Essential oils have skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade. Once only thought to be a “hippie” thing back in the sixties and seventies, they have enjoyed a mainstream resurgence in the 2000’s as a great way to do everything from clean your house to remedy common health complaints.

So now that it’s officially summer time, lets talk about one of the best summery-smelling family of essential oils out there! They are one of the most popular, and most abundantly available. We’re talking about the citrus family of oils. Not only are they widely and readily available, but they also happen to be some of the most affordable!

Orange Essential Oils

Orange essential oils are probably the most economic price-wise, and most widely available. Everyone loves the scent of a fresh, sweet and juicy orange! Nothing brightens your day and mood quite like a fresh burst of this scent. We use this in a LOT of our products, specifically in our body wash and shampoo.

The scent of orange essential oils agrees with most scent-palettes, and it also tends to be one of the most tolerated of the citrus oils as far as sensitivities. So it makes it the perfect oil for products that are used at bath time.

This oil also happens to be very good for its naturally cleansing and astringent qualities. It does all this without stripping the skin, scalp and hair, or precious protective oils. It does not dry anything out like some other essential oils might do. It really is a great way to feel clean and get that surface gunk off without over-drying or irritation.

Oh, did we mention it also helps lend massive shine to your hair? It really helps to get the film off of the hair without stripping, so that your conditioner of choice can really penetrate the individual hair shafts and flatten the surface. Flatter surfaces means more SHINE! Related: Dyson Hair Dryer Part III - More Shine?

Grapefruit Essential Oils

One of the second most popular citrus essential oils are the grapefruit family. There’s pink grapefruit and regular grapefruit essential oils at the top of the list for this family. These are a bit pricier than the orange essential oils.

Presumably this is because they are a bit less widely available due to lesser output from the rinds that are squeezed for the essential oil. Oranges are abundant, while grapefruits are a little less abundant (and the fruit itself is more expensive than the orange, so it logically follows its oil would be as well).

Pink grapefruit is one of my favorites for its ability to really get the scalp clean. It also has potent antibacterial properties. It has even been thought to be very helpful for those with acne prone or oily skin! It’s great for the scalp because of its naturally astringent properties, and really helps to keep fungal overgrowth at bay.

This is important to scalp health, since dandruff, scabbing, itchiness and general ill health of the scalp is usually caused by fungal overgrowth. And if you think orange essential oil lends itself to shiny hair, grapefruit oil is really an MVP when it comes to revving up the shine factor! Related: Scalp Health Part I and Scalp Health Part II

If you’re comparing the scents of the two citrus oils, my favorite tends to be grapefruit. I love the bright, sweet smell of orange essential oil, but grapefruit oil adds a bit more tang and punch.

It really is a great aromatherapeutic oil to put in a diffuser any time of the year. It also pairs really well with some of the spicier smelling oils for aromatherapy, like clary sage, ginger, and clove oil for a wonderfully earthy yet bright and happy scent.