Sandalwood oil has been used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes for over 4,000 years. This makes it one of the oldest substances known to man. Sandalwood essential oil comes by extracting it from the heart of the evergreen tree. Sandalwood essential oil is well-known for its scent. It has a bright, fresh scent with a wooden base note. There are a lot of perfumes and air fresheners which use this oil. Sandalwood essential oil’s significance varies through culinary, cosmetic, and medical benefits. It soothes depression, nervous tension, redness, and inflammation similarly, moisturizing the skin. This article discusses some of the most well-known benefits and applications of sandalwood essential oil.
Benefits of Sandalwood Essential Oil
The value of wood increases as it ages for more than 50 to 60 years. The wood is ground into a powder and steam-distilled into oil in order to make soaps, cosmetics, candles, incense, medicine, and perfumes. Moreover, cosmetic products often use sandalwood oil in order to improve skin health and a lot more. So here are some of the other benefits of sandalwood essential oil.
- Treats Acne
- Treats Hair problems(Supports hair growth)
- Support wound healing
- Reduces wrinkles
- Lowers blood pressure
- Heal wounds
- Memory booster
- Sedative effect (Treats Stress and Anxiety)
- Strengthens dental health
Let’s get to know about the above benefits in detail in the following section.
1. Treats Acne
Your remedy could be sandalwood oil, If you have an acne problem . In other words, Sandalwood might help relieve the irritation produced by pimples and acne.
Apply a small amount of the oil to the affected area with clean fingers. let it stay for a while. It has no adverse side effects. It is possible that doing that will clog the pores on the skin. But if you use it excessively, there can be some side effects.
2. Treats Hair Problems
Sandalwood oil is extremely beneficial in treating hair problems like dandruff and preventing hair loss . Moreover, it also promotes hair growth. Essential oil stimulates the root. As a result, hair growth occurs.
Sandalwood oil has strong astringent properties. It helps to control not only excess sebum production in the scalp and treats split ends . Not only that, but also helps to improve hair luster and growth.
A few drops of sandalwood oil would suffice when you use it. You can put it in a shampoo bottle . You can also blend it with a carrier oil or use it on its own. Rub sandalwood oil into your scalp. It allows you to use it for hair care treatments on the run. So you can easily mix it with your shampoo or other diluents. It makes the process a lot easier. In other words, simply use it in the shower or as part of your regular hair care routine
3. Support Wound Healing
Due to the antibacterial properties of sandalwood essential oil, it has the capacity to cure both internal and external wounds. This oil can help you to prevent infections caused by ulcers or wounds.
Skin cells contain olfactory receptors for sandalwood, according to researchers from Germany’s Ruhr-Universität Bochum. They seem to promote skin cell growth when they activate those receptors.
4. Reduces Wrinkles
As an essential oil, sandalwood has moisturizing properties. It contains antioxidants that help maintain the buoyancy and structure of the skin cells. Due to naturally occurring emollients, which help keep water in your skin, it may appear plumper and lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also reduces dryness and replenishes the moisture in skin. Moreover it increases elasticity. Sandalwood can also reduce the appearance of wrinkles. As it is a rich antioxidant component.
5. Lowers Blood Pressure
Sandalwood oil has a hypotensive ingredient that helps to lower blood pressure.
To control blood pressure, use edible sandalwood oil with milk or another fluid. It works well to reduce hypertension, when it is used externally.
6. Heal Wounds
Sandalwood essential oil has antibacterial properties. It not only kills bacteria but also enhances skin cell growth. There are Sandalwood olfactory receptors in the skin cells. After activating such receptors, they were able to efficiently treat wounds and increase healing mechanisms.
Sandalwood essential oil helps to cure sores, skin fungus, ulcers, and other skin conditions.
7. Memory Booster
Sandalwood comes handy as a memory booster because one of its benefits is clarity. When we are troubled and strained, it is difficult to remember important information, so using sandalwood oil to enhance mental clarity can aid memory development. It boosts your concentration power and improves your memory. It also keeps your brain cool and relaxed, preventing you from becoming stressed or anxious.
Sandalwood oil also contains a high amount of sesquiterpenes, a natural chemical compound with beneficial health effects. It stimulates glands and has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. This essentially means that they can boost the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain.
You can add a few drops of sandalwood essential oil to milk to help you feel more energized and remember things in a more efficient manner.
8. Sedative Effect (Treats Stress and Anxiety)
Sandalwood essential oil acts as a natural relaxant and sedative in the treatment of spasms. It relaxes the nerves and muscles. Therefore it results in relief of spasms and contractions. It is also useful for treating cramps, colds, and aches. Sandalwood essential oil relaxes the intestinal and abdominal muscles. It promotes gas removal and prevents the formation of excess gasses.
Furthermore, it promotes tranquility. The oil’s warm and refreshing woody aroma helps you to relax and calm your mind. This is one of the best essential oils for controlling your emotions. It promotes harmony and peace to a great extent.
You can reduce stress and anxiety by rubbing sandalwood oil on your wrists, ankles. You can also directly inhale it.
How to Use Sandalwood Essential Oil for Aromatherapy at Home?
Sandalwood oil can be used in aromatherapy at home in a number of ways. It is possible to:
- Add a few drops of essential oil in your favorite body lotion.
- Apply to your skin after mixing a few drops with an ounce of carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil.
- To scent your home, heat it up in a small pot of water.
- Use an essential oil diffuser to help you evaporate it.
9. Strengthens Dental Health
Sandalwood oil’s abundance of astringent properties is extremely beneficial in inhibiting the growth of cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth. It aids in:
- Treatment of bleeding gums
- Healing of minor wounds
- Cleaning the mouth
- Increasing salivation by improving gastrointestinal secretions
- Strengthening the gums
Types of Sandalwood Essential Oil
Sandalwood essential oil is available in various species around the whole world today. Traditionally, Santalum album is the most popular essential oil but today many other species are trending and some of them are as follows,
1. East Indian Sandalwood Essential Oil
Aromatherapists have used this essential oil until concerns about the species’ future arose. It has a deep, woody, balsamic aroma that has a strong tenacity (or “dry-down”), making it more suitable not only for aromatherapy but also as a fixative for perfumes.
2. New Caledonian Sandalwood Essential Oil
This is a less expensive and more environmentally friendly alternative to Indian sandalwood oils. It smells like traditional sandalwood essential oil with a deep, woody, balsamic aroma.
3. Pacific Sandalwood Essential Oil
This is the most similar sandalwood to Indian Sandalwood. It demonstrates the same warm, buttery scent. The aroma is slightly less immediate than that of the Indian Sandalwood .Pacific Sandalwood costing substantially less than the Indian type. If you like Indian Sandalwood but want to choose another option for either ethical or price reasons, then the Pacific Sandalwood is the best choice.
4. Australian Sandalwood Essential Oil
Aroma of this essential oil differs from that of East Indian sandalwood essential oil. Its lighter aroma, on the other hand, may appeal to those who dislike strong scents. After all, this oil has a much more ‘woody scent’ than the Pacific and Indian variants. If you are particularly looking for a ‘woody’ rather than ‘buttery’ scent for perfumery try Australian Sandalwood.
5. Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood Essential Oil
As the name implies, this essential oil is made in Hawaii. This one has a more pleasant aroma than Australian sandalwood essential oil according to reviews.
How to Choose Sandalwood Oil?
With different types of Sandalwood oil available, you may be wondering how to select the best Sandalwood oil from a grocery store or online. Here are some things to consider before purchasing Sandalwood oil.
- A product must have a minimum free alcohol level of 90%.
- Check out for labels which say that it’s from the Santalum album to increase your chances of finding a genuine sandalwood oil. Synthetic products can be available in terms such as “scented oil” or “perfumed oil.”
Gya Labs Sandalwood Essential Oil
Sandalwood Essential Oil from Gya Labs is one of the best on the market. Don’t believe us? Why not take a look at Amazon’s 100K+ positive reviews for this product for some peace of mind?
The woody and earthy scent of Gya Labs sandalwood essential oils is grounding, calming, and does not overpower the senses. Making them ideal sandalwood essential oils for use on the skin or in a diffuser. It’s also very affordable, making it one of the best sandalwood oils on the market. However, don’t let the low price fool you into thinking it’s of poor quality. It’s just as good as the more expensive, well-known oils. One customer stated that she could not tell the difference between her Gya Labs oils and two other well-known essential oil brands, from scent to medicinal qualities. So, it’ll be nice to know that you can get high-quality oils at a reasonable price!
For healthier skin, try combining this product with Vetiver oil. Sandalwood and vetiver oil combine to create a youth-returning blend that is soothing and comforting. Apply 3 drops to the face and body, along with 2 drops of vetiver and 2 tablespoons of jojoba oil. With the help of a diffuser, you can use this essential oils sandalwood combination to help relieve the day.
Side Effects of Sandalwood Essential Oil
Sandalwood oil hasn’t been subjected to extensive testing to determine its safety. However, because no significant negative effects have been documented in scientific literature, it is still used in cosmetics and food. There have been a few studies that have looked into the potential toxicity of sandalwood oil. But it has been determined to be safe at the current levels that the oil is often used in food as an flavoring agent. So, sandalwood oil is generally safe for use. But the use of essential oil can occur some side effects, which is as follows;
- An allergic skin reaction
- Itching
- Nausea
- Stomachache
There are warnings and precautions. Therefore it’s better to follow the guidelines, as precaution is easier than cure.
- Some advise not to ingest sandalwood oil. When applying it onto skin, dilute it using carrier oil, soap, lotion or a buffering agent.
- Breastfeeding mothers and young children should avoid using sandalwood oil.
- It’s important to test it on a small area of skin first.
- Those who suffer from some type of medical condition, such as liver disorder and cancer, should also take extra precaution using the oil in aromatherapy.
Benefits of Sandalwood Essential Oil | Conclusion
Without a doubt, among many other essential oils like lavender, peppermint, rose, tea tree, chamomile, etc, sandalwood is a great essential oil with a woodsy aroma. In addition, sandalwood essential oil sure gives you an ample of benefits as we mentioned here. So why not give it a try and experience all the above mentioned benefits in this article? After all, a drop a day of sandalwood oil shall keep your problems at bay!
Disclaimer
Note that the information on this site is provided solely for educational purposes. It is not intended to replace medical treatment from a health care professional. Because each person’s needs are different, the reader should check with their doctor to see if the information is appropriate for them.
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