by Alison Angold | Qualified Aromatherapist | CIDESCO ITEC
(This article contains affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases)
Petitgrain is a lesser-known essential oil, that comes from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree. The scent is a light citrus, woody aroma. I love the fragrance and think of it as a muted orange smell!
Petitgrain essential oil blends well with many other oils and has a great many uses, so recipes are easy to create for different conditions.
Petitgrain essential oil recipes
Here are just some of the wonderful recipes you can create using petitgrain essential oil;
- Facial oil for oily skin
- Hair mask for greasy hair & scalp
- Body oil for upset stomach & nausea
- Body oil for indigestion
- Body oil for painful digestion
- Immune boosting massage oil
- Relaxing & soothing body oil
The benefits of petitgrain Essential oil
Essential oils are the pure oils that are extracted from the flowers and leaves of plants, the peel of fruits and even the bark and resin of trees. The molecules in the oils are so pure and fine that they have the ability to penetrate the skin. From here, they can be absorbed into the bloodstream, and travel around the body to have the desired effect.
Each essential oil has a variety of properties or therapeutic actions, which means the effects they can have on the skin, body and mind.
The properties of petitgrain essential oil are;
- Antidepressant – promotes a positive mood
- Antiseptic – prevents or removes infections
- Antispasmodic – calms and slows muscle spasms
- Digestive – helps ease and regulate digestion
- Relaxing – has an overall relaxing effect
- Stimulant – stimulates a particular system or the whole body
- Tonic – invigorates and gives strength to the body
- Uplifting – lifts the emotions
What is petitgrain essential oil good for?
Petitgrain essential oil for the skin
This oil is a effective for treating greasy skin and hair, which means that is it is ideal to add to a shampoo or a facial product, to prevent excess oil being produced.
Petitgrain essential oil for anxiety
The oil is good for soothing anxiety and tension, and great for calming down hyper-activity. It treats the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as rapid heart beat and rapid breathing (panic attacks).
Petitgrain essential oil for digestion
Petitgrain calms the stomach muscles, so good for settling an upset stomach. It is also used to relieve indigestion or painful digestion.
Petitgrain essential oil for immunity
Petitgrain is a mild stimulant for the immune system and is useful to help people recover after an illness.
What other oils does petitgrain blend well with?
Due to its very light citrus, woody, aroma, petitgrain blends really well with many other different essential oils.
Blend it with other citrus oils to bring out its high light top note;
- Orange
- Bergamot
- Grapefruit
Pair it with a herb based aroma, so, its citrus fragrance can compliment the ‘herby’ fragrance.
- Basil
- Rosemary
- Melissa
Put together with a ‘woody aroma’ essential, brings a whole new sense of fragrance, more musky and base level;
- Sandalwood
- Cedarwood
Blend petitgrain with a floral aroma, to give a contrasting note and smell to the highly fragranced floral oils;
- Geranium
- Jasmine
- Ylang Ylang
Petitgrain essential oil recipes
Facial massage oil for oily skin
10ml Jojoba oil, 4 drops Petitgrain & 4 drops Ylang Ylang
10ml Jojoba oil, 4 drops Petitgrain & 4 drops Grapefruit
Adding petitgrain essential oil to a facial oil, is a great way to get the benefits of the oil to treat oily skin, while hydrating the skin at the same time. Jojoba oil is a good carrier oil for oily prone skin as it balances the oil being produced in the skin. Adding either ylang ylang or grapefruit essential oils, make a great balancing treatment. Ylang ylang has a stronger ‘headier’ aroma than the lighter, fresher grapefruit.
(Avoid direct sunlight after applying Grapefruit essential oil)
Hair mask for oily hair
10ml Argan oil, 4 drops Petitgrain & 4 drops Mandarin
Use a hair mask to treat greasy hair and roots. Argan oil is known to strengthen and add shine to hair so makes a good base oil. Apply to the hair and scalp, massage in, and either rinse straight away or leave in for longer as a hair mask, before rinsing and shampooing as normal.
Shampoo or conditioner
Simply adding a drop of petitgrain to your shampoo or conditioner will help to treat any issues with excess oil being produced by the scalp.
Massage oil for upset stomach/nausea
50ml Sweet almond oil, 8 drops Petitgrain, 8 drops Mandarin, 4 drops Ginger
Use this gentle blend to massage into the abdomen to relieve sickness, nausea or diarrhoea.
Massage oil for painful digestion
50ml Sweet almond oil, 10 drops Petitgrain & 10 drops Bergamot
This blend is good to use regularly to relieve symptoms of indigestion, bloating, excess acid or irritable bowel syndrome.
Immune boosting massage oil
50ml Sweet almond oil, 8 drops Petitgrain, 6 drops Clary sage & 6 drops Lemon
This body massage oil can be used regularly after bathing and showering to reap the immunity benefits of petitgrain oil.
(Do not use Clary sage during pregnancy or before or after alcohol consumption)
Rollerball blend for anxiety & panic
10ml sweet almond oil, 2 drops Petitgrain, 2 drops Clary Sage, 2 drops Vetiver
A roller ball blend is an ideal way to benefit from essential oils on the go. This is an ideal blend to use if you suffer with anxiety or panic attacks. Apply to pulse points throughout the day.
Petitgrain diffuser blends
Warming petitgrain essential oil to fill the atmosphere is a great way of using petitgrain to boost immunity, and relieve the symptoms of anxiety. Blending with other oils, you can create a powerful immune boosting blend while scenting your room wonderfully! Plus the scent of petitgrain is so refreshing that you can create some wonderful fragrances!
Petitgrain Immune boosting diffuser blends
Petitgrain, Orange & Tea tree
Petitgrain, Thyme & Lemon
Petitgrain calming diffuser blends
Petitgrain, Lavender & Sandalwood
Petitgrain, Melissa & Lemongrass
Petitgrain sleep inducing diffuser blends
Petitgrain, Frankincense & Vetiver
Petitgrain, Chamomile, Lavender
More DIFFUSER BLENDS FOR SLEEP
Petitgrain diffuser blend for nausea
Petitgrain, Peppermint, Chamomile
You may also like: SUMMER DIFFUSER BLENDS
Precautions of Petitgrain essential oil
Petitgrain is a safe, non toxic, non irritating oil!
Do be aware of the precautions of the other oils suggested in this article.
| About the Author Alison Angold is a fully qualified (certified) beauty therapist, massage therapist, and aromatherapist from the UK. She has over 25 years of experience in this industry and has worked in a variety of beauty salons, spa’s as well as running her own successful beauty and massage business. Her career has allowed her to treat many, many clients, with skincare concerns, medical conditions, and a whole variety of other ailments and issues, which has enabled her to work closely with essential oils, prescribing specific blends for these clients to help with these conditions. Her qualifications in the use of essential oils and aromatherapy, allow her to share this knowledge with others, in a safe, reliable way. |