We love using neroli essential oil here at Gower Lavender. It’s in our best-selling hand cream, and we’ve recently added a Lavender & Neroli soap to our range too. If you love fresh, citrussy scents with a wow! of florals, then this beautiful essential oil is about to become your favourite too!
What is neroli, and how is it made?
The first thing to know is that neroli essential oil is extracted from the delicate, white, star-shaped blossoms of the bitter orange tree (Citrus aurantium). The same blossoms are used to produce orange blossom essential oil too, but the two fragrances have some crucial differences.
Firstly, their scent is slightly different, with neroli offering a citrussy, fresh and floral scent with undertones of honey, while orange blossom has a sweeter, earthier (some describe it as ‘dirtier’) and warmer aroma.
The two scents are also extracted in different ways. Neroli is made using a steam distillation method, while orange blossom can either be extracted using enfleurage, a method of saturating animal fats with botanicals until the fat takes on the scent of the flowers. But this is an expensive, time-consuming method, and so nowadays solvents are usually used to extract the scent of orange blossom.
Both scents have their place in the world of perfumes and aromatherapy where they are used to balance and complement other scents.
“That’s why we love neroli – it works so well with lavender”
But of course, for us, it’s crucial that a scent pairs perfectly with lavender. That’s why we love neroli – its freshness and vibrancy works so well with the spicy sweetness of lavender, giving a gorgeous, grown-up flowery scent with a sweet honey note that instantly transports you to a summer garden.
Aromatherapy benefits of neroli
But of course, there are important therapeutic elements to consider too.
Neroli oil has been shown to have stress-relieving and calming effects, and studies have found it can reduce anxiety, reduce pain responses, reduce inflammation and help with blood pressure.
It may be particularly effective for women. Neroli was shown in one study to help with premenstrual symptoms like cramping, bloating and pain. A study of women in labour found inhaling neroli oil helped reduce pain and feelings of anxiety in early labour. And symptoms like high blood pressure, low libido and elevated stress were found to be helped in a study of menopausal women.
You can read lots more about the benefits and effects of neroli here.
Using neroli
Just like with many other essential oils, you can apply neroli to your skin, but take care to follow the guidelines on the bottle. It can be diluted into a carrier oil for use in massage, or applied to a cotton pad for inhalation.
It’s wonderful as an addition to a steamer, in a diffuser, or you can add a few drops to your bath.
Plus of course we offer both a soap and a hand cream scented with lavender & neroli for sale on the Gower Lavender website. Just visit the shop to buy!
