Grounding Cedarwood Oil – Benefits, Recipes & More

By Caryn Gehlmann, Clinical Aromatherapist

Close your eyes, take a deep breath as you smell Cedarwood oil and you’re transported to the forest. It comes as no surprise that Cedarwood is often referred to as one of the best grounding essential oils. It’s almost like you can sense the forest floor beneath you.

This essential oil can be extracted via steam distillation, carbon dioxide distillation, and cold pressing. There are many types of cedar trees and each variety has a distinct scent profile and unique chemical compounds that can be used for different purposes. For example, you’ll learn more about the difference between e3’s Cedarwood Atlas and Cedarwood USA below. It’s interesting to note that some trees are referred to as cedars but are actually juniper trees — both are evergreen conifers.

The Benefits of Cedarwood Oil

The components found in Cedarwood oil include cedrine, cedrol, and thujopsene. Cedarwood is known to have the following properties: expectorant, antiseptic, diuretic, insecticide, sedative, astringent. To learn more about various benefits and studies on Cedarwood there’s a great article on Web MD, What to Know About Cedarwood Essential Oil.

Here are some ways you may benefit from Cedarwood Essential Oil:

Insomnia

Remember, Cedarwood essential oil is very grounding, so many find it helps promote restful sleep. You can put a few drops in your diffuser at bedtime, or here are two recipes to try for more restful sleep

Goodnight Linen Spritzer

4 ounces of filtered (or distilled) water
20 drops Lavender
15 drops Cedarwood (USA or Atlas)

Add all the ingredients to a spritzer bottle and make sure to shake well before each use. Mist your bedding and pillowcase. You can also mist as high up in the room to allow the mist to fall through a greater volume of air space.

Stay-Asleep Aromatherapy Roll-on

3 drops Sandalwood
2 drops Vetiver
1 drops Cedarwood Atlas
4 drops Patchouli
1 T. Fractionated Coconut Oil

You can experiment with the essential oils you find most relaxing but this combination can be sedating if you tend to wake up in the middle of the night. Mix together and store in a roll-on bottle. Apply to chest and neck before bedtime or if you awaken in the middle of the night.

Hair care

Many use Cedarwood essential oil to promote hair growth. One study reported that people with alopecia areata (a disease that leads to hair loss) experienced significant hair growth when given a daily scalp massage of Cedarwood, Thyme, Rosemary, and Lavender essential oils diluted with a carrier oil.

You can add these essential oils to a natural shampoo or conditioner or you can make your own scalp oil. Here’s an easy recipe:

Restorative Scalp Oil

12-24 drops of a combination of Cedarwood Atlas, Thyme, Rosemary, Lavender

 2 ounces of FCO or Jojoba

Store in a glass bottle with a cap. Use approximately 1 teaspoon to massage into your scalp at night. Shampoo in the morning.

Mothballs

For centuries people have been known to store clothes in cedar chests to avoid moths. What they didn’t know was that it’s because the oil in cedarwood is a natural moth repellent.

Instead of a cedar chest, you can easily make your own mothball by adding a few drops of cedarwood essential oil to cotton balls or a small piece of fabric and putting it in your closet or dresser. ‌

We could go on and on about the benefits of Cedarwood essential oil for relaxation, skin care (particularly oily or acne-prone skin), immune support, and more! To learn more about the benefits and application methods see our product pages: Cedarwood Atlas and Cedarwood USA. You can also use the search bar on our blog to find more recipes and tips.

Which One to Choose –  Cedarwood (Atlas) or Cedarwood (USA)?

e3 carries two Cedarwood essential oils, Cedarwood Atlas and Cedarwood USA (commonly known as Virginian cedarwood) below. Cedarwood Atlas comes from Morocco and its Latin name is Cedrus atlantica. Cedarwood USA essential oil comes from a Juniper tree in the USA with the Latin name, Juniperus virginiana.

Similarities: Both have a grounding scent with generally interchangeable uses such as lymphatic support, respiratory congestion, and stress.

Differences: Cedarwood Atlas has a richer, soft, woody, sweet, warm aroma that comes from the aromatic cedar tree native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria. Cedarwood USA has a rich, dry, woody, balsamic aroma. It’s a popular option for perfumes, soaps, and household products.

Smell them both and see which one you like better. I always like to say, “your nose knows!” Cedarwood is a base note so it can help deepen and hold together a blend of essential oils.

With its deep undertones, it’s also a nice complement to more masculine blends. The following e3 blends have Cedarwood: Forest Blend, Serenity, Rebalance, Meditate, Male Harmony, Adrenal.

For more blending recommendations, including worksheets to track your efforts, download our free workbook, The Art & Science of Blending Essential Oils. You’ll also get a coupon you can use for your next order.