Learn about the benefits and uses of rosemary essential oil. Find out practical ways to use it in your daily life.
Scientific Name: Rosmarinus officinalis
Aroma: Herbacious, strong, camphorous, with woody-balsamic and evergreen undertones
Botanical Family: Labiatae
Extraction Method: Steam distillation from leaves
Key Constituents: Eucalyptol, Camphor, Alpha-pinene, Beta-Pinene, Camphene, Borneol, Limonene
“There’s Rosemary for you, that’s for remembrance! Pray you, love, remember.” ~ Shakespeare
Rosemary essential oil is one of the most well known and broadly used oils around the world. Commonly known as Dew of the Sea, which comes from the Latin roots of its name. Rosemary has a wide range of benefits that support our bodies in a variety of areas. These benefits are so vast, it seems like it supports our bodies from head to toe and everything in between. Rosemary’s benefits come from the constituents the rosemary plant contains. The constituents of a plant are naturally occurring compounds that give them specific health-supporting properties. Therefore, proper manufacturing is important when making essential oils. This ensures the plant’s constituents remain intact. Otherwise, the essential oil will not contain the therapeutic properties and is essentially just a liquid aroma. A plant can contain multiple constituents, which is why some plants seem to have a range of therapeutic benefits. Rosemary essential oil, which is produced from the common culinary herb, has been a popular remedy in folk medicine for a long time. In recent years, scientific studies have been proving its benefits. Even though much of this research is preliminary, they have noted that rosemary essential oil may benefit your health in many areas, as you will see below.
Benefits of Rosemary Essential Oil:
Skin Benefits
Rosemary is naturally antimicrobial, therefore it has cleansing and clarifying properties. Because of this, it may prove to be especially beneficial to someone who is acne prone, or deals with very oily skin. Since it balances sebum, the oil your skin produces, it will not make your skin oily or dry it out. Rosemary also contains anti-inflammatory properties, which can help calm and soothe inflamed skin. It also boosts circulation, which can help decrease puffiness in your skin.
Hair Benefits
Rosemary is a great essential oil to boost hair health. It works to stimulate scalp circulation. Since it balances scalp sebum, you do not have to worry about rosemary making your hair oily or dry. One study found that messaging a blend of rosemary, lavender, cedarwood, and thyme essential oils into the scalp daily stimulated new hair growth. Rosemary can soothe irritated scalp, as it helps calm inflammation and moisturizes the skin. I love using it daily with lavender essential oil (also great for hair health) on my hair and scalp. If you would like more information about the benefits of lavender, you can find that in my post here. I have noticed healthier hair since adding an essential oil infused haircare spritz that contains rosemary. You can find the recipe I use, as well as the supplements I take for my hair health here. Since making this change I have noticed a lot of new growth, and I cannot find a single split end now
Teeth and Gums Benefits
The naturally occurring antimicrobial properties in rosemary are wonderful for oral health, because it fights those bad breath and cavity causing bugs. You can support good oral health and freshen your breath with this amazing herbal essential oil. This is why it is common to find rosemary essential oil on the ingredient list of many natural toothpaste and mouth wash. Our entire family uses oral care products that contain rosemary essential oil every day. Since we switched to a more natural toothpaste with rosemary in the ingredients, we have noticed fresher breath and reduced gum redness compared to other typical toothpastes.
Mental Benefits
Using rosemary essential oil is a great choice when you are feeling stuck in a mental slump. One study found rosemary essential oil has been quite effective at supporting mental clarity and increasing mental activity. It also found that rosemary improved cognitive function and memory support. Because of this, rosemary makes a wonderful essential oil for encouraging creativity and focus. Rosemary is a wonderful essential oil to use in a diffuser when you are looking for ways to help stay focused or remember information.
Emotional Benefits
Everyone feels a little down in the dumps at some point and needs a pick me up. Using rosemary essential oil can have an invigorating and uplifting aroma, which can help lift your spirits when you are feeling down. Rosemary essential oil also pairs perfectly with happy citrus essential oils. I find this to be a perfect combo to diffuse anytime I want some motivation to get moving or when feeling down and out. One study found that the inhalation of rosemary essential oil left the participants feeling more active and “refreshed”. Not only is rosemary a mood uplifter, it can also help with feelings of stress and being overwhelmed. Another study found when 22 young adults smelled lavender and rosemary essential oils together for 5 minutes they had 23% lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva compared to those who smelled a non-aromatic oil. When I diffuse, using rosemary essential oil with some citrus essential oils, is one of my favorite ways to boost my mood and motivation.
Respiratory Benefits
Using rosemary essential oil aromatically can help support clear and normal breathing. It does this by acting as a natural expectorant when inhaled, so it could be a good choice when you’re feeling “junky” from congestion. Rosemary can also work as a natural antispasmodic, which can help calm irritated and inflamed airways. Our family enjoys adding a few drops of rosemary essential oil to the corners of the shower floor when showering. This allows the steam to carry its aroma up where it can be breathed in. Use caution when using rosemary, because it is a strong essential oil. Always start with less drops, and add another drop if you need it. You want it to be clearing, not irritating.
Internal Benefits
When taken internally, rosemary essential oil contains antioxidants that help protect the body against free radicals. It’s important when using an essential oil internally that it is labeled for internal use. This is why we use Young Living rosemary vitality essential oil. Ingestion of rosemary essential oil allows you to receive the cleansing and antioxidant properties from rosemary that can support your overall wellness. Some of these benefits are supporting a healthy digestion, circulatory, and immune system. Because rosemary also contains anti-inflammatory properties, it is beneficial for any area of the body that is inflamed. This can be skin, joints, or anything in between!
Aromatherapy Benefits:
Aromatherapy has been used in cultures like Egypt, Rome, and China for thousands of years. These cultures used aromatherapy for medical and religious purposes, and they were known to have both physical and psychological benefits. Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils through smelling the aroma and topical application to naturally support the body in specific areas.
Aromatic Use:
Diffusing is a great way to use essential oils aromatically. By diffusing rosemary essential oil, you can encourage an invigorating and mood boosting environment. It is conducive to creativity and focus making it a wonderful choice anytime you need to buckle down and get some mental work accomplished. Diffusing rosemary, along with lemon essential oil, is fabulous for uplifting your spirit and boosting your energy levels while supporting mental clarity. The perfect motivation essential oil!
Topical Use:
Rosemary is a wonderful skin and hair supporting essential oil. It contains many wonderful skincare benefits when applied directly to your skin. It is well known for cleansing, balancing, and soothing the skin in many situations. Applying it to the skin not only supports your skin health, but also allows the aroma to stay close to you. This way, you can enjoy the aromatic benefits and topical benefits at the same time.
Safety:
Rosemary essential oil should be diluted and is photosensitive. Do not use on children under the age of 4. Do not use Rosemary if taking ACE inhibitor prescription drugs. Keep away from eyes and mucous membranes. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult a health professional prior to use.
Uses of Rosemary Essential Oil:
- Soothe inflamed or irritated skin: Make your own nourishing roller bottle to have on hand for convenient use. In a 10ml glass roller bottle add 8 drops each of rosemary, lavender, patchouli, and geranium essential oils. Top off with your favorite carrier oil, secure roller top and shake gently to combine.
- Help relieve muscle tension: Put 4-6 drops of rosemary essential oil into 1 cup of Epsom salts, mix it, then add to your water for a calming bath or foot soak.
- Help soothe tense muscles: Use 2 drops of rosemary essential oil with 1 tablespoon of massage oil (I prefer using Young Living V-6 because it is smooth, clean, and works into skin well). Message the sore area.
- Help soothe, clarify, and balance your facial skin. Make this simple Facial Toner by adding 20 drops each of rosemary and lavender essential oil to 4 oz of alchohol free witch hazel. (my favorite is Quinns, because it doesn’t have alot of extra ingredeints; I purchase it from amazon)
- Antioxidant and wellness support: Carefully place 1 drop of rosemary vitality into a capsule and top off with a carrier oil like olive or avocado. You can find the empty capsules I use here to make your own rosemary supplements.
- Support oral health: Try using toothpaste and mouthwash that contains rosemary essential oil, and enjoy a naturally fresh mouth and breath. We like using Young Living Thieves toothpaste and Young Living Thieves mouthwash every day for our oral health.
- Cleanse and invigorate the air around you: Make a simple room spray that contains rosemary essential oil to spritz on linens, furniture, or around your room. You can find my tutorial and different recipes to choose from here.
- Smell fresh and enjoy rosemary’s herbaceous aroma: Create your own perfume spray or roller bottle with rosemary and other floral or citrus essential oils. I love using rosemary, geranium, and bergamot!
- Support healthy hair: Make a simple Healthy Hair Spritz featuring rosemary and some other hair supporting essential oils. You can find my recipe here.
- Repel bugs naturally: Make my simple Bug Off Repellent featuring rosemary and other essential oils that many bugs find appalling. You can view the recipe here.
- Breathing support: Try diffusing rosemary and lemon essential oils or applying them in a roller bottle to your chest. Before taking a hot steamy shower, try adding 1 drop of rosemary to each of the floor corners and enjoy its herbal minty aroma.
- Mood or energy boost: Try diffusing rosemary in the diffuser with some citrus essential oils.
Favorite rosemary essential oil diffuser recipes:
Brisk Walk
3 drop rosemary essential oil
3 drops cedarwood essential oil
3 drops bergamot essential oil
Mood Boost
3 drops rosemary essential oil
3 drops lemon essential oil
3 drops orange essential oil
At the Lake
2 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops rosemary essential oil
4 drops lemon essential oil
Flower Garden
3 drops rosemary essential oil
3 drops geranium essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
“As for rosemary, I let it run all over my garden walls, not only because my bees love it but because it is the herb sacred to remembrance and to friendship, whence a sprig of it hath a dumb language.” ~ Sir Thomas More
References:
- The Aromatherapy Encyclopedia, Schiller, Carol & Dave (2012) Basic Health Publications, Inc.
- Essential Oils Desk Reference 8th Edition, (2019) Life Science Publishing
