Palo Santo

Palo Santo

Bursera graveolens

Base note Woody Resinous & amber Essential oil

Sweet, bright wood with a citrusy, almost minty lift and a resinous, faintly smoky dry-down — lighter and fresher than most woods.

Made from: Steam-distilled from the wood of palo santo trees, ideally from naturally fallen trees and branches that have aged on the forest floor.
Strength: ●●●○○
Cost: Pricey
Moods: Calming Grounding Uplifting
Seasons: Autumn, Winter, Spring
Rooms: Living room, Bedroom, Entryway

Blend with it

No well-established cautions at normal use; it's rich in limonene, so store it cool, dark and tightly capped. Ask suppliers for provenance — ethical oil comes from permitted, fallen wood in Ecuador or Peru.

How it behaves

CandlesGood

The bright top fades in hot wax; pair with frankincense or cedarwood to keep it from thinning out.

Wax meltsGood

Reed diffuserGood

Room & linen sprayGood

Electric (water) diffuserGood

Cold-process soapGood

Generally behaves well; pricey for soap, so it's usually a supporting note.

Melt-and-pour soapGood

Laundry & cleaningWorkable

Pairs well with

Frankincense

Base · Resinous & amber

Sweet Orange

Lime

Atlas Cedarwood

Atlas Cedarwood

White Sage

Middle · Herbal

Myrrh

Base · Resinous & amber

Vetiver

Bergamot

Don't have it? Try Frankincense, Atlas Cedarwood.

In these blends

Desert Sanctuary

Sage brush and sun-warmed wood at the end of a quiet desert hike.

White Sage · Grapefruit · Lavender · Palo Santo · Bergamot · Labdanum

Top 31% Middle 44% Base 25%

GroundingCalmingSummerAutumn

A little lore

Its name is Spanish for 'holy wood,' and the wood has long been burned in folk and ritual practice in Ecuador and Peru.