Essential oils have been used in herbal medicine since ancient times, and they’ve recently seen a surge in popularity as an all-natural remedy to ailments of all kinds.
Lavender essential oil is a powerful natural remedy that has been used for centuries. From relieving stress to soothing burns, this versatile plant has many benefits that can help you feel better both physically and emotionally.
Lavender can be used topically or aromatically. Topical application is best when you're looking to address a specific skin issue or have sensitive skin, while inhalation is the most common way people use lavender.
Use it as a massage oil, spray it on your pillow before bedtime, add it to your bath or put some in your diffuser to reap the full benefits of this incredible plant!
Ways to Inhale Lavender
One of the most popular ways to use lavender essential oil is through inhalation. A few ways you can inhale it is by using a diffuser, applying it to your temples or putting a few drops on a cotton ball and inhaling directly.
For the cotton ball method, add two tablespoons of dried lavender flowers to one cup of boiling water before bedtime. Drape the wet cotton ball over your nose while lying down. When it cools off, replace it. The soothing fragrance will help calm you down and sleep more soundly throughout the night.
Other benefits include: relieving headache pain, treating skin conditions like acne and psoriasis, boosting moods in people who are stressed or anxious, and aiding in digestion problems.
Ways to Apply Lavender Topically
Lavender oil is one of the most versatile essential oils on the market. It can be applied to anything from a headache, bug bites, burns, cuts, or even lice.
Other ways to apply lavender topically include: applying directly onto the skin (1-2 drops), adding into bath water (5-10 drops), as an air freshener (5-10 drops), or diffusing in the home (5-10 drops).
For topical use, message about 1-2 drops into affected areas. For aromatic effects, diffuse about 5-10 drops.
The lavender essential oil can also be used as an ingredient in personal care items like soaps, lotions, shampoos and more.
In all cases, it should not exceed 10% of the recipe's total volume to avoid sensitivity issues like irritation and contact dermatitis.
Health and Wellness Uses
Lavender oil is widely used in aromatherapy, as it has a calming effect on the body. It can also reduce nervousness and stress, as well as depression. It is also a natural antiseptic, which means that it can be used to treat minor cuts or burns.
Furthermore, lavender oil can help soothe sunburns as well as muscle aches after exercising. While lavender oil does have a calming effect on the body, it should not be ingested orally if one suffers from epilepsy or low blood pressure.
The essential oil should not be applied to large areas of the skin either, as it may result in skin irritation. One should instead dilute the oil with carrier oils such as coconut oil before applying it to the skin.
Additionally, pregnant women are advised not to consume lavender oil during their pregnancy but are allowed topical use during labor due to its pain relieving properties.
Awareness of these guidelines will help maintain optimal health and wellness!
How Lavender Can Help You Sleep Better
The lavender essential oil has been used for centuries to help people sleep better. The fragrance of lavender can calm the mind and body, easing feelings of stress and anxiety. This helps promote a sense of balance that is conducive to relaxation, which in turn improves the quality of sleep.
Lavender oil can also help ease pain by reducing inflammation. In the same way, it promotes relaxation, lavender oil also helps reduce muscle tension with its calming effect on the body.
So if you're looking to get some relief from chronic pain, try diffusing some lavender oil before bedtime or adding it to your bath water. If you have any difficulty sleeping because of pain, then rub a few drops onto your temples or wrists before going to bed.
How Lavender Can Help Relieve Pain
Lavender oil is one of the most versatile oils around. It can be used topically on the skin or diffused in the air to help promote relaxation, relieve pain, and soothe inflammation, and dry skin.
All of these benefits are due to the chemical composition of lavender essential oil, which includes camphor, cineole, eucalyptol, linalool, 1-octen-3-ol and terpinen-4-ol.
When applied topically in a carrier oil like almond or coconut oil at a strength ratio of 1:2 (2 drops per 1 teaspoon), it can help treat pain associated with headaches and muscle aches.
You can also diffuse it in the air with an aromatherapy diffuser. One study found that those who inhaled lavender had significant decreases in their heart rates, blood pressure, and stress levels after just 15 minutes.
How Lavender Works as a Massage Oil
Lavender essential oil is soothing, calming, and uplifting. It promotes relaxation and helps balance out mood swings. When used as a massage treatment it relieves stress and reduces muscle tension.
As a massage oil, lavender is able to provide relief from both physical and mental stress. The scent of the oil is calming which allows the individual to relax.
In addition, lavender is often used as aromatherapy to help improve moods or relieve anxiety. When using this oil in a diffuser, it can create an atmosphere that stimulates creativity and calmness.
Different Uses of Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender oil can be used in a variety of ways but is most commonly applied by diffusing it into the air, either from an essential oil diffuser or from a few drops on cotton balls. In fact, many people believe that the aroma of lavender has calming effects.
However, there are many other ways to use this oil which may provide different benefits. The following are eight different uses for Lavender essential oil:
1. Relieves pain – Studies have shown lavender helps with pain caused by cancer, arthritis, migraines, and more. It's also been found to reduce pain during childbirth.
2. Increases blood circulation – Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, massaging with this essential oil can boost blood flow throughout the body by decreasing inflammation due to injury or inflammation caused by disease.
3. Improves sleep – Massaging with this essential oil at bedtime can increase the quality of sleep by reducing stress hormones released in our brains before bedtime.
4. Stimulates hair growth – By improving circulation, lavender oil can stimulate hair growth and prevent premature graying.
5. Strengthens nails – Regular application of this oil will strengthen nails making them healthier and less prone to breakage.
6. Helps heal scars – Mixing lavender essential oils with carrier oils like olive oil or coconut butter will allow it to penetrate the skin more deeply than just applying it directly on the skin surface.
7. Heals acne – Applied topically, Lavender will help heal acne without over-drying the skin like some other products might do.
8. Reduces wrinkles – A study found that daily use of Lavender may reduce wrinkles around the eyes after 12 weeks of treatment in people aged 40-60 years old!
Ideas for DIY Lavender Projects in Your Home
Whether you want to make your own natural air freshener or you're looking for a DIY home project, the lavender essential oil has a wide variety of uses. Here are a few ways to put it to good use in your home:
1. Add a few drops to your pillowcase at night or mix them into your body lotion.
2. Create an all-natural air freshener by adding 10-20 drops of lavender essential oil, 1 cup water, and 1 tablespoon vodka to a spray bottle.
3. Add some drops of lavender essential oil to Epsom salt water (1/4 cup Epsom salt mixed with 2 cups warm water) as a bath soak that will leave you feeling relaxed and refreshed.
4. Try making this easy homemade sugar scrub that's perfect for exfoliating skin while moisturizing and nourishing it.
5. Place a couple of drops on cotton balls in drawers to keep clothes smelling fresh.
6. Make your own non-toxic air freshener by combining 30 ounces of distilled water with 15-30 drops of pure lavender essential oil.
7. Use as a relaxing aromatherapy diffuser blend—mix one drop of lavender and three drops of peppermint in four teaspoons of carrier oils such as almond, olive, coconut, or jojoba. Put one teaspoon of the mixture into your diffuser, light the candle beneath it and enjoy!
Conclusion
One thing to remember when using this oil is that it's all-natural, so while it may seem harmless there are always risks. You could experience irritation of the skin or even allergic reactions depending on your sensitivity level.
One tip I learned from my mentor was to dilute the oil with 1-2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil before putting any on your skin (if you're unsure what type of carrier oil works best for you).
So, if you're looking for a way to get out all that excess energy, try rubbing down with Lavender and see how much better you feel afterward!
If you're in need of a quick pick me up, a way to unwind after a stressful day, or relief from an ache or pain, lavender essential oil might be just what you need.
Source Links:
https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/lavender-for-anxiety
https://naturalremediesblog.blogspot.com/
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lavandula-angustifolia/
https://skindiseaseremedies.com/lavender-oil-allergy/
https://thesleepdoctor.com/sleep-aids/does-lavender-help-you-sleep/
https://diyjoy.com/diy-projects-lavender-herbs/
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-lavender-essential-oil
