True Story: A 17-year-old boy was facing an extreme hair loss problem. He had a technology driven lifestyle, was an occasional junk eater, hardly found time to exercise and was falling prey to hair problems. Little did he realize that his hair loss was going to turn into a nightmare. It all changed one day when his stylist happened to notice the signs of the first stage of going bald – hair thinning.
Yes, a 17-year-old can experience hair loss and hair thinning problems too. Surprised? Shocked? When this teenager returned home, he was stressed and his tech-savvy nature persuaded him to find natural cures for hair loss reduction. That’s when he came across the wondrous effects of cedarwood essential oil.
With just one application he saw tremendous results. Not only was his hair loss reduced to a bare minimum, he could feel his hair shafts getting softer and stronger. This became a regiment and he managed to skip balding at an early age.
Such is the power of cedarwood essential oil. In this article, we have listed many other benefits of using cedarwood oil. These benefits could have a direct impact on your health, your hair, your skin, and support the many functions in your body.
What is cedarwood essential oil?
Cedar wood oil is extracted from the trees of cedar. These trees symbolize wisdom, abundance, and protection in Bible, and such are the properties of the wondrous oil that are extracted out of them. The oil is processed via steam distillation from the aromatic wooden pieces of the cedarwood tree.
The healing and seemingly magical effects of cedarwood essential oil is due to the fact that it contains effective biochemicals such as alpha-cedrene, beta-cedrene, cedrol, thujopsene, sesquiterpenes, widdrol, and more. All these enzymes hold healing powers when they come in contact with our skin.
It is thought that cedarwood essential oil is among one of the first few essential oils that were extracted in the history of medicine. Not only is the oil an excellent insect repellent and has a great smell but it also offers a plenty of psychological and physical benefits too.
Further on in this article, we will study the various health benefits and uses of cedarwood essential oil, learn about the techniques and remedies for putting it to use, and understand the nuances behind using the oil, and the precautions one must take to avoid allergic reactions.
Cedarwood oil uses and benefits:
Here is a list of all the uses and benefits of cedarwood oil on your mind, body, and soul. Let’s dig deeper and understand all these benefits one by one.
1. Seborrhoeic eczema
Everyone dreads skin diseases and more so when it means dealing with psoriasis or eczema. The worst part is when these skin anomalies have a negative impact your lifestyle. One such skin problem is seborrhoea. This type of eczema occurs due to the malfunctioning of the sebaceous glands.
This malfunction results in skin peeling off from the scalp, inner ears, eyebrows, or any other part which has sebum production around it. It can make your skin appear unappealing and cause constant itching and irritation. Cedarwood oil can be extremely beneficial in such cases. It helps control the inflammation and reduces the peeling of the skin by regularizing the production of sebum. It also relaxes the skin and cures the prevailing redness, treating the skin by killing the yeast that causes this infection.
How to use cedarwood oil for seborrhoeic eczema: Take a teaspoon of olive oil or coconut oil and add 4 drops of cedarwood oil to it. Apply this blend to the affected areas of the skin three times each day for at least a month to see visible results. Essential oils take time to heal the problem but they do help in removing the root cause. This goes a long way in helping prevent further spread of the disease.
Alternatively, you could add about 10 to 15 drops of cedarwood oil to the last few rinses of your bath. Massage the water-based blend onto the affected areas for the oil to penetrate deep inside the epidermis.
Recommended Read: 9 Best Essential Oils For Eczema – Time To Say No To Skin Problems
2. Hair loss, hair thinning, and baldness
Studies have shown the effectiveness of cedarwood essential oil for hair. The oil was proven to work on 44% of people with a result in increased growth, improved hair quality, and stronger roots.
If you’re into styling your hair using chemical treatments, heating instruments, blow drying, and/or frequent washing of hair, then using cedarwood oil is a must. The oil will strengthen your shafts, prevent breakage and damage to your hair, as well as leave it nourished. Cedarwood oil works the best on hair when paired with rosemary oil, lavender oil, and thyme essential oil.
How to use cedarwood essential oil for hair growth: You can mix a few drops of cedarwood oil with your shampoo and conditioner every time you rinse your hair. Alternatively, you could consider massaging your scalp with cedarwood oil. For this, you need to prepare a blend of cedarwood oil with a carrier oil like almond oil, coconut oil, olive oil or jojoba oil. Add a few drops of the cedarwood oil to the carrier oil and apply this blend in a circular motion all over your scalp, especially in the damaged areas. Rinse with sulfate-free shampoo in an hour and condition your hair well.
3. Respiratory problems, expectorant, cough and respiratory health
Another one of the major uses and benefits of cedarwood oil are its properties that support respiratory health. The oil helps in easing breathing problems caused due to common ailments like cold or flu. Cedarwood oil is an excellent expectorant and can help you get rid of the excess phlegm from your lungs and respiratory tract, cleansing your throat. Moreover, the oil helps in treating some of the other symptoms of a cold as well like watery and red eyes and aids in relieving headaches naturally. However, always ensure that you use the cedarwood oil in limited quantities. Excessive use can cause side effects such as inflammation or asthma.
How to use cedarwood oil for respiratory problems: Mix 4 to 5 drops of cedarwood oil in 2 tablespoons of almond oil and rub this blend on your chest, neck, ears, and back before bed. Make sure you cover yourself properly after doing so and avoid having air blow directly onto your skin. Also, you could sniff the oil directly from the bottle when needed. Alternatively, add a few drops to your steamer and inhale the vapors for five minutes to unblock your nasal passage.
4. Diuretic and arthritis fighter
Cedarwood oil is revered for its diuretic properties that help in curing obesity, high blood pressure, hypertension, arthritis, gout, rheumatism, urinary tract infections, and reduces the accumulation of toxins in your blood. Excessive storage of urea leads to most of these health problems. Cedarwood’s diuretic properties reduce the storage of urea within the body, speed up the removal of toxins from the blood, and serve as a medium to reduce fat.
Arthritis is an ailment that causes inflammation of joints and the tissues surrounding it can cause debilitating pain. In such cases, using cedarwood oil for treating arthritis could ease your discomfort.
How to use cedarwood oil for arthritis and for its diuretic properties: Cedarwood oil when mixed with olive oil and coconut oil should be applied on the stiff joints to reduce inflammation. This should be done three times each day for at least 2 weeks to notice the difference. For best results or in extreme cases, you can warm up the carrier oil first, add a clove of garlic to it, remove it from the stove and finally add a few drops of cedarwood oil. Keep massaging your joint until the oil seeps into the skin.
To reap benefits out of its diuretic properties, you should inhale the oil every 2 hours for about 2 minutes. Let the aroma do the magic. You could also make yourself a bath of cedarwood essential oil every day by adding about 10 drops to your bath water.
Recommended Read: Best Ways Of Using Peppermint Oil For Joint Pains
5. Emmenagogue
Wouldn’t it be blissful to find a solution to all our recurring monthly woes? Fortunately, that solution lies in the oil of cedarwood. It is a potent emmenagogue. The oil helps you regulate your monthly cycles, and stimulates the body to prepare for the same. Moreover, you can fight the many signs of PMS like fatigue, mood swings and nausea with cedarwood oil. The oil has a direct impact on the various hormonal functions and thus is able to help in regulating the cycle.
How to use cedarwood oil as an emmenagogue: Apply a blend of a carrier oil and cedarwood oil on your lower abdomen everyday after shower. Apply during the cycle as well if you experience cramps.
Caution: For those who are using the oil for just relieving the cramps must know that they can experience a heavy flow. While this is not dangerous as it leads to an increased flow during your period, it is not recommended to use the oil in an excess amount to get rid of the pain.
6. Antispasmodic
Another revered property of cedarwood oil is of relieving spasms. The medicinal property of the cedarwood oil helps in controlling spasms and other related ailments. The oil can help control spasms in the intestines, muscles, nerves, heart, and the respiratory system. Those suffering from restless leg syndrome, respiratory seizures, and asthma can find this oil to be very effective.
How to use cedarwood oil for spasms: The simplest and most effective way of using the oil is to prepare its blend with olive oil and apply it on the affected area. Massage for a while and let the oil seep into the pores of the skin.
7. Antiseptic and a fungicide
Cedarwood essential oil has antiseptic, fungus fighting, astringent, and anti-inflammatory properties that make it popular among people who might suffer from cuts and wounds easily. It is absolutely safe to apply therapeutic grade cedarwood oil wounds externally as an antiseptic. Moreover, cedarwood oil can be used to heal both internal as well as external fungal infections. Studies have shown that just by inhaling the aroma of the oil one can stay away from all types of fungal pathogens – animals, plants or human.
8. Anti-inflammatory and an astringent
As mentioned above, the cedarwood oil helps in reducing the inflammation of joints and eases the discomfort caused due to arthritis. It also helps in calming the skin cells and blood vessels during eczema. As an astringent, the oil can be used to cure toothaches, to protect the teeth and to strengthen the gums surrounding the teeth.
How to use cedarwood oil to strengthen teeth: Rinse your mouth with a mixture of water with a drop of cedarwood oil mixed in it.
Caution: Make sure you rinse your mouth with clean water later and do not ingest the oil whatsoever. Ingesting the oil could lead to vomiting, thirst, and damage the digestive system.
9. Insecticide
Don’t we all want to get rid of bugs, mosquitoes, and insects of all types? The oil of cedarwood is the solution! When the oil is used in diffusers, it helps in driving away insects and flies of all kinds. It can be sprinkled on the bed sheets, around the house or used on the skin (after mixing with a carrier oil) before stepping out.
Caution: The oil is really potent for pets. Do not use in excessive quantities if you have a pet in your house. Also, make sure that they do not ingest the oil is you sprinkle it around.
Suggested Read: How To Use Lemongrass Oil For Mosquitoes
10. Sedative
Another important property of the cedarwood oil is the calming effect it has on the mind and the body. It relieves tension and anxiety, induces the release of happy hormone – serotonin, helps patients suffering from insomnia and helps people to lower their pulse.
The best way to reap benefits is to apply the oil blended with a carrier oil on the temples, neck, and the wrists. Also, one could sniff the woody aroma using a diffuser to experience the soothing effects.
What precautions must you take while using cedarwood essential oil?
- Pregnant women and nursing mothers should avoid using cedarwood oil.
- Moreover, the oil should not be used on children under the age of 6 years old.
- Excessive use of essential oils can lead to sensitization of the skin, hence, usage in limited quantities is recommended.
- You should always do a patch test before applying the oil all over your skin.
- Make sure you apply the oil away from the eyes, ears, and the nose.
- Not every brand of oils has the same healing effects. It is important to make sure you buy therapeutic grade essential oils that are 100% pure only for best results.
- Always read the usage manual that is provided with the oil and make sure you do not ingest the cedarwood essential oil under any circumstances or use it in a way that is not recommended by the manufacturer.
So buy your bottle of cedarwood essential oil now and stay set for experiencing these wonderful properties. Make sure you use the oil in the prescribed ways only.
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