Red Cedarwood Essential Oil
Red cedarwood essential oil actually comes from a type of juniper known as Juniperus virginiana, whose common name is eastern red cedar. The tree grows prolifically throughout the eastern United States in untilled fields, clearings, ditches and along fences. Red cedars owe their widespread distribution to birds, like the cedar waxwing, who relish the tree's fruits and drop the seeds wherever they go.
The 70 or so species of junipers are all members of the cupressaceae family. This family includes the cypress tree of France, Italy and Spain, which yields cypress oil, and thuja which yields cedar leaf oil. True cedars such as the atlas cedar of Morocco and the famous cedar of Lebanon are not members of the cupressaceae family but the pinaceae family which also contains the pines, spruces and firs. Like these, J. virginiana is an evergreen, its dark olive green foliage turns rusty brown and sports fleshy purple, berry-like cones in the winter. The fresh foliage has a peculiar aroma that some compare to a cat's litterbox! The aroma of the wood however, is richly sweet and balsamic.
Red cedarwood gets its name from its beautiful, fragrant heartwood. It's an important timber product, cedar lumber is used to make aromatic chests, cabinets and pencils. The essential oil is distilled from the sawdust and other by-products of the milling and furniture making processes.
Red cedarwood essential oil can vary in appearance and aroma depending on the degree of processing. Oftentimes producers will distill the oil a second time to remove some of the natural constituents (or fractions) such as cedrol, which can precipitate out of solution and form hard crystalline masses in the oil. Although the crystalline deposits affect the appearance and pourability of cedarwood oil, their presence is completely natural. Aromatherapists often prefer the complete, non-redistilled oil because it contains the full complement of therapeutic constituents. If crystals do form they can usually be dissolved back into solution by gently warming the bottle of oil in a warm water bath or the palm of the hand.
Red cedarwood oil is relatively viscous, and can range in color from light yellow to amber. It has a fresh-woody, slightly bland fragrance like sandalwood, but lacks sandalwood's rich, animal-balsamic aroma. Red cedarwood oil, or fractions of cedarwood oil, are sometimes used to adulterate sandalwood because of this similarity in aroma. Though somewhat tenacious in aroma, red cedarwood oil's dryout note is unremarkable: woody and slightly balsamic. By itself the oil has an unremarkable fragrance, but its ability to fix (slow the dissipation) of oils it is blended with -- and the fact that it doesn't drastically interfere with the aromas of the other oils it is blended with -- makes cedarwood an especially valuable oil. Blends containing cedarwood oil show up as fragrances that scent room sprays, cleaners, cosmetics and perfume.
Red Cedarwood Perfume
Cedarwood
can impart a subtle, woody balance and longer life to the powerful floral aroma of rose otto and rose absolute. Featuring rose, cedarwood, sandalwood, myrrh and patchouli
Cedarwood oil is relatively safe to use when properly diluted as in the above perfume recipe. Undiluted, it can cause skin irritation. Cedarwood oil should not be used in any form by pregnant women. Red cedarwood oil is strongly astringent and makes an excellent treatment for oily hair. Try blending 3 drops of cedarwood and 2 drops of rosemary oil with a teaspoon of olive oil. Gently massage this mixture into the hair before shampooing.
The balsamic-woody aroma of cedarwood oil evokes a feeling of inner strength and centeredness. It is quite useful in times of emotional stress and anxiety to overcome feelings of powerlessness. The oil blends particularly well with sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver and rose.
