Uses and Benefits of Cedarwood Essential Oil

Quick answer: Cedarwood essential oil has a warm, woody aroma that's known for being grounding and calming. Its most popular uses are diffusing it at bedtime or during stressful moments, adding a drop to your moisturizer for clear-looking skin, massaging it into the feet or chest, and using it outdoors to help keep bugs away. dōTERRA Cedarwood comes from the wood of the red cedar (Juniperus virginiana).

Cedarwood is one of the most affordable oils in my collection and one I use nearly every night. Here are the uses and benefits I've come to rely on, plus how to use it safely.

What Are the Benefits of Cedarwood Essential Oil?

• Grounding, calming aroma. Cedarwood's woody scent promotes feelings of relaxation and emotional balance.
• A great bedtime oil. Its calming aroma makes it a favorite in evening diffuser blends.
• Skin care. Its clarifying properties help reduce the appearance of skin imperfections.
• Outdoors. Cedar has long been used to help keep insects away from closets, gardens and campsites.
• A natural, outdoorsy scent. It's a great base note in DIY colognes and man-cave blends.

Top 6 Cedarwood Oil Uses

1. Diffuse it for a calm, grounded mood

Add 3–4 drops to the diffuser of your choice and enjoy the grounding, calming aroma. I like it in the evening to help the whole house wind down. More ideas in my tips for diffusing essential oils in the home.

2. Before a workout

Massage 1–2 drops, diluted with Fractionated Coconut Oil, onto your chest before exercising to enjoy its invigorating aroma throughout your workout.

3. Skin beauty

Add 1–2 drops of Cedarwood to your facial toner or moisturizer for its clarifying properties. When you notice a blemish, dab one diluted drop on the spot to help reduce its appearance.

4. Keep bugs at bay outdoors

When working in the garden, add a few drops of Cedarwood to your mulch or topsoil to help keep insects away. Before heading outdoors, mix Cedarwood with Fractionated Coconut Oil and apply it to your skin. For more outdoor blends, see can essential oils be used to repel mosquitoes.

5. On the feet at bedtime

When your child wakes up scared after a nightmare, apply diluted Cedarwood to the bottom of their feet to help promote a peaceful, settled feeling. When unfamiliar situations leave you feeling unsettled, inhale the aroma to promote calming emotions. Here's why putting essential oils on the bottom of your feet works.

6. A confidence diffuser combo

When you want to promote confident feelings or feelings of self-esteem, diffuse 2 drops of Cedarwood with 2 drops of Wintergreen.

How to Use Cedarwood Oil Safely

• Aromatic: 3–4 drops in a diffuser, or inhale straight from the bottle.
• Topical: dilute 1 drop of Cedarwood with 1–3 drops of carrier oil for adults. For children, use about 1 drop in a teaspoon of carrier oil.
• Skin: do a patch test first. Keep away from eyes, inner ears and sensitive areas.
• Internal use: dōTERRA Cedarwood is labeled for aromatic and topical use only. Don't take it internally.

New to dilution? My guide to different types of carrier oils walks you through it.

Where to Buy Cedarwood Oil

Are you ready to enjoy the benefits of Cedarwood oil for yourself? Visit our dōTERRA Cedarwood oil page to order your own.

As you build your collection, you'll want high-quality, pure essential oils rather than synthetic, poorly tested ones. Every dōTERRA oil is CPTG Certified Pure Tested Grade®. Read more in essential oil adulteration: a common practice.

Where Does Cedarwood Oil Come From?

There are many types of cedar trees, but all are coniferous evergreens. dōTERRA Cedarwood oil comes from the wood of Juniperus virginiana, more commonly known as the red cedar, a species of juniper with a very fragrant wood that's perfect for essential oil production.

The red cedar can withstand extreme climates and tolerate most soil types. Depending on conditions, it grows anywhere from 16 to nearly 100 feet tall, and some trees live for hundreds of years.

A Rich History

Cedar oil is thought to be one of the first essential oils ever extracted. The Sumerians regarded the cedar as the Tree of Life, and ancient tribes considered its wood sacred.

The Egyptians used cedar in their embalming rituals, and the Phoenicians and Assyrians used cedar wood to build fleets of ships.

What's in Cedarwood Essential Oil?

Main chemical components: α-cedrene, cedrol, thujopsene.

Cedarwood falls into a group of compounds called sesquiterpenes. Its main constituents, cedrene and thujopsene, contribute to its skin-clarifying properties and its grounding, emotionally balancing aroma.

Like Vetiver, Patchouli and Sandalwood, Cedarwood is known as a grounding oil because of its chemistry. Learn more in Vetiver uses and benefits and what is Patchouli good for.

Oils That Blend Well with Cedarwood

As a warm, woody oil, Cedarwood has an aroma that reminds me of the outdoors. It blends well with:

• Clary Sage
• Cypress
• Frankincense
• Bergamot
• Cinnamon Bark
• Lemon
• Patchouli
• Sandalwood
• Thyme
• Vetiver

Cedarwood Diffuser Blend Recipes

Sweater Weather

• 2 drops Clementine (or Tangerine)
• 1 drop Cedarwood
• 1 drop Juniper Berry
• 2 drops Clove

Bedtime Calm

• 3 drops Cedarwood
• 3 drops Lavender

Into the Woods

• 2 drops Cedarwood
• 2 drops Cypress
• 2 drops Bergamot

For more woodsy ideas, try my man-cave diffuser blends.

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FAQ

What is Cedarwood essential oil good for?

Cedarwood is best known for its grounding, calming aroma. People diffuse it at bedtime, add it to skin care for clear-looking skin, and use it outdoors to help keep bugs away.

What are the aromatherapy benefits of Cedarwood oil?

Its warm, woody aroma promotes feelings of relaxation, emotional balance and confidence, which is why it's so popular in evening and meditation blends.

Can I put Cedarwood oil directly on my skin?

Dilute it with a carrier oil like Fractionated Coconut Oil, especially on the face or for children, and do a patch test first.

Can you ingest dōTERRA Cedarwood?

No. dōTERRA Cedarwood is labeled for aromatic and topical use only. See is it safe to ingest essential oils for which oils are.

What does Cedarwood smell like?

Warm, woody and slightly sweet, like a cedar chest or a walk in the forest.

Is Cedarwood safe around pets?

Use it with care and good ventilation. Read essential oil safety with cats and dogs before diffusing around pets.

Written by Paul Ahlstrom, an independent dōTERRA Wellness Advocate and long-time dōTERRA user.