Palmarosa Essential Oil, also known as Ginger Grass, Rosha, and Indian Geranium, is extracted from the long blades of grass-like leaves of the bushy Palmarosa plant that is native to tropical and humid regions of the world, like India, Indonesia and SouthEast Asia, but is now grown in many regions in the world with similar climates, like Brazil, Madagascar and Guatamala.  It has a sweet, floral-like and cleansing aroma that has many benefits for both our skin and our overall well being. 

The Plant 

The Palmarosa plant loves wet, damp conditions and grows best in swampy areas that are warm and sunny.  It is a botanical relative of Lemongrass, Vetiver and Citronella, and shares similar botanical characteristics and therapeutic benefits with them.

The plant grows in clumps all stemming from a bulb-like root and can reach up to 10 ft in height.   The long thin blades of grass are very aromatic, but it’s the flowering tops that contain the most amount of the highly aromatic essential oil.

Like its botanical relatives of Citronella, Vetiver and Lemongrass, Palmarosa also helps prevent erosion on hillsides from naturally occurring. 

Method of Extraction

Palmarosa oil is steam distilled from the flowering tops and grassy leaves of the plant.  They are usually harvested during the sunny season when the flowers are at their peak to yield an essential oil with strongest therapeutic properties and rose-like aroma.  

Harvesting leaves before the flowers bloom yields a less floral, more grass-like and herbaceous scent, and is composed of a slightly different arrangement of molecules.

Once the flowering tops are harvested, they should be steam distilled immediately to capture the best quality oil.  Some plantations, however, will use dried leaves to cut costs and speed up production. But you can smell the difference between the dried Palmarosa and the fresh, by its grassy, fresh aroma, versus a scent that is more medical and pungent.

The oil, after distillation, has a slight yellow hue, and is light and drying to the touch - evaporating quickly.

Traditional Uses of Palmarosa Essential Oil

The leaves and flowers of Palmarosa have been collected and harvested in the wild since ancient times for a variety of uses that include food and medicinal purposes. But it wasn’t until the 1990s that the cultivation of the plant in large plantations emerged as a profitable business for the flavoring and fragrance industries.
It’s uses include flavoring sweets, like deserts, candies and baked goods while it's more medical and therapeutic applications have been used by herbalists and folk medicine practitioners to soothe the aches and pains of sore joints and muscles, cleanse skin problems and support the bodies innate ability to fight damp conditions that trouble and irritate the skin.
Today Palmarsoa essential oil is widely used in the cosmetic market to scent soaps, cleansers and in the flavoring industry to flavor tobacco. 

The Benefits of Palmarosa Essential Oil

Skin Care Support

Palmarosa is known to be cleansing and clearing to the skin.  It offers a refreshing and rejuvenating experience that supports and enhances our skin’s innate ability to keep looking healthy and vibrant.  The essential oil is composed of molecules that research has demonstrated to help our skin recover from break-outs, ease reaction to overly moist and damp conditions, and balance out the appearance of uneven skin tone.  It’s a great essential oil to include in beauty routines intended to improve the wellbeing of acne prone skin, ease away puffiness and make the skin feel fresh and clean.

 

Wellbeing Support

Palmarosa essential oil can support and enhance our overall health and wellbeing by offering us an experience of feeling protected and fortified when faced with situations and circumstances that may compromise our health. Research has shown that certain molecules that compose the oil are very effective in keeping us resilient and healthy.

These same molecules that can keep us healthy have also been shown to protect us against getting bitten by bugs, and ease away any inflamed reactions.

 

Mood Support

Palmarosa Oil can enhance and support our mood by making us feel comforted and protected. The sweet rose-like aroma is reminiscent of rose and geranium which has been shown to relax and calm an overactive mind, and ease away tension in the body that is caused by worry. This feeling of protection also helps us to release negative emotions, and encourages us to have a  fresh start, with a more positive outlook and mindset.

 

Also Read - ESSENTIAL OILS THAT ARE GREAT FOR YOUR SKIN

How to use Palmarosa Oil

For the Skin:

• Add 5 drops of Palmarosa Essential Oil  per 1 TBSP of a carrier oil, or unscented liquid cleanser to help balance and cleanse your face, improve its vibrancy and protect it against breakouts
• Add 5 drops of Palmarosa Essential Oil per 1 TBSP of Aloe Vera Gel to use as a spot treatment for localized skin irritation like blemishes, bug bites and minor cuts and scrapes.
• Add 5 drops of Palmarosa Essential Oil per 1 TBSP of an unscented exfoliating scrub, to help encourage skin rejuvenation and detox.

For the Hair

• Add 5 drops of Palmarosa Essential Oil per 1 TBSP of unscented shampoo to enchance and support a healthy scalp, by cleansing away moist conditions that may cause the hair to look and feel dull and weak. 
• Add 5 drops of Palmarosa Essential Oil per 1 TBSP of a carrier oil, and massage gently into the scalp to nourish and fortify the scalp by offering a cleansing and re-balancing experience that can improve the appearance of thicker and shinier looking hair.

For Boosting Better Wellbeing

• Add 5 drops of Palmarosa Essential Oil to your diffuser, along with Tea Tree and Lemon Essential Oils to cleanse and detoxify the air quality in your space, while encouraging your body’s innate ability to maintain its best optimal state of wellbing.
• Add 10 drops of Palmarosa essential oil to 2 TBSP of distilled water in a 2 oz spray bottle, along with 1 drop of Eucalyptus essential oil and 1 drop of Peppermint oil to spray around yourself and the room to keep bugs away.
• Add 5 drops of Palmarosa Essential Oil per 1 TBSP of carrier oil to massage your body to uplift your mood and feel more relaxed and positive.

How to Safely Use Palmarosa Essential Oil

Plamarosa essential oil is generally regarded as safe and it is a wonderful addition to any diffuser blend.  If applying to the skin, by adding it into carrier oils, or unscented creams, lotions, cleansers, shampoos and other skincare products, make sure to always dilute it down, and to avoid applying it directly to the skin. We always recommend diluting it at 5 drops per 1 TBSP or whatever you are using it in.  But remember, for use in a diffuser, you can just add 5 drops directly to the water reservoir.

Also Read - 7 ESSENTIAL OILS YOU HAVE TO TRY NOW FOR HEALTHY GLOWING SKIN

In Conclusion

Palmarosa essential oil blends well with Sweet Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit and Bergamot Essential Oils for cleansing, detoxifying and uplifting moods, and also smells beautiful when blended with Tea tree, Lavender and Geranium to help ease away skin irritations and improve the skin’s appearance. Other essential oils it blends well with are Frankincense, Peppermint and Rosemary.

But sometimes the easiest and safest way to use the essential oil is just by sniffing it directly out of the bottle in order to experience its most powerful benefits to soothe away a worried mind that may trigger tension in the body.