Lavender essential oil - uses and benefits?

Lavender essential oil - uses and benefits?

Lavandula (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, and southwest Asia to India.

Many members of the genus are cultivated extensively in temperate climates as ornamental plants for garden and landscape use, for use as culinary herbs, and also commercially for the extraction of essential oils. The most widely cultivated species, Lavandula angustifolia, is often referred to as lavender, and there is a color named for the shade of the flowers of this species. Lavender has been used for centuries in traditional medicine and cosmetics.

Commercially, the plant is grown mainly for the production of lavender essential oil. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) yields an oil with sweet overtones and can be used in balms, salves, perfumes, cosmetics, and topical applications. Lavandula × intermedia, also known as lavandin or Dutch lavender, hybrids of L. angustifolia and L. latifolia are widely cultivated for commercial use since their flowers tend to be bigger than those of English lavender and the plants tend to be easier to harvest. They yield a similar essential oil, but with higher levels of terpenes including camphor, which add a sharper overtone to the fragrance, regarded by some as of lower quality than that of English lavender.

The US Food and Drug Administration considers lavender as generally recognized as safe for human consumption. The essential oil was used in hospitals during World War I when Jean Valnet a French Doctor who was a plant medicine enthusiast, used it on patients and his experiments were later very appreciated, because there was a lack of medications during that time.

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LAVENDER BENEFITS FOR SKIN HEALTH

Soothing for acne and irritated skin

Lavender is antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory so it can be used to treat several skin problems like eczema, psoriasis, and other allergies. It’s also a highly effective and proven treatment when you have an acne flare-up and helps keep blemishes at bay.

It minimizes wrinkles and age spots

Due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, lavender nourishes the skin back to a healthy glow and also helps prevent wrinkles, and lightens the appearance of age spots and dark marks. Antioxidants fight off the free radicals that cause the skin aging process.

It has wound-healing properties

Because it’s an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, lavender oil helps speed up the healing of small burns, cuts, scrapes, and wounds. Its soothing compounds also provide welcome relief from sunburn. This was first discovered by French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse who accidentally found out about it when he badly burned himself in his lab.

It relieves itchy bug bites and keeps insects away.

Lavender helps to calm inflamed and irritating insect bites and stings and also acts as an effective insect repellant. A lavender sachet in your closet is well known to ward off moths, and a lavender spray also successfully repels mosquitoes, flies, ants, fleas, and bed bugs.

It helps combat fungal and viral infections

As an antimicrobial, lavender helps to eliminate bacteria and also acts against certain types of fungi. It’s been found to be a highly potent remedy for athlete’s foot and ringworm. It can also help reduce inflammation and clear up viral infections such as cold sores and warts.

It may stimulate hair growth

Preliminary research suggests lavender oil not only stimulates new hair growth but can also increase scalp and hair health and thickness when massaged daily. Another study showed that massaging in a mix of lavender, thyme, rosemary, and cedarwood essential oils can significantly improve hair loss caused by alopecia areata.

It’s a natural treatment for head lice

Proven to be more effective than common over-the-counter treatments, a combination of lavender and tea tree oils diluted in olive or coconut oil has been found to clear up head lice after 3 weeks.

It can help improve hair health

Because lavender oil is an antimicrobial, it may prevent the formation of dandruff. Its natural anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce scalp inflammation and dry scalp.

LAVENDER BENEFITS FOR MIND HEALTH

Lavender improves stress, anxiety, and mood

There’s been done a lot of research that shows that lavender has a soothing, calming effect on mood, stress, anxiety, and depression. One study found that lavender oil performed exactly the same as a prescription medication in reducing anxiety. Another observed that lavender lessens anxiety, sleep disturbances, and depression. It has also been shown to help with postpartum depression and PTSD symptoms. Lavender has even been found to improve emotional health and mood. One study that ends after two years (2024) has already found out that Lavender and Peppermint both help patients after operations with pain relief and better sleep.

Lavender supports better brain health

Lavender oil has been shown to improve memory loss and dementia symptoms due to its potent antioxidant properties. A study also found that lavender is an effective natural treatment option for other nervous system disorders affecting the brain such as a stroke.

It clears up a headache or migraine

When a tension or migraine headache strikes, lavender has been proven to be one of the best essential oils to help. As a natural sedative, it works quickly to relieve tension, ease anxiety, relax the body, and calm the mind. Those who don`t like that smell can use peppermint or frankincense essential oil for example.

LAVENDER BENEFITS FOR BODY HEALTH

It improves sleep and insomnia

Good quality sleep is widely recognized to be the most important thing for optimal health. Many studies have shown that lavender is a natural choice to improve the length of sleep, the time it takes to fall asleep, and reduce insomnia – all due to its calming and sedative properties. It’s been found to increase the percentage of deep sleep amongst both men and women, improve sleep quality scores for midlife insomniacs, and also enhance the quality of sleep amongst young mothers.

It reduces blood pressure and heart rate

Hypertension puts added stress on the heart, increasing the risk of a stroke or heart attack. A few studies have shown lavender to lower blood pressure and heart palpitations, including among postoperative open heart surgery patients.

It lessens menopausal and PMS symptoms

A small study has shown that lavender aromatherapy for 20 minutes twice a day can help reduce hot flashes. Regular lavender oil massages using together with rose geranium. Rose and jasmine oils also improved hot flashes, depression, and pain. Lavender aromatherapy has also been found to alleviate premenstrual emotional symptoms.

It eases pain

Whether its muscle or joint pain, spine or backache, lavender oil is a safe and effective natural painkiller. Many studies support its use for a wide array of pain conditions, including post-operative pain, menstrual cramps, neck pain, rheumatism, and labor pain.

It helps relieve respiratory symptoms

As a potent anti-inflammatory, lavender has been found to help with bronchial asthma to reduce inflammation of the airways and mucus. It also applies to other respiratory conditions like colds, flu, coughs, and sinus congestion, especially when the lavender is used together with other essential oils.

HOW DOES LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL WORK?

All essential oils are extracted from plant material through steam distillation. With lavender, it takes about 3 pounds of flowers to pack all the powerful healing properties of the plant into just half an ounce of essential oil. Lavender essential oil doesn’t just smell nice. It’s made up of hundreds of soothing natural compounds, and when you inhale it or apply it to your skin, it can have a profound effect on both your mind and your body.

When the scent of lavender is inhaled, the aromatic molecules travel up your nose to your olfactory bulb, which immediately sends a message to the limbic system, often referred to as the ‘emotional brain’. The limbic system influences many basic things like breathing, blood pressure, stress levels, and hormone balance. And it also is the place where your memories, emotions, and feelings are stored. That’s why the scent of grandma's cakes can quickly trigger a memory from childhood or the gingerbread smell reminds Christmas and etc.

All this process happens within milliseconds. That`s why we have an immediate response when we smell something. And that is why just one sniff of lavender can often make you immediately feel calmer and more relaxed.

It also works effectively when applied to the skin. It has a low molecular weight and is fat soluble, which means its healing components easily penetrate the skin and provide benefits to the body. When applied topically, it is rapidly absorbed - it takes a mere 20 minutes for the oil to affect every cell in the body. And in many instances, you actually get a twofold benefit as you also inhale the essential oil at the same time as you apply it topically. Plus it's the most unharmful oil and is suitable for kids also.

Even though essential oils are highly concentrated and potent, it’s important to note that you have to know from where you are getting your oils? Are they synthetic or pure and therapeutic?

Because only synthetic oils can be harmful to the skin and only an allergy to lavender can cause a problem on the skin. So always be sure what source you use or dilute with a base oil before using it on the skin!

USE 100% PURE LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL

As essential oils aren’t regulated, it can be very easy to purchase the wrong product instead of a pure lavender essential oil.

Avoid ‘fragranced’ or ‘perfume oils’: Fragranced oils are just that – a synthetic fragrance or perfume added to the oil without all the health and healing benefits of a pure lavender essential oil extracted from the plant.

Check the label: It should include the Latin name of the plant, which in the case of lavender is Lavandula angustifolia, if other ingredients have been added to it (should be just pure lavender essential oil without fillers), and the country of origin.

Dark-colored glass bottles: Reputable companies package essential oils in either brown or blue glass bottles to protect the quality.

Evaluate the company: Look for a trustworthy company or brand that has been around for several years and if possible find their oils testing results, they should be public!

Compare prices: Prices between different brands can cover a broad range depending upon their production and sourcing methods. Pure essential oil prices can also vary widely within a brand due to the scarcity/availability of each base ingredient. However, if you find a lavender essential oil at a rock-bottom price, it’s probably not the right one.

Where to get pure Essential oils?

We recommend for example Plant Therapy or Doterra essential oils. They both have good test results. You can also look into Florame essential oils in Europe and Mountain Rose should have also good test results. There are definitely some more companies out there that provide good quality essential oils. Let me know if you know some other brand that has pure and good test results out there.