FINALLY!!! You all know I’ve been slipping in references to Geranium every time we talk about skin rejuvenation and wrinkles. Well, now’s the time to shine the spotlight on this fantastic skin’s best friend essential oil!

But first, I have to clarify that this is NOT the variety of Geranium that you can get at the garden center and plant in your front yard. It may smell similar and yes, they are related, but don’t get any ideas about plucking those flowers and putting them in your bath water. Just no… This Geranium comes from a plant grown predominantly in Egypt and India. And it’s not actually the flowers that are beneficial, it’s the leaves. Kinda reminds me of some southern saying about being pretty but no brains to go with it. That could be equated to the Geranium flower, but I digress…

Ladies (and a few gentlemen), let’s talk about your skin health. Particularly your face. If you are anything like me, I am always looking at ways to erase some years from my appearance. And I tell you what, since I switched to an oil cleanse for my face, I have noticed a dramatic difference in my skin appearance. And I am not good to my skin, at all. I go to bed with make-up on all the time. I don’t wear sunscreen, unless it’s already in my make-up. And I do not oil cleanse my face every day. Some mornings it’s all I can do to hope in the shower for 30 seconds, throw on clothes, grab the kids and start the day. You all know what I mean. So, oil cleansing has been a game changer for me. Even my hubby does it, but he’s not a fan of when we use Patchouli EO. He says it smells like dirt and I just tell him is sniffer’s off. 🙂

Enter Geranium. I have not personally used it for my face but a ton of my oily family has and they talk about it like it’s gold. And here’s why: First, Geranium is considered an astringent. But not like the alcohol in a bottle put on a cotton ball and wiped all over your face after you’ve washed you face kind of astringent. This is the inducing muscle contractions in your face, tightening that saggy skin kind of astringent. After all the wear and tear on your skin and the billions of facial expressions we’ve made over the years, our facial muscles start to lose their tone and elasticity. Geranium penetrates those muscle fibers and causes them to contract and shrink over time to slow reduce the appearance and depth of those wrinkles. Maybe I should start pouring a bottle of this stuff on the worry line in between my eyes. Just add a drop or two to your current facial moisturizer and voila! Use regularly, you’ll thank me in no time.

Next, Geranium is fantastic for skin first aid, rapid healing and scar repair. And yes, it’s fantastic for acne scarring! It’s naturally anti-bacterial, so yes, in a pinch, you can douse the boo-boo with Geranium and it will speed up the clotting process, as well as, kill any infectious bacteria that may be present. It will not change the fact that you may need to get stitches when it’s just that bad. When in doubt, go to the doctor. Geranium is a cell growth enhancer. It helps the body replenish and increase cell growth, allowing those cuts, scrapes and acne aftermath to heal faster and helps your skin to return to it’s pre-injury condition and appearance quicker. And as soon as you get those stitches out, start rubbing the oil all over and around it. So let’s recap, fresh cut or scrape, use neat to help clean the wound and clot the blood faster if there’s not antibiotic cream or soap and water. Post-wound, add a few drops with a carrier oil or lotion, rubbed across the area daily. That’s why even if you’re acne prone, oil cleansing is fantastic.

Now, I thought this next use for Geranium was genius and I’m going to definitely try this and get back to ya’ll. Geranium is also an anti-toxin. When used topically, it soaks into your skin, encapsulates toxins and pulls those toxins to the surface. This why Geranium is absolutely outstanding for use as a deodorant! I bet you didn’t realize when your underarm sweat stinks, the main reason is your body is excreting an abundance of toxins. Light bulb on! A simple 5 oz spray bottle mixture of 5 to 10 drops of Geranium EO and distilled water, spritzed on your arm pits will help to reduce and eliminate that sweat smell and help your body increase its out put of toxins. Now geranium is a stronger smelling EO, so I would start small on the amount of EO you use in the mixture. Side note: Patchouli has the same anti-toxin capabilities and would work very similarly.

Moving on, Geranium is also an anti-inflammatory. Specifically, a nerve pain reducer. When I found out about this next use I had to tell you all, because there are so few remedies out there to help with this next condition and bring some comfort. Geranium is great for helping reduce the pain of a Shingles outbreak! I know sometimes the flare-up can be so severe, that you can’t even touch that area of your body, so that same deodarnat spray we just talked about, spritz that on the affected areas of your body. If the outbreak is milder, just use a couple drops with a small amount of carrier oil and light apply all over daily until the outbreak starts to subside.

So, we’ve covered a good amount of topical uses for Geranium, let’s talk about the mental benefits you get from just enjoying the aroma. It’s a natural anti-anxiety and anti-depressant for one thing. With it’s Citronellol molecule component, it has a soothing affect on our nervous system. First it calms the rattled, frazzled and anxious brain, and then uplifts our mood and lightens the atmosphere around us. This would be a great combo with Bergamot during the day or lavender at night in your diffuser. And it should be noted that Geranium is recommended for diffusing when you’re having a hard time focusing on your tasks and assignments at work.

And this last use for Geranium was so powerful to me as this next condition affected my family personally. Geranium is immensely helpful in reducing the affects of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. As we talked about earlier, Geranium is an anti-inflammatory. That is one of the main symptoms of both Alzheimer’s and Dementia. There are areas of the brain that become inflamed and that prolonged inflammatory condition is the main cause of mental confusion, short and long-term memory lose in most people affected with these devastating conditions. Just diffusing Geranium with is unique molecular structure that allows it to pass the blood brain barrier unlike traditional medicinal remedies that are unable to enter that portion of the body, can genuinely help to reduce the inflammation levels within the brain to help head off the lose of those precious memories in our loved ones. While there is no absolute cure for either of these devastating diseases, we can help to ease the symptom load by integrating EOs into the routine of those suffering. For this purpose, I would recommend Geranium, Cedarwood, and Patchouli, equal parts, diffused for an hour at a time, at different times of the day.

It’s important to note, that when diffusing any EOs, do not diffuse it on a continual, nonstop basis. Your olfactory bulb will become desensitized to it’s scent and benefit. Instead diffuse for an hour and then take a diffuser break for an hour or two. Even just a small exposure to EOs will have a world of benefits for you. If there is sickness in the household, prolonged diffuser use is recommended, but day to day alternate your running time.

Well, that’s all the Geranium I’ve got for you today!! Have a happy oily week!

Hey, do you have questions about oils and how to use them? Leave me a comment right here and I’ll get right back with you or email me directly at thecurrentoilco@gmail.com.