What it smells like
Herbal, sweet and faintly like apples — quite unlike the chamomile tea most people expect. It is one of the more expensive oils, which is why it comes in a 5 ml bottle, and it is strong for its price: one drop usually does.
Three things to actually do with it
1. A 0.5 % facial oil
One drop in 10 ml of jojoba. Roman chamomile is among the mildest oils in the range and one of the few worth using on the face at all. Patch test first, as with anything new.
2. An evening diffuser blend
One drop with three of lavender. Chamomile is quiet — it disappears if you put it against citrus.
3. A bath oil, properly dispersed
Two drops stirred into a tablespoon of carrier before it goes into the water.
What it blends with
Lavender above all, then frankincense and the soft citrus oils. It is a supporting note, not a lead.
Getting the amount right
In the European range this bottle is supplied for topical and aromatic use and is not labelled as a food flavouring. On skin, 0.5 % on the face and 1 % on the body is plenty. Not photosensitising.
People with a known allergy to the daisy family should treat chamomile with the same caution they would the plant. Full safety notes.
Questions people ask
Roman or German chamomile?
Two different plants with different oils — German chamomile is deep blue and smells quite different. The botanical name on the label is definitive.
Why is it so expensive?
Yield. It takes a great deal of flower to produce very little oil.
Is it a sleep aid?
No, and nothing here says so. It is a pleasant, quiet smell that many people use in the evening.