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Cedarwood Oil
Cedarwood essential oil has a mild scent,
compared to other oils, but because of that it makes an excellent
base for blending other oils. The light, clean scent that it does
have is excellent for taming tension and easing stress, and for this
reason, cedarwood is often associated with harmony in holistic
healing.
Cedarwood essential oil can be a skin irritant for some people, so
it's best used in dispensers or other non-contact methods. Cedarwood
essential oil is best blended with other evergreens or with citrus
oils, but it has the remarkable talent of bringing together such
seemingly diverse scents as lavendar and lemon oil, or spruce and
gardenia; hence its reputation for harmony, no doubt.
Different people use cedarwood essential oil in different ways, of
course, but in general, it's best used as a base. For example, one
good recipe is to mix 15-20 drops of cedarwood with 5-7 drops of
lavendar oil for relaxation and 8-10 drops of grapefruit for
invigoration after a hard day's work. Place the mixture into a
disperser and enjoy.
Alternately, soak a cottonball in your cedarwood essential oil and
place in it a bowl or on a saucer in your closet. Cedarwood is known
for its ability to repel moths and other destructive insects, and we
think you'll find its aroma rather more pleasant than mothballs.
Like all essential oils, it should never touch finished furniture,
upholstery, or other fabric, including the clothes in your closet,
as it may stain them irreparably.
There is one exception to that. If you have a cedar chest, or cedar
panelling of any kind, that has begun to lose its scent, you may
apply cedarwood oil directly to the wood itself, just as you might
apply lemon oil to any other piece of unfinished furniture. However,
you must allow the chest to stand open for two or three days, to
make sure the oil has plenty of chance to soak into the wood, so
that, again, it doesn't stain any garments you choose to put into
it. For added peace of mind, you may also line it with butcher's
paper, for just a little more protection.
We think you'll agree that cedarwood's mild, pleasant scent adds
balance and harmony to any mix of herbs.
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