Discover the Potential of Lavender Oil

In this new entry of medicinal plants, we bring you a new essential oil full of properties. As we saw with the thymol oil and all its healing potential, lavender oil puts at our disposal all the plant biochemistry that, of course, we are going to take advantage of!

Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)

We find another medical plant and aromatic of Mediterranean origin. Belongs to the family Lamiaceae and is considered as a shrub for its great content in woody parts.

Since ancient times they already knew part of its potential, although today and thanks to scientific research, we can increase its range of application. We are sure that to this day the full potential of essential oils has not been discovered, including lavender oil.

Even so, we have to say that not only plant extracts are extracted from Lavandula officinalis, since within the genre Lavandula there are many options. Each species has different chemical contents. So, for example, Lavandula latifolia it also has medicinal applications.

Chemical composition of lavender oil

• Geraniol
• Camphor
• Cineol
• Borneol
• Alpha pinene
• Beta pinene
• Caryophyllene
• Camphene
• Guaiazulene
• Lineol

Among all these components, the one that is found in the greatest quantity is the camphor (36%) and the Cineol (33%). Specifically, camphor has antiseptic, analgesic, antipruritic and rubefacient properties. The largest amounts of this substance can also be found in camphor (Cinnamomum camphora), a large tree of Asian origin.

Added these properties plus those that we also find in the rest of the elements, make the lavender oil a versatile weapon to combat a lot of problems.

Home Remedies for Lavender Oil

We have collected and grouped a series of home remedies to relieve any of the following symptoms:

Relaxing effect

If we want to relax and tone our skin and muscles, we can apply on the area to treat some drops of lavender oil, which we will rub repeatedly until the entire solution is absorbed.

Avoid swelling and pain from insect bites

Although we will also see aromatic plants that repel insects, if we have arrived too late, lavender oil can help us reduce inflammation and the pain caused by the bite of insects such as the mosquito, wasp, bee, etc.

Skin hydration

If we have dry skin and need to moisturize it, lavender extract can help us soften our skin. We will apply a few drops in the area to be treated and then massage so that the mixture is naturally absorbed by the skin.

Chapped lips

With the arrival of the cold, the first symptoms we suffer are dry and cut lips. We can relieve the stinging and rehydrate them by applying a few drops of lavender oil about them. Problem fixed!

Repel moths and other insects

Do you remember the content in camphor of lavender? Well, it also has its application in the cabinets. We will apply a few drops of this essential oil on cotton or some cloth that we are not going to use and we will leave it in a corner of our cabinets or drawers. Moths will not dare to attack your clothes. 🙂

Sunburn

If we spend a lot of time on the beach sunbathing and have not taken the necessary measures to protect our skin, lavender can help us remedy sunburn as if it were a after-Sun it is. Gently apply and massage the burned area and let it rehydrate naturally.

Remember that although the Sun is positive to cover our Vitamin D needs, prolonged exposure is a great oxidant at the cellular level.

A similar effect, anti-inflammatory and analgesic, could its find in the castor oil, so the combined use of both has synergistic actions and accelerates healing.

Can you make homemade lavender oil?

As they say, everything homemade is always better used. The process of “extraction” of lavender oil does not require extraordinary means or industrial machinery. Through a simple technique that we will see below, you can take advantage of all the benefits of lavender to be able to use by Topically.

1. Need fresh lavender flowers. Our plant at home or in the garden will be able to help us provide the quantities we need. A handful will be enough to arrange a jar of this oil.
2. Let the freshly collected flowers dry for a few hours.
3. We will take olive oil or almond oil, which will be the one that collects all the aroma and potential of the extracted lavender.
4. Mash the lavender flowers with a mortar. We can also cover them with a cloth and give it with a kitchen spatula.
5. Heat the oil over low heat and when it is hot add the crushed lavender flowers little by little.
6. Leave the mixture for 2 hours until all the ingredients are completely mixed.
7. Rest the oil, strain it and put it in a glass jar.

We would already have a homemade lavender oil ready to apply on our skin, moisturize it, relax our joints and muscles, relieve sunburn and avoid swellings caused by the bite of certain insects. 🙂

Of course, an important recommendation is to keep this lavender oil in a dark and dry place. Light can cause the properties of lavender to lose.

It is normal that from a plant from which so many can be extracted polyphenols they can also have application on plants. Lavender has some insecticidal action, in a healing way for plants, although its use as a repellent is more common.

Unlike thymol, the product found in thyme oil, of which an insecticidal and fungicidal effect has been demonstrated, lavender oil is “less potent”.

Either way, we can get your benefits in our plants as follows:

1. Boil 100 grams of fresh plant on 1 liter of water. It is used pure and undiluted and applied directly to the plants we want to protect.
2. Ferment 1 kg of lavender over 10 liters of water. Once it is fermenting, we will dilute the mixture to 10% and apply with a sprayer directly on the plants.