17 Amazing Benefits & Uses Of Citronella Oil For Skin, Hair and Health

The benefits of citronella oil for health are wide-ranging. It is a popular essential oil extracted from Cymbopogon nardus, a type of grass closely related to lemongrass. This plant with red base stems is known to grow up to 2m tall. The oil, taken out from the tall, thin leaves of Cymbopogon through steam distillation, has a sweet and refreshing aroma with thin consistency. Commonly used in candles, soaps, and insect repellents, it is one of the most popular oils in aromatherapy with a wide range of health, skin, and hair benefits.

Find below several advantages of using citronella essential oil:

In This Article

Benefits of Citronella Oil for Health

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1. Citronella oil is a natural dewormer. It can eradicate harmful organisms (worms) from our stomach, small intestine and large intestine, thereby treating loss of appetite (1).

2. It is a natural detoxifier that helps our body get rid of harmful toxic materials and sometimes, prevents them from being active in our body. The oil is diaphoretic by nature (2), which increases sweating in our body and facilitates the detoxification by eliminating additional fat, oil, salt, uric acid, etc.

3. Due to its detoxifying property, it can also be used for healing orthopaedicⁱ  XThe area of medicine dealing with issues related to muscles, joints, and the skeletal system. problems like osteoarthritisⁱ  XA form of arthritis that develops as the cartilage cushioning the bones and joints wears down. , rheumatoid arthritisⁱ  XA condition that causes persistent inflammation and affects several joints, especially the hands and feet. , etc (3).

Related: 10 Easy DIY Detox Drinks For Weight Loss And Body Cleansing

4. It works as a natural diuretic. Regular use of citronella oil can promote the production of urine, which ultimately accelerates detoxification. It keeps our renal system, as well as the entire body, healthy (4).

5. The essential oil is extremely helpful in curing problems related to fluid retention. It maintains the water balance in our body and helps reduce spasms or cramping of stomach muscles (5). Its spasmodicⁱ  XMuscle contractions that are unintentional, usually painless, but occasionally unpleasant. nature and warming effects help ease abdominal cramps.

6. It is a great pain reliever. Be it muscle pain or joint pain, the application of only 3 drops of citronella oil on the painful region can do magic! However, it must be mixed with a carrier oil prior to massaging (6).

Related: 14 Best Home Remedies To Relieve Knee Joint Pain Naturally

7. Citronella oil has great anti-inflammatory properties (7). It offers calming and soothing effects for internal inflammation (in digestive tract, stomach, intestines, etc.) caused by certain drugs, alcohols, etc. The best thing about the oil is that it works very fast and gives complete relief from pain.

8. Like all other essential oils, citronella also has strong antiseptic, antimicrobial and antifungal properties (8). It reduces the chances of developing infections in various internal as well as external injuries and heals the wounds faster.

9. The oil is also an effective antidepressant. It helps people get rid of gloominess and mental fatigue. It also works as a great mood elevator (9).

10. Citronella oil has a lemony aroma, which is very efficient in driving body odor away. Just a few drops of the oil can be mixed with bath water to get a refreshing body fragrance (10).

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Benefits of Citronella Oil for Skin

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11. Being an awesome detoxifier, citronella oil keeps our internal system clean and pure, which reflects on our skin. By using this oil, you can get healthy and glowing skin.

12. Its antibacterial properties are helpful in reducing skin infections like acne, wartsⁱ  XContagious, tiny, painless, fleshy lumps on the skin or mucous membrane caused by the human papillomavirus. , boils, etc. The antiseptic nature of the oil also prevents the wounds and injuries from getting septic (11).

13. Application of citronella oil on skin can aid our complexion to a great extent. It improves the skin tone by making it smoother and also tightens up the skin pores effectively. Due to various skin benefits, citronella oil is used in a number of skincare products including sunscreen lotions, acne removal creams, oil control creams, etc.

14. This essential oil is also a good insect repellent. It can be applied on the skin to avoid insect bites, which eventually prevents allergies (12).

Related: 7 Home Remedies For Bug Bites, Signs, Symptoms, & Risk Factors

Benefits of Citronella Oil for Hair

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15. The best use of citronella oil for hair is controlling oil on the scalp. It can be availed as spray and is very effective in eliminating excessive greasiness of hair.

16. Apart from conditioning oily scalp and hair, it soothes and softens them too.

17. Citronella oil can be mixed with shampoo to add volume to the tresses (13). It also helps deal with frizzy hair by detangling the hair strands properly.

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Hence, start using citronella oil today to improve your health, skin and hair.

We hope you found the above discussion on citronella oil for health helpful and are glad to know about its endless benefits. From treating appetite loss to detoxifying your body, reducing the chances of infection development in both internal and external injuries, conditioning oily hair, and taming frizzy hair, citronella offers a lot. So without any further delay, get your hands on this amazing oil, make a list of issues that you can use it for, and get ready to be surprised by the amazing results.