Lavender essential oil has been used for centuries as a healing agent and an antibacterial. Its soothing smell and calming effects make it perfect to use before bedtime to help with insomnia, anxiety, and stress.
Lavender is also known for its ability to heal wounds faster than other oils or products on the market. It’s important not only to always have lavender around but also know about all of its amazing benefits.
Read more below to learn how you can incorporate this into your life in order to reap these great benefits
Lavender essential oil is one of the most popular aromatherapy oils because it smells so good, promotes relaxation, helps with sleep issues, eases headaches from tension or migraines, provides relief from.
What exactly is lavender oil?
Lavender oil, commonly known as Lavandula angustifolia in technical terms, is an essential oil extracted from the lavender flower. Lavender is native to the Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula, and Russia, yet it is currently grown all over the world.
The oil is extracted by a steam distillation method, which involves steaming the petals, capturing the steam, and separating the oil from the water. Lavender oil is generally found with the other essential oils in health food stores or even drugstores.
Health benefits of Lavender Oil
Aromatherapy and essential oils have earned a reputation for being a go-to in holistic health. Essential oils are plant-based liquid extracts that can aid with everything from stress to sleep, hormone health to home cleaning, and more.
However, each essential oil is distinct and has its own set of benefits. Here’s what you need to know about how lavender oil, one of the most popular essential oils, can help you relax:
1. It allows you to get some real shut-eye.
Sleep is the basis of a healthy living, no matter how you look at it. Lavender oil may be your saviour if you find yourself tossing and turning at night: Several whiffs of lavender oil before bedtime boosted the percentage of deep sleep duration in healthy men and women, according to one study.
When compared to a lavender-oil-free control group, inhaling lavender oil twice a week for 20 minutes at a time relaxed the nervous system and improved sleep quality ratings for women with insomnia, according to a study.
2. It aids in stress management.
Lavender oil’s calming properties don’t end there. Researchers discovered that lavender oil could compete with a prescription drug for general anxiety in one study. One group of volunteers took the anxiety medicine Lorazepam for six weeks, while the other got an oral dose of lavender oil.
Both groups reported a nearly comparable drop in anxiety at the end of the study period—45 percent and 46 percent, respectively. Even in more extreme situations, the oil was effective: a 2017 study discovered that lavender aromatherapy reduced anxiety in preoperative patients.
3. It calms irritated skin and relieves bug bites.
Lavender oil has a relaxing effect on the body, just as it does on the mind. Not-so-fun skin flare-ups like eczema and psoriasis have responded well to lavender oil’s anti-inflammatory characteristics.
Lavender oil’s potential to relax inflamed skin when applied topically was mentioned in a study of the most popular essential oils and their uses in dermatology. Furthermore, the oil’s de-stressing properties are beneficial for psoriasis flare-ups, which are frequently prompted by worry.
It can also be used as a natural remedy for bug bites—when mixed with a little baking soda and applied to the bites, you won’t even know they’re there.
4. It has the ability to fight fungal infections.
What are the similarities between yeast infections, athlete’s foot, and ringworm? They’re all different types of fungal infection, which occurs when pesky fungi grow in or on wet bodily areas.
Lavender oil has antibacterial and antifungal qualities, therefore it might be able to help you get rid of them. In one lab investigation, it was proven to protect against candida (the cause of yeast infections).
It’s worth noting, though, that this was a preliminary in vitro study, which meant infected cells were mixed with lavender oil in a test tube and observed. Because the pure version of lavender oil, or any essential oil for that matter, is extremely strong and can burn, do not apply it topically to your vagina.
These kinds of studies can help researchers learn more about a substance’s qualities and prospective uses, but more research is needed to learn how lavender oil can be utilised to treat fungal infections in the future.
5. It may aid in the prevention of hair loss.
While the research is still in its early stages, one animal study found that applying lavender oil to the backs of mice once a day for four weeks encouraged hair growth on all levels: follicle quantity, depth, and thickness.
Clinical trials in people are needed, so the verdict is yet out, but maybe this is the push you need to add a few drops of lavender to your DIY hair mask.
6. It has the ability to cure wounds.
That is, minor wounds. Over the course of a five-day period, lavender oil cured wounds more quickly than other treatments such as saline and iodine, according to one animal research.
This was attributed to an increase in the amount of EGF, or epidermal growth factor, in the skin, which is required for tissue regeneration.
The catch: Because the study was conducted on animals, more thorough clinical trials are required before lavender oil can be hailed as the next Neosporin.
7. It can assist in the relief of a headache.
Do you have a pounding head? Take a smell of lavender and see what you think. In a study of 47 migraine sufferers, half of the participants were given regular 15-minute lavender-scented sessions while the other half were given a placebo.
The effects were rapid and long-lasting: those in the experimental group had considerably less severe migraine symptoms for the next two hours, according to the researchers.
8. It provides you a healthy radiance.
Lavender oil is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, making it a worthy addition to any clean skin care routine.
Antioxidants are known to battle free radicals, which may cause havoc on your skin by affecting mitochondrial activity and hastening the ageing process.
Before bed, add a drop or two of lavender oil to your favourite lotion or face cream to give your skin an antioxidant boost (and will add a touch of soothing aromatherapy to your night-time routine).
Before proclaiming this floral mixture a miracle oil, it’s vital to emphasise that further thorough clinical testing are needed before it can be used as a prescription. Nonetheless, the research done to put lavender oil to the test has shown some rather surprising health advantages.
How to apply Lavender Oil
There are numerous methods to use lavender oil, just as there are numerous benefits. It’s often applied topically for skin and hair health, though the methods might vary depending on your preferences. It’s best not to use too much oil—due to its high concentration, two or three drops should suffice.
Dilution is crucial when it comes to your skin: The oil can be applied topically to soothe irritated or inflamed skin, but only after being diluted with a “carrier oil” or a neutral, minimally processed oil like coconut, argan, or olive.
Once or twice daily, apply the mixture as you would a lotion or moisturiser. As a peaceful conclusion to the day, massage a couple of drops of lavender oil into your scalp, or add two or three drops to each dollop of shampoo or conditioner you use for hair health.
If you want to reduce anxiety or get a good night’s sleep, putting your oil in a diffuser is the best way to go. There are several ways to profit from the aroma of lavender, one of the most prominent being diffusion.
Essential oil diffusion is dispersing oil particles into the air with a tiny instrument, allowing for simple inhalation.
If you don’t want to use a diffuser, take a few deep breaths of the smell before bed (or whenever you need a moment of peace). You may even use a few drops of lavender to create the perfect peaceful herbal bath to soak away your worries.
How to find high-quality lavender essential oil
When buying an essential oil, there are a few things to keep an eye out for on the bottle. If an oil has both the common and scientific names of the active oil(s) and any carrier oils on the label, has the phrase “therapeutic” on the label, and comes in a dark glass bottle that keeps light out (which might degrade the oil’s efficacy), you know it’s high-quality.
Also, make sure to check the expiration date! Because of the method the lavender plant is extracted, it’s a relatively inexpensive essential oil, thus a cheap price isn’t necessarily a warning flag.
Potential side-effects to be aware of
If you’re ready to embrace the lavender lifestyle, there are a few things to keep in mind. Skin irritation or an allergic reaction are some of the adverse effects, therefore a patch test on your skin before use might save you a lot of pain.
Before using this supplement, like with any new supplement, it’s a good idea to consult with a doctor. While lavender oil is generally safe for most people, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should seek medical advice.
Final thoughts
Lavender essential oil is a powerful and versatile ingredient that can be used in many different ways. It has been shown to have calming, soothing qualities as well as an ability to balance hormones and reduce stress levels.
Lavender essential oil is a powerful all-natural remedy that can help with many different ailments. The blog post has shown you how to use lavender essential oils, but there are many other ways it can be used as well.
