Red Cedarwood

Red cedar wood oil actually comes from a type of juniper known as Juniperus virginana, whose common name is eastern red cedar. The tree grows prolifically throughout the eastern United States along fences and in un-tilled fields, clearings, and ditches. Red cedars owe their widespread distribution to birds, like the cedar waxwing, who relish the tree's fruits and drop the seeds wherever they go.

The 70 or so species of junipers are all members of the cupressaceous family. This family includes the cypress tree in France, Italy and Spain, which yields cypress oil, and thuja, which yields cedar leaf oil. True cedars such as the atlas cedar of Morocco and the famous cedar of Lebanon are not members of the cupressaceous family but the panacea family, which also comprises the pines, spruces and firs. Like these, J. virginiana is an evergreen; its dark olive green foliage turns rusty brown and sports fleshy purple, berry-like cones in the winter. The fresh foliage has a peculiar aroma that some compare to a cat's litter box! The aroma of the wood however, is richly sweet and balsamic.

v Red cedar wood gets its name from its beautiful, fragrant heartwood. It's an important timber product; cedar lumber is used to make aromatic chests, cabinets and pencils. The essential oil is distilled from the sawdust and other by-products of the milling and furniture making processes.

Red cedar wood essential oil can vary in appearance and aroma depending on the degree of processing. Oftentimes producers will distill the oil a second time to remove some of the natural components (or fractions) such as cedrol, which can precipitate out of a solution and form hard crystals in the oil. Although the crystalline deposits affect the appearance and viscosity of cedar wood oil, their presence is completely natural. Aroma therapists often prefer the complete, non-redistilled oil because it contains the full complement of therapeutic constituents. If crystals do form, they can usually be dissolved back into the solution by gently warming the bottle of oil in a warm water bath or the palm of the hand.

Red cedar wood oil is relatively viscous, and can range in color from light yellow to amber. It has a fresh-woody, bland fragrance like sandalwood, but lacks sandalwood's animal-balsamic aroma. Red cedar wood oil, or fractions of cedar wood oil, is sometimes used to adulterate sandalwood because of this similarity in aroma. Though somewhat tenacious in aroma, red cedar wood oil's dry-out note is unremarkable: woody and slightly balsamic. By itself the oil has an unremarkable fragrance, but its ability to fix (slow the dissipation of) oils it is blended with - and the fact that it doesn't drastically interfere with the aromas of the other oils it is blended with - makes cedar wood an especially valuable oil. Blends containing cedar wood oil show up as fragrances that scent room sprays, cleaners, cosmetics and perfumes. Cedar wood can impart a subtle, woody balance and longer life to the powerful floral aroma of rose otto and rose absolute. Dilute 5 drops of this richly scented blend in one teaspoon of vegetable oil, and use it as a perfume:

¤ 30 drops rose
¤ 20 drops cedar wood
¤ 20 drops sandalwood
¤ 20 drops myrrh
¤ 10 drops patchouli

Cedar wood oil is relatively safe to use when properly diluted as in the above perfume recipe. It can cause skin irritation when undiluted. Cedar wood oil should not be used by pregnant women in any forms. Red cedar wood oil is strongly astringent and makes an excellent treatment for oily hair. Try blending 3 drops of cedar wood and 2 drops of rosemary oil with a teaspoon of olive oil. Gently massage this mixture into the hair before shampooing.

The balsamic-woody aroma of cedar wood oil evokes a feeling of inner strength and centeredness. It is quite useful in times of emotional stress and anxiety to overcome feelings of powerlessness. The oil blends particularly well with sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver and rose.