Organic Vetiver Essential Oil

Fragrance: Sweet and deep, with a leathery, earthy, smoky undertone

Botanical Name: Chrysopogon zizanioides

Emotional Effect: Deeply grounding and supportive

Method of Extraction: Steam Distillation of the Roots

Vetiver Essential Oil is a thick, viscous oil that takes so long to drip out of a 10 ml bottle  that I decided to just sell it in a 30 ml dropper bottle (much quicker!). It contains some of the same constituents as Patchouli and Grapefruit Essential Oils so, unsurprisingly blends well with them. It's also great with Lavender and Sandalwood for soporific blends to apply after a bath or in Witch Hazel with Lime and Cedarwood to make an aftershave.

Like many essential oils, Vetiver Essential Oil has benefits as antifungal, antibacterial, antiparasite, anti-convulsion, sedative, antianxiety, antidepressant, antioxidant, anti-inflammation, analgesic and skin anti-aging. It has been shown to be useful in to treat neurological, psychiatric, dermatological, and musculoskeletal disorders.

When I first started experimenting with Vetiver Essential Oil I felt an enormously strong connection to it. At the time, I was feeling quite unsettled. I had moved a lot in my life and had recently bought a house in an area where I knew I was going to have to stay for a while. I found myself incredibly drawn to Vetiver and started making blends with it (mainly with Lavender and Sandalwood in Jojoba Oil) to use as a body oil.

After a while, I started to wonder why I was so drawn to it so I read up on the plant from whose roots the oil is derived. I discovered that Vetiver grass is often used to stabilise soil because its root system reinforces the soil and is highly tolerant of toxicity within the soil. Its roots grow in a fine web and can reaching 3 - 4 metres in length in just one year, even in highly polluted soils.  This structure means it's very difficult to dislodge and its tolerance to toxicity means it can grow almost anywhere.

Reading this helped me to realise why I liked it so much. I knew I had to stay put, but I was uncomfortable with doing so. This oil helped me to put roots down in this new area in a way I knew I had to. It helped me to relax more at night and sleep more soundly and feel more present during the day (which research also supports). I believe feeling present is essential for feeling settled. If you'd like to feel more settled, I highly recommend it. 

Diffuser Blends

These blends are for a 500 ml diffuser which, generally, is the right size for a bedroom. If you have a massage room or smaller room you are using the diffuser in, scale the blend down for the volume of your diffuser.

Sleepy Time
9 drops Cedarwood
9 drops Lavender
3 drop Vetiver

Focus
12 drops Bergamot
6 drops Ylang Ylang
6 drop Vetiver

Body Oil

I used to use this body oil a lot after bathing to help with sleep. Friends and family have also found it very helpful, so I can confidently recommend it. Apply it after a bath or warm shower, when your pores are open and your muscles relaxed.

Sleepy Time

To a 100 ml bottle, add:

15 drops Vetiver
15 drops Sandalwood
7 drops Lavender

Then top-up with Jojoba Oil, Sandalwood Seed Oil or Coconut Oil, as you prefer.