Unlike some essential oils, geranium doesn’t date back thousands of years or have some deep history where it was used in ancient religious ceremonies. But this isn’t to say that it is any less effective than other popular essential oils. Since being discovered in the 17th century in areas like South Africa, Madagascar, Egypt and Morocco, geranium essential oil (a.k.a. rose geranium oil) has been used for everything from perfume to an acne medication. Now that we’ve covered the basics, here is an in-depth look at geranium oil.
Geranium Essential Oil Appearance and Scent
Geranium essential oil is extracted from a plant called Pelargonium odoratissimum (a.k.a. apple geranium), and this plant is commonly found in South Africa and some parts of the Middle East. Apple geraniums only grow to be 8 inches high, and they usually grow in shady areas. The geranium essential oil is extracted from these plants through steam distillation.
In regards to the appearance of the oil, geranium is normally clear, but sometimes it is light green or amber-colored too. This middle note has a very strong scent, which comes off as having a sweet, floral aroma. With this being said, it’s no wonder why geranium is so popular in aromatherapy.
Geranium Essential Oil Benefits and Healing Properties
As mentioned in the introduction, geranium essential oil has a variety of uses and benefits. And here is a quick look at everything you can use geranium essential oil for, along with the benefit of each use:
Aromatherapy
No doubt one of the most effective oils for aromatherapy, geranium is used to relieve stress and anxiety, ease tension, balance emotions, and treat menstrual cramps. Along with the aromatherapy benefits, many people also use this oil for meditation purposes.
Skin Care
One popular usage of geranium oil involves treating acne since geranium acts as a balancing agent for oily skin. Interestingly enough, these balancing properties also help people battle dry skin as well. Another thing worth mentioning about geranium essential oil is that it makes scars fade away.
Decongestant
Anybody who is struggling with the cold or flu should keep geranium aromatherapy in mind because the oil acts as a decongestant. So if your regular cold and flu products aren’t working, consider trying out geranium essential oil.
Deodorant
While most people will probably stick to store-bought deodorants, take note that geranium essential oil can be used to eliminate body odor, and keep you smelling fresh throughout the day. It’s also popular as a perfume because of the sweet scent.
Healing Cuts/Wounds
Geranium is very effective at healing wounds and cuts faster. This essential oil also has anti-bacterial properties, which helps keep the cuts and wounds clean while they’re healing.
Meditation
Those who enjoy meditating should consider using some geranium essential oil during their next session. Geranium has a very relaxing, calming effect on people, which certainly helps one get into the right mind frame for meditating.
Sleep Aid
Since geranium is quite effective at calming people, it’s no wonder why this essential oil is good at helping us sleep better too. Using geranium through aromatherapy eases a person’s mind, and allows them to fall asleep quicker.
Using Geranium Essential Oil
We’ve stated several times throughout this article that geranium is commonly used in aromatherapy. And one of the easiest ways to do aromatherapy with geranium is by putting a few drops into a bowl of warm water, and breathing in the vapors. If you’ve got a vaporizer, this makes an even better way to use geranium essential oil since it will filter throughout your house.
When you’re using geranium as a sleep aid or to relieve depression, you can also fill up a tub of warm water, add several drops of the oil into your water, and soak in it for a while. Assuming you decide to go this route, it’s recommended that you add a little alcohol to the water so the oil doesn’t form a light film on the top.
As for skin care uses, it’s best to add a couple drops of geranium essential oil to skin cream or lotion before applying it to your skin. This is also a good way to treat cuts and bruises since it’s generally recommended that you not apply geranium essential oil directly on a cut. But if you accidentally get geranium on a cut, you shouldn’t have to worry too badly because it’s non-toxic.
One more popular way to apply geranium essential oil to your body involves adding several drops into a bottle of massage oil. Just like with the lotions and skin creams, you can rub the oil into your skin and enjoy the many benefits of geranium oil.