Love geranium? You want to slather it from head to toe and rub it all over yer face! Hate geranium? You’d rather eat a marmite-and-cheese sarnie! Rich in alcohols. 100% vegetarian. Geranium essential oil – you love it or hate it.

Forget Parsley Island, geranium divided my aromatherapy class into ‘lovers’ and ‘haters’. Those who loved its rosy scent added it liberally to blends, while those who hated it held their noses and turned green. I confess to being a splitter – I don’t love the smell but I have come to appreciate the therapeutic properties of this essential oil.

Geranium is the great ‘balancer’ of aromatherapy, ironic but true. Its primary action is to balance moods and emotions, and it has a harmonising effect on the body that is particularly useful in skin care.

Balancing skin care range

Geranium essential oil is extremely versatile for use in skin care and it is widely used by the beauty industry. Its balancing effect makes it useful for dry, oily and problems skins. It is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and astringent which makes it good for skin conditions such as acne and eczema. Its gentle action means that it can usually be tolerated by sensitive skins.

Geranium and lavender in particular complement each other in a blend and make an effective skin care duo. Lavender also helps counteract the pungent scent of geranium. The simple blends below show how you can include geranium essential oil in your daily skin care routine.

Sebum-regulating facial wash

• 30ml unscented foam face wash*
• 9 drops geranium oil
• 9 drops lavender oil

*Alternatively blend 20ml aloe vera gel and 10ml jojoba oil in a bowl with a hand blender to make your own face wash base.

Wash your face with this foam wash each morning if you have skin that is too dry or too oily, or prone to spots and acne. The essential oil blend will help to regulate your skin’s production of sebum (oil) and restore balance to your complexion.

Balancing make-up remover oil

• 30ml jojoba oil
• 9 drops geranium oil
• 9 drops lavender oil

As above, remove your make up daily with this blend if you suffer from an over- or under-production of sebum. Massage a teaspoonful over your face and remove with a hot damp face cloth. Repeat for effective deep cleansing.

Geranium and lavender moisturiser

• 30ml unfragranced base cream (available from aromatherapy suppliers)
• 9 drops geranium oil
• 9 drops lavender oil

To reap the benefit of geranium and lavender all-day or all-night long, use this simple face cream blend. The cream is best used as a night cream during spring and summer months, because it does not contain an sunscreen or sunblock. (I am fastidious about using and recommending proven and effective sun protection for skin!)

The three blends above have a shelf life of 3 months if stored in dark glass containers and in a cool place out of direct sunlight, because sunlight can oxidise the vegetable oils or base creams of the blends and shorten their shelf life.

When you start using these blends, allow at least one week to start to see improvement and at least one month for significant results. Natural remedies often work slower than prescription or over-the-counter products. If your skin condition is moderate to severe, consult your GP for your primary treatment and use these natural remedies to complement.

Clarifying face mask

• 3 tsp kaolin clay (available from aromatherapy suppliers)
• 1–2 tsp water
• 1 drop geranium
• 1 drop lavender
• 1 drop palmarosa

Blend the kaolin clay and water first into a paste. Add the water slowly, a drop at a time, blending to desired consistency, then add the essential oils and blend well. The mask will be a bit lumpier than shop-bought products but it will be just as effective. Smooth over cleansed skin and leave for 15–20 minutes, then remove with a warm damp flannel. Use once a week to maintain a clear complexion.

Geranium and grapefruit body scrub

Geranium is often used to treat cellulite because of its diuretic and detoxifying properties, it helps to drain excess body fluids. Combined with detoxifying and clarifying grapefruit, this body scrub exfoliates and clarifies to leave skin unbelievably soft and smooth.

• 450g glass jar (use a washed-out jam or honey jar)
• soft brown sugar
• extra virgin olive oil
• 30 drops geranium oil
• 30 drops grapefruit oil

Pour brown sugar into the glass jar until it is two-thirds full, then fill the remainder of the jar with olive oil. Stop before reaching the rim to allow you to stir the contents without spilling. Use a teaspoon to stir the olive oil into the brown sugar. Once the oil and sugar are thoroughly mixed, add the essential oils and stir in. The sugar scrub has a shelf life of three months, but be sure to store it away from direct sunlight.

To use, scoop a dollop of the scrub out of the jar and into the palm of your hand. Massage from foot to shoulders all over your body. Use firm upward stroking movements but be gentler over tender areas of skin. Robust massage around thighs and buttocks can really help to improve the appearance of cellulite and help to tone and tighten skin. Use regularly, at least three times a week.

If you have hard skin on your feet, use this as a foot scrub daily followed by a myrrh rapid-healing heel balm.

Using the scrub can be messy, so apply in the shower then rinse off with warm water.

Harmonising room fragrance

Finally, if you are a ‘lover’ burn geranium essential oil as a room fragrance or add a couple of drops to your bath oil to bring harmony to your mood and emotions. Geranium is thought to be a ‘mothering’ oil that comforts and reassures.

As it is Mother’s Day, this post is dedicated to my mum xxx

Profile of geranium:

Latin name: Pelargonium graveolens
Plant family: Geraniaceae
Plant type: herb
Perfume note: middle
Extraction: steam distillation of the leaves, stalks and flowers
Botany and origins: a perennial hairy shrub growing up to 1m with pointed jagged-edged leaves and small pink flowers. It is native to South Africa, but cultivated in Russia, Egypt, Congo, Japan, Central America, Spain, Italy and France. The three main producers of geranium oil are Reunion (Bourbon), Egypt, Russia and China
Chemical properties/active components: 63% alcohols (citronellol, geraniol, linalool) which are attributed to the oil’s powerful but gentle-acting properties. Alcohols are also antiseptic and uplifting
Blends with: clove, bergamot, clove, citrus oils, jasmine, juniper, lavender, neroli, palmarosa, patchouli, rose, rosewood, sandalwood; geranium is often added to blends with rose to enhance the fragrance of this more expensive essential oil
Key actions: anti-bacterial, anti-depressant, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, balancing, comforting, detoxifier, diuretic, sedative, stimulant, uplifting
Common conditions: cellulite, circulation (lymph and blood), fluid retention, oedema; anxiety, depression, nervous tension, stress; acne, eczema, dry and oily skins, problem skin, mature and most sensitive skin types, congested skin, dermatitis, psoriasis, insect repellant (particularly mosquito), ringworm
Contraindications: non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitising. It may cause dermatitis in some individuals so it is recommended to avoid over-use. Avoid during pregnancy
Further reading: This profile is based on my own experience and knowledge of using this essential oil. Other aromatherapy texts will list a wider range of properties and uses. The most comprehensive essential oil profiles that I have read are given by Salvatore Battaglia’s The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy, Second Edition, published by Perfect Potion, 2003, Australia. ISBN:  0-6464-2896-9

Image: Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net