Bergamot Essential Oil and Why It's a Favorite

I admit it I love Bergamot essential oil. It has a fresh citrus aroma to be sure but why does it seem to speak to me and others in so many ways? It was not my top favorite citrus essential oil for many years, in fact I didn't even play with it in my blends or use it until a few years ago. I had always loved the usual suspects, Sweet Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Tangerine, well you get the idea but then I learned some cool things about Bergamot and it changed everything.

Bergamot essential oil, Citrus bergamia is a cold pressed oil. It is full of Monoterpenes, Monoterpenols and Esters which mean the chemical make up of this oil is great for many things from depression to pain and inflammation. This is where the chemistry nerd in me comes out, but I will spare you the details :-). The cool thing about knowing the chemistry is that we can see what components are in an oil and because many of those components have been studied we have an idea what they do. This is one way we can say that Bergamot has pain relieving or ant-inflammatory properties, or that it is an antispasmodic or cooling oil. 

Bergamot essential oil is very versatile as far as aroma goes and for therapeutic use. It is nice to add to florals but also to those more herbaceous oils to balance blends. Using Bergamot for muscle tightness or discomfort is great but it also offers some pretty cool benefits for those with emotional stress. It can relax and calm the person as well as offer support and boost mood. As you can see it is a very busy oil that offers a ton of therapeutic benefit. I love to diffuse it or use in oil inhalers with my mood boosting blends for this reason.

Bergamot is a photosensitive oil which means it does increase your risk of sunburn if used topically and then exposed to sun. Use caution, apply under clothing or avoid sun exposure for 12-24 hours. It also should be limited in topical application to 2 drops per 1 ounce of carrier in blends. 

One of my favorite recipes is add 2 drops Frankincense and 2 drops Bergamot to my diffuser and diffuse away my stress and blues! What is your favorite way to use Bergamot?