7 Essential Oils to Wake Up For Men

Welcome back to Man Versus Oils, a site where I outline my uses, experiences and some research into the world of essential oils for men. Over the past couple of weeks, I was tired… So tired that I needed a little lift. I had work to do and needed to be on my man-game. Coffee! I drank a lot of coffee, but too much milk made me a little queasy. I tried to get some sleep, that obviously worked, if I hadn’t had too much coffee. But I was still tired by late afternoon. So I undertook another of my world-famous, record-breaking mansperiments to see how I could use and experiment essential oils to wake up for men.

What did I use? Well the list is below and we will discuss them all. I am happy to say that over the course of a few weeks I actually used all of the oils in my list so I am speaking from experience here. And in the interests of trying to put some tangible proof into the outcomes, I even tried to be a bit more experimentally sound with my testing. So here are my 7 essential oils to wake you up, and a few that don’t.

How did I test these?

Tired Man at laptopFor this mansperiment, I wanted to just test the oils I had at my disposal and how they effected me. One thing I have learned over the past few months is that essential oils tend to have slightly different effects on different people. For example, Copaiba works on my muscle cramps but not my son’s. So with that in mind, and as with my post on the oils that I use daily, I deliberately didn’t do any research into the subject rather just tested them to see how they went. Obviously I took an educated guess, but let’s not let the truth get in the way of a good story.

So what I did was when I felt tired and was working at the laptop, which I do a lot, I picked an oil and sniffed it! As simple as that! No carriers, no diffusers or blends, just up the nose and see how it goes! In order to maintain some sort of credibility to this, I only ever tested them around the same time each night. I do a couple of hours each night at about 8pm once our son is in bed. And what started this mansperiment was that sometimes I have to stop at this time as I am too tired to concentrate.

My success criteria was simple. I wanted to be able to keep working without thinking about being tired. So I guess we are looking at essential oils that clear the mind and give me a bit of a pick-me-up. Again, just trying to keep it simple. Oh, and I didn’t even try Lavender, that way at least there will be one post on this site where I don’t have to write about it…

My top 7 Essential Oils to Wake Up For Men

Ok, so these are the ones that worked for me. And in the interests of jumping to the highlights reel for those of you who just want to get on with being awake… Stick with the strong and minty or anything citrus and you are probably going to be on a winner. Avoid anything that has ‘wood’ in it (or smells ‘woody’) such as Cedarwood or Frankincense.

Anyway, here are my top 7 pick, in no real order:

1. Eucalyptus

Why did I choose it? Ok, I have to confess that this is one that I have researched a bit recently for other posts and did remember that it is supposedly good for this.

Did it work? Yes, yes it did. I certainly was able to keep going and the Eucalyptus aroma stuck in my nostrils for a good while. I actually did quite a bit that night so I am definitely putting it on the ‘yes’ column. Be careful with this one though as I am not sure it is supposed to be inhaled straight from the bottle as it is quite strong. But it certainly gets you moving.

2. Peppermint

Why did I choose it? Again this is a bit of a no-brainer and chosen due to its strength. It smells just like you would imagine peppermint should. That minty minty goodness gets right in there!

Did it work? Yep, it almost the same as with Eucalyptus. Immediately cleared the head and I was able to keep going. I will say here that with this one and Eucalyptus before it, I was ever conscious of it in my nose and mind. I had also read research on how it improved physical performance in athletes. So did this subconsciously keep me from feeling tired or not I don’t know. But either way it worked, although it will make your eyes water if you use it too much, so be careful.

Read more: 18 Benefits and Uses of Peppermint Essential Oil

3. Wintergreen

Why did I choose it? Ok, another easy one as it has a strong aroma eerily similar to the previous two. And it is the one my wife grabs and sniffs if she is feeling a little tired.

Did it work? I actually thought this one worked a little better than the peppermint. I know I have said this before but it reminds me of sport gels in its aroma. And I did remember thinking as I was sniffing it during my writing of my muscle soreness post that it did seem to give me a little burst of energy. My only issues with this one is that I like the aroma, so I tended to over-sniff – which should not be done with any essential oils.

YL Eucalyptus Radiata Essential Oil
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YL Peppermint Essential Oils
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YL Wintergreen Essential Oil
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4. Lemon/Lime

Why did I choose it? For my next round I moved onto the citrus family. Again, much I had written about these oils mentions using them to clear the mind and as a pick me up. So had to give them a shot. I decided also to include Lemon and Lime in the same section as, to be honest, I couldn’t really think of a way to write about them separately without repeating the same thing.

Did it work? Again, these are two oils that smell exactly how you would expect them to. They do the trick and I like the aroma of them. I think the only thing I found is that I had to use them then remove them from the table as I kept opening the bottle and sniffing them. But I wasn’t thinking about being tired and got a lot of work done so since that is my only criteria, another tick here.

p.s. You could also try Orange or Grapefruit here.

YL Lemon Essential Oil
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YL Lime Essential Oil
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YL Grapefruit Essential Oil
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YL Orange Essential Oil
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5 Rosemary

Why did I choose it? This one was recommended for this reason and I have been using it for a while. But be warned this one does NOT smell as you think it should. In fact it is really not great.

Did it work? As I have said, I have been using this one for a while and it really does seem to give me a bit more energy. I have never had to stop working when using this one. Maybe I am just thinking that so I don’t have to smell it again but hey, any port in a storm!

Read more: 11 Benefits and Uses of Rosemary Essential Oil

6 Thieves

Why did I choose it? We use this one as a cleaner and whenever we do I instantly notice the Cinnamon and Clove. Thieves is a blend of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary. They are quite strong so I thought I would give it a shot. This, like Rosemary was recommended by others as being good for this type of use.

Did it work? It seemed to. I don’t love the aroma of this one. I had a rather unfortunate clove incident as a child. But I was able to keep going once I sniffed in this one. I am not sure you are supposed to inhale undiluted, and it did affect my eyes a little also. So be careful!

7 Northern Lights Black Spruce

Why did I choose it? Because it is my favorite essential oil in the whole world.

Did it work? Of course it does. I could sniff this one all day as I really do enjoy its aroma. The only problem with this one is that, like the lemon and lime, I have to put it away or I give myself a headache from over inhalation. That’s a thing you know!

YL Rosemary Essential Oil
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YL Thieves Essential Oil Blend
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YL Northern Lights Black Spruce Essential Oil
Click here to purchase

What didn’t work?

There were a few that I tried that really didn’t do it well with me. Either I couldn’t keep working or I just didn’t enjoy inhaling them. But for whatever reason, they simply weren’t going to be essential oils that I could suggest for this use:

Lemongrass

Why did I choose it? Because I put lemongrass it in the citrus category. It is not citrus, who knew? And I tried it when I was on the citrus train.

Did it work? Nope, the aroma just put me off and made it hard for me to concentrate. I really thought it would work but it just didn’t. I was too busy stressing over the fact that it didn’t work that my planned endeavours for the evening were also shot! Great in Thai food, not good for clarity of thought it would seem.

Cedarwood

Why did I choose it? I chose this one as I often refer to its manly aroma. I even had my post written in my head. Something along the lines of “it works and it has the added bonus of a manly scent…”

Did it work? It actually made me feel more tired and heavy. I love the aroma and will use it now if I am trying to sleep but as a pick-me-up. Hard pass!

7 Essential Oils to Wake Up For Men - Man asleep in a field

Frankicense

Why did I choose it? This was another I chose based on the manliness of scent and that it is anti-stress agent. I have written about it quite a bit so thought it might work here. I even tried it twice.

Did it work? Nooooo… Even when I sniff it it feels like it should. But when I am tired, it seems to make my eyes ‘hurt’ as if I am exhausted. I could hardly see the screen after that. So I went and lay on the couch, and fell asleep within minutes both times. Again, love the oil, just not for this!

Conclusion

And there they are, 7 oils that, if I am tired, I can get a good nose full and keep on going. As always, I have given you a list so that you can have a look and try and choose the best ones for you personally.

I fully admit that the results may also depend on my mood, how tired I really am or what I am trying to get done. But I can attest to the top 7 and definitely rule out the bottom three. I did try some others such as Idaho Blue Spruce, Sacred Mountain, R.C. and Purification but they didn’t really give me a good marker either way. They might for you so give them a shot if you have them.

Let me know below any results you get from my suggestions and if anything does, or does not, work for you.

By for now and as always,

Have fun

Paul

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My name is Paul and I live on the east coast of Australia with my wife and six year old son. I also have 19 and 23 year old daughters. I am an ex government and bank worker who took a bit of a sea change and opened my own business by the beach with my amazing wife. If you can do it, try it. You will never look back. You want to know more about me, read my About Me page

10 thoughts on “7 Essential Oils to Wake Up For Men”

  1. Hello Paul,

    Thanks for sharing your suggestions and experience. I did not even know about the 7 oils before reading your writing. I believe that these oils are really essential for men. My selection is ‘7 Northern Lights Black Spruce’.

    No longer waiting, I am going to purchase my oils from this page and you worth more than the commission.

    Thank you once more , Paul!

    Reply
  2. I really enjoyed reading this post. I love how you experimented on each of the oils by inhaling them and recording the result. There were some surprises but for the most part the 7 you chose worked a treat so I would just go with the one of those 7 that you preferred the aroma of.. I would be interested to try the Wintergreen. It sounds wonderful. 

    Do you blend the oils yourself or do you purchase them as ready made blends. I just thought you could tweak them a little if you prepared your own by varying the quantities. 

    I find your writing and presentation of your subject very easy going and pleasurable. I will try some next time I am working late.(most nights)

    Thank you for sharing

    Reply
    • Hi Judy.  Thanks for you comments.

      We do most of the blends ourselves – apart from the manufacturer made ones such as PanAway and Joy.  For our own we add them together based on our research into what they do (or are supposed to do) and also what we think would smell ok together.  We have some good ones that we just use purely for the aroma, some for real uses and some that we have tipped out as the blend of aromas was not what we thought it was  – maybe a new post idea there – what NOT to put together… Leave that with me.

      Paul

      Reply
  3. I once again am able to appreciate your manly website with this post on 7 essential oils that wake you up and the ‘mansperiment’ that you went through to determine which were manly enough and which did not make the cut for your testing.

    Although I am sure that any of these might work for me, depending o the situation, there are a few that stand out as being ones that will make my normal hard and grizzled man self even harder and more manly. Thes include the Wintergreen, Thieves, and of course the Northern Lights Black Spruce essential oils.

    The names alone for these three are enough to attract me, they are good strong ones that will fit well with my obvious manliness and strong, attractive persona. I have now placed our diffuser and although compromising on some varieties to keep the missus happy, I have a few that fit my beard well (and the rest of me too).

    Since I do like variety (you can’t eat just bear and moose every day) I will order some of these three that fir and give them a try. I will report on my ‘mansperiment’ here once I have them in my very solid manly grip. I see that you also found these and four others manly enough. 

    Obviously, we have good taste and are very manly. I comb my thick manly beard hair using fish bones mounted on a bear’s bone (leg) and I already envision myself relaxing to some Northern Lights Black Spruce essential oils wafting through the cabin and mixing with the scent of hardwood burning in the open-hearth fireplace. 

    Thanks for a good review, I will get busy and place my order before the internet goes down again. Winter has been hard, but no matter, I am a man and I live for the -50 C temps we have had this year! Global warming, indeed!

    Reply
    • Hey Dave – Wow -50 – I can’t even start to imagine that cold..  It is summer here and we sit on about 30 – 35 degrees (around 90F) for most of summer.  Even in winter we only drop to about 41F overnight.  Glad you are geting through it though.

      And thanks for stopping by – definitely keep me posted on your own mansperiment.

      PAul

      Reply
  4. Hi Paul

    It is so nice to read a mans perspective on essential oils for once

    I know a few guys who use the oils but keep it quiet- Crazy as these products are so good for you and you have written such an informative fun post here thank you

    I am going to share this to my Social media platforms to help get the word out there to some more men as this is awesome

    Go well thank you again

    Reply
    • Thanks Vicki – much appreciated

      I know the more this site gets out the more guys come out of the woodwork admitting they use them.

      Paul

      Reply
  5. Thank you for this very interesting post. I appreciate that fact that you are able to share your experiences of these essential oils with your readers. I have heard about some of the oils you mentioned. I have heard about peppermint oil, lemon oil and Rosemary. Peppermint and lemon oils are known for their unique fragrances. Although I have not had any personal experience with any of them, I plan to buy the peppermint and lemon through this page. 

    Reply

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