Lemongrass smells amazing, but make sure what you're using isn't just a synthetic fragrance because synthetic fragrances more often than not contain harmful chemicals that are absolutely horrible to your mental, physical, and spiritual health. Instead of using a lemongrass fragrance, use an essential oil instead. The essential oil has the same aroma, but created naturally and containing numerous health benefits (listed below).
Lemongrass essential oil is distilled from the leaves of the gramineae (lemongrass) plant, originating in India and Southeast Asia. With a subtle citrus-herb scent, Lemongrass oil offers a sophisticated and relaxing aroma that transforms your home’s environment.
Lemongrass essential oil is comprised of the constituents:
- Aldehydes (<80%): geranial, neural, farnesal, and decadal.
- Alcohols (<15%): geraniol, a-terpineol, borneol, nerol, linalol, and citranellol
- Sesquiterpene Alcohols (<13%): farnesol,
- Esters (<11%): geranyl and lynalyl acetates
- Monoterpines (<9%): myrcene, d-limonene- b-ocimene
- Sequesterpenes (<6%): b-carophyllene
- Oxides (<4%): caryophyllene oxide
- Keytones (<3%): methyl heptonone
It is historically used for purification an in supporting digestion, but also has many historical uses with supporting your arteries and helping you relax. It helps support your lungs, ligaments and muscles, veins, and promotes mental awareness and acuity.
- Here are 24 of our favorite uses and benefits for Lemongrass Essential Oil:
- Spiritual uses for Lemongrass Essential Oil
- 15 Favorite DIY Essential Oil Diffuser Blends featuring Lemongrass Essential Oil
- Essential Oils that Blend Well with Lemongrass Essential Oil
- Cooking with Lemongrass Vitality Essential Oil
- Frequently Asked Questions about Lemongrass Essential Oil
- What is the difference between lemon and lemongrass essential oils?
- What is the difference between lemon balm and lemongrass essential oils?
- What is a good substitute for lemongrass essential oil?
- Is lemongrass essential oil safe to use while pregnant?
- Is lemongrass essential oil safe for infants, toddlers, or kids?
- Is lemongrass essential oil safe for animals?
- Do you have a question about lemongrass essential oil?
- Where to Buy Lemongrass Essential Oil
- What are your favorite ways to use Lemongrass and Lemongrass Vitality?
Here are 24 of our favorite uses and benefits for Lemongrass Essential Oil:
- Add 3-4 drops to a sink full of dishes when you wash your dishes to enhance your cleaning
- Add 2-3 drops to your dryer balls or fabric softener when doing laundry
- Massage on your feet, diluted, for a whole-body cooling effect
- Blend 8-10 drops into 1 Tbsp of a carrier oil for a massage oil
- Apply lemongrass diluted to your toe nails to support nail wellness and help combat fungus growth
- Rub lemongrass diluted between your toes for healthy foot skin
- Create a massage blend (like listed above) to apply to sore muscles, feet, and joints
- Apply on your legs for healthy looking skin to reduce the appearance of cellulite and tone your skin
- Add 5-10 drops in 1 cup of epsom salts and add to a warm bath to help with weight, support digestion, relax tired muscles and joints, and promote overall wellenss
- Make a spritz of 8-10 drops of lemongrass with 2 oz of purified water and 2 oz of vodka or witchazel to help reduce extreme sweating
- Diffuse to calm emotions, promote clear thinking, and to freshen the air
- Ditch harmful chemicals in air fresheners with this linen and carpet spray: Add up to 10 drops to a small spray bottle filled with distilled water and spritz over carpets, furniture, and linens to eliminate stale odors
- Try diffusing Lemongrass for an aroma that can inspire a sense of clarity and relaxation for you and your whole family!
- Create your own joint support roller blend for stiff painful joints using 6 drops of peppermint, 3 drops of clove, 10 drops of lemongrass, and 8 drops of copaiba essential oils. Add to your favorite 10ml roller bottle and fill the rest of the way with your favorite carrier oil (I personally love sweet almond oil and grapeseed oil).
- Use a few drops of lemongrass in your favorite DIY deodorant recipe
- Dilute lemongrass essential oil and rub it over your varicose veins by strengthening your vascular walls to help reduce their size and appearance.
- Use (diluted) over your lower abdomen to help cleanse and support bladder health
- May help with supporting your body's natural ability to regenerate connective tissues
- Supports your healthy digestion functioning by supporting your kidneys, lymphatic drainage, and calming your central nervous system
- Supports your body's natural circulatory functioning
- May help improve your eyesight
- Stimulates your lymphatic system
- May be soothing to sore throats when diffused or diluted and applied to your neck
- Dilute and rub over your neck and ankles to help support your thyroid‘s natural healthy functioning
** Make sure you're using a high quality essential oil for best results. There are LEGALLY many oils labeled as pure essential oils that are 100% fake. Make sure you're not wasting your hard earned money on fake or substandard essential oils.
Be sure to always dilute lemongrass essential oil before applying it to your skin. Using neat (undiluted) will likely cause sensitization issues that will result in an uncomfortable or painful rash. Remember, essential oils are HIGHLY concentrated, and need to be used with respect. Keeping the mindset of “less is more” when it comes to essential oils is wise.
I recommend diluting 1 drop per ml of carrier oil. So in a 10ml roller bottle, there would be approximately 10 drops of essential oil, and then fill the roller bottle the rest of the way with your favorite carrier oil (my personal favorites are sweet almond oil and grapeseed oil)
Spiritual uses for Lemongrass Essential Oil
- Associated with Mercury
- Works especially well with the Solar Plexus Chakra
- Associated with the Air element
- Energetically cleansing, allowing you to move past negative situations
- May enhance and deepen your spiritual awareness and connection
- Strengthens your willpower and self-discipline
- Inspires you to live more proactively (instead of reactively), giving you more control in life and enabling you to step away from the victim mindset
- Inspires putting ideas into action, and overcome challenges and blocks
15 Favorite DIY Essential Oil Diffuser Blends featuring Lemongrass Essential Oil
- Refresh DIY Diffuser Blend: 1 drop each of orange, lemon, tangerine, and spearmint essential oils, and 2 drops lemongrass essential oil
- Focus DIY Diffuser Blend: 2 drops lemongrass, 1 drop peppermint, 1 drop orange essential oils
- Island Mojito DIY Diffuser Blend: 1 drop each lime, spearmint, lemongrass, basil essential oils
- Ocean Spray DIY Diffuser Blend: 2 drops rosemary, 1 drop each lavender, lemongrass, and spearmint essential oils
- Wake Up DIY Diffuser Blend: 2 drops grapefruit essential oil, 1 drop lemongrass essential oil
- Rainy Day DIY Diffuser Blend: 2 drops eucalyptus essential oil, 1 drop each lemon and lemongrass essential oils
- Aruba DIY Diffuser Blend: 1 drop basil essential oil, 2 drops Joy essential oil blend, 3 drops lemongrass essential oil
- Clean and Fresh DIY Diffuser Blend: 2 drops each lemongrass, tangerine, and spearmint essential oil blends
- Goodbye Migraines DIY Diffuser Blend: 2 drops each lemongrass, peppermint, and lavender essential oils
- Jelly Beans DIY Diffuser Blend: 1 drop each of lemongrass, tangerine, and lemon essential oils, 2 drops each of juniper and orange essential oil
- Sunrise DIY Diffuser Blend: 2 does of lime, 1 drop each of eucalyptus, rosemary, and lemongrass essential oils
- Clear Head DIY Diffuser Blend: 2 drops lemongrass essential oil, 1 drop peppermint essential oil, 4 drops lavender essential oil
- Sweet Sunshine DIY Diffuser Blend: 3 drops orange essential oil, 2 drops lemongrass essential oil, 1 drop peppermint essential oil
- Sun-Kissed DIY Diffuser Blend: 3 drops each orange and lemongrass essential oils with 1 drop each eucalyptus blue and peppermint essential oil
- Night on the Patio DIY Diffuser Blend: 3 drops each of lemongrass and citronella essential oils with 2 drops each of peppermint and thyme essential oils
Essential Oils that Blend Well with Lemongrass Essential Oil
Lemongrass essential oil is a top note (5-20%) with a grassy, lemony, pungent, earthy, slightly bitter aroma with a 4 intensity. It blends well with:
- basil
- cedarwood
- clary sage
- eucalyptus
- geranium
- jasmine
- lavender
- tea tree
- rosemary
Cooking with Lemongrass Vitality Essential Oil
Lemongrass Vitality has a delicate citrus flavor that complements Asian recipes, and can be incorporated into your seasonings for meals in various cuisines. To keep hydrated while enjoying the benefits of Lemongrass Vitality, add a couple of drops to a glass of water or a hot cup of complementing tea for a zip of flavor.
- Add 2–3 drops to water or tea for a light, interesting flavor
- Make chocolate bark using dark chocolate, melted and stirred, with 2 drops of lemongrass Vitality, spread thin, and topped with habanero sugar and orange peel
- Summer Salad Dressing: 1/3 cup olive oil, 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/3 cup honey mustard, 1/4 cup honey, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 3 drops lemongrass vitality essential oil, 4 drops dill vitality essential oil. Mix, refrigerate several hours or overnight, shake well to serve.
- Citrus Lemongrass Spritzer: 1/4 cup filtered water, 1/4 cup honey, 1 piece of thinly sliced ginger, 1 stick of lemongrass bruised with the back of a knife, 1 drop lemongrass vitality, 1 drop jade lemon vitality, 1 drop lime vitality, 2 juiced grapefruits, 2 juiced oranges, 4 juiced tangerines, 1 bottle of chilled sparkling water. Garnish with grapefruit or orange slice.
- Use Lemongrass Vitality in place of lemongrass in recipes. Because of its high potency, start with dipping a toothpick in the oil and swirling it through the ingredients for a lighter Lemongrass Vitality flavor in your dish. Add more as needed.
*** IF you decide to ingest lemongrass essential oil, please make sure you are doing so in a safe manner. I highly recommend adding it to 1 tsp of honey before stirring it in any drinks. I have an entire article dedicated to ingesting essential oils safely that I highly recommend.
And please, DO NOT feel obligated to ingest any essential oil, especially if you have a warning tug in your intuition questioning whether or not its a good idea. If you feel any hesitation, listen to your body.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lemongrass Essential Oil
What is the difference between lemon and lemongrass essential oils?
Lemongrass essential oil comes from distilling the leaves of a lemongrass plant (a type of grass).
Lemon essential oil comes from cold-pressing the rinds of the lemon fruit (and in some cases distilling the rinds, but I recommend if you use lemon essential oil that it is cold-pressed). You can learn more about lemon essential oil in our lemon oil article.
What is the difference between lemon balm and lemongrass essential oils?
While both Lemon Balm and Lemongrass have more of a lemon-type of aroma, they are completely different plants with many different uses.
Lemon Balm (also known as Melissa) comes from the Melissa Officinalis plant, where the leaves and flowers are steam distilled. Lemon Balm essential oil is much more expensive, and helps support your immune system, mental health, and nerves.
What is a good substitute for lemongrass essential oil?
Citronella would be my first suggestion because it has a lot of the same benefits and properties.
Lemon Myrtle, Lemon, or Lemon Balm essential oils may be good alternatives too, if you're just looking for a similar aromatic profile.
Is lemongrass essential oil safe to use while pregnant?
I do not recommend using lemongrass essential oil topically while pregnant. Please consult with your health team if they are knowledgable about essential oils. Otherwise, I recommend talking with a pharmacist, aromatherapist, or herbalist near you, or pick up a quality reference guide that specifically handles pregnancy information.
Is lemongrass essential oil safe for infants, toddlers, or kids?
Lemongrass essential oil should only be used on kids over 6 years old, and should be diluted more than normal until the teen years. I recommend diluting 1 drop of lemongrass essential oil per 5ml of carrier oil if you're going to use lemongrass on your kids.
To use in a bug spray, I highly recommend spraying your child's shoes and clothes instead of skin.
Is lemongrass essential oil safe for animals?
Yes, as long as you're using it properly, lemongrass essential oil is safe for animals (yes, including dogs and cats). I highly recommend keeping an animal reference guide on hand to ensure you're using the right oils for the right things in the right way.
Do you have a question about lemongrass essential oil?
If you have a question not added here, please feel welcome to ask us in the comments below or you may ask privately using this form.
Where to Buy Lemongrass Essential Oil
We purchase our oils through Young Living because they set a higher standard for essential oils than what the rest of the industry expects. Their Seed to Seal guarantee is unmatched, and shows their dedication to a farm-to-table type of approach.
Other Young Living products that contain Lemongrass Essential Oil include:
- En-R-Gee essential oil blend (natural energy without the crash)
- DiGize essential oil blend (digestive support)
- Ortho Ease Massage Oil (perfect for stiff, sore joints and muscles)
- Ortho Sport Massage Oil (perfect for sore muscles)
- Essentialzymes-4 supplement (digestive enzymes)
- MultiGreens supplement (greens and spirulina for glandular, nervous, and circulatory system health)
My personal favorite is the Essentialzymes and Multigreens supplement. Those were key in helping my gut-health journey which effectively helped me halt my seasonal allergies.
I also absolutely love the En-R-Gee essential oil blend. It always comes with me when we take our long car rides (especially when moving, which we do a LOT of as a military family)
What are your favorite ways to use Lemongrass and Lemongrass Vitality?
Please tell us in the comments what your favorite way to use lemongrass essential oil is! If you have some questions, you're welcome to ask in the comments or ask privately through this form.
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Nicole
P.S. If you need some essential oils, we provide special coaching, resources, and support groups for our members. Just head over to our getting started page to creation account or contact us.