Pure Vetiver Essential Oil

Almost every oil on this site comes from a leaf, a flower, a peel or a wood. Vetiver comes from roots, and that's the whole story of the oil. 

Vetiver grass grows tall and unremarkable above ground, but below it sends down a dense mat of fine roots that can reach several metres. Those roots are why the plant is used across the tropics to hold soil together and stop erosion. They're also where the oil is, and they need eighteen months to two years in the ground before there's enough to harvest. The roots are then dug up, washed, dried and distilled. 

The scent is exactly what you'd expect from something that spent two years underground: earthy, smoky, a little like damp soil after rain, with a dry sweet woodiness behind it. It's the deepest scent in our range. 

Two practical things follow from that. First, vetiver is thick. It pours slowly and can be genuinely stubborn coming out of the bottle in a cold room, so warming it in your hands for a minute helps. Second, it lasts. Vetiver is one of the longest-lasting aromatics known, which makes it a fixative in perfumery, and like patchouli it improves rather than fades with age.

The vetiver essential oil benefits are extensive, making it a popular choice in both personal care and aromatherapy. People often use vetiver essential oil to promote deep relaxation, alleviate anxiety, and enhance the quality of their sleep. Its soothing vetiver scent makes it one of the best options to create a relaxed atmosphere, whether by using diffusers or applying it directly to the skin.

Along with emotional benefits, vetiver grass oil is known to have plenty of skin-enhancing properties. These include minimizing the appearance of scars and improving skin texture and tone. Therefore, many people seek out vetiver eo to leverage these natural skincare benefits. If you're wondering about the comprehensive range of vetiver benefits, this essential oil should be in your toolkit.

• Diffuser: 2 to 3 drops per 100 ml of water. Vetiver is heavy and builds slowly, so give it 20 minutes. It suits an evening far better than a morning. 
• Natural perfume: one of the classic base notes, and a favourite in men's and unisex fragrance. Try one or two drops under bergamot, sandalwood or clary sage. 
• Body and massage oil: 6 to 12 drops per 30 ml of carrier oil, a 1 to 2% dilution. Good in an evening blend. 
• Roll-on blend: at 1 to 2% in jojoba. Vetiver develops on skin over time rather than announcing itself, which suits a roll-on. 
• Bath: stir 2 to 3 drops into a tablespoon of carrier oil first, then add that to the water. 
• Soap and candle making: it holds its scent through heat exceptionally well and anchors lighter oils in a blend. 
• Getting it out of the bottle: warm the closed bottle in your hands for a minute before use. Vetiver thickens in the cold. 
• Blending: bergamot, sweet orange, lavender, rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, sandalwood, cedarwood, patchouli and clary sage. 

• Product name: Pure Vetiver Essential Oil 
• Botanical name: Chrysopogon zizanioides, formerly Vetiveria zizanioides 
• Part used: roots 
• Extraction method: steam distillation 
• Aroma: deep, smoky and earthy with a dry, sweet woodiness 
• Common uses: natural perfumery, evening diffuser blends, body and roll-on oils, soap and candle making 
• Size: 10 ml 
• Texture: thick and viscous, especially when cold 
• Shelf life: no practical limit when stored cool and dark. Like patchouli, vetiver improves with age. 

1. For external use only. Do not swallow. 
2. Dilute before skin contact, at 1 to 2%, which is 6 to 12 drops per 30 ml of carrier oil. Never apply it neat. 
3. Patch test first. Apply a small amount of the diluted oil to your inner forearm and check after 24 hours. 
4. The oil is dark and thick and will stain light fabric. Let a blend absorb before dressing. 
5. Keep it away from the eyes and inner ears. If oil gets in an eye, wipe it with a carrier oil or full-cream milk rather than water, then seek medical advice. 
6. Vetiver is grounding to the point of being sedating for some people. Go lightly until you know how it affects you, and keep it for the evening. 
7. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, check with your healthcare professional before using it. 
8. Don't use it on children under 2, and halve the adult dilution for older children after checking with a doctor or pharmacist. 
9. Ask your vet before diffusing around pets, and leave them a way out of the room. 
10. Store tightly capped somewhere cool and dark, out of reach of children.