Lavender Essential Oil has been used for centuries for its perfume and therapeutic benefits. We love it! Whether it’s a bottle of essential oil to treat minor injuries or bath and beauty products scented with this amazing flower, we’re all huge fans at Dr Teal’s!
The Egyptians used it in cosmetics, massage oils and medicines – and for embalming, but we won’t go into that! The Greeks, as a perfume and aromatic; the Romans as an antiseptic and for its healing properties. And now, today we are seeing a revival of interest in this popular essential oil as our favourite brands, celebrities and beauty bloggers embrace its multiple uses and virtues.
If it’s good enough for ancient civilisations and our modern-day experts today, we want to include lavender essential oil in our health and wellbeing treatments too. That’s why lavender is a key ingredient in many of Dr Teal’s products.
Our favourite use of lavender essential oil is for relaxation. If you want to calm your mind, balance your emotions, relax your body and promote sleep, this is the oil for you! What better way to chill out after a stressful day than a long, relaxing bath inhaling the calming scent of lavender?
It’s not just our team at Dr Teal’s who think that lavender oil is great for relaxation either. Research has shown that lavender essential oil can have a positive effect on stress markers, reducing the amount of cortisol (the stress hormone) we produce, lowering blood pressure, heart rate and skin temperature. Other studies have explored the impact of lavender essential oil on sleep showing a slowing of the respiration rate in study groups using lavender oil, which suggests a state of relaxation and deep sleep.
However, this supercharged essential oil also has other properties that make it our top pick for your bathroom cabinet. It can be applied topically (directly on to the skin) to treat minor burns, cuts and grazes, and also to treat irritations and skin conditions like eczema. Combined in beauty products, it can be used for cleansing and soothing dry skin, it smells amazing and has the added benefit of boosting your mood when you inhale products containing it.
HOW TO USE LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL
If you have a bottle of lavender essential oil in your bathroom cabinet* here’s how to use it:
FOR EMOTIONAL WELLBEING AND RELAXATION
Inhaling lavender oil is the best way to relax, de-stress, boost your mood and sleep better at night. You can use a diffuser which produces a fine aromatherapy infused mist or create a similar effect by adding lavender oil infused bath soak to your bath (our favourite method), and gently inhale the essential oil whilst relaxing in the warm water.
There are other ways you can inhale essential oils depending on whether you’re at home or at work, and how much time you have. For convenience put a couple of drops of lavender oil into your cupped hands and breathe in. If you have more time, put 2-3 drops of essential oil into a bowl of steaming water (not so hot it burns), and inhale – you can place a towel over your head to create a mini sauna effect!
FOR HEALTH AND VITALITY
Want to make your bath even more amazing? For an all round energy boosting, muscle relaxing and mood enhancing relaxation and detoxifying bath experience, add Epsom Salt to your lavender bath! This contains magnesium and sulphate, naturally occurring minerals that have healing and wellbeing properties that help to detox and balance your body’s systems. Find out more about how it works here.
Dr Teal’s have made it super easy to enjoy a detoxifying and relaxing bath with their Soothe & Sleep soaking solution containing pure Epsom Salt and lavender essence. Instead of making your own homemade bath soak and salts, all you need is to do is add two cups of Dr Teal’s Epsom Salt to warm running water… and relax.
20 minutes soaking in a bath will relax tired muscles, cleanse and soothe your skin, help you sleep better at night, and make you feel like a goddess!
LAVENDER FOR MINOR INJURIES AND AILMENTS
Lavender essential oil and products containing lavender are also great for treating minor injuries and problem skin. If you want a natural way of treating these conditions, lavender is for you!
Cuts, grazes, and burns – for treating specific conditions like a cut, cold sore or minor burn, lavender essential oil can be applied directly on to the skin.
Stings and bites – alternatively you may prefer to make a compress by soaking a cotton washcloth in a solution of water and lavender oil (you can also add Epsom Salt for its healing properties) and applying to your skin. This is great for treating insect bites and stings.
Skin irritations – instead of a wet compress, put the lavender oil solution into an empty spray bottle and spray on your skin. Great for soothing sunburn or patches of eczema, especially when you’re out and about on a hot day. Or make your own bath soak by adding lavender to a muslin bag filled with oatmeal (great for itchy skin) and dropping it into a running bath. Dr Teal’s lavender infused Epsom Salt is also great for soothing skin conditions.
Headaches – apply a wet compress to your forehead or use the inhalation method to relieve headaches.
Finally, lavender smells good too! If you’re going to use essential oils for your health and wellbeing, it makes all the difference when they smell amazing. No wonder lavender is the most popular essential oil of them all!
Survey! We want to know about your bath time habits. Do you take the time to have a long relaxing soak in the bath, or are you more of a jump in the shower type of person? Comment below telling us about your routine: ‘bath’ or ‘shower’ and how long you like to spend.
* Check the ‘use by’ date on your essential oils as they do have a shelf life. The shelf life for lavender essential oil is around 4-5 years.