lavender
Aromatherapy Spotlight
on Lavender Essential Oil
by
Lisa Maliga © 2006-2008
Imagine a flower being able to calm your nerves, reduce inflammation
and swelling, promote faster healing for minor burns, decrease
muscle pain, alleviate insomnia, and work as a natural bug repellant?
That purple colored flower named lavender, which is derived from
the Latin word lavera meaning “to wash”, is one of
the most versatile essential oils the plant kingdom has to offer.
Additionally, it’s obtained without a prescription and the
price is considered quite inexpensive.
Types of Lavender: Lavandula angustifolia is
the most common type of lavender and it hails from England, and
is oftentimes referred to as true lavender. It grows all over the
world, including many parts of the United States, France, Italy,
Bulgaria, Russia, Croatia, China and Australia. The reason the “true” lavandula
angustifolia genus is so popular is due to the low rate of camphor,
less than one percent, it retains after distillation. This lends
the essential oil a strong floral aroma, but it also makes it quite
effective in aromatherapy usage, especially in accelerating the
healing of minor burns. Camphor is a chemical constituent that
you don’t want near a burn, and other versions of lavender,
such as lavandin, lavender’s cousin, which can contain up
to 8% camphor—not effective for soothing delicate skin tissue.
Lavandin (lavandula x intermedia) ~ According to ‘The Illustrated
Encyclopedia of Essential Oils’ by Julia Lawless, lavandin
is: “A hybrid plant developed by crossing true lavender (lavender
angustifolia) with spike lavender or aspic (lavender latifolia).
Due to its hybrid nature, lavandin has a variety of forms: in general
it is a larger plant than true lavender, with woody stems. Its
flowers may be blue like true lavender, or grayish like aspic.” The
scent of lavandin is also sharper and more penetrating. While the
plant grows in parts of Eastern Europe, Hungary, and Spain, cultivation
is mainly in France.
Spike Lavender (lavandula latifolia) ~ Spike, sometimes referred
to as Spanish lavender, is native to Spain, France, Italy, the
Mediterranean region, and Northern Africa. The bright blue flowers
commonly found in true lavender are often a grayer hue in the spike
variety. The essential oil is very penetrating, more herbal than
floral, and retains a higher concentration of camphor than true
lavender.
Lavender 40/42 ~ The lavender is blended with other lavenders to
bring the percentage of linalol to between 40% and 42%. Linalol
is an active component of Lavender that contains therapeutic benefits.
Some Lavender essential oils can contain 40% and 45%.
Historical Uses for Lavender:
“Lavender was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians in the sacred walled
garden at Thebes. They prized the herb greatly, using it to make a soothing
and healing balm that was part of the ritual of mummification. It was turned
into an expensive perfume to adorn both the living and the dead. Perfume urns
were sealed into tombs to provide fragrance, and when Tutankhamen’s tomb
was excavated, the scent of lavender was still strong even after 3000 years.” From ‘The
Book of Magical Herbs’ by Margaret Picton.
Surprisingly, lavender is found more frequently in commercial
fragrances for men rather than women. “This is one of the
oldest scents in the fragrance world, made from oils extracted
from the lavender and lavandin plants grown in France as well as
spike lavender grown in Spain.” From the book ‘Perfumes,
Splashes & Colognes’ by Nancy M. Booth. Examples of men’s
fragrances are: Aqua Lavanda, Cool Water, Drakkar Noir, Hai Karate,
Lavanda, Le Male by Gaultier, Old English Lavender, Old Spice Fresh
Scent, Pino Silvestre (conifer), Pour un Homme and Ungara Pour
Homme all contain lavender and/or lavandin essential oils.
Benefits of Lavender:
This versatile essential oil is familiar to many of us. You should
have a small bottle of it for your First Aid kit and/or to keep
in your kitchen. Lavender is one of the best natural ingredients
to help stop the pain from minor kitchen accidents such as burns
from the oven/stove to knife cuts. A drop of lavender can ease
the pain, and only the addition of a fresh aloe vera leaf or
the gel is as good a remedy for instant relief. Combing the two
is recommended, as aloe vera instantly cools a hot burn.
For sunburn pain, lavender is also recommended. Pesky mosquito
or other insect bites bothering you? Try adding lavender essential
oil to the problem area(s) and your skin will thank you.
Headaches may disappear when you massage a tiny amount of lavender
on your temples or the nape of your neck.
Safety/Precautions:
Unlike many other essential oils, there are few safety notes to
share with you. Lavender essential oil can be used neat, meaning
without diluting it in a plant based carrier oil, but it must
be done in small amounts and only for a very minor skin problems.
However, it is advised to blend your lavender with a carrier
oil such as olive oil, jojoba, sweet almond oil, etc., just to
make certain that your skin doesn’t have an allergic reaction.
Please be very careful when purchasing pure lavender essential
oil to be used for minor medical emergencies as you will need
true lavender, the type containing the lowest amount of camphor,
and NOT lavandin, the genus which has up to 8% camphor – a
burn causing ingredient!
Uses for Lavender:
Bath soak ~ All you need is approximately 15 drops in your bathtub
of warm to hot water and you should find yourself relaxing.
Candle ~ Add a few drops to a candle, next to the wick, not on
it as essential oils are flammable. Lavender will fill the room
with its soothing floral aroma and relaxation should follow.
Sachet ~ Add dried lavender buds to a small muslin bag and store
in your drawers/cupboards, and especially where linen is stored.
This method also works well as a natural bug repellent if you hang
a scented lavender sachet in your closet(s) on a hanger.
Hair ~ Add one or two drops to your hairbrush and brush your hair.
Not only will it smell great, doing this helps to condition it
naturally. Also, lavender is believed to stimulate hair growth
and its antibacterial properties can eliminate scalp conditions.
Blending With Lavender:
The happy combination of two florals is pronounced with the intermingling
of rose or jasmine. For more creative combinations, consider
mixing lavender with the following lively essential oils: Bergamot
or any citrus essential oil, clove, rosemary, eucalyptus, patchouli,
clary sage, cedarwood, tea tree, oakmoss, vetiver, pine, and
Rose or Bourbon Geranium.
Finding High Quality Lavender:
The most important thing to look for on any glass bottle of lavender
essential oil will be four categories. Naturally, you would expect
to see “Lavender” on the label. However, here are
the four facts that you will find on any bottle of essential
oil from a reputable supplier/company:
- Botanical/Latin name. In this case it would be Lavandula angustifolia.
- Part. What part of the plant has the essential oil been extracted
from? For lavender, that is the flowering tops.
- Method of extraction. Is it an absolute, enfleurage, carbon
dioxide [CO2], or has it been steam distilled? In this case it
has been steam distilled.
- Country of Origin. Lavender comes from many different countries,
and in this case Bulgaria is the origin. Location can make a
sizeable difference for many reasons such as climate, type of
soil, high/low altitude, etc.
Other factors to look for are price, as too low of an amount means
it has been adulterated in some way or is possibly even synthetic.
It should be stored in a glass bottle to protect the contents.
Then you must continue to keep your lavender in the best environment
and that would be in a cool, dark place.
It’s better to buy a smaller amount rather than a larger
quantity. Not only is this more economical for you, but this way
you can determine just what lavender oil you like the best. If
you live near a reputable farm where lavender is grown, or have
located one online, this would be the best place in which to purchase
your lavender essential oil. Lavender farmers will be able to answer
your questions and advise you on what type of lavender is best
suited for your needs. You will be advised that lavender is usually
harvested in the summertime and that immediately after it has been
distilled is not the best time to buy it—usually one to two
years after distillation is when it matures. For example, I purchased
a bottle of lavender in April 2006, and around May 2007 I started
to notice a less herbal, and more rounded floral aroma. Another
benefit to lavender is that it has a fairly long shelf life, up
to five years.
Another way to find pure lavender would be to consult with a certified
aromatherapist.
For products containing pure Bulgarian lavender essential oil,
please see the Whipped
Shea Butter and Bulgarian
Lavender Glycerin Soap and Customize pages.
This summer a Lavender Lip Balm will be introduced.
Lisa Maliga has been designing natural bath & body products since
1998 and this year has launched her company, Everything Shea Aromatic
Creations. Her love of shea butter, which is added to all the soaps,
prompted her to name her company after the moisturizing and skin-soothing
ingredient that comes from the nut of the African shea tree. Learn
more about shea butter, whipped shea butter, custom handmade promotional
Mini SoapCakes, moringa seed oil products and more at: http://www.everythingshea.com
© 2004-2008 ~ All text
copy and photographs on this entire web site are copyrighted
by EverythingShea and Lisa Maliga and may not be used without
express written permission. Thank you.
Disclaimer: The information
on this web site was gathered from various sources. It is in
no way meant to prevent, cure, or diagnose any medical condition.
The products offered should not be used for purposes other than
that for which they were intended. All products are labeled for
external use only. Everything Shea accepts no liability for the
misuse of these products. Please do not rely on products or information
as a substitute for medical advice. If you have a medical problem,
contact a health care practitioner. Product statements have not
been evaluated by the FDA. Due to fluctuating market costs of
raw materials prices are subject to change without notice.
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