I make an order for a small group of essential oils each year and with my recent order for ylang ylang, peppermint, sandalwood and cinnamon I received a free 5ml bottle of sweet orange. I had not ever used sweet orange essential oil before so thought it would be interesting to try it out. Essential oils contain concentrated quantities of the properties of the plant, fruit, bark or seed from which the oil is extracted. The properties of the different essential oils vary widely and are valued for actions such as anti-inflammatory, astringent, expectorant or sedative.

It is believed the beneficial properties of essential oils are absorbed through inhalation or the skin and enter the the circulatory system and blood stream. In aromatherapy a few drops of essential oil are added to water and then heated in order to produce a vapour. For massage essential oils are blended with a base (carrier) oil such as sweet almond oil or grape seed oil. The essential oil content in a blend is usually between 1-3%. I like to use essential oils in burners for the aromatherapy effect and love the way you can choose a refreshing, calming or uplifting aroma to fill a room in the home. Certain essential oils, such as ylang ylang, I will add to base lotions along with nourishing oils to create luxurious and wonderfully scented lotions ideally suitable to my skin. I have very sensitive skin and suffer from eczema so have to be extremely careful in terms of skin care products, often finding I have to avoid perfumed creams and lotions.

Apparently it takes 50 oranges to produce 1oz of sweet orange essential oil. In aromatherapy sweet orange is reputed to have uplifting and soothing qualities, it is said to benefit the nervous system and relieve stress bringing a sense of warmth and happiness. In massage and skin creams sweet orange essential is believed to improve the condition of dull and oily skin as well as help ease nervous tension.

Sweet orange oil has yellowy, light orange colour and a gentle rich fruity aroma. The consistency is an oily, slightly syrupy liquid. I felt the scent was uplifting in a comforting kind of way, nothing at all like freshly squeezed oranges, more a mellow and warming orange scent.

I added 5 or 6 drops to approximately 2 tablespoons of water in an oil burner and lit the tea light candle. As the liquid warmed there was a lovely orange, fruity aroma which was yes quite calming and uplifting at the same time, but only in a very mild way. As the heat increased the aroma lessened and unlike the other essential oils I use in the oil burner, the scent of sweet orange did not gradually fill the room. I have blended the sweet orange with sandalwood and found this more successful, the orange gave a light and uplifting element to the sandalwood and I found lasted or carried better in the air. With cinnamon as a blend I could hardly detect the orange and as I only have a little 5ml bottle didn't wish to be too extravagant with it.

My next experiment was to add a few drops to a small amount of base lotion and apply to the skin. The white lotion was tinted by the yellow/orange oil immediately and turned into a rich butter-cream colour. The sweet orange aroma remained in the cream for the few days the mixture lasted and I could detect it on my skin after applying the cream. However as I tend towards dry skin rather than oily skin which sweet orange is reputed to benefit this isn't an essential oil I will regularly use in this way. It was gentle on my very sensitive skin and did not irritate in any way.

In conclusion, I found sweet orange essential oil to be a warming and uplifting oil in aroma but only mildly effective when used independently in an oil burner and possibly best blended with other oils. It was suitable for my sensitive skin and mixed well with a base lotion. This is not an essential oil I would purchase but still give it 4/5 stars.

Thanks for reading :)
© Lunaria 2012