All About Lavender Essential Oil: Uses & Benefits
The material in this post is for informational/educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Essential oils are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
Do you need any extra calm and relaxation in your life? How about help dealing with feelings of stress and tension? Or even an all-natural way to support and soothe your skin?
Enter Lavender essential oil.
If you’ve heard much about essential oils, you’ve probably heard of Lavender. Sometimes called the Swiss Army knife of the essential oil world, Lavender essential oil has many uses and benefits all packed into one small bottle.
Lavender is an oil I use everyday, and I think it’s a must for anyone building an essential oil ‘toolkit.’ It also happens to be a great oil for beginners to start out with. So if you are new to the essential oil world, put this one on your list!
So what’s so great about Lavender? Here’s what you need to know about Lavender essential oil, plus its uses and wellness benefits.
Lavender Oil Benefits
As an herb, Lavender is pretty well known for its calming effects. A cup of Lavender tea or a sachet of dried Lavender under your pillow can work wonders on your stress level.
Here’s how these calming properties show up in Lavender essential oil:
- Lavender oil can promote feelings of calm and relaxation, especially beneficial after a long day.
- Using it aromatically can also help to reduce occasional feelings of stress and nervous tension (something we could all use!). (Learn about more oils and herbs for stress.)
- Lavender may also help to promote restful sleep because of its ability to calm the mind.
- Lavender’s calming properties are also beneficial for the skin! The oil can help to calm and soothe skin (after being out in the sun, for example).
Because of all these benefits, Lavender essential oil is one of my go-to oils for when my skin feels irritated or ‘hot.’ But there’s more!
- Lavender is one of the best oils for skin. It supports aging skin, naturally cleanses skin, and may also help to reduce the appearance of blemishes (which is why I use it often).
- Along with being a powerful oil for healthy-looking skin, Lavender is also gentle, which is what makes it great for beginners and those with sensitive skin. (Learn about more essential oils for skin care.)
- This oil can also help to balance your emotional state and possibly even improve your mental focus.
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Lavender is also available as a dietary essential oil, and you can get some huge benefits from using it internally. Of course, you need to use a high-quality oil that’s approved for internal use (go with Young Living’s Vitality line!), but here are a few benefits:
- Lavender Vitality has natural cleansing properties to help your body get rid of harmful toxins.
- It also contains antioxidant properties which are vital to overall wellness.
- Lavender Vitality can also help to improve sleep quality and ease nervous tension when ingested.
- And you can use it as an all-natural flavoring (no more artificial ingredients!). It has a pleasant, floral taste that goes well with sweet and savory flavors.
Lavender Oil Uses
Now that you know more about the many benefits of Lavender essential oil, here are some key uses and ways you can add it into your everyday routine.
Using Lavender aromatically:
- Diffuse Lavender anytime you need to relax, especially in the evening or before going to bed.
- Blend Lavender oil with any citrus oil for the ultimate ‘happy’ diffuser blend. I love doing 4 drops of Lavender and 4 drops of Orange in my diffuser (Lemon also works well).
- Inhale the fragrance of Lavender straight from the bottle (or put a drop in your hands and breathe in) to calm and de-stress your mind.
Using Lavender topically:
- Young Living’s Lavender essential oil does not need to be diluted unless you have sensitive skin, but feel free to dilute at a 1:1 ratio if you don’t want to apply it undiluted.
- Mix a few drops of Lavender oil with the same amount of carrier oil and apply to skin after a day in the sun. You could also mix it with aloe gel instead of a carrier oil.
- Apply neat or diluted to the bottoms of your feet, back of your neck, or your chest before bedtime (or any stressful time during the day).
- Add a drop of Lavender to your face or body lotion, face wash, or shampoo to cleanse and support skin and scalp.
- Mix 4-8 drops of Lavender with 1 cup of bath salts and add to hot or warm water for a relaxing bath.
Using Lavender internally:
- Use only Lavender oil that is approved for dietary use!
- Put 1-2 drops in your water or tea and drink before going to bed. Or enjoy in tea after a long day at work.
- Add 1-2 drops of Lavender to a smoothie or water it the morning for cleansing and antioxidant benefits.
- Add 1-2 drops of Lavender to an empty vegetable capsule along with a carrier oil (such as olive oil) and take for cleansing benefits or to help ease nervous tension.
- Add dietary Lavender to recipes like marinades, salad dressing, lemonade, and baked goods.
Don’t Miss Out On This Oil!
Hopefully, you now have a good idea of all the ways Lavender essential oil can benefit you and some of the uses for this versatile oil. I truly recommend adding it into your daily routine.
And as I always say, no essential oil is going to benefit you if it stays in the bottle. So go get yourself some Lavender and then start using it!
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