Stay Healthy in Mind and Body With the Scent Of Grapefruit

Whether you’re having a grapefruit as part of a morning meal or as a quick snack during the day, you may want to reconsider tossing the peel in the trash.

At Winter Sweetz, we know of a way that you can use to take the citrus rind and turn it into a therapeutic oil that could benefit your everyday health.

Before we begin, while most essential oils are safe to use in aromatherapy or for topical use, they’re not safe to ingest. Ingesting essential oils can be toxic, and if you have any allergies to grapefruit or to certain oils, you may want to refrain from using or creating grapefruit essential oils.

The Benefits of Grapefruit Essential Oil

With the oil that comes from our delicious Texas red grapefruit, you can expect its aroma to smell sweet, clean, and fresh. This scent alone has been said to increase energy levels and stamina. Although not professionally prescribed in the medical field or taken as medical substitution, this essential oil has been used for:

1. Health Improvement: For those who want to lose a few belt notches, research indicates the aroma of grapefruit essential oil may reduce your appetite, breakdown lipids, and control blood pressure. A full body massage with grapefruit oil, in tandem with a few other oils, can also help you shed off some of that belly fat.
2. Anxiety and Depression: For those who suffer from anxiety, a calming massage with grapefruit oil can help you ease your worries as the aroma of grapefruit oil targets the sympathetic nervous system—the system in control of your “fight or flight” response. A whiff of grapefruit oil, on the other hand, can encourage the brain to create hormones that are known to uplift a downed spirit.
3. Antimicrobial Purposes: Grapefruit extracts can help those that are fighting the flu as well as fungal, viral, or bacterial infections. Notably, it can also help the immune system fight off multi-drug resistant bacteria that cannot be felled with normal antibiotics.
4. Provide Healthy Skin: Grapefruit essential oil is a cornerstone in many skin creams, especially face creams that assist in treating certain skin conditions like acne. The oil helps keep the skin bacteria-free and clean, aiding in acne treatment and prevention.

Now equipped with the beneficial knowledge regarding grapefruit essential oils, here is a quick method you can use to make your own.

How to Make Your Own Grapefruit Essential Oil

With some of Winter Sweetz sweet Texas red grapefruit in hand, a kitchen grater, a base oil (e.g. olive oil, coconut oil, or almond oil works well), cheesecloth, a funnel, a few dark-tinted vessels, a large bowl, and a thick sauce pan, you too can make your very own grapefruit essential oil by using these steps: 

1. Take your Winter Sweetz Texas red grapefruits and give them a thorough wash with warm soapy water and rinse.
2. Peel the grapefruit, then scrape the white pith from the inside the rind with a kitchen grater that has a small grating or zesting option.
3. Spread out the skins on a plate and place in a warm area with good air circulation to dry. Smaller pieces tend to dry quicker, and within a couple of days, the skin will be dry and good to go. It’s of utmost importance, however, to wait until fully dry to reduce moisture content and ensure that no microbial growth can take place.
4. In the sauce pan, place the dried grapefruit skin and add almond oil just until the skins skin in. Be careful not to add too much oil since the essential oils are concentrated. Turn on the heat and leave the saucepan on low, covered, and on a low flame. Allow mixture to heat up for several hours, mixing every so often, until the oil has infused adequately.
5. Once cooled, pour the prepared oil into a large bowl covered with four or five layers of cheesecloth. Then, gather the edges of the cheesecloth and squeeze as much oil as you can into the bowl. The squeezing extracts the remaining oils, leaving behind the grapefruit skin.
6. Carefully pour the oil into small dark-tinted vessels with the help of a funnel and seal with stoppers or lids. For storage, keep the vessels in a cool, dry place.

Every bit of the grapefruit has a purpose, so before you throw those skins in the trash, consider treating yourself to a batch of grapefruit essential oils.

The grapefruit revolution is now! Get our delicious, sweet Winter Sweetz Texas red grapefruits at any of these retailers, or have your favorite retailer give us a call at (956) 424-7775 to get these delectable delights into your produce section today.