The Miracle of Lavender Essential Oil - Hippy Summer Aromatherapy 101 Series

I started learning about the power of essential oils a little over 2 years ago and since the day that I began learning about them, I have gained a LOT of knowledge in their uses! When I began, I thought that aromatherapy was something that had to do with smells; it is…but WAY more complicated than just pretty smells that go in your bath. These essential oils have chemical properties to them that act as a drug and are capable of doing MUCH more than just smelling nice! Essential oils are able to help kill bacteria and viruses while cleaning the house, help heal wounds and burns, and even able to help the body rid itself of many different types of diseases and illnesses. 

Essential oils are highly concentrated oils made from the flowers, stalks, barks, and seeds of many different plants around the world. One of the safest ways to use essential oils on the body is by diluting it with a carrier oil (vegetable oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, apricot kernel oil, etc.) and rubbing it on the bottom of your feet, behind the ears, on the temples, on the back of the neck, and on the writsts. Inhaling straight from the bottle,  facial steams, or diffusing essential oils can also do wonders for enhancing moods, clearing breathing pathways, sterilizing a room from illness, and more!

This post is the start of my Hippy Summer Series of Aromatherapy 101! For the next few weeks, I am going to be teaching you about the most common and popular essential oils and their MANY MANY uses! Don’t forget to check out last weeks intro into this series “Which Essential Oil Company Should You Buy From? My Surprising Findings On My Quest To Find The Best”

 What IS Lavender Essential Oil?

Lavender essential oil is an essential oil that is extracted through the distillation of the flowering tops from the Lavender plant. The most common Lavender essential oil is also called Lavendula Angustifolia (or sometimes Officinalis. The Latin names are important to remember as you will use those to make sure you are purchasing the correct essential oil. Every essential oil has a Latin name along with its common name.)

Lavender has a floral-herbaceous aroma, that falls along the lines of being a middle note scent. (There are three categories, Top notes, Middle Notes, and Bottom Notes. Top notes fade the fastest, and bottom the slowest. When making blends it’s best to find oils from all three categories so that the end result scent has more staying power.)

Though lavender is very useful for all seven of the main chakras, it is most commonly associated with the 6th chakra (also known as “The third eye chakra”, “The brow chakra”, or “Anja”.)

Lavender essential oil is

• Analgesic
• Antibacterial
• Antidepressant
• Anti-inflammatory
• Antimicrobial
• Antiseptic
• Antispasmodic
• Anti-tumor
• Antiviral
• Carminative (helps with flatulence and gas pains)
• Deodorant
• Insecticide
• Nervine
• Regenerative
• Sedative
• Vulnerary (useful in healing wounds)

Physical Uses for Lavender Essential Oil

No matter the method you choose to use essential oils, dilution is key. You should NEVER apply an essential oil to your skin, neat (alone, without a carrier oil to dilute it). Some essential oils can cause irritation to the skin if  not highly diluted. All of these recipes below should be diluted first into 1 oz. carrier oil before applying.

1. Aching Muscles, Arthritis - Combine a couple of drops of lavender essential oil to a handful of Epsom salts (or a combination of sea salt and Epsom salt) and add to a hot bath.
2. Acne - Lavender is one of the best essential oils to add to your facial cleaning regime. It has been proven to inhibit bacteria and help to re-balance the over secretion of sebum, making it beneficial for all skin types.
3. Viruses, Bacteria, & Infections - Many studies have shown the antibacterial properties that lavender holds. In French labratories during the early part of the 20th century, they discovered that lavender was lethal to bacteria that causes typhoid and diptheria (using a 5% dilution). Diffuse lavender to kill airborne bacteria and viruses. Add 20 drops of lavener to your vinegar/water cleaning solution, to give it an extra antibacterial cleaning kick!
4. Asthma - Combine with lemon essential oil and peppermint essential oil, and diffuse. This is a great all season allergy buster as well!
5. Burns, Sunburns, Ulcers, & Boils -  Cool the area where the burn has occured and apply a few drops to a cotton ball and apply to the burn.
6. Cuts, Wounds, & Sores -  Drop 1 drop of lavender essential oil on cuts/wounds/sores, combined in a dab of coconut oil for dilution and extra antibacterial properties.
7. Insomnia - Drop 2-3 drops of lavender on your pillow before bed, or diffuse in a diffusor in your bedroom.
8. Headaches & Migraines - Massage a few drops of lavender in a carrier oil, on the back of your neck, temples, forehead (between your brows), and on your wrists. The BEST combination that I have found to work on headaches and migraines is equal drops lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus oil in a carrier oil. Massage that combo on your temples, forehead, back of neck, and shoulders and you will be as good as gold in only a few minutes!
9. Inflammation - Combine with coconut oil and massage inflamed regions topically.
10. Eczema & Dermatitis - massage a couple drops  combined with coconut oil for dilution, onto dry/itchy skin.
11. Fevers - For children and babies, add a couple drops to tepid water and smonge the child down, taking care to not let them get the chills!
12. Sinusitis, Allergies, & Hayfever - Combine with lemon essential oil, peppermint essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil and diffuse. This is a great all season allergy buster as well! If you don’t have a diffuser, you can put a single drop of each essential oil into a tissue and carry the tissue with you in a small plastic baggie. Open the bag and take a whiff whenever you need one. This is my ghetto version of an aromatherapy inhaler!
13. Influenza - Diffuse in the air to kill airborne bacteria, use it in a bath to help relieve the body. Use it in your cleaning supplies to clean up the rest of the germs around your house.
14. Hysteria - Diffuse in a diffusor, or put a 3 drops of lavender essential oil into a tissue and carry the tissue with you in a small plastic baggie. Open the bag and take a whiff whenever you need one.
15. Bug-Bites/Bee-Stings, Itching, & Chafing - Not only is lavender essential oil a great mosquito repellent, it also helps to stop the itching/pain/burning that goes along with bug bites and bee stings.
16. Dandruff - add a few drops to your shampoo and your conditioner and it will help to balance the ph of your hair and it’s antifungal properties will help manage the dandruff.
17. Earache - massage a drop or two of lavender essential oil around the ear lobes and throat.
18. Nausea & Motion Sickness - to relieve motion sickness, rub one drop of lavender essential oil behind the ears and around the tummy
19. Stretchmarks & Scarring - combine with coconut oil and massage into skin liberally. Lavender essential oil not only helps to decrease the appearance of scars and marks you already have, but it can also help in prevention of scars too.
20. Mastitis - Dilute 4 drops of lavender essential oil into 1 tsp of coconut oil and massage gently onto breasts.

Emotional Uses for Lavender Essential Oil

For emotional and spiritual uses in aromatherapy, you can either make a spray (3/4 part water, 1/4 part witch hazel and add essential oils) and spray yourself and the room you’re in, diffuse the essential oils in a diffusor, or apply the essential oils (with a carrier oil) to the soles of your feet/back of the neck/temples/wrists.

1. Stress & Anxiety
2. Agitation
3. Exhaustion
4. Mood Swings
5. Jet Lag
6. Hyperactivity
7. Grief
8. Depression (including Postpartum)
9. Concentration

Spiritual Uses for Lavender Essential Oil

1. Inner Peace
2. Purification
3. Meditation
4. Protection
5. Dispel Negative Energies
6. Lift the Spirits
7. Mental Clarity
8. Intuition

Lavender Essential Oil Safety

Lavender essential oil is one of the gentlest essential oils that you can acquire. It is safe, in small doses (and diluted), to use on infants and small children, on cats and dogs, and even in cleaning around the home. You can use it in cooking (in very small amounts or you will find your food is VERY florally!) and I even love to add it to my tea in the evening time.

General Essential Oil Safety

Do not take any essential oils internally without consultation from a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Do not apply undiluted essential oils, absolutes, CO2’s or other concentrated essences onto the skin. If you are pregnant, epileptic, have liver damage, have cancer, or have any other medical problem, use essential oils only under the proper care and guidance of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Use extreme caution when using oils with children and give children oil the gentlest oils at extremely low doses. It is safest to consult a qualified aromatherapy practitioner before using essential oils with children. A skin patch test should be conducted prior to using an essential oil that you’ve never used before.

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