Lavender has been valued throughout history for its healing powers and is one of the most important essential oils. It is a natural antibiotic, antiseptic, anti-depressant, sedative and detoxifier and also able to promote healing and prevent scarring.
Most oils need to be diluted in a carrier oil but lavender is so gentle that in some circumstances it can be used neat. You can put a drop on your pillow or a few drops in your bath at night to help you sleep. If you suffer from anxiety you can put a drop on a tissue or cotton wool pad and sniff throughout the day to help calm your nerves.
Healing Properties of Lavender Oil
The distinctive, light, floral aroma has a calming effect on the mind and is helpful for bringing the mind and body back into balance, reducing stress and enabling healing to take place.
Muscular Pain can be relieved when lavender essential oil is used in a massage blend or in the bath. It can also relieve menstrual pain when massaged into the lower abdomen.
Minor Cuts and Grazes can be cleaned with cooled boiled water containing a couple of drops of lavender oil and tea tree oil. Then Lavender can be applied to the wound and covered with a sterile gauze which needs to be changed two or three times a day.
Scalds and minor burns – after cooling the area with cold water, neat lavender oil can immediately be applied to the area and covered with a sterile dressing. Change the dressing regularly and when the pain has reduced you can then mix a few drops of lavender with Aloe Vera gel and apply to the area regularly. Aloe Vera also has very good soothing properties and can be safely be used with essential oils for a soothing gel.
It is also useful in the treatment of inflammation, rheumatism, arthritis, eczema, dermatitis, acne, insomnia, headaches and migraine. It also has benefits on the mind alleviating anxiety, stress and tension.
Precautions
Even though Lavender Essential Oil is a gentle and mild oil, as with all essential oils there can be side effects such as headaches, nausea and skin reactions. Be very careful using any oil to begin with, do a skin patch test and use very low dilutions to start with. If you have any health conditions, are pregnant or taking medication check with you doctor to make sure there are no negative interactions with using Lavender Oil. Also if using with children take the same precautions as they can be very sensitive to the powerful effect of essential oils.
How to Use Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender Essential Oil can be used in many ways; for first aid, relaxation and in bath and body products. You can find many recipes in books and online but I’ll share some of my favourite recipes from the Aromatherapy and Natural Health Magazines. They do contain other essential oils but they are common ones that are easily available;
To dilute pure essential oils a ratio of 6 drops into 10ml of carrier oil will give you a 3% dilution. If using on children use a much weaker dilution. You can work out how many drops to put into your carrier oil using the Dilution Calculator on the NowFoods.com website here.
Insomnia Oil Blend
5ml diluted lavender oil
2 drops pure lavender essential oil
2 drops pure chamomile essential oil
Stroke a small amount onto the chest and over the solar plexus
Acne Facial Oil
20ml almond or apricot kernel oil
10 ml diluted lavender oil
1 drop pure geranium essential oil
1 drop pure lemon essential oil
Apply a tiny amount over face (neck and back) before bedtime;
After Sun Spray
250ml still spring water
20 drops pure lavender essential oil
Keep this in a spray bottle in the fridge and use it to cool the skin down when needed. Shake well before use.
Room Spray
90 ml of distilled water
2 tablespoons of vodka or witch hazel
20 of pure lavender essential oil, or a combination with other essential oils
Add all the ingredients to a glass spray bottle and shake to combine. Shake before each use.
Grow You Own Lavender
Lavender is easy to grow in your garden, containers or window boxes and the lovely aroma is released when you brush past it. It can also repel some insects so it good to grow near doors, windows and patios. Although it repels biting insects it does attract a vast range of pleasant pollinators like butterflies, bees and humming bird moths. You can harvest the flower and dry them to use in bath products, pot-pourri and lavender eye pillows like. There is a lovely website that has lots of ideas for making lavender products called Homemade Gifts Made Easy

Disclaimer – I am a qualified complementary therapist but not a medical professional or aromatherapist. A vast amount of information on essential oils and home made products can be found on the internet and although I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience from various courses over the years I still like to look up recipes on the internet and where I have shared these recipes I have provided links to the pages to the source of the information. Essential oils are very potent and great care should be taken when using them, if you are wanting to use them during pregnancy, for children or for medical conditions then I recommend you consult your doctor for advice.
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