Lavender Oil

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender oil is the most known scent throughout the aromatic world, and regarded as the most versatile essence in aromatherapy. Although its applications are numerous, its most beneficial use is in the treatment of burns where it has been shown to be highly and immediately effective. It has also been secondarily employed to reduce the discomfort from tension headaches, although it is generally not effective for migraines.
 
How Does Aromatherapy Work?
The circulatory system is the body's main system of transport. Although there is continual research into the specific pathways and effectiveness of each oil, essential oils are generally absorbed into the circulatory system via absorption through the skin or mucous membranes. Once the oil molecules have entered the bloodstream they travel throughout the body and effect it according to their properties.

Primary Aromatherapy Methods:

• Inhalation: Add two or three drops of essential oil to a bowl of steaming hot water and breathe in the steam for a few minutes with a towel draped over your head to capture the steam with the essences.
• Vaporization: The most preferred method of vaporization is to add pure essential oils to a nebulizing diffuser for dispersing micron-sized particulates into your immediate environment for aromatherapy benefits.
• Bathing: Add four to six drops of pure essential oils to a hot bath along with a dispersant (such as alcohol or milk) to break up the oil on the surface of the water, which avoids the oil sensitizing your skin. Or, alternatively, you can add 1 teaspoon of golden jojoba, as the carrier oil of choice, to protect the skin.
• Massage: Using 15 to 20 drops of pure essential oil in 1 ounce of massage oil base is one of the most relaxing and therapeutic ways to receive the aromatherapy benefits of the oils, along with the detoxification of the body through lymph drainage and the stimulation of the entire circulatory system.
• Spray: Adding 1 teaspoon of essential oils to 7 ounces of distilled water along with 1 ounce of vodka or 90% isopropyl alcohol (to emulsify the oils) and then spray on bedding, linens, towels, and use as a room spray to deodorize and disinfect the air.

Lavender Oil Information

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is an evergreen shrub with pale green leaves and violet flowers. The oil is steam distilled from fresh flowering tops and contains over 100 constituents that vary according to its geographical origins. It is indigenous to the Mediterranean but has been cultivated all over the world with a majority of the production coming from France. Throughout history it has been a favorite for use in bathing where it derives its name from the Latin lavare meaning to wash.