The Best Uses For Geranium Essential Oil

The background on geranium essential oil

One of the most aesthetically pleasing flowers in the world, the geranium, is also one of the most balancing and beneficial essential oils on the market today. Geranium, latin name Pelargonium graveolens, is a small shrub with large, colorful flowers that bloom in many colors. It’s both the flowers and the leaves of the fragrant plant that are steam distilled to produce the rich, heady and musky-floral essential oil that many of us have come to rely on for balance, harmony and peacefulness as part of our aromatherapy practices.

Native to southern Africa where they have been used in traditional medicine for centuries, geraniums were beloved by the Victorians, and can now be found blooming in gardens across Europe and North America. Geranium essential oil, which is steam-extracted from the whole plant, is found in skincare products, fragrances and traditional remedies. It is known for its lovely, rose-like fragrance, as well as its beneficial effect on skin and the emotions.

Fragrant and rose-like, geranium is calming and balancing for the mind. A natural, soothing tonic, in traditional Ayurvedic medicine geranium essential oil is thought to help balance the heart chakra. Read on to learn more about some of the benefits of geranium essential oil when blended with other essential oils and plant ingredients intended to be used as part of your personal wellness rituals.

Geranium essential oil for easing feelings of stress

One of the most common afflictions that takes us out of centeredness and feeling grounded is stress and its accompanying symptoms. For many of us, stress shows up as everything from feeling restless, nervous or overwhelmed, to affecting our digestion or our sleeping patterns, to sometimes just a general sense of ‘blah’. We know how important managing stress is to our overall good health, and so incorporating natural products into our lifestyle can help to soothe and ease some of our toughest stress symptoms.

Products we love:

Stress Release roll-on: when feelings of stress hit, take back control of your day with this powerful yet gentle blend that was formulated specifically to help you relax and to promote peacefulness. Lavender helps to comfort the emotions, roman chamomile is naturally calming to help relieve stress-related restlessness and orange is sweet and helps to promote feelings of happiness. Try applying to the shoulders and the back of the neck when you’re looking to feel less stressed.

Stress Release bath salt: what better way to soak your worries away than in a warm and soothing bath. When looking to ease tough feelings and relieve stressful symptoms like restlessness, this combination of epsom salts to release stress and ease tension and balancing essential oils like sweetly floral and herbaceous geranium, calming lavender and grassy, earthy vetiver is perfect for a long soak. Add a tablespoon or two to a full bath and swish to disperse the salts within the water. Hop in and soak for up to 30 minutes to get the full benefits.

Stress Release body oil: when looking to ease tension and soothe the body, Stress Release body oil is an easy choice. This product can be used as a deep hydrator for the skin post bath or shower, or is an excellent choice when used in massage to help ease stress and worries in the body. Formulated with nourishing carrier oils like grapeseed, apricot kernel oil and vitamin e, we then add harmonizing and centering essential oils like euphoric clary sage, centering lavender and uplifting orange to help create a spa-like experience for your body. Try applying 1-2 teaspoons topically to the skin or add 1 teaspoon to a full bath as needed.

Geranium essential oil for helping you wind down at night

Another one of the ways in which geranium essential oil can be beneficial to both our bodies and minds is through its use in products that are designed to help us feel at rest. We know how important it is to achieve that coveted 7-9 hours of deep, uninterrupted rest each night, and our 100% natural and plant-based products can help support your mind in finding quiet and stillness and encouraging your body to relax as well.

Products we love:

Goodnight Diffuser Blend: wind down and create a relaxing atmosphere with this warm and rich blend. Welcome the night with roman chamomile to comfort the body, sandalwood to ground you in the moment, geranium to help bring balance and vetiver to calm your mind. Add 10-15 drops to a diffuser of your choice and drift off to dreamland.

Unwind Diffuser Blend: this calming essential oil blend is the perfect way to end a long day. To help relax both the mind and body, we’ve blended soothing and floral lavender with a citrusy uplifter called bergamot and the stabilizing and balancing properties of geranium. Add 10-15 drops to a diffuser of your choice and get ready to feel relaxed.

Geranium essential oil as part of your skincare routine

Another one of the ways in which geranium essential oil helps to support our wellness overall is as part of our daily skincare routine. In part because of its known properties of balancing, being gentle and helping to improve the appearance of skin, geranium is often blended with other essential oils and skin-softening plant-based ingredients as part of a healthy skin care regiment.

Products we love:

Herbal Balm: formulated as a salve for the cuticles, lashes and eyebrows, Herbal Balm is a little bit of a cult favorite product at Saje. This nourishing balm works double duty to support strong, resilient nails, while also conditioning your eyelashes and eyebrows. Bonus: It also works wonders as a gentle eye make up remover. It’s blended with hydrating calendula, calming St. John’s wort and comforting geranium to encourage the skin’s natural rejuvenation. Gently massage a small amount around the eye area, eyelashes or into nails and cuticles.May also be used as a gentle eye makeup remover, lip balm or a general balm to soothe irritated skin.

Sensitive Elixir: skin that often feels dry and easily irritated will welcome this delicate, nurturing blend of essential oils that will protect even the most sensitive types. Ideal for sensitive or dry skin, Sensitive Elixir has been formulated with carrier oils that are rich in antioxidants like evening primrose and rosehip, as well as essential oils like restorative and rejuvenating geranium, delicate and soothing roman chamomile and calming and floral lavender. After cleansing and toning, gently massage 3-4 drops into the skin to feel smoothed and soothed.

Geranium essential oil for keeping your body in tip top shape

Because geranium essential oil is so soothing and calming to the skin on our faces, it stands to reason that it would also be beneficial to the skin on our bodies. We blend geranium in many of our body care products, including soaps, lotions and body butters to help ensure our hardworking bodies feel hydrated and cared for.

Products we love:

Goddess Body Lotion: the Goddess line of products was blended with precious floral ingredients like neroli, ylang ylang, geranium and rose, all of which are prized in aromatherapy for their benefits as being balancing, centering and restorative. The floral scent is just one of the ways this lotion helps to support overall good skin care; it’s also formulated without parabens, any synthetic ingredients or artificial fragrances and instead uses plant-based ingredients like aloe vera leaf juice, safflower oil and apricot kernel oil to form a lotion base that is deeply hydrating and quick absorbing for a nourishing experience for the skin. Apply post bath or shower, or any time you’re looking to lock in moisture.

Carrot body butter: this luxurious and emollient-rich body butter will help support your skin’s natural renewal process. Use daily after bathing to keep skin glowing and hydrated, or after spending time in the sun. The base of this rich and creamy body butter is cocoa seed butter, mango seed butter and shea butter, blended with restorative essential oils like antioxidant-rich carrot, rejuvenating patchouli and balancing geranium to create an earthy and herbal moisturizer for the body.

Ideas for incorporating geranium essential oil into your daily routines

At Saje we also offer a 100% pure geranium single note for those who are looking to use the oil in more specific ways, like in a facial steamer, in a diffuser, in body massage or in skin care preparations. We’re sharing three of our favorite ways to incorporate the benefits of geranium into your wellness practice:

1. Drops on a tissue. Add 1-3 drops of geranium essential oil onto a tissue and place inside your pillowcase before climbing into bed at night. Breath deeply and let the soothing, floral aroma help relax your body and mind.
2. In hair care. Especially if you’re using heated styling tools like a blowdryer, curling iron or straightening iron, consider the smoothing and gentle properties of geranium in hair care. Add just 1-2 drops of essential oil to your palm, rub hands together briskly and smoothe through the ends of your hair prior to heat styling. For a finished look, rub 1 drop through the ends of your dry hair only.
3. For emotional comfort. Because geranium is renowned in aromatherapy for being comforting and stabilizing to the body, it can help ease heavy feelings and provide support when you’re feeling down. Diffuse 1-3 drops for an hour or so to help uplift and encourage feelings of peace and calm.

However you decide to use geranium essential oil as part of your daily routines and wellness practices, we’re confident that this rich and floral note will bring joy and happiness wherever you go.