly into your skin. A spray will be much gentler, while still offering soothing support.

Your skin and sense of smell may also be more sensitive than they were prior to pregnancy. Your body is still undergoing changes and adjustments, so make sure you’re thoughtful about which essential oils you use and how much you apply. Pure essentials are potent, so you only need a drop or two. Diluting essential oils with a carrier oil like Fractionated Coconut Oil will also reduce any skin sensitivity, moisturize the skin, increase topical absorption of essential oils, and help the aroma last longer.

Is Clary Sage good for postpartum?
Yes. Clary Sage can be a versatile tool during the postpartum period. It’s main chemical component, linanlyl acetate is an ester, making Clary Sage one of the most soothing and balancing essential oils. With a history dating back to the Middle Ages, Clary Sage essential oil features relaxing and soothing topical properties that help rejuvenate and calm the skin. The aroma of Clary Sage can help promote a relaxed environment.

Clary Sage is also commonly used during labor and delivery! Its aroma can create a relaxing, soothing atmosphere, which many moms are looking for during the intense and all-encompassing experience of bringing new life into the world. Diffuse the soft, earthy aroma of Clary Sage during and after labor to cultivate a peaceful environment or apply topically to soothe the skin.

If you don’t like the scent of Clary Sage on its own, try combining it with Lavender. These two essential oils complement each other well and create a soft, powdery, herbal, and floral aroma. You can also layer on a drop of sweet Madagascar Vanilla or a grounding tree oil. doTERRA also has an essential blend with both Clary Sage and Lavender in it already called Clary Calm. It contains Clary Sage, Lavender, Bergamot, Roman Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, Cedarwood, Geranium, Fennel, Carrot Seed, Palmarosa, and Vitex.

Can I diffuse essential oils while breastfeeding?
There’s nothing newborns love more than settling in for some of their mother’s rich, nutritious milk—except perhaps taking a nap right after! If you want to diffuse essential oils while nursing, you should check with your health practitioner and discuss it with them.

If you do choose to diffuse, follow a few guidelines. While your newborn’s eyesight may be poor, their sense of smell is actually quite developed. Take care not to overwhelm it. Your infant’s body is much smaller than yours, and he or she can’t get up and leave the room if he or she doesn’t like the scent of the essential oil you’re diffusing. Make sure that the room you are diffusing in is large enough or has enough airflow for the oil or diffuser you choose to keep both you and your child comfortable. Don’t put the diffuser right next to you—put it somewhere else in the room and let the aroma gently waft your way. Consider diffusing for shorter amounts of time and with less essential oil than you normally do. For example, you could use a diffuser with an intermittent setting that automatically diffuses in five-minute intervals. If you usually put several drops of essential oil in your diffuser, just put one or two drops instead.