Lavender Essential Oil – Lavandula angustifolia

Primary Benefits

• Soothes occasional skin irritations
• Taken internally, Lavender reducesanxious feelings and promotespeaceful sleep*
• Helps ease feelings of tension.*

Aromatic Description: Powdery, floral, light

Collection Method: Steam Distillation

Plant Part: Flower

Main Constituents: Linalool, Linalyl acetate, Ocimene

Lavender in Hvar

Hvar is world famous for its lavender, which is of the highest quality in the world. Due to its unique climate and year-round sunshine, the lavender grown on Hvar is very sought after. Hvar has been known as the island of lavender for centuries – and with good reason, too! Lavender grows all over the island, providing a beautiful contrast of purple with the azure sea, along with a fragrance that cannot be found anywhere else. Half a century ago, Hvar’s lavender oil accounted for 8% of the world’s total lavender oil production. Since agricultural land has become more valuable as real estate, the production of Hvar’s lavender oil has become very limited, but that’s not to say that the locals don’t grow lavender on every square inch available! Growing lavender on Hvar sounds easy, but the locals have battled the hard limestone for centuries, moving the rock and making as much space as possible to grow their lavender. The best time to see the locals’ hard work flourish is when lavender is in bloom, which is in June and July.

Lavender has been used for not only medicinal purposes, but in everyday life for over 2500 years? Historically it has been used in perfumes, to repel insects, and even in the mummification process in ancient Egypt where the dead were wrapped in shrouds dipped in lavender oil. Lavender is a fragrant, relaxing herb that can be used in cosmetics, baking, tea making, tinctures, and more. For centuries it has been thought that the scent of lavender can kindle passions as an aphrodisiac, treat insomnia, anxiety, headaches, and nervous stomach. In Spain, lavender is consumed as a tea and is used to treat diabetes and insulin resistance. Since lavender is well-known for its natural antibacterial properties, it is thought to be useful in protecting the body from airborne viruses when diffused.

About Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender oil is the world’s best-selling essential oil and should be a staple in every family’s home. Lavender oils cooling, relaxing and uplifting effects have been cherished throughout the world for hundreds of years.

It gives luster to the skin, balance to the body and happiness to the mind. For today’s fast paced modern lifestyle, lavender oil is one of our greatest treasures. A quick drop on the hands with a deep inhalation can help to relax the worried or agitated mind.

If you have children, lavender oil is a must. Use it in your home diffuser while the kids are playing or place a drop in their hands for direct palm inhalation before they leave the house for school. Our diffusers make the perfect nightlight for your child’s bedroom. Diffuse the beautiful fragrance of this high quality lavender oil while they rest through the night.

You will be hard pressed to find an oil that has put more smiles on more people’s faces than lavender! Lavender oil is revered in folk traditions throughout the world for its profound ability to cool an overheated body. When used regularly, it cools feelings of anger, agitation and insecurity.

How to Use Lavender Essential Oil

Perhaps the easiest way to use lavender oil is through simple, direct palm inhalation. Place a drop of this deeply soothing oil in the palm of your hand, gently rub your palms together, bring them towards your face and take a deep inhalation…the benefits of lavender are immediate and obvious! To our knowledge, no one has ever complained about the fragrance of lavender. It is universally loved and almost always appreciated. Diffuse it in your home to help you relax and to refresh the whole family. When you have guests over, their first comments are likely to be compliments on the fragrance of your home. Apply a drop topically to support skin health, including the soothing of insect bites, or apply as part of a cold compress to soothe any specific area of the body. At nighttime, place two drops on a cotton ball and tuck under your pillowcase before bed for an incredible night’s rest. Add several drops to warm bathwater to help you relax at the end of a long day. Blend lavender oil with any massage oil and massage into skin to uplift mood and ease head and shoulder tension.

Interesting Lavender Essential Oil Information

Modern aromatherapy as we know it owes its success in large part to the lavender plant. Though plants and essential oils have been used therapeutically for millennia, the term “aromatherapy” was not coined until 1937 by French chemist and perfumer, Rene Maurice Gattefosse. After burning himself badly in his laboratory, Gattefosse instinctively plunged his burned hand into the first available liquid compound, which happened to be lavender essential oil. According to Gattefosse, it not only immediately eased his pain but also helped heal his hand without any sign of infection or scar. Gattefosse was not a believer in the natural health movement per se, but this experience caused him to be interested in the therapeutic properties of essential oils.

It is commonly believed that the word lavender comes from the Latin word “lavare”, meaning “to wash”, because the Romans routinely used lavender in perfumed oils for bathing. In The Story of Lavender, however, author Sally Festing states that the word lavender most certainly did not come from “lavare”, but from “livendula”, which is Latin for “livid” or “bluish”.

Thought to have been originally cultivated in Arabia, lavender may have been carried by Greek traders to the islands off the southern coast of France as early as 600 BC. Lavender’s native range now extends across the Canary Islands, North and East Africa, southern Europe and the Mediterranean and into certain regions of the Middle East and India. Though native to the Mediterranean region, it is now cultivated on every continent. True lavender grows at high altitudes above 2,000 ft.

Beginning with ancient Persians, lavender has been used in many cultures in bathing rituals for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks used the herb to treat throat infections and to ease constipation. European herbalists employed it in hydrosol form as a head lice treatment. Lavender was grown in European herb gardens in the Middle Ages, and was said to “comfort the stomach and the soul.” The herb was also used in mummification processes in ancient Egypt, and was found in King Tutankhamen’s tomb. A favorite for strewing on the floor as it releases a wonderful aroma when crushed underfoot, lavender is often used these days in toilet water, as an insecticide or in sachets to be placed amongst linens.

Lavender is the most popular, and therefore the most adulterated, of all essential oils. It is estimated that 90% of all products labeled “lavender essential oil” are either derived from another species such as lavandin, or are diluted, or are outright synthetic fabrications.