When you’re just starting out in your essential oils journey, you most likely have a few of the basics in your collection: lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus. However, there’s another essential oil that you should put on your radar if you want to improve mental focus, relieve headaches and even remove odours around the home. We’re talking about bergamot essential oil.
What is bergamot?
Often described as a cross between a lime and a sour orange, bergamot is a citrus fruit that’s common to Europe and other parts of the Mediterranean. Its smell is quite unique, and is used in quite a few perfumes, colognes and scented soaps. If you drink Earl Grey tea, you’ll instantly recognise its signature aroma and flavour due to the bergamot extract.
While too bitter to be eaten raw, bergamot juice has been used in a ton of recipes, from jams to marmalades, cookies and other desserts (seriously, is there anything this plant can’t do!?) But wait, there’s more: bergamot is also used in aromatherapy due to its many health benefits.
The benefits of bergamot essential oil
- Soothes anxiety: Feeling nervous, depressed, or dealing with chronic stress levels? Cut the tension in the air with some bergamot essential oil. Place a few drops into a diffuser in a quiet room in your home, sit down, and slowly and deeply inhale the scent. You’ll soon feel a lot more relaxed.
- Boosts your mood: In addition to melting away your anxiety, bergamot essential oil can also be used to improve your mood. Just by breathing in the scent deeply, the oil will bring joy, confidence and motivation to your day.
- Relieves headaches: Bergamot essential oil is a natural and powerful tool in combating head and neck tension. It works best when put into a diffuser, but you can also add a few drops onto a clean hand towel and inhale.
- Aids digestion: Bergamot fosters the body’s digestive process. If you’re feeling bloated or cramping up, simply blend 1-2 drops of bergamot essential oil with a small amount of carrier oil such as jojoba oil, sweet almond oil and avocado oil. Then, gently rub onto the stomach area to ease discomfort and encourage digestion.
- Natural air freshener: All you need to do is add a few drops of bergamot essential oil to your DIY air freshener spritz and it will keep your space fresh and free of odour.
Complementary oils
Depending on what you want to achieve, bergamot can be easily blended with eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, geranium, rosemary and ylang ylang essential oils.
What you need to know about bergamot essential oils
Just like any essential oil from the citrus family, direct contact can cause your skin to become sensitive to UV rays. This is why you should never apply bergamot during the daytime or when you could be exposed to natural sunlight. Furthermore, as it is an essential oil, it is highly concentrated. Before applying directly onto your skin, you will need to mix your bergamot essential oil with a carrier oil, such as jojoba oil or sweet almond oil to dilute it.
Make room in your cabinet for bergamot essential oils
If you’re looking for 100% pure bergamot essential oil, turn to Oil Garden. With over 30 years’ experience as a leading pure essential oils brand in Australia, every one of our bottles is sourced from pure plant extract, so you can rest assured that all our products are natural and uncompromised.
Stress reliever, mood booster, odour eliminator, and headache and digestion alleviator – there’s many uses for bergamot in your everyday life. Add bergamot to your essential oils collection today.