Oil of the Month: Lavender

World famous for its calming, exquisite, delightful aroma, Lavender is the most popular essential oil in aromatherapy. The most important thing to know about lavender is that it is not a specialist. It is almost an all-purpose oil with more widespread applications than any other essential oil. It is like Kleenex or meditation, good for almost everything. Therefore it should be always present in every household. However, for specific applications, there are commonly more powerful oils than lavender.

It’s traditionally known applications reach from calming, stress busting qualities, to wound and burn healing, antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties, emotional balancing and many more. On a more subtle level, lavender eases karmic tensions in human interactions.

Not all lavenders are created equal. There are lavenders of different species; some have different chemistry, and some are hybrids. Similar in name, but vary in application - however they share a lot of the same qualities.

Fresh, herbal, sweet and floral, Lavender is always the first choice for your medicine cabinet. Lavender has many therapeutic uses. This warm, dry, pain relieving, and antiseptic oil can be used undiluted on cuts, burns, bruises, blisters and insect bites. It is cell-rejuvenating, preventing scarring and stretch marks. Diffused, it helps asthma, headaches, and insomnia and can prevent airborne infections. It calms, reduces stress, alleviates fear, and soothes frustration and irritability, especially in times of crises. It is also safe for use on small children.

Most aromatherapist and essential oil enthusiast swear by lavender, and for good reason. Lavender is as well rounded as any essential oil and can pair well with most other essential oils to bring about a stronger healing effect. However, as mentioned before, there are other essential oils that are specialized to be used for specific applications.

While lavender may be noted for its power to help with insomnia, Sweet Marjoram essential oil is more powerful. Lavender essential oil is known for its calming stress relief properties, but an even more potent essential oil for stress would be Bergamot essential oil, or even Geranium essential oil. Amrita will sing the praises of those beautiful essential oils soon enough.

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Original Published: 2019-10-02 / Last Modified: 2021-10-11