Indian sandalwood is considered one of the most beneficial and essential ingredients of many holy rituals in India, as well as some other Asian countries. It’s vastly used in skincare and perfume all over the world, as it miraculously restores and rejuvenates both the body and mind.
Soft, woody and creamy, sweet yet sturdy, and grounding without being overpowering are a few ways to define the Indian sandalwood fragrance. Its rich, warm yet mild scent lingers on for hours, satisfying and calming your soul.
At amaiaa, we love sandalwood’s calming yet uplifting fragrance and incredible healing properties, which is why we included it in the formula for our saya night revival facial oil. We strive to bring you the best in our beautiful bottles and today we would like to tell you just why the Indian sandalwood oil is so special to us, and why we carefully chose it for you!
For centuries in India, sandalwood has been an indispensable part of all stages of life. It’s considered very auspicious and therefore is used in many holy rituals and ceremonies, offered to the deities’ along with flowers and applied on the forehead during morning prayers. Sandalwood is frequently used in traditional beauty treatments and medicinal formulations, and it’s also used in certain food recipes that are part of royal delicacies.
The finest quality sandalwood oil comes from Indian sandalwood, botanically known as Santalum album. There are two other varieties in commercial use, although the quality isn’t as high, namely Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) and Hawaiian sandalwood (Santalum ellipticum).
How is the Best Indian Sandalwood Oil Produced?
The best Indian sandalwood oil is produced from trees that are around 50 to 70 years old or more. This is the age when the sandalwood tree fully matures, and its heartwood is rich with the lovely aromatic oil. The sandalwood tree is then carefully uprooted during the monsoons because even the roots have a good amount of oil.
Both the powder and the essential oil of sandalwood are prized for their aroma and several medicinal properties. They are used extensively in the manufacturing of various natural products. They are also used in the preparation of soaps, perfumes, deodorants, body lotions and powders, facial serums, medicines, mouth-fresheners, incense sticks, wood carvings, souvenirs and many other products.
Let’s look at some of the Indian Sandalwood benefits, uses and healing properties!
What are the benefits of Indian Sandalwood?
1. Promote Healthy Clear Skin
One incredible benefit of Sandalwood is its ability to promote healthy clear skin. Sandalwood is very mild but still has a powerful effect on the skin. Due to its antiseptic properties it prevents acne and rashes, heals itching and inflammation, cools and soothes sunburns, gently exfoliates, helps fade scars, and moisturizes and tones the skin with mild astringent action. Sandalwood oil is naturally mild and is suitable for all skin types, making it a perfect ingredient in our saya facial oil. Sandalwood also tones, clarifies and hydrates the skin extremely well. When combined with other essential oils, it creates extremely nourishing and vitalizing blends.
In India, sandalwood paste is traditionally prepared by rubbing a piece of the oil-rich heartwood with a little bit of water, on a circular flat rough stone till it forms a smooth creamy paste. This milky paste is then used for skin application. Today, people prefer using the commercially available sandalwood powder instead of making the fresh paste as the powder is easier to use and requires less time and effort.
2. Unlock Shiny Fragrant Hair
The sandalwood essential oil benefits healthy hair too. If you suffer from an itchy scalp, dandruff, dry or damaged hair, or have problem with hair growth, then sandalwood oil can help you fix these issues.
Just mix few drops of sandalwood oil with sweet almond oil and use it to gently massage your scalp. Leave overnight and wash off with a mild shampoo the next morning. This treatment prevents infections, cools and moisturizes your scalp, and makes your hair healthy and shiny.
3. Treat for Your Senses
Sandalwood powder is generally used in making various types of incense, whereas the essential oil is used for making perfumes, body lotions and exotic massage oil blends in aromatherapy. Its aroma reduces tension, aggression, and irritable moods, and has a calming and soothing effect on the senses.
The sandalwood powder and essential oil are also popular because they’re considered to be aphrodisiacs. Tantra Yoga recommends it for awakening the sexual energies and Swara Yoga recommends the incense for the unification of our senses.
Apply the sandalwood oil blend on your pulse points, burn sandalwood incense, or use it in a diffuser to freshen up your home and uplift your mood.
4. Boost Your Brain
Sandalwood oil is great for the benefit of your brain too as it helps boost memory and other brain functions. It’s used to enhance focus and concentration in students and to stay alert during meditation. It affects a part of the brain known as the limbic system, which controls our emotions and has an influence on our nervous system. It also greatly helps to reduces stress, anxiety and blood pressure.
5. Beauty Sleep Benefits
The soothing aroma of sandalwood deeply relaxes the mind and promotes deep and restful sleep. We all know the importance of beauty sleep! It’s a well-known fact that the body functions at its optimal levels when we get our daily dose of peaceful and undisturbed sleep.
Research has shown that our body repairs and restores itself at night as we sleep. So, it’s no surprise that skin cell regeneration happens much faster at night than it does during the day. That’s why it’s so important to have a good skincare regime at night. We included sandalwood in our saya night revival facial elixir to ensure that your skin rejuvenates itself effectively every night, so you wake up each morning with healthy, glowing skin.
Sandalwood Healing Properties
6. For Medicinal Purposes
Sandalwood essential oil has excellent antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties and is considered safe for both external application and internal consumption, but it’s to be consumed only under an expert’s supervision. It has a very cooling effect on the body and provides relief in all kinds of inflammation in the digestive, circulatory and nervous system. It is also used for the treatment of insect bites, rashes, wounds, fever and other forms of infections.
Sandalwood essential oil can easily be used for both skin and hair, by blending it with various carrier oils like sweet almond, jojoba or avocado. It can also be used to freshen up the atmosphere by sprinkling a few drops on a cloth or tissue or in an aromatherapy diffuser. Whichever way you use it, it’s sure to uplift and sooth your senses and transport you to a blissful state of mind.
Now, we’ll let you in on an ancient Indian secret used with Indian Sandalwood:
If you can get your hands on a piece of Mysore sandalwood, use it to make a paste in the traditional way by rubbing it on a rough flat stone, but instead of water, make the paste with a little bit of fresh milk or pure rose water, 2-3 strands of pre-soaked saffron and 2-3 blanched almonds.
Crush the saffron strands with the sandalwood as you rub it on the stone. The aroma during this stage is breathtakingly divine. Rub the almonds on the stone the same way until it forms a smooth thick paste. Mix this paste well and apply it as a face mask. Rinse off with water once it dries, usually after about 15 to 20 minutes.
This blend is a super luxurious, hydrating and nourishing formula that can be used as a natural face and body mask for all skin types. The creamy blend instantly lightens skin tone and gives a radiant glow. It also makes your skin super soft and has excellent anti-aging and healing properties as it fights off skin infections and reduces wrinkles.
If you’re unable get the above ingredients, then simply use our saya night revival facial oil that promises to give your skin the same radiance and glow, as it has Indian sandalwood oil along with other natural ingredients.
Give your skin the nourishment it needs:
Our natural facial oils, handcrafted with careful selection of every single ingredient, thus ensuring that every bottle you get is of the highest quality and nothing but the best.
