Orange Oil — Enhance Your Immunity, Skin & Kitchen!

Orange oil comes from the fruit of the Citrus sinensi orange plant. Sometimes also called “sweet orange oil,” it’s derived from the outer peel of the common orange fruit, which has been highly sought after for centuries because of its immune-boosting effects.

Most people have come into contact with small amounts of orange oil when peeling or zesting an orange. If you’re unfamiliar with various essential oil uses and benefits, you might be surprised to know just how many different common products they’re used in. Ever use soap, detergent or kitchen cleaner that smelled like oranges? That’s because you can also find traces of orange oil in household and cosmetic products to improve their smell and cleansing abilities.

It’s added to many beauty products like lotion, shampoo, acne treatments and mouthwash since it has antibacterial properties and a strong, fresh scent. In your home, you’ve likely got some furniture spray and kitchen or bathroom cleaners that also contain orange essential oil. The oil is also commonly used as an approved flavor enhancer in drinks, such as fruit juices or sodas, although there’s much more natural ways to obtain its benefits.

Benefits of Orange Oil

Have you ever noticed the slight amount of oil that leaches out when cut into an orange or “zested” its skin to use the outer peel in recipes? The strong taste and aroma that come from the oils are exactly what’s concentrated in orange essential oil. A potent formula of orange’s active ingredients is responsible for its healing abilities.

The most prominent active ingredients in orange oil are limonene (which is about 85–96 percent of the extract) and myrcene (0.5–3 percent). Limonene is especially considered a powerful antioxidant that fights free radical damage and inflammation that can lead to various diseases. These compounds are considered types of monoterpenes that are a dietary component in many citrus oils that have demonstrated anti-tumor activities.

According to research, the benefits of orange oil include:

Fighting cancerous tumors
Increasing circulation
Killing bacteria and pathogens
Decreasing wrinkles
Improving complexion
Easing anxiety
Decreasing hypertension

As an all-natural method for improving immune function and fighting various ailments, orange oil has been a popular remedy in folk medicine throughout the Mediterranean, India and China for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Throughout history, orange oil has been used to treat widespread conditions, including: poor digestion, chronic fatigue, depression, oral and skin infections, colds, flu, and low libido. It’s considered an effective antidepressant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, deodorant, digestive stimulant and circulation-booster!

D-limonene, which comprises over 90 percent of orange peel oil, is a monoterpene that has strong chemo-preventive activity since it’s been shown to reduce tumor growth in many animal studies. Research suggests that monoterpenes block mammary, skin, liver, lung, pancreas and stomach cancers. The ability to fight carcinogenesis is likely due to the induction of Phase II carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, resulting in carcinogen detoxification. Monoterpenes also help induce apoptosis and growth-regulating proteins.

11 Orange Oil Uses

1. Immunity Enhancer

Limonene, which is a monocyclic monoterpene that’s present in orange peel oil, is a powerful defender against oxidative stress. Orange oil even has cancer-fighting abilities, since monoterpenes have been shown to be very effective chemo-preventive agents against tumor growth.

2. Natural Antibacterial

Essential oils made from citrus fruits offer the potential for all-natural antimicrobials for use in improving the safety of foods. Orange oil was found to prevent the proliferation of E. coli bacteria in one 2009 study published in the International Journal of Food and Science Technology. E. coli, a dangerous type of bacteria present in contaminated foods like some vegetables and meat, can cause serious reactions when it’s ingested, including kidney failure and possible death.

Another 2008 study published in the Journal of Food Science found that orange oil can inhibit the spread of salmonella bacteria since it contains powerful antimicrobial compounds, especially terpenes. Salmonella is capable of causing gastrointestinal reactions, fever and serious side effects when food becomes unknowingly contaminated and consumed.

3. Kitchen Cleaner

Orange oil has a natural fresh, sweet, citrus smell that will fill your kitchen with a clean scent. At the same time, when diluted it’s a great way to clean countertops, cutting boards or appliances without needing to use bleach or harsh chemicals found in most products.

Add a few drops to a spray bottle along with other cleansing oils like bergamot oil and water. Use these with a small amount of a carrier oil like coconut oil before using all throughout your home. You don’t need to wipe it away afterward like most cleansers since it’s not harmful to surfaces.

4. Circulation Booster

Orange oil is a natural remedy for high blood pressure and is capable of improving blood flow and fighting hypertension, some of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. Because of its blood-dialing abilities, it might also be useful for improving low libido,reducing pain from headaches and lowering PMS-related symptoms. Use orange oil with a carrier oil to create a homemade massage oil that can be rubbed into the abdominal area to improve blood flow.

5. Anti-Inflammatory

The strong anti-inflammatory effects of orange oil have been researched in regard to its effects for fighting pain, infection and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In fact, among several popular anti-inflammatory oils, including lemon, pine and eucalyptus oils, orange oil has shown the greatest reduction in inflammation. This was demonstrated in a 2009 study published in the European Journal of Medical Research that investigated the antioxidant potential of various essential oils.

6. Pain Reducer

If you suffer from muscle, bone or joint pain, orange oil can help turn off inflammatory responses that increase swelling in tissue, making it a natural remedy for bone and joint pain. Orange oil also promotes a more positive mood, which is useful for raising pain tolerance and helping you get better sleep when you’re sore or uncomfortable. Rub orange oil mixed with a carrier oil onto sore muscles or swollen areas to bring down inflammation.

7. Mood Booster

Diffusing orange oil in your home, adding some to your shower wash or perfume, or inhaling it directly can lift your mood and bring on relaxation. Orange essential oil has a direct effect on the olfactory system of the brain that quickly evokes emotional responses. It’s a great essential oil for balancing hormones since it can help turn off reactions from stress hormones like cortisol. Research shows that orange oil is both “uplifting” and “calming,” making it a great scent for brightening your mood in the morning or calming your nerves after a long day.

8. Skin Saver

Citrus fruits are known to provide high levels of vitamin C that help protect and heal skin, making oranges one of the best vitamin C foods around. Orange essential oil is also very beneficial for fighting signs of aging like wrinkles and dark spots since it promotes the production of collagen. Because of its antioxidant power, it slows the rate of skin damage experienced from UV light exposure, pollution and toxicity.

You can apply a very small amount of orange oil to your face along with a carrier oil, but first make sure to do a skin test to avoid any negative reactions. Try combining it with other skin-healing oils like frankincense oil and tea tree oil.

9. Acne Fighter

Orange oil is effective at fighting bacteria and inflammation on the skin that can lead to acne. It’s a perfect home remedy for acne. Remember that a very little bit goes a long way, so use a tiny amount combined with coconut oil on a cotton ball that you can apply to the affected area. Redness, pain and swelling from acne should also improve, while you’ll avoid drying chemical ingredients found in most commercial acne treatments. Try using it with other powerful oils like geranium oil or cinnamon oil.

10. Digestion Booster

As an anti-inflammatory, relaxant and circulation-enhancer, orange oil can promote better digestion and ease cramps or constipation. Use some in a massage oil in the abdominal area. It also improves detoxification if ingested since it acts like a mild diuretic, which increases urine production and prevents bloating. Since it helps stimulate the lymphatic system, liver, kidneys and bladder, it helps draw out toxins, excess sodium and waste from the digestive tract.

11. Natural Mouth Wash and Gum Protector

Because orange oil has the ability to fight microbial growth, it can protect teeth and gums from infections. It’s also been used to help ease a sore throat for fast relief when gargled with water and salt. You can use it to reduce cold sores and mouth ulcers when swooshing it in your mouth with water, just like a homemade mouth wash, or trycoconut oil pulling with orange oil mixed with pure coconut oil.

Orange Oil Studies and Research

Up to 50 different studies have investigated the cancer-fighting effects of orange oil and its active constituents. Aside from containing potent levels of tumor-reducing limonene, it also contains other phytochemicals that protect DNA and cells from damage, including polymethoxyflavones. Hydroxylated polymethoxyflavones (PMFs) are a class of novel flavonoid antioxidant compounds mainly found in citrus plants.

According to a 2010 study published in the Journal of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, orange oil can effectively help stop the proliferation of human lung and colon cancer cells. This is due to orange oil’s PMFs that are associated with modulating key signaling proteins related to cell proliferation and apoptosis.

In another study conducted by the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, orange oil showed the ability to suppress tumor growth because it enhances the liver’s detoxification functions, nerve signaling and cellular rejuvenation. Rats that were administered orange oil for a period of five and a half months displayed chemo-preventive effects of orange oil that were monitored using the weight of their livers. Orange oil administration resulted in decreased liver weights, increased intercellular gap junctional complexes, and improved cell density and polarity when compared with the control group.

Orange oil has also been proven to be uplifting and tranquilizing. Aromatherapists and natural health practitioners have used orange oil as a mild tranquilizer and antidepressant for centuries. Because it has anxiolytic properties and reduces anxiety-related symptoms, as little as five minutes of exposure to diffused orange oil can alter moods and enhance motivation, relaxation and clarity.

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Complimentary Therapies of Medicine found that olfactory stimulation using orange and rose oils induces physiological and psychological relaxation. The study investigated the effects of orange and rose essential oil on prefrontal cortex activity in 20 female participants’ brains, which revealed their level of stimulation or relaxation. After half of the women were exposed to diffusion of orange and rose oil for 90 seconds, they experienced a significant decrease in oxyhemoglobin concentration in the right prefrontal cortex of the brain compared to the control group, which resulted in increases in “comfortable,” “relaxed” and “natural” feelings.

DIY Orange Oil Recipes

To get the most benefits from orange oil, look for one that’s derived using a cold-pressed method from the actual peel of the orange. This preserves the heat-sensitive antioxidants and active ingredients that can easily become destroyed during processing and steam distillation.

Since the extract comes exclusively from the outer layer of the orange, which is exposed to the environment it grows in, it’s also important to look for organic, cold-pressed orange oil to avoid chemical toxicity. This type is made by powerfully squeezing the rind of oranges that have been grown without the use of pesticides or herbicides.

Orange oil is really versatile and goes well with almost any other oil, which is why it’s included in all types of oil blends, including relaxants, stimulants, cleansers, purifiers and aphrodisiacs. Some essential oils to try combining it with include cinnamon, allspice, anise, basil, bergamot, clary sage, eucalyptus, frankincense, geranium, ginger,sandalwood, jasmine and clove oil.

Taken from my essential oil guide, here are several methods for safely using orange oil at home:

Aromatically: You can diffuse the oil in your home using a diffuser or inhale the oil directly. To make a natural room freshener, put a few drops of oil along with water into a spritz bottle.
Topically: Before applying orange oil to your skin, it should be diluted with a carrier oil, like coconut or jojoba oil, in a 1:1 ratio. Once you know your reaction to orange oil is safe, you can add a few drops of essential oil to a warm bath, lotion or body wash.
Internally: Ingesting orange oil is ONLY recommend when you’re using a very high-quality, organic, “therapeutic grade” brand. You can add a drop to water or seltzer, or take it as dietary supplement mixing it with honey or into a smoothie. This helps lower bloating and improves digestion and detoxification from the inside-out. The FDA recognizes it as safe for consumption (21CFR182.20), but this is only the case if you purchase a pure, unadulterated oil. You get what you pay for, so make sure to seek out a reputable, tested brand!

Try these simple recipes at home using orange essential oil:

Homemade Honey Citrus Shampoo Recipe

This homemade honey citrus shampoo recipe is great for your hair! It helps balance the hair’s natural pH, it kills bacteria, restores moisture to hair, reduces dandruff and it doesn’t strip the hair of its natural oils.

Total Time: 2 minutes
Serves: 20–30

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup water
• 5 tablespoons raw honey
• 5 drops orange essential oil
• 5 drops lemon essential oil
• Glass bottle with dispenser

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Transfer to a container. Mix well before each use.

Orange Oil and Honey Acne Treatment Recipe

This natural acne remedy won’t leave your skin dry, flaking or red, but it will help reduce blemishes, dark spots, and white or blackheads caused by bacteria. Both honey and orange benefit skin health by fighting infections, bacteria, inflammation, swelling and redness.

Total Time: 2 minutes
Serves: 30

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon pure coconut oil
3 tablespoons raw honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
20 drops orange essential oil (or use half cinnamon essential oil)
2 capsules of Live Probiotics

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients together and blend with a hand blender. Pour into a convenient bottle and store in cool place.

Natural Orange Oil Home Deodorizer Recipes

Deodorize your dishwasher by combining orange oil and 1 cup of lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best). Add them to the bottom of your dishwasher and run just the rinse cycle to disinfect and deodorize it. You can use the same formula to clean your sink too.
You can also add a warm, clean scent to your kitchen or home by filling a pot with water and adding orange oil, lemon oil or peels, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Simmer on your stove or diffuse these oils together.

Orange Oil Side Effects and Interactions

Because it’s very potent, the oil can cause reactions on the skin when you use it directly, so start out with a small amount and make sure you don’t experience any redness, swelling or hives. It’s a good idea to do a “skin patch test” on a small piece of skin — for example, your forearm — before using it on larger patches or delicate areas like your face.

If you’re allergic to oranges or other citrus fruits, you shouldn’t use orange oil, which can cause serious reactions both internally and externally. Also be careful when using it on your children topically or if you’re pregnant, nursing, taking medication or have a medical condition. Essential oils are powerful and interact with other medications, so talk to your doctor if you’re unsure how using orange oil will impact an existing health condition like cancer, heart disease, liver damage or skin disorders.

Another thing to keep in mind is that citrus oils can increase the effects of UV light exposure on the skin. It’s a good idea to avoid direct sunlight or UV rays for up to 12 hours after applying the oil to your skin so you don’t experience a burn.

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