Lemongrass oil

Lemongrass is native to the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia, grassy plant used in cooking and herbal medicine. Extracted from the leaves and stalks of the lemongrass plant, lemongrass oil has a powerful, citrus scent. It’s often found in soaps and other personal care products.

Lemongrass oil can be extracted, and it’s been used by healthcare providers to treat digestive problems and high blood pressure. It has many other potential health benefits, too.

In fact, lemongrass essential oil is a popular tool in aromatherapy to help relieve stress, anxiety, and depression.

The oil is later derived through the steam distillation of the leaves. 

Active ingredients:

Myrcene: Anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-biotic, anti-mutagenic and sedative. 

Citral: Anti-viral, anti-septic, anti-oxidant.

Citronellal: Anti-fungal, sedative, anti-viral and anti-microbial.

Geranyl Acetate: Anti-fungal, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory.

Nerol: Anti-oxidant, sedative, anti-inflammatory and anti-depressant.

Geraniol: Anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-septic and analgesic.

Neral: apoptotic, anti-nociceptive  and anti-inflammatory.

Limonene: anti-oxidant, digestive, appetite suppressant and detoxicant.

Benefits:

1-Reduces Oily Skin  

Excess oil on the face can attract dust and impurities, leading to pimples and acne. Using lemongrass oil can help reduce oily skin, by tackling oiliness and controlling shine. It serves as a natural astringent that helps control oil production. Besides, lemongrass oil also helps minimize the pores and tighten the skin. Using a steam facial infused with lemongrass essential oil helps clarify the skin, preventing acne flare-ups and reducing greasiness. 

2-Supports Skin Health

The oil has many skin benefitting properties. The Lemongrass oil is known to enhance overall skin texture from cleansing and detoxifying the skin and pores to eliminating excess oil from the skin. 

The antioxidant properties of the oil aid in neutralizing the free radicals and promoting the skin’s suppleness. Not only this, but it also helps to combat the formation of acne-causing bacteria.

3-Anti-Fungal

Lemongrass essential oil contains a high amount of anti-fungal properties present in citronellal and geranyl acetate. This works against the growth of fungal infections on the body. It is specifically stated to combat the formation of the Candida species on the skin, nails, and hair. When applied topically, it avoids the emergence and inhibits the growth of any form of yeast-based infection. 

4-Prevents Acne   

Thanks to its antibacterial qualities of geraniol, lemongrass oil works as a great tool for fighting pimple-causing bacteria when used in skincare products. It also has purifying properties which make it perfect for removing impurities, detoxifying the skin, and leaving it feeling clean and clear.  

How to use- Include a lemongrass-based cleanser to wash your face on a daily basis in lukewarm water. This will instantly clear pores of dirt and germs, ridding the skin of acne-triggering bacteria, pimples, and dark spots.  

5-Antiseptic and Astringent Properties

The antiseptic properties present in this oil make it functional in healing bruises and superficial wounds. It cleanses and disinfects the wound and supports the healing process. It is also considered to be a natural astringent, thereby allowing the toning of the skin, giving it a natural glow, and also strengthening the skin structure at the same time.

6-Reduces Pain and Muscle Cramps

The Citral present in the lemongrass essential oil is known for reducing pain and cramps caused by any inflammation. This oil is often used as a home-treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and applied to the area of concern for pain relief. A study claims that after 30 days of regularly applying this oil, the pain levels can reduce drastically.

7-Freshens Up the Atmosphere

When sprayed in the environment in a diluted format, this oil is known to instantaneously freshen the atmosphere, thereby acting as a natural room freshener or perfume. The chemical-based air fresheners have toxic components that could harm us in the long term. On the other hand, this oil is entirely safe and non-toxic. It works as a deodorant and, at the same time, relaxes the atmosphere.

8-Reduces anxiety

The aroma of the Lemongrass essential oil is peace-inducing, as well as calming. When inhaled through a diffuser or vaporizer, the oil can spontaneously reduce any stress or anxiety. It can thereby, even lower the blood pressure level of a person. A study conducted in 2015 concluded that massaging the lemongrass essential oil with sweet almond oil allows a reduction in diastolic blood pressure.

9-Works as a stress reliever

Again, as stress and anxiety are a common factor that causes an increase in the blood pressure rate, this oil is known to reduce it and thereby eliminate stress. Even massaging this oil on the scalp is beneficial as the aroma has a calming effect.

A component present in lemongrass called Eugenol has properties similar to that of the aspirin. Eugenol further promotes the release of serotonin. The serotonin hormone helps in regulating sleep, appetite, and other cognition related functions.

10-For massage

Lemongrass essential oil is very invigorating and energizing. It has a pleasant but strong lemony aroma and is great for uplifting the wearer. Due to the potent nature of lemongrass essential oil, it should be diluted to no more than 0.7% when used topically.

When used with massage, lemongrass essential oil is beneficial for achy muscle relief. It’s also beneficial for acne and as a treatment for athlete’s foot when used topically.

These essential oils can be used during a massage to boost the benefits and enhance your overall experience.

11-For hair

1. A) Eliminates Dandruff

Dandruff is a very common irritant found on the scalp. Having a flake-free scalp and well-nourished hair-follicles is the key to strong and thick hair growth.

Lemongrass oil has abundant reserves of geraniol as anti-bacterial and (geranyl Acetate & citronellal) as antifungal that make your scalp get rid of the main reason for dandruff, besides ant-inflammatory effect of myrcene and neral that make soothing effect for scalp, Adding 2-3 drops of Lemongrass essential oil to your hair oil and applying it on the scalp effectively eliminates dandruff-causing bacteria.

B)Promotes Healthy Hair  

Lemongrass oil supports hair growth, and can also eliminate itchiness and provide relief from scalp irritation. The oil can also be used to prevent the shedding of hair, promote hair regrowth, and contract hair follicles to prevent hair fall. 

You can mix lemongrass oil with some effective carrier oil like coconut or olive oil, and apply for remarkable improvements in hair fall and growth in your hair.   

C) Helps Fight Lice  

Lemongrass essential oil is very effective in fighting head lice as it has a distinct fragrance and aroma which makes it inevitable for the head lice to thrive on the scalp.  

You can use a few drops of lemongrass oil on your nit comb and comb your hair using it. Alternatively, you can mix neem oil with a few drops of lemongrass oil and massage your scalp.  

12-Eliminates Pests

This oil is quite famous for pest controlling as it possesses antimicrobial and antifungal properties. It can efficiently disarm the fungi from further growth and prevent the spreading of microorganisms by pests. The citral content present in this oil is quite prominent and helpful in getting rid of insects and pests.