12 Beauty Benefits of Sweet Orange Essential Oil

In aromatherapy, sweet orange essential oil is best known for its mood lifting properties. But did you know that it also has extraordinary beauty benefits! Let’s discover 12 beauty benefits of sweet orange essential oil for skin, hair & more in this post!

Sweet orange essential oil is extracted by mechanical compression of fresh orange rinds. It is a citrus essential oil and it has many therapeutic properties! When used for skin and hair, it offers a lot of beauty benefits as we shall see below. But first, let’s check out the ingredient profile of this citrusy oil!

Ingredient Profile of Sweet Orange Essential Oil

♥ Scientific Name:
Citrus sinensis

♥ Other Names:
Orange oil

♥ Origin:
Orange trees are native to China

♥ Color and Smell:
It is yellow to orange in color. Sweet orange essential oil has a sweet, fresh and tangy scent.

♥ Texture:
It has a watery viscosity.

♥ Shelf Life:
1 year (refrigerate to lengthen shelf life)

♥ Potential for Irritation:
Sweet orange oil is safe, non-toxic, non-irritant and non-sensitizing. However, it is photo-toxic so do not apply it then expose your skin to sunlight.

♥ Precautions & Tips:

Please first do a patch test with sweet orange essential oil before use. To do a patch test, mix 1 drop of sweet orange essential oil in 1 tsp of carrier oil and apply it on your inner wrist. If there’s no negative reaction within 60 minutes, then go ahead and use this oil!
Sweet orange essential oil is photo-toxic. That means it can cause negative skin reactions when it is applied on skin and exposed to sunlight. It should therefore not be applied before going out into sunlight for extended periods.
Always dilute sweet orange essential oil before application. Use a carrier oil for dilution. The dilution rate is 2 drops of sweet orange oil in 1 tsp of carrier oil like olive oil, coconut oil, etc. For more info, read How to Dilute Essential Oils
Never drop sweet orange oil into your eyes, ears or mucous membranes.
Since it has a short shelf life of one year, refrigerate sweet orange essential oil.
Do not ingest.
Keep away from children and pets.
Avoid during pregnancy.
If having any severe or chronic health problems, consult a doctor before using sweet orange essential oil.

1. Oil Control Action

Perhaps the number one beauty benefit of sweet orange essential oil is that it has great oil control action! You can use it to reduce oil on your face as well as hair! Here’s my favorite oil control facial toner using orange oil:

Orange Facial Toner: In a 2 oz amber glass spray bottle, add 1 tsp aloe vera gel & 4 drops sweet orange essential oil. Top off with distilled water. Cap tightly and shake the bottle well to mix everything up. Spray on your clean face with your eyes closed. Follow up with a water based moisturizer like this one.

2. Skin Lightening

Among the essential oils you can use for skin lightening, brightening and whitening is sweet orange essential oil! After all, it is extracted from the peels of oranges, which are known to have natural skin bleaching properties. Ensure to dilute sweet orange essential oil in a natural skin lightening product like argan oil or cocoa butter before applying it on your skin. Remember add 2 drops of sweet orange oil for every tsp of base ingredient.

3. Brighter Nails

Remove yellow stains on nails and make them brighter using sweet orange essential oil! All you have to do it add 1 tbsp olive oil & 1 tbsp white vinegar into a bowl. Now add 4 drops of sweet orange essential oil and ½ tsp sea salt. Mix well. Soak your finger nails in the solution for 5-7 minutes then use a nail brush and soap to scrub your nails. You can do this treatment every week for brighter nails.

4. For Teeth Whitening

Yes, you can use sweet orange essential oil for teeth whitening as well! Simply add a drop of sweet orange essential oil to a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on your toothbrush. Use it to brush your teeth just once a week to see results!

5. Makes Hair Shiny

Want to make your hair shiny and glossy?! Try sweet orange essential oil! It removes excess oils from your hair, which leaves it looking and feeling silky soft! You can add about 7 drops of sweet orange oil to your 8 oz conditioner bottle. Or mix 3 drops of orange oil in 1 tbsp of conditioner and apply it to your hair.

6. Reduces Blemishes & Dark Spots

The skin brightening effects of orange essential oil also help fade blemishes, acne scars, dark spots and more. To make a blemish-fading treatment, do this:

Blemish Treatment: Add 2 tsp raw honey and 2 drops sweet orange essential oil to a small bowl and mix well. Apply this all over your clean face, leaving out the eye and mouth area. Leave it on for 7 minutes then rinse off with warm water and wash your face with a mild cleanser.

7. Anti-Aging Effects:

Sweet orange essential oil is filled with antioxidants that fight off free radicals known to accelerate premature aging. It decreases wrinkles and improves skin elasticity by boosting collagen production.

8. Reduces Acne

The strong antibacterial properties of sweet orange essential oil combined with its anti-inflammatory properties helps treat acne naturally. You can dilute 2 drops of sweet orange essential oil in 2 tsp of aloe vera gel and apply it on your face as an overnight acne treatment. Or, use the orange facial toner shared in Point 1 above.

9. Natural Perfume

Let’s face it – some people buy sweet orange essential oil just for its sweet citrus scent! If you fancy smelling like fresh oranges, then you’ll love using sweet orange oil as a natural perfume! Here’s a simple roller bottle perfume recipe you can make. Apply it on your skin, hair and clothes!

Citrus Perfume: In a small glass bowl, add 10 ml of jojoba oil. Now add 15 drops of sweet orange essential oil. Stir well with a toothpick and transfer the blend into a 10 ml roller bottle using a syringe. Roll onto wrists, behind ears, hair ends, clothes, collar bones and other key areas.

10. Increases Blood Circulation to Skin

Another benefit of sweet orange essential oil is that it is a circulation booster. It improves blood circulation which ensures each and every skin cell gets nutrient-rich blood to keep it healthy and well functioning. This promotes a healthy and glowing skin complexion.

11. DIY Orange Creamsicle Lip Balm

Orange essential oil can be used to make a DIY orange creamsicle lip balm! There’s a nice recipe for this over at TheMiracleofEssential Oils blog: 3 Exciting DIY Lip Balm Recipes with Essential Oils. Check it out!

12. Diminishes Large Pores

Did you know that sweet orange essential oil also helps shrink large pores?! That’s because of its astringent properties that help tighten and tone skin. Using a facial toner containing orange oil (like the one I shared in Point 1 above) can help you achieve smaller pores!

I hope you enjoyed the above 12 beauty benefits of sweet orange essential oil! How are you going to use it in your skin care routine?