Lavender essential oil is truly an indispensable oil. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), when distilled produces an exquisite oil, having more healing properties than any other type of lavender.

My quest to discover all I could about the healing benefits of lavender oil started years ago. You can’t research the benefits of lavender oil without finding out about René-Maurice Gattefossé, the father of modern aromatherapy. He widely experimented with English lavender oil in 1910 after he suffered severe burns in a laboratory experiment fire. Fascinated by his story and wanting to find out more about the healing properties of lavender I discovered that lavender essential oil is antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic analgesic, anti-anxiety, antidepressant, calming, anti-inflammatory and an immune stimulant. Gattefossé found the oil to be beneficial for so many body functions, the brain, nerves, paralysis, lethargy and rheumatism, as well as being effective in cases of stress, insomnia, headaches, acne, infections, and calming to skin irritations (burns, eczema), as well as being able to promote healing and prevents scarring by stimulating the cells of a wound to regenerate more quickly.

Lavender essential oil is very safe even for babies and pregnant women, it is one of the few oils that can be put directly on the skin undiluted ( this is called using the oil neat ). Lavender essential oil is always in my first aid kit and can enhance your life in so many ways. Try these suggestions. 

 

• Dab English lavender oil neat on small cuts, scrapes, burns, bumps, and insect bites.

• A peaceful night’s sleep is vital to total wellness, add 6 drops into an aromatic diffuser to disperse the oil into the room. You could also just put one drop of lavender essential oil under your nose at bedtime or rub a few drops of lavender oil on the soles of your feet. I always like to know why and how things work. The reason essentials oils are absorbed so quickly through the soles of your feet is because the soles of your feet have the largest pores, on your whole body, and there are no hair follicles to slow down the application or absorption of the essential oil. Also, the soles of your feet have only 5 layers of skin. Other parts of your body typically have 7 to 10 layers of skin. Essential oils are lipid-soluble meaning that since your skin is oily and the essential oils are "oils", they can easily mix together and dissolve into one another. Within seconds they are penetrating the layers of skin and entering the bloodstream.

• For anxiety or depression, 3 or 4 drops on a tissue you carry with you will be uplifting. 

• For a fresh and clean feeling after a day that leaves you feeling hot and tired, just wipe your face and neck with a few drops of lavender essential oil on a wet washcloth. 

• Adding 5 to 20 drops of lavender essential oil to your bath will relax you after a busy day.

• To make antiseptic lavender water (this is not hydrosol which is a by-product of distillation) that is both soothing and cleaning, add one drop of lavender essential oil to 237ml of water. This lavender water can be used to wash puffy eyes, bruises, bites, minor external sores as well as a hair rinse to reduce oiliness.

• Enjoy finding more ways to achieve wellness using lavender essential oil.