Cedarwood essential oil is extracted from the wood of the cedar. Who would have thought that the oil from the tree could be beneficial to your health? Cedar has long been shrouded in mystery and legend, and is known as the “tree of life”.
The cedarwood itself is so fragrant that it is often used as a raw material for storage boxes, and the aroma repels termites, ants, moths, etc.
Cedarwood essential oil is ideal for use in men’s skincare products, not only for shrinking pores, but also for its disinfecting effect, and is often used to treat acne. Its masculine, masculine scent is sure to be loved by men who do not like sweet-smelling cosmetics. Add it to aftershave and shampoo, don’t be too manly!
Because cedarwood has a regulating and invigorating effect and can relieve stress and tension, so it “aphrodisiac” legend also quietly spread.
What is Cedarwood Essential Oil?
There are four species of cedar, all of which are considered to be evergreen conifers belonging to the genus Cedrus.
A popular cedar essential oil (Juniperus virginiana) comes from the red cedar of the East, also known as pencil cedar. The main components of cedarwood essential oil are alpha-cedrene, beta-cedrene, cedarol, sesquiterpene, rosmarinic acid, and feather cedarol – all of which contribute greatly to its amazing health benefits.
14 Benefits and Uses of Cedarwood Essential Oil
The most common uses of cedarwood essential oil include:
- Improving skin conditions such as eczema
- Promoting hair growth
- Soothes dry scalp
- Has natural antiseptic properties
- Relieves arthritis
- Natural deodorant
- Natural sedative
- Natural diuretic
- Improves concentration and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Cough suppressant
- Insect repellent
- Stress relief
- Fights fungal infections
- Acne, pimples
Clearly, cedarwood essential oil is a great tool to have in your medicine cabinet. Now, let me elaborate on each of these uses and potential benefits.
Eczema
Eczema is a common skin condition that can cause dry, red, itchy, blistered or broken skin. Some users have found that cedarwood essential oil can reduce the unpleasant dryness and inflammation caused by eczema.
There are several ways to use cedarwood essential oil in your daily life, by adding the oil to your bath or cleanser; rubbing the base oil diluted on infected or itchy areas; or giving yourself a soak with five drops of cedarwood essential oil in your bathtub.
Hair Loss
What does cedarwood essential oil do for your hair? Cedarwood essential oil seems to stimulate the hair follicles and increase circulation to the scalp. This helps hair growth and may slow hair loss. Herbalists and aromatherapists often recommend cedarwood essential oil for thinning hair and all types of hair loss.
What is the best compound essential oil for hair growth? There is evidence that applying cedarwood essential oil to the scalp, along with thyme, rosemary and lavender, has improved hair growth in up to 44 % of people with hair loss after 7 months of treatment.
To take advantage of this possible benefit, you can add cedar essential oil to your shampoo or conditioner, or massage your scalp with a dilution of coconut oil and leave it on for 30 minutes before rinsing.
Improves Dry Scalp
Cedarwood essential oil is often used to improve dry scalp or dandruff. The essential oil of this tree stimulates the scalp and increases circulation.
To take advantage of this benefit of cedarwood essential oil, mix two drops of the oil with coconut oil to form a mixture with antifungal and moisturizing properties.
Drop the mixture onto the scalp and rub it in for 5 minutes. For best results, let it sit on your scalp for about 30 minutes – then wash it off.
Antibacterial
Cedar has many beneficial effects on the skin, including its antibacterial abilities, so it is certainly on the list of essential oils for dermatological use.
Cedarwood essential oil acts as a natural antibacterial agent that prevents the development and growth of harmful microorganisms that can negatively affect the health of the skin.
Because of its antibacterial properties, cedarwood essential oil can be used with carrier oils for topical skin applications to disinfect wounds. Simply mix cedarwood essential oil with coconut oil and apply the mixture to cuts and abrasions to prevent infection.
Arthritis Relief
Inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues is a common symptom of arthritis, and this pain or discomfort causes weakness; it can be relieved by using cedarwood essential oil because of its inherent anti-inflammatory properties.
In fact, because of its therapeutic benefits, topical pain relievers for joint pain and muscle pain include cedarwood essential oil. When applied topically to the skin, it reduces inflammation, thereby minimizing joint stiffness and discomfort.
You can mix cedarwood essential oil with a carrier oil to apply topically to areas of inflammation, or you can try taking a bath with 5 to 10 drops of cedarwood essential oil in the tub.
Natural Deodorant
Cedarwood essential oil is a comforting, calming essential oil that also has a pleasant woody scent. It adds a warm tone to perfumes or compounded oils.
In addition, when used in the home, it acts as a natural deodorizer and freshens the air. Scenting with cedarwood essential oil or adding it to a natural essential oil body spray can have a lasting healing effect on you and your home.
Calm and Tranquilize
Aromatherapy is the act of using essential oils to enhance physical and mental health. If you want to calm down and relax, you might think of cedarwood essential oil.
A study conducted on animal subjects found that cedarwood essential oil had a “significant calming effect”. That’s why you may want to use cedarwood essential oil to treat sleep disorders.
Try diffusing cedarwood essential oil in an aromatherapy diffuser before bed to take advantage of its calming effects.
Natural diuretic
The active ingredients in cedarwood essential oil, including cedarol, beta-cedarolene, and rosmarinic acid, are known to have diuretic effects. This means that cedarwood essential oil can increase the frequency of urination, helping the body to eliminate toxins and excess water.
Improves attention span and ADHD
A study conducted by Dr. Terry Friedman and Dr. Dennis Eggert of Brigham Young University (BYU) found that the use of cedarwood essential oil on children greatly improved their attention span and learning ability.
Thirty-four children with ADHD were given one of three essential oils (cedar, vetiver or lavender), divided into sniffing and inhaling or no sniffing at all for control.
The researchers found that subjects in both the vetiver and cedar groups had improved brain activity and reduced ADHD symptoms.
Cough Relief
Cedarwood essential oil has anti-spasmodic properties that help stop coughing. If you have a cough, you can try using cedarwood essential oil at night before you go to bed.
Apply two drops of cedarwood essential oil mixed with carrier oil to your chest and throat, then rub gently for one minute. You can also apply this mixture to your upper lip to help with breathing if you feel suffocated.
Insect repellent
Cedarwood essential oil can repel pests, especially ants, ticks and fleas. You can dilute the oil with water and spray it on your skin (since the oil is insoluble in water, you need to shake it well before use to make it as uniform as possible) as a natural bed bug spray to repel them outdoors or use a scent smoker to keep them away from your home or apartment.
You can also spray diluted cedar essential oil on your furniture to keep pests away.
A study measured the effectiveness of cedarwood essential oil and its active ingredient, cedarol, on ants and ticks. The study also found that the essential oil had a strong repellent effect on fire ants, while black-legged tick wake flies experienced dose-dependent mortality when exposed to cedarol.
In addition, cedarol killed 100% of the ticks when applied at the highest dose (6.3 mg/ml).
Have you ever had a problem with moths eating your clothes? Forget about those mothballs! Get rid of them with cedarwood essential oil. The oil of red cedar is known to kill clothes moth larvae. Put drops of cedar essential oil in cotton balls and place them in closets, hangers, and storage boxes.
Relieves tension
Because cedarwood essential oil is a sedative, it has the ability to relieve tension and stress that can negatively affect your health. It has a soothing and calming effect on the mind, as well as reducing inflammation and muscle pain, and minimizing skin irritation.
Research published in 2017 showed that the scent of cedarwood essential oil containing cedarol can promote sleep by increasing parasympathetic activity and increasing serotonin production.
An interesting study measured the sedative properties of cedarwood essential oil. The study involved rats being allowed to inhale cedarol, an important component of cedarwood essential oil. The rats showed a significant reduction in locomotor activity; rats that were made to ingest caffeine and classified as hyperactive also showed a reduction in activity. The rats also had an increased rate of sleep.
The aromatherapy properties of cedarwood essential oil can really help people overcome chronic stress and tension. All you have to do is sniff cedarwood essential oil directly from the bottle or you can drop it into an aromatherapy diffuser to amplify the fragrance.
Kills fungus
Cedarwood essential oil can protect you from fungal pathogens and food poisoning.
A study in Indian dentistry and radiology found that cedarwood essential oil is an effective alternative to other antibacterial agents and “is an effective component in inhibiting the bacteria and yeast that cause oral infections”.
The study also showed that cinnamon essential oil, lemongrass essential oil, clove essential oil, and eucalyptus essential oil all have the same antifungal properties.
Helps treat acne
Cedarwood essential oil is a natural antibacterial agent that is sometimes used to treat acne, a very common chronic skin condition.
A 2016 case report published in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine discusses how dermatologists have recently been turning more and more to alternative natural treatments like essential oils.
This case report shows that adding cedarwood essential oil to the skincare routine of acne patients “helps control acne. To improve acne naturally, you can try adding a drop of cedarwood essential oil to your skin lotion or cleanser every night.
Cedarwood Essential Oil is A Unique Compound
An interesting experiment focused on the ability to create perfumes from renewable resources, such as cedar essential oil. Scientists have found that cedar essential oil and turpentine are perfect for synthesizing characteristics that have a woody smell and amber color.
If used in commercial perfumes, more people can take advantage of the amazing health benefits of cedarwood essential oil. You can also try making your own cologne for men with a drop of cedar essential oil in it.
An animal study published in 2018 focused on some of the active components of cedarwood essential oil – cedarol, alpha-cedarolene, beta-cedarolene, and rosmarinic acidene. Overall, the researchers observed that cedarwood essential oil as a whole and its active component, cedarol, had the most anxiolytic effect.
Another interesting factor is that cedar essential oil is sometimes made from waste wood chips, which means that one could benefit from recycling and reusing the wood. How environmentally friendly that would be!
Possible Side Effects of Cedarwood Essential Oil
Cedarwood essential oil should only be used externally (not taken internally). Although some other essential oils can be added to food or taken orally in small doses, cedarwood essential oil is not safe to take orally.
If taken by mistake, side effects of cedarwood essential oil may include vomiting, nausea, thirst, and damage to the digestive system.
Cedarwood essential oil should not be used by pregnant women. If you are breastfeeding, talk to your doctor before using this essential oil if you have health problems or are taking medication.
Cedarwood essential oil can cause skin irritation if used in high concentrations. Always dilute cedarwood essential oil with a carrier oil such as coconut oil before applying it to the skin, and avoid applying it to the eyes, mucous membranes, and sensitive areas.
Like all essential oils, keep them out of the reach of children and pets.