Australian Sandalwood Oil – a threatened species with great benefits
Australian Sandalwood Oil is derived from a small tree (Santalum Spicatum) that grows to 20 ft tall and these trees were originally found across a large portion of Western Australia from the interior to the woodlands. Sadly, due to the incredible popularity of this unforgettable scent, trees were over-harvested and are now a threatened species.
Australian Sandalwood is very similar to the well-known Indian Sandalwood and is used by aromatherapists as well as perfumers due to its distinct and very pleasant warm, woodsy scent. Sandalwood oil also has a variety of skincare benefits and for this reason, is found in many skincare products. These benefits include helping to fix dry, chapped, and cracked skin, controlling and treating acne and skin rashes. This oil is non-toxic and suitable for all skin types.
Western Australia is home to the world’s largest sustainable Sandalwood reserve – 1.6 million kilometers, or roughly 3 times the size of France.
Why is Australian Sandalwood Oil so popular?
This steam-distilled oil has a vast array of skin benefits due to its properties as an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, disinfectant, emollient and tonic substance.
What are its Skin Benefits?
Australian sandalwood oil is ideal for all skins and can be used to treat everything from ageing skin to acne.
Acne: Sandalwood oil has powerful antibacterial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties making it perfect for treating red, inflamed and troubled teenage skin or hormonal breakouts in your twenties and thirties.
Anti-Ageing: The powerful emollient and moisturizing properties of this oil help to hydrate your skin and thus prevent dehydrated skin that can lead to wrinkles and other signs of aging.
Dry skin: The emollient properties of this oil helps to hydrate the driest of skins by providing a barrier between the skin and environmental aggressors that might aggravate your dry skin condition, such as cold and wind.
Chapped and cracked skin: This oil is truly a quick fix for chapped, cracking skin such as the skin on the heels of your feet. Feel confident to wear your summer sandals after using sandalwood oil on your heels.
DID YOU KNOW
• It takes up to 10 years for the tree to produce sandalwood oil, making it a very resource-intensive product as the whole tree is harvested and the process has to begin all over again once a new seedling is planted.
• This oil is very popular in meditation and spiritual healing and a small amount massaged onto the temples helps to calm and focus the mind.
How to make sure you are purchasing only the Purest Australian Sandalwood Oil
Apart from obviously reading the label of a product, appearance and smell are very important when it comes to making sure you are purchasing the real thing.
Appearance:
The appearance of Australian Sandalwood Oil is pale yellow in color. Anytime the color is bright and unnatural looking, you can be sure it probably is.
Smell:
Australian Sandalwood Oil has an incredibly pleasant smell and will have you wanting to put some on your pulse points just to enjoy its scent all day long. It has a woodsy, rich, and warm scent and will remind you of a cozy fall day. It has an earthy smell with notes of spice. Trust your nose on this one. If it smells harsh or chemically altered, it probably is. The scent of Sandalwood oil should smell natural and make you feel closer to the earth.
Read the label:
The label on a skin product can tell you a lot… if you know what to look for. To ensure that you are buying pure Sandalwood Oil – that is the only ingredient that should be listed on the label. The rule is – if you can’t pronounce it, then it’s more than likely some sort of chemical or skin irritant and that’s definitely not something you want to buy!
Feel free to comment in the section below with your questions about Australian Sandalwood Oil or if you want to give us feedback. We’ll be glad to hear from you!
Image Courtesy: Brian
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