It may be one of the oldest known essential oils used. Documentation from ancient Egyptians shows that they used cedarwood oil in the mummification process, as well as to ward off infections. You can also find mention of this conifer tree in the Bible. The cedarwood referred to in the Bible is the cedar of Lebanon, one of the oldest known aromatics. Cedar was an integral part of two biblical purification rituals: one for the lepers and another for those who were impure from touching a dead body. Clothing was also anointed with cedar to protect it from humidity. Back then it was well known for being a purifier and anti-inflammatory application.
The spiritual meaning of cedarwood is strength. The size and longevity of the cedar tree symbolizes strength, and in Lebanon, the tree serves as an important cultural symbol for that reason. Poets and artists have conveyed the tree as a sign of strength and eternity, especially given the tree's endurance through tumultuous periods of history.
Cedarwood helps with sleep/insomnia
I've had sleeping issues for years. While finishing my day by 9 pm, I could find myself still up til a 2 and 3 'o' clock in the morning flicking through the t.v. Tasks that I wanted to get done would be running through my head. Then I'd head into the kitchen to make a little snack. Feeling like that would help me get to bed. Millions of people have had issues with sleep, and now with Covid it's becoming more and more of an issue. An organization called Sleep Foundation says conservative estimates suggest that 10% - 30% of adults live with chronic insomnia. Other figures say the percentage is between 50% - 60%.
Cedarwood was apart of the first set of essential oils I purchased for research purposes. Being a guy that loves the outdoors, I knew how the smell of wood would make me feel....at peace. Finding out whether essential oils would help with sleep, lead me right to cedarwood. Should you do you own research on essential oils that will help with sleep, you will find out oils like lavender, chamomile, sweet marjoram, bergamot, clary sage, sandalwood and ylang ylang can be paired with cedarwood for easier sleep. When essential oil is extracted from cedarwood, it includes a particular alcohol that can directly impact your sleeping. The active ingredient in cedarwood oil is a terpene called cedrol, making the oil act as a natural sedative to help combat insomnia.
So I tried it out on myself. Bought a diffuser from, and put about 7 drops in it. My diffuser allows for 350 ml of water, so 7 drops was a good amount. At the time, I hadn't done the research to know what the oil could do. Thinking that it's a wood and to me they had a relaxing smell. Well, the couch had me for a couple hours. Almost 3 to be exact. Initially the scent brought just a calmness. Like I wasn't in a sunken place, but I was stuck on the couch. Eventually waking up a few hours later. The diffuser shut off automatically as all the water and essential oil had evaporated. Take note that most diffusers will shut off after the water level gets low or the fully empties out.
So anyway back to what is in cedarwood. The oil is most certainly used in the perfume industry, as many essential oils are. The amount of cedrol found in the oil is based on which cedarwood oil you're using. Mine was Himalayan Cedarwood and it smells wonderful. Some say they prefer it over the Virginian or Texan Cedarwood, as it conveys a light sent of vanilla. In all essence, the amount of cedrol terpene doesn't exceed 20% for all 3 versions. Virginia's cedarwood oil has a little over 15% and oils extracted from Texas trees have about 19% of the sedative. Trying out all three types can provide the best solution to determine which aroma is to your liking. One oil can smell good to one person, but may not work for the next. Good thing cedar is a familiar smell. As one of the conifer trees, it's family includes both pines and cypress trees.
Cedarwood Sleeping diffuser blends
When faced with the idea of presenting diffuser oils as a product through House of Aja, cedarwood and sleep were my first thoughts. You'll find a good amount of essential oils within other aroma categories, that work super well with cedarwood. There are several rules to the blends of House of Aja.
1. The oils have to be known to have similar characteristics. I'm not going to mix a relaxer and up lifter, just cause they smell good together.
2. The oils have to smell great together!
3. Oils used for the blends have to include a bottom, middle and top note.
4. Include an essential oil that isn't well known to consumers
Our sleep blend consists of Cedarwood, Ho Wood and Lavender. The woodsy smell is offset by the lavender. Both are considered relaxers and have been known to help with getting to sleep. Ho wood was my choice in using an oil that I hardly see in many products. Used to relieve stress and anxiety, it made perfect sense to include this oil in our sleeping blend.
House of Aja will introduce several cedarwood sleeping blends in October of this year, with the first being mentioned above. These blends are meant to be used in diffusers, but can be rubbed on the person with a carrier oil. We never allow customers to apply essential oils without adding them first to a carrier like sunflower or argan oil. Hopefully the use of cedarwood will give you the same sleep relief that I've been able to obtain. It's been a journey finding something to help with insomnia, but I think we've finally found something.
