Another Reason to Love Citrus Essential Oils.

I see a lot of variance with many oils. Some people love, love lemongrass and others despise it. Vetiver is such a wonder oil. So relaxing and calming and some people love it and think it is a gift and others think it smells awful. So it is with essential oils. But when people smell citrus essential oils -- lemon, lime, mandarin, bergamot, grapefruit most people really like or even love them.

Citrus oils are rich in d-limonene. Research on this compound suggests it activates white blood cells (1), is anti-inflammatory (2), anti-oxidant (3), and anti-bacteria (4)l. Another great benefit of citrus or d-limonene rich essential oils is that they can help other oils absorb into the skin even better -- they are known as penetration enhancers. So adding a citrus oil to a blend not only help it smell awesome and support immune health, it helps the other oils in the blend enter the skin more easily.

So when creating a topical blend adding a bit of citrus or d-limonene rich essential oil can help it absorb even better. The only caution is that some citrus oils are phototoxic -- bergamot for example is very phototoxic (which means it causes skin sensitivity, redness and burning when exposed to sun or UV rays). Lemon and grapefruit are less phototoxic (you can add up to 2% and 4% to a blend). But when you're making a blend consider adding a d-limonene rich oil to enhance the benefit of the blend.

If you have questions about essential oils or aromatherapy contact Tricia.

To your good health,

Tricia

1. Del Toro-Arreola S, Flores-Torales E, Torres-Lozano (2005) Effect of d-limonene on immune response in BALB/c mice with lymphoma. International Immunopharmacology 5:829-838

2. Souza MC, Siani AC, Ramos MF et al (2003) Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of essential oils from two Asteraceae species. Pharmazie 58:582-586

3. Roberto D, Micucci P, Sebastian T et al (2010) Antioxidant activity of limonene on normal murine lymphocytes: relation to H2O2 modulation and cell proliferation. Basic Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology 106:38-44

4. Deans S G, Svoboda K P (1988) Antibacterial activity of French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus Linn.) essential oil and its constituents during ontology. Journal of Horticultural Science 63:503-508