Carrot Seed Essential Oil
Carrot Seed Essential Oil
Carrot Seed, or Daucus carota, is also known as Wild Carrot or Queen Anne's Lace. Carrot Seed essential oil should not be confused with infused carrot oil, or carrot tissue oil, which comes from the commonly known edible carrot, and whose orange root is infused in a carrier oil. Carrot Seed essential oil is steam distilled from the dried seeds of the wild carrot (which has an inedible, white root), and the majority of it is produced in Hungary and France. The oil itself has a strong, earthy, penetrating aroma--rather sharp and dry--which while, not unpleasant, isn't one of those oils you might use solely for aromatic purposes!
How to Use Carrot Seed Essential Oil
Carrot seed oil's major uses are in the areas of skin care, muscle and joint pain and inflammation, digestive disorders, and as a fragrance component in cosmetics and detergents. Carrot seed essential oil has depurative properties (cleansing or purifying), and is said to be helpful with conditions like eczema and psoriasis. Because of its regenerative properties, it's an excellent oil for skin rashes, irritations, and to help enliven dull or aging skin.
We include it as one of the components in our skin replenishing blend, but it's easy enough to make your own face cream. Because of its rather intense earthy aroma, we recommend blending Carrot seed oil with other essential oils. Use oils such as Frankincense, Lavender and Rose, which also are superb for skin rejuvenation, and maybe add a few drops of sea buckthorn berry or tamanu oil.
Salvatore Battaglia, in his wonderful book "The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy", has this to say about Carrot seed oil: "It can be used to improve the complexion of the skin and has been described as one of the strongest revitalising essential oils. It is recommended for dull, pallid, lifeless and tired skin which is tired from environmental stress."
As with almost all essential oils, Carrot seed should be diluted before use. This is a very safe oil, however, being non-toxic, non-irritant, and non-sensitizing. While a fairly expensive oil, so little is needed that a small bottle should last quite a long time.