Kaffir Lime Essential Oil

Back in the 1990s before early Food Network cooking shows such as ‘Two Hot Tamales’ or ‘Taste With David Rosengarten’, I relied heavily on cookbooks to guide me into a world of foods from foreign lands. Charmaine Solomon, one of my favorite Asian cook book authors, provided visuals and history of exotic ingredients such as galangal and kaffir lime. I would read descriptions carefully and plan my voyage once a month away from Vancouver Island. My journey was a two hour ferry ride past lush small islands and the occasional whale to the mainland where I gathered ingredients needed for hand made curries made in a big, heavy mortar and pestle that sat like a prized jewel on my counter top. Kaffir lime leaves and fruit were always on the list, the wrinkly limes, a form of art I thought of as vibrantly beautiful. The kaffir lime leaves were the transformational ingredient a curry paste could not be without, if I was any kind of cook – so I felt. I don’t make my own curry pastes these days but my deep, kindred memories of bruised kaffir lime leaves is very present when sniffing Kaffir Lime essential oil, indelible memories that mark my long dedication to flavor and scent.

Kaffir Lime essential oil has a unique scent profile, which is why it holds place in our apothecary. It smells sweet and tangy, a scent that one would come to expect from distillation of the fruit. But in fact, it is the leaves that are distilled which is why Petitgrain is part of the botanical title. The oil is a natural addition to fine perfumery compositions and is considered perfume finery in places such as Indonesia where our oil is distilled and Thailand where it is also called Thai Bergamot.

Suggested use: Add to natural perfume compositions to lift base notes. A few drops can be added to natural shampoo to add shine to hair. Wonderful addition to hand soap. Highly recommended to add a few drops in unscented natural skin care such as our Vegan C Cream as an antibacterial and anti oxidant.