Sandalwood Essential Oil Benefits
You can obtain sandalwood oil from the wood and roots of the Santalum album tree.
The quantity of sandalwood oil you will acquire largely depends on the tree’s age; therefore, the older the tree, the more the oil it produces. For more Sandalwood oil, procure a more than 15 years old plant.
Sandalwood oil is also produced through steam distillation of the Santalum album wood.
The Sandalwood essential oil benefits are significant, giving us a wide range of uses for cosmetic and therapeutic purposes.
Sandalwood possesses anti-inflammatory properties, which help reduce inflammation when applied to the skin in the form of Sandalwood essential oil.
Besides this, Sandalwood essential oil is beneficial in treating acne, blemishes, or other skin inflammations in sensitive areas such as the face or in places where you cannot apply commercial antiseptic products due to allergic reactions.
Sandalwood essential oil contains alpha -santalol, beta-santalol a-santalene, epi-B-santalol, spirostanol, and a-bergamotol.
You can make the purest form of the essential oil from the heartwood of the sandalwood tree through steam distillation, complete extraction, CO2 extraction, and water distillation.
This potent magical elixir is considered holy and an indispensable part of the Indian social and religious culture.
In addition, Sandalwood is a natural antiseptic. It, therefore, plays a vital role in producing soaps, beauty creams, and a vast collection of toiletries.
Sandalwood can be crushed into powder form or made into essential oil for hair and skin.
A word of caution though, don’t apply raw sandalwood oil onto your skin.
Instead, combine it with other carrier oils like evening primrose oil, rosehip oil, or almond oil to reap the benefits of this gift of nature.
You must also perform a patch skin test on your forearm to test for compatibility with your skin to ensure you don’t exacerbate any pre-existing skin conditions you might have.
Some of the varieties of Sandalwood that can be used to make Sandalwood essential oil include:
- Indian Sandalwood
- Australian Sandalwood
- White Sandalwood
- Hawaiian Sandalwood
Sandalwood Oil Benefits
You might be wondering, what does Sandalwood do for the skin?
Sandalwood essential oil has many health benefits ranging from clearing pesky acne to slowing down the aging process.
If you don’t already have it in your cosmetic routine, then grab a bottle today.
Sandalwood Oil skincare has been part of the Indian culture since time immemorial, and its benefits grow day by day.
It has antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and sedative properties beneficial to your skin and scalp.
Sandalwood Oil Benefits for Skin
Sandalwood oil for skin benefits goes beyond just healing acne.
It is majorly known for its effectiveness when it comes to combating acne. But that’s not all it has to offer.
Sandalwood Oil is fast-acting and easily absorbed into the skin, nourishing the skin cells.
To enjoy the skin benefits of sandalwood oil, all you need is a few drops, and voila!
Below are some of the tried and tested, but not limited to, benefits of Sandalwood essential oil for your skin.
1. Tones and whitens skin
According to Ayurveda, a lot of skin discoloration may suggest an excess of heat in your body.
Sandalwood essential oil is known for having a calming and soothing effect when applied to the skin.
It contains alpha-santalol, which acts as an inhibitor of the enzyme tyrosinase, which is crucial in synthesizing melanin.
It could also potentially serve as an inhibitor of abnormal pigmentation that is often associated with aging and free radicals like UV rays.
It is also rich in antioxidants which help reduce dry skin conditions and replenish moisture for buoyant skin.
2. Reverses the hands of time
To have youthful, vibrant skin is the bane of our existence.
Aging and exposure to free radicals like UV rays and persistent environmental pollutants can damage your skin leading to fine lines and wrinkles.
Therefore, your skin could end up becoming loose and saggy with the additional occurrence of age spots to further dampen the mood.
Sandalwood essential oil can help with this since it is loaded with antioxidants.
Alpha-santalol, one of the major components of Sandalwood oil, is known for its skin rejuvenating properties and has also been found to inhibit the enzyme MMP-1, which has a role in collagen degradation.
As such, Sandalwood benefits your skin by preventing wrinkles and smoothening out fine lines.
3. You can use it to control muscle spasms
There’s nothing quite like a deep tissue massage to leave you feeling relaxed and ready to face the world.
Sandalwood is a one-of-a-kind massage oil that effectively relaxes stiff and inelastic muscles caused by sedentary lifestyles or muscles that become sore after strenuous exercise.
Additionally, it has a sedative effect which helps in soothing muscles walls, blood vessels, and even your nerves.
4. Soothes inflamed and damaged skin conditions
Exposure to environmental pollutants can leave your skin vulnerable to irritation-related conditions like acne, eczema, blemishes, scars, and spots.
Sandalwood oil is anti-microbial and has cooling properties that soothe itchiness and inflamed skin, thus helping to clear infections.
It has anti-inflammatory properties and is an excellent remedy for relieving symptoms of inflammation like pain, itching, swelling, redness due to skin disorders like Psoriasis.
Just apply a few dabs of this magical elixir and kiss those blemishes adios.
5. Promotes flawless skin
As mentioned earlier, Sandalwood essential oil soothes skin inflammations, rashes, itches, scars, eczema, blemishes, spots and prevents recurrence.
It furthermore promotes healing of the skin by encouraging the formation of scar tissues.
Plus, it deeply penetrates the skin, thus helping to nourish the skin, improves the elasticity of skin cells, and evens out your complexion.
6. Prickly heat be gone!
Sandalwood essential oil has cooling properties, which help in soothing heat rashes caused by prickly heat during long hot summer days.
Sandalwood oil benefits for face
1. It is a powerful moisturizer
Sandalwood oil deeply penetrates the skin to condition and moisturize it.
In addition to this, it contains many antioxidants that nourish the skin cells leaving your skin smooth, evenly toned, and with a youthful glow.
2. Formidable toning properties
Exposure to the sun’s harsh UVA and UVB rays, dirt, grime, environmental pollutants, and aging can damage your skin’s protective barrier.
The skin also produces sebum to moisturize the skin, which, when secreted in excess, might end up clogging your pores.
Sandalwood oil also possesses antibacterial properties that help fight and prevent acne-causing bacteria.
3. Clears acne
According to Ayurvedic texts, sandalwood oil helps relieve the pitta dosha; it has cooling properties.
It is an astringent, therefore promoting soothing and tightening skin and reducing the appearance of pores by inducing minor contractions in the soft tissue.
Its antiseptic properties help minimize infectious, pimple-ridden areas of the skin.
At the same time, its anti-microbial nature ensures the skin remains clean.
Furthermore, it has a drying effect on inflamed zits, thus making them dry out and heal faster.
Sandalwood oil, therefore, makes an excellent choice for those with sensitive, acne-prone skin.
Other health benefits
The use of Sandalwood essential oil might also prove outstanding in treating vaginal dryness because it increases libido naturally without causing any side effects.
How to use sandalwood essential oil for acne
Ingredients
- A tablespoon of Sandalwood essential oil
- Camphor
- A pinch of turmeric
Method
- Mix all the ingredients in a small jar.
- Apply this face pack onto your zits as a spot treatment
- Leave it on overnight.
Side effects of Sandalwood essential Oil
Sandalwood Oil is a natural product and has no major side effects if taken in small quantities unless you are allergic to it, like most essential oils.
However, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or suffer from high blood pressure, you should completely avoid Sandalwood oil as it might increase the risk of bleeding.
Some people might experience a mild rash or skin irritation when they first start using sandalwood oil, but this usually subsides with continued use.
If you have a skin condition like eczema, then do a patch test before using Sandalwood oil as it may exacerbate the condition.
Best Sandalwood Essential Oil Products in the market today
1. Sun Essential Sandalwood Essential Oil
The Sun Essential Oils brand product is 100% natural Australian sandalwood.
It offers a wide range of benefits, from skincare to aromatherapy.
It has a delicate frankincense smell which can be very relaxing after a hard day’s work.
Applying it as a face serum at night, combined with other essential oils, of course, will work wonders for your skin.
While it may be more expensive than other essential oils, Sandalwood is worth it.
Even Ayurveda swears by it.
2. Gya Labs Sandalwood Essential Oil for Skin Care and Focus
Gya Labs gives you this sandalwood essential oil sourced from India through steam distillation and comes bearing gifts.
It has a relaxing earthy and wood scent that gives you that Zen to calm down your nerves and free you from the world’s stress.
You can also use it to soothe and heal dry, flaky skin; disinfect and heal wounds while also freeing you from the menacing talons of skin blemishes.
Final thoughts
Sandalwood is one of the most underrated but highly beneficial essential oils today.
Whether you choose to use it as a standalone product or in combination with other essential oils, Sandalwood oil is a fantastic ingredient to include in your skincare routine.
You can either use it in powder form or as an oil, thereby getting an array of health benefits the elixir has to offer.
With sandalwood essential oils, you can readily welcome an era of vibrant, youthful-looking skin, bouncy hair, and a relaxed physical and mental well-being.
From skincare benefits like toning and lightening the complexion to calming down an itchy scalp, Sandalwood Oil is here to stay.
