Find below several advantages of using citronella essential oil:

Benefits of Citronella Oil for Health

  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 orthopaedic problems like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc (3).
  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 spasmodic 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).
  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). [ Read: Potato Nutrition ]

Benefits of Citronella Oil for Skin

  1. 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.
  2. Its antibacterial properties are helpful in reducing skin infections like acne, warts, boils, etc. The antiseptic nature of the oil also prevents the wounds and injuries from getting septic (11).
  3. 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.
  4. 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).

Benefits of Citronella Oil for Hair

  1. 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.
  2. Apart from conditioning oily scalp and hair, it soothes and softens them too.
  3. 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. [ Read: Vitamin E Capsules for Face ] Hence, start using citronella oil today to improve your health, skin and hair. Is Citronella harmful to humans? While it’s safe to apply to skin when diluted, citronella could prove harmful when inhaled or ingested. Can citronella oil be used for cooking? No, citronella oil is not meant for cooking. Is citronella oil the same as lemongrass oil? No, they both are different oils that come from closely related plants that look similar. While they are both used in aromatherapy, they differ in their intrinsic properties and usages.