Essential Oil Spotlight: Cedarwood

I wanted to mention an oil that we’ve been using a lot lately at our house- cedarwood essential oil.  Cedarwood is a very grounding oil, and is wonderful for helping to ease coughing and loosen phlegm.  My daughter has had a cough that she brought home from school and I’ve been adding several drops of cedarwood along with some eucalyptus oil to the essential oil diffuser in her room, and I think it really helped to calm her coughing so she could sleep.  My daughter also loves the scent (she says it smells like summer).

Cedarwood is known for its relaxing effects, and has been traditionally used for reducing tension and stress as well as calming the emotions, helping one to achieve a peaceful state of mind.

Cedarwood oil is also wonderful for the skin since it has antiseptic and astringent properties.  I frequently add it to the DIY sugar scrub that I use on my face.  It can also be used mixed with jojoba oil as a nighttime moisturizing facial treatment.  Cedarwood is often used by women to help with controlling hormonal acne.

Interestingly, cedarwood has even been studied with impressive results for increasing hair growth in people with alopecia when used topically on the scalp.  When using essential oils on the skin, always be sure to dilute them with a carrier oil first, since straight essential oils can cause skin irritation.

Note: Pregnant women should not use cedarwood, and essential oils of any kind should not be used with children under 2.