The Benefits of Lavender Oil

Lavender oil is not only great for your mind and muscles, but it also has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, making it suitable for those with minor bites and even acne-prone skin. It is also thought to be an excellent natural remedy to help relax into a nice sleep routine.

What is Lavender?

Lavender is a herb that actually belongs to the herb family. This beautiful, purple-hued plant looks (and smells!) stunning in the garden, but it also has a number of health benefits that have seen it become a real staple in skincare and health products, as well as products for the home.

What are the Benefits of Lavender?

The scent of lavender is renowned for its calming properties - this is because lavender can provide an instant soothing relief effect on the body (ref 1.) For this reason, pure lavender oil as well as lavender based products are extremely popular for those who have trouble falling into a deep, restful sleep of an evening, while sniffing lavender during the day has been known to ease the mind during stressful situations.

Lavender has also been described as a "natural anti-inflammatory," making it great for calming down any itchy skin conditions or taking the itch out of a bite.

Lavender Products To Help Sleep

There are a number of lavender-based products that I've worked into my nightly routine to help me drift into a state of restfulness. I like to start by adding some ECO. AROMA Dream Drops which contains lavender, along with Geranium and Ylang Ylang to a warm bath using 2 cups of Life Basics Magnesium. This bath soak really helps me unwind at the end of a long day as well as relieving any muscle tension.

A mug of a sleep inducing tea is an essential for me. I love Pukka Tea's Night Time Tea as it uses both lavender and oat flower that work together to prepare me for a restful night.

The Black Chicken Remedies Pyramidal is a great product to place near your pillow to help you fall into a calm sleep. This pyramid shaped scent bag is filled with lavender flowers which I find is wonderful for children to cuddle as they fall asleep.

Lavender Products For The Body

Andalou's Refreshing Lavender Body Lotion is a great all-rounder, as it uses Lavender to help relax the body as well as engaging the anti-ageing properties of Thyme Fruit Stem Cells which work together with Argan and Rosehip Oils, Shea and Cocoa Butter to help keep the skin hydrated.

Another lavender-packed body cream that I love (and loved by Alanis Morissette!!) is 100% Pure's Lavender Nourishing Body Cream. This lotion is absorbed quickly into the skin so it doesn't give you that sticky, heavy feeling, and it deeply hydrates while providing the skin with a blend of antioxidants and vitamins. This is also a really great product for anyone with sensitive skin.

Fresca Natural Deodorant - Wild Lavender is a wonderful natural deodorant ingredient as it naturally helps neutraliae the bacteria that causes odour, absorbs wetness without blocking the sweat glands and this one leaves behind the beautiful, refreshing scents of lavender, geranium and patchouli.

Is the scent of lavender based skincare not quite enough for you? If you love lavender, you can't go past LaVanilla Vanilla and Lavender Perfume. This ethical, cruelty free and vegan perfume includes Spanish Lavender, Rose Absolute, Violet Leaf combined with Madagascar Vanilla for a clean, romantic, long-lasting fragrance.

Lavender Products For The Home

Fill your home with the soothing scent of lavender with ECO. AROMA Pure Lavender. This pure oil works beautifully in a diffuser or dropped gently into a cloth and inhaled to calm, ease stress and help sleep.

One of my all-time favourite multi tasking products is Dr Bronner's Pure-Castile Liquid Soap, and the Lavender scent is a staple. You can use this product in the hair or on the body as well as around the home as a surface cleaner, and the scent is leaves behind is fresh and calming making it ideal for those days when you're feeling a little bit worse for wear.

Abode Cleaning Products have actually developed an entire range of Lavender and Mint home cleaning products including a Dish Washing Liquid, Surface Spray and Front and Top Loader Laundry Powders. What I love about these products is not just that they're incredibly effective, toxin free cleaners, but they leave such a beautiful scent around the home and on your clothing that you can't help but feel calm and refreshed as soon as you smell it!

1. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22612017; 100% Pure Image source: Alanis Morissette Facebook Page, Dr Bronners image source Dr Bronners Instagram Page