Why lavender oil should be in everyone’s handbag

Lavender oil is a must-have for everyone. This etheric or essential oil not only gives off a delicious fragrance, but also has a beneficial and healing effect on both your body and mind. The number of its possible applications is almost limitless: calming, pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory and even seductive! It is not without good reason that this oil has been used since ancient times. Would you like to know more about its origins, how the oil is used and what it can mean for you? You can discover all this and more in our blog.

Lavender: a remarkable medicinal plant for centuries

If you mention the word ‘lavender’, most people immediately think of large fields full of purple-blue flowers, waving gently beneath the warm and sunny skies of Provence. At the same time, you can almost smell its typical fragrant aroma and feel the peace and calm it brings. Lavender is a plant that never disappoints.

Of course, lavender does not only grow in France, but can be found throughout much of the Mediterranean region, including northern Italy and the Balkans. You can even grow it is your garden, as a decorative shrub!

Since ancient times, lavender has been known for its purifying properties, as well as being used as a remedy for coughs, a disinfectant or an insect-repelling herb in linen and clothing.

The Egyptians also used lavender to make perfumes. And with success! Legend has it that it was with lavender perfume that Cleopatra was able to seduce Julius Caesar. Hence the plant’s traditional association with love.

Thanks to the Romans, lavender was introduced into monastery gardens and other medicinal herb gardens. In popular medicine, the plant was used to combat sleeplessness, nervous complaints, headaches, jaundice and even head lice.

And the name? The word ‘lavender’ is probably derived from the Latin ‘lavendus’ or ‘lavere’, which means ‘to wash’. This refers to the practice of our ancestors to use the herb in their soaps and baths.

Using lavender oil: what you need to know

So much for the history of lavender. But how do you obtain the essential oil? And how do you use it? The oil is obtained through a distillation process that makes use of the flowering parts of the plant. The result is a pure and concentrated blend of all the volatile and aromatic essences of lavender.

How can you know for certain that you are buying lavender essential oil and not just a perfume oil?

These are the things that you need to watch out for:

• Choose a product that is clearly labelled ‘essential oil’.
• Only trust packaging which mentions the origin, Latin name and chemotype of the lavender and gives a proper description.
• Organic cultivation, as is the case with Physalis True lavender essential oil, is a bonus.

Product description

• English name: True lavender
• Latin name: Lavandula angustifolia
• Origin: France / Bulgaria / Spain
• Cultivation: organic / biological
• Plant part used: flowers
• Extraction method: distillation
• Chemotype: linalyl acetate, linalool, ocimenes

What are the positive effects of lavender oil?

Physalis True lavender essential oil deserves a place in every handbag and toiletry bag. Its uses are safe and versatile. A stressful meeting? Spray a few drops of lavender oil into the air and just feel how you relax. Your child has been bitten by a tiresome mosquito? A few drops of oil on the bite and the irritation will immediately subside. In addition, the oil also has an anti-inflammatory effect. A tense, nervous headache? Massage the oil into your neck and temples. Almost at once, you will feel the tension slipping away.

Here are some other practical applications:

Soothes and heals pain, itching and other irritations

• Burns (first degree) or sunburn: gently rub the essential oil, either pure or diluted in a neutral vegetable oil, into the painful skin.
• Fatty or itchy skin and eczema: add two drops of the essential oil to your cleansing milk or lotion.
• Stomach cramps: dilute a few drops of the essential oil in a spoonful of honey or a vegetable oil of your choice and take orally.

Calms and relaxes

• Good night’s sleep: sprinkle the head cushions and/or the sheets of your bed or the soles of your feet with a few drops of the essential oil. Do you want to get to sleep quicker and, above all, stay asleep? Take a few drops of lavender oil orally, diluted in a spoonful of honey.
• Good mood: diffusing lavender is always a good idea. It not only removes unpleasant odours, but also stimulates both body and mind.

Lavender oil also helps with

• Mouth hygiene and gingivitis (gum inflammation): use the oil as a gargle, diluted in a little water.
• Head lice: add some lavender oil to a natural shampoo and later use it pure as a rinse aid for the affected areas of head skin.

Getting started yourself?

#beyourownbeautychef and create your own massage oil. In no time at all, you will be massaging harmony back into your life. Goodbye stress, irritability and uncertainty!

Enjoy your essential oils safely: always follow the recommended precautions and safety measures.

↪ Everything you need to know about the safe use of essential oils

Also discover our other types of lavender and their uses:

Lavandin super is a cross between Lavandula angustifolia and latifolia.

English lavender (Lavandula latifolia) contains camphor and eucalyptol, so that its fragrance is somewhere between lavender and rosemary.

How do you use lavender oil?

• Orally: 2 x 1 to 2 drops per day, diluted in a spoonful of honey or in a herbal infusion.
• Skin: massage or bath: 5 to 10 drops per 10 ml of vegetable oil.
• Diffusion: 5 to 10 drops, depending on your personal preference and the size of the room.