Vetiver Essential Oil

Deep, earthy, relaxing... the oil of tranquility

Vetiver essential oil has a deep, earthy scent that's especially relaxing, grounding and calming.

Like patchouli, this is usually an oil you either love or hate.

But, love it or hate it, vetiver is extremely good for relaxing muscle tension, relieving stress (try it for stress-related headaches) and insomnia.

Emotionally speaking, vetiver oil is good for depression, balancing mood swings (such as with PMS and menopause) and for a sense of grounding and calming when life feels out of control. It also helps soothe feelings of anger, irritability and hysteria (did I mention PMS!)

In skincare, vetiver is especially nourishing for dry, irritated and problem skin such as eczema and psoriasis. It's also good for wrinkles, stretch marks and scars, as well as toning slack skin. Excellent in anti-aging night time formulas.

Vetiver essential oil is often used as a fixative in aromatherapy recipes and cosmetics. Use sparingly - a little goes a long way!

Vetiver is painstaking and labor-intensive to make, which drives the price up. It's often diluted with less expensive (and therefore less effective) oils, or even synthetic fragrance oils to reduce costs.

Make sure you buy your Vetiver from a reputable supplier, and be prepared to pay a higher price to get the real deal. (I can tell you from personal experience - the difference is MAJOR!)

Buy vetiver essential oil or read on to learn more...

Botanical Name and Characteristics

Vetiveria zizaniodes

Vetiver is a tall, wiry perennial grass that grows up to 8 feet (2.4m) high. The essential oil is steam distilled from its complex, fibrous lacework of roots.

Deep, warm, earthy, woody, musty, spicy scent that lingers. (It smells like a campfire to me.)

Therapeutic Action

Lifts mood; anti-depressant

Calms and relaxes nerves; good for anxiety, flashbacks and hysteria

Relieves stress and tension

Grounds the emotions

Promotes sleep; good for insomnia

Relaxes tight, stiff muscles

Eases pain; good for headaches, muscle pain

Helps ease PMS and menopause

Alleviates all types of skin problems: acne, mature, dry and irritated skin, eczema, etc.

Improves digestion

Repels insects

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Blending

Its strong base note blends well with benzoin, cedar, chamomile, frankincense, ginger, jasmine, lavender, lemongrass, patchouli, rose, sandalwood, vanilla and ylang ylang.

Cautions

Use caution during pregnancy, and dilute to 50% or less for children.

How to Use Vetiver Essential Oil

Here's some simple ideas for using vetiver essential oil. This is one of the weekly Aromatherapy Tips I posted recently - click here to get tips for using essential oils sent right to your inbox every week.

Aromatherapy Tip of the Week

9 Ways to Use Vetiver Essential Oil... And Why You Should!

When I first smelled Vetiver essential oil, I really didn't like it. It has a strong earthy, smoky scent that reminds me of campfires.

But I was feeling so low and my insomnia was so bad I decided to give it a try. Wow! I'm so glad I did!

Turns out Vetiver smells awesome on my skin, and it's super relaxing and calming. Not to mention excellent for reducing signs of aging!

Here's my top three reasons you should try Vetiver (plus 9 recipes so you know how!)

Note: You only need a tiny bit in a recipe - a little goes a long way! Use caution during pregnancy, and dilute to 50% or less for children.

Stress, anxiety and ADD/ADHD

Vetiver helps bring all your scattered parts together and "ground" your energy. It calms the nervous system and helps with emotional trauma or shock. Vetiver brings thoughts and actions into focus and helps stabilize mental and physical energy.

Chronic Stress Blend
Mix Vetiver with Myrrh 1:1 and apply behind your knees right after you shower in the morning. Vetiver and Myrrh are both fairly thick and will process gradually throughout the day. Reapply after 3 or 4 hours if needed.

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Anxiety Attack Blend
Blend 3 drops Vetiver, 2 drops each Orange & Ylang Ylang with 1 drop Patchouli essential oil in 1oz carrier oil such as grapeseed oil. Massage into the back of your neck and the bones behind your ears when your anxiety starts to rise.

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Buy Patchouli

Buy Orange

Buy Grapeseed oil

Buy Ylang Ylang

Buy other carrier oils

Obsessive Overthinking Blend
Blend 4 drops Sandalwood and 2 drops Vetiver in 1oz carrier oil. Massage into the back of your neck and the bones behind your ears.

Buy Sandalwood

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Depression and Insomnia Blend

Vetiver is good for depression, since it's a natural tranquilizer and mood regulator. It restores balance and harmony and draws you into a relaxed state. Vetiver is especially good for menopause and post-partum depression since it seems to act in the body like estrogen, which is often low at these times of life.

Insomnia Blend
Blend 6 drops Sandalwood, 2 drops each Orange & Ylang Ylang, 1 drop each Vetiver & Lavender in 1oz carrier oil. Massage into feet at bedtime.

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Buy Orange

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Depression Blend
Blend 2 drops each Geranium & Vetiver with 1 drop Rose essential oil in 1oz carrier oil. Massage into the back of your neck and the bones behind your ears several times a day.

Buy Geranium

Buy Rose

Buy Vetiver

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Happy Sleep Bath Blend: Stir 2 drops each Lavender & Bergamot, 1 drop each Geranium, Ylang Ylang & Vetiver into 1/2 - 1 cup Epsom salt and dissolve in hot bath water. Adjust temperature, then soak for 20 minutes or more. (Use Dead Sea salt if you have high blood pressure.)

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Buy Ylang Ylang

Buy Bergamot

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Buy Geranium

Pain, Circulation and Immunity

Vetiver boosts immunity by increasing the production of white blood cells, which fight infection by patroling your body, gobbling up foreign invaders like viruses and bacteria.

Vetiver also stimulates the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen through your body - this also improves immunity and circulation.

It's good for pain relief for arthritis, rheumatism, sprains and strains.

Injury Blend
Blend 4 drops Vetiver, 3 drops Lavender and 2 drops Bergamot in 1oz carrier oil. Massage into affected area.

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Buy Bergamot

Buy Lavender

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TMJ Blend
Blend 4 drops Helichrysum, 3 drops White Fir and 2 drops Vetiver in 1oz carrier oil. Massage into jaw muscles morning and night.

Buy Helichrysum

Buy Vetiver

Buy White Fir

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Arthritis Blend
Blend 4 drops Frankincense, 3 drops Marjoram and 2 drops each Rosemary & Vetiver in 1oz carrier oil. Massage into affected area.

Buy Frankincense

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Buy Marjoram

Buy carrier oil

Buy Rosemary

What Next?

Click on the links below to learn more about properties, safety and blending of some popular essential oils.

Bergamot

Carrot Seed

Cedarwood

Chamomile

Cinnamon

Clary Sage

Cypress

Eucalyptus

Frankincense

Geranium

Ginger

Grapefruit

Helichrysum

Jasmine

Lavender

Lemon

Lemongrass

Marjoram

Orange

Palmarosa

Patchouli

Peppermint

Petitgrain

Pine

Rose

Rosemary

Sandalwood

Tea Tree

Thyme

Vanilla

Vetiver

Ylang Ylang

Or check out some more deeply relaxing recipes to try...

Relaxing Massage Oil

Silk & Spice Bath Salts

Reed Diffuser Blends

Aromatherapy Recipes Homepage from Vetiver Essential Oil

Looking for More?

That was just a few of the recipes using vetiver essential oil you can find here. To look for more, use the Search Box below.

Simply type in "vetiver" (without the quotes) and hit Search. Every page on this website that includes the word Vetiver will pop up. Poke through them and decide what recipe to try next.


Disclaimer

This information is for information and entertainment purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the US Food & Drug Administration.

Do not use information from Easy-Aromatherapy-Recipes.com to diagnose or treat a medical or psychological condition. See full disclaimer.

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