# Lemongrass Essential Oil

- Link: https://aunaturalorganics.com/shop/lemongrass-essential-oil-100ml/
- Published: 2016-07-31T17:31:00+00:00
- Author: Au Natural Organics Team

East Indian lemongrass is a clumping grass 1 to 2 metres tall, farmed widely in 
Kerala and other southern Indian states. Once established, a field is cut three 
to five times a year. Farmers cut the leaves by hand a few centimetres above the
ground, let them wilt for a day and take them to stills close to the fields. The
oil is yellow to amber with a strong, fresh lemon scent and a grassy, slightly earthy
undertone. Most of that lemon note comes from citral, usually 70 to 80 percent of
the oil, so a little goes a long way.

## Details

  |  Botanical name |  _Cymbopogon flexuosus_ (East Indian lemongrass) |  
 |  Origin |  India |  
 |  Part used |  Leaves |  
 |  Extraction |  Steam-distilled |  
 |  Aroma |  Sharp lemon, grassy |  
 |  Ingredients |  100% _Cymbopogon flexuosus_ oil |

**Timing matters:** grass cut too young or left too long gives less citral, and 
distillation recovers only about 0.5 to 1 kg of oil per 100 kg of fresh leaf.

## How to use

 1. **Diffuser:** add 2 to 3 drops to water in your diffuser.
 2. **Cleaning:** add 10 drops to a spray bottle of water and vinegar.
 3. **Soap:** use at a low rate in soap and candle recipes.

Essential oils are concentrated. Always dilute before use on skin, patch test first,
keep away from eyes and out of reach of children, and do not take internally. If
you are pregnant or nursing, check with your doctor before use. Lemongrass can irritate
skin. Use no more than 1 drop per tablespoon (15ml) of carrier oil.

## FAQs

### Is this the lemongrass used in cooking?

It is a close relative. Cooking lemongrass is usually the West Indian type, _Cymbopogon
citratus_.

### What is citral?

The compound that gives lemongrass its strong lemon scent.

### What does it blend with?

Lavender, citronella, eucalyptus and cedarwood.

[Read where lemongrass oil comes from and how it is made](https://aunaturalorganics.com/ingredient/lemongrass/).

## Comments

### By: Evelyn Bowman

- Link: https://aunaturalorganics.com/shop/lemongrass-essential-oil-100ml/#comment-1092
- Published: 2017-12-13T07:08:17+00:00

I like the fragrance very much.