· By Lisa Swain
Lavender Love: All About This Calming Essential Oil
The Essentials
Our second installment of our Essentials series dives into lavender essential oil, a familiar scent with surprising benefits. Learn how to easily add this to your essential oils toolkit.
Lavender [Lavandula Angustifolia] is well known, and familiar to just about everyone. It evokes old fashioned toiletries, lavender bags in your knicker drawers and in pot pourri at your Nana’s house. But it really is a total powerhouse that offers so much, and its delicate scent really is nice especially when mixed with other essential oils.
Where does it grow?
Lavender is native to the Mediterranean region, thriving in warm, dry climates with plenty of sunshine. It's particularly common in countries like France, Spain, Italy and Croatia.
However, due to its popularity, lavender is now cultivated in many other parts of the world, including the United States, Primarily in California and the Pacific Northwest, England and Australia.
How's it Made?
Extracting lavender oil is a delicate process. Most commonly, it's done through steam distillation. Here's the gist:
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Harvesting: Lavender flowers are carefully harvested at their peak bloom, usually during summer.
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Distillation: The harvested flowers are placed in a still and exposed to high-pressure steam.
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Separation: The steam carries the essential oil with it. The mixture is then cooled, and the oil separates from the water.
How is it used?
We use lavender in our SLEEP candle, blended with lemon verbena, himalayan cedarwood and ylang ylang to create a calming and floral aroma for your living room or bedroom. This blend promotes relaxation and reduces anxiety, while the lavender soothes you to sleep.
A French chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse discovered lavender oil miraculously cured a badly burnt arm when it spilt on him in his lab. He coined the word ‘aromatherapy’ back in 1937 and during WWII used essential oils to help wounded soldiers, and help them through colds and flu symptoms.
It’s especially good for sunburn, so try mixing a few drops with a carrier oil such as jojoba or sweet almond oil and take it on holiday with you. You will get moisture into your skin plus reduce any redness.
If you suffer from acne, Lavender oil is a nice way to use a natural product that won't aggravate your skin. It kills bacteria, which can prevent and heal acne breakouts whilst unclogging pores and reduces inflammation. Mix 2 drops of lavender with 1 teaspoon of witch hazel and rub over your face.
One of the simplest ways to use Lavender is to add a few drops of oil to a bath at the end of a long day. Shut the door and take a book with you. Or just a few drops on a tissue and smell when you're getting stressed at work will bring you back down to earth and ease the worries.
Benefits
- Calming: reduces anxiety, stress and encourages relaxation
- Improved sleep quality: By calming the body, lavender before bedtime can help people fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly
- Skin TLC: lavender has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to sooth irritated skin, reduce breakouts and promote wound healing.
- Pain relief: Lavender is analgesic which can relieve headaches, muscle aches and menstrual cramps
- Mood enhancement: Some studies suggest lavender may help improve mood and alleviate symptoms of mild depression.
Important Note
Always use high-quality lavender oil from a reputable source such as The Aromatherapy Company and dilute with a carrier oil when applying to skin.
Disclaimer
This information is for general knowledge and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before using essential oils, especially if you have any underlying health conditions or are pregnant.
What are your favorite ways to use lavender oil? Share your tips in the comments below!
References
McGill Office for Science and Society
