Have you all heard about citronella oil? Can you differentiate between Citronella and Lemongrass? You might know about citronella oil as an active ingredient used in mosquito repellent.
Citronella is commonly mistaken for Lemongrass, as they have similar appearance, growth and scent. However, these two plants belong to the same plant family (Cymbopogon family). The easiest way to differentiate them apart is to remember that lemongrass has off-white bottom stems while those of the citronella plant are reddish in color. For centuries, citronella oil has been a natural medicinal remedy and food ingredient in China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and parts of Asia. Besides that, citronella oil had been widely used in homecare products as a natural fragrance for household cleaning products, and non-toxic insect-repelling agent, due to its valuable disinfecting, freshening, and deodorizing properties.
Without further ado, let us see how beneficial citronella oil is in homecare products!
1. Natural Insect Repellent
There are tons of different insect repellent products available in the market today. While most of the initial products that we see in the supermarket are based on toxic chemicals, there are also brands which features natural ingredients to repel mosquitos and uses citronella oil as an active ingredient. When citronella oil used in combination with other compounds, citronella oil-based formulations provide protection against insects and mosquitoes on application to clothes or even bare skin.
In addition, it is also effective in treating itchy and irritated areas of the skin due to insect or mosquito bites. However, keep in mind that some people may be allergic to the oil when it comes in contact with bare skin. Always do a patch test to avoid any allergies.
2. Antifungal agent
A study published on Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology in 2013 found that citronella oil had the ability to destroy the cell wall of Aspergillus niger fungus and kill the organisms within the cell that can cause infection. This common fungus is thought to cause lung and sinus infections in people with weakened immune systems. Thus, it led to citronella oil potentially to be used as a safe and environmentally friendly fungicide.
Due to its valuable antibacterial property, citronella oil is incorporated into home diffusers, in order to slow or prevent the growth and spread of harmful airborne bacteria. Also, citronella chemical component contains potent antibacterial effects, making citronella useful for treating minor cuts and scrapes or controlling body odor caused by bacteria.
3. Physiological effects of inhalation
Citronella oil is a type of essential oil widely used in aromatherapy. Its fresh, bright citrus-like scent is known to naturally refresh the musty scent of stale and unclean air. This cleansing and invigorating quality make citronella oil an ideal ingredient in natural room sprays and diffuser blends. As its popular usage in home diffuser as fungicide, it gives aromatherapy indirectly to people who inhale it. From the view of aromatherapy, it eases and uplifts negative sentiments such as sadness, anxiety, headache and stress by relaxing the body and mind and promoting a sense of lightheartedness.
4. Natural fragrance in household cleaning products
Due to its distinctive fragrance and antibacterial property, cleaning product industries love to use citronella oil as a natural fragrance in household cleaning products. This can help them save cost on fragrance and also add value to their products due to the trend of preferred option to use natural fragrance rather than artificial one. Our Liquid Impell contains citronella oil and other active compounds to enhance the effect of anti bacterial component and insect repellant (including mouse, lizards, ants, houseflies and cockroaches). It also can be use as a multi purpose surface cleaner.
Although citronella oil sometimes is not as effective (and toxic) as chemical-based compounds, it requires frequent reapplying especially when used as insect repellent. However, natural chemicals like citronella oil usually are better for our health and also our very fragile environment. Let’s do our part to help save the environment!
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