Lavender essential oil is one of the most popular and favorite essential oils to use. It’s definitely one of my most loved oils, and I have it on hand always.
Lavender is incredibly versatile! Benefits span from pain relief, supporting relaxation and sleep, to hair care and treating minor cuts and scrapes. With so many versatile uses, it’s no wonder many call it the queen of all oils, or the mother of aromatherapy oils.
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In this article, I’ll show you the top 10 uses for Lavender oil. Once you learn Lavender’s amazing uses and benefits, you may want to keep it close at all times. I certainly keep a bottle accessible always, and reach for it often.
What Is Lavender Essential Oil?
Lavender oil is produced via steam distillation from the flowers of the lavender plant. The plant has a distinctive, fragrant scent. Its has a sweet, flowery aroma that many like.
Lavender plants
That’s what makes it a popular choice for potpourri and perfumes. A multitude of beauty items, such as gels, lotion and soaps, include Lavender.
NOTE: Lavender is a bit of an exception when it comes to applying oils directly onto your skin. Usually, I always recommend diluting essential oils before application to the skin. But Lavender is generally safe to use directly on your skin.
Top 10 Benefits of Lavender Oil
Here are the 10 biggest benefits of Lavender aromatherapy oils. Study them and I’m sure you’ll find a way that you can use Lavender in your day to day life!
1. Helps You Relax
Lavender essential oil is great anytime you need to relax or wind down. It has positive effects on the nervous system, and calms both your body and mind. A few studies have shown that lavender may be useful for helping with mild sleep disorders, to treat insomnia, and help with low-level anxiety¹. Historically, lavender was used for mental health purposes, too. Nowadays, lavender essential oil is popular for restlessness, insomnia, anxiety and depression. Overall, it just creates a comforting, calming environment for you!
How to Use it:
- Add lavender to your diffuser before going to sleep.
- Place a few drops on a tissue and inhale.
- Rub into the palms of your hands and inhale.
- Add a few drops (2-4) to a general unscented body lotion and rub into your feet before going to bed.
- Just take a sniff of it right out of the bottle!
- Add a few drops to a spray bottle, mix with distilled water and spray this mist around the room.
2. Skin Care
Lavender’s name comes from the Latin word “lavare”, which translated means “to wash”. Lavender oil has antiseptic properties that can support healthier skin.
To this day, Lavender is a popular ingredient in skin care and spa products such as bath salts or bath oils. Trust me, if you like hot bubble baths, you’ll love a Lavender bath!
Also: many people suffer from acne, wrinkles or age spots. Lavender oil can help! Recommended by dermatologists, Lavender is one of the most beneficial essential oils to treat acne. Its antibacterial properties help regulate your hormones, as well as reduce scarring.
How to use it:
- Dilute several drops (2-4) of lavender with a carrier oil of your choice, and apply it to your chosen area of skin to give it a general uplifting boost.
- If you have dry skin, apply the diluted mixture of lavender oil to that area especially.
- Add a few drops of pure lavender oil to your bath. The idea of using Lavender in baths originated in Persia, Greece, and Rome. Those places had some great kings and queens enjoying luxurious baths in historic times!
3. Relieves Joint Pain and Sore Muscles
As a calming and relaxing herb, lavender is great for sore muscles or joint pain! Massaged into your skin, lavender oil can relieve aching muscles or joint pain, and generally take the stress out of your body.
How to use it:
- Mix a few drops (2-4) of lavender oil with a carrier oil of your choice, and massage it on the sore area.
- Soak a towel in a bowl of hot water infused with a bit of lavender oil. Use it as a compress to treat muscle injuries or sprains.
4. Disinfects Cuts, Bruises, and Light Burns
Lavender oil can be quite effective on mild skin irritations such as burns, wounds, or light acne. Its anti-inflammatory properties are great to keep out bacteria or other irritants. You might also find that the wound will heal a lot quicker.
Try it out next time you (or your kids) scrape up a knee or elbow playing outside or in the garden!
How to use it:
- Place a few drop of lavender oil in the palms of your hands, and add a few drops of carrier oil to dilute it. Apply to the bruise, cut, or wound.
5. Soothes Insect Bites and Repels Insects
Lavender has healing antibacterial abilities. This means you can use it for any type of infection or irritation, including insect bites.
During the summer season when you’re out hiking and camping, Lavender is a great oil to have around. A drop can reduce the itching and swelling of bee stings and other insect bites.
Lavender is a popular ingredient in DIY mosquito repellent recipes. If you want to keep those pesky bugs away, apply a lavender oil roll-on to your skin. Or consider diffusing some Lavender oil in a portable diffuser around your camping site.
How to use it:
- Mix 2-3 drops of lavender oil with 1 tsp of fractionated coconut oil, and apply to an infection or skin irritation to soothe the area.
- Add a few drops to a battery diffuser and place on your outdoor patio for a mosquito repellent.
- Mix (5-6) drops of lavender oil into a 12 oz. spray bottle, top it up with water, and spray onto your skin or clothes as a basic mosquito spray.
6. Naturally Cleans
With Lavenders’ antibacterial properties, you can also add it to your list of natural cleaning products. Use it in an all-purpose cleaning spray, or add it to your potpourri bowl in your bathroom.
Homemade Lavender Soap
Many DIY recipes such as homemade soap, include Lavender aromatherapy oils as an ingredient.
7. Relieves Respiratory Disorders
Lavender oil can help soothe the symptoms of some respiratory conditions such as the common cold and flu, cough, or sinus congestion. Other essential oils can also help with cold and flu symptoms.
How to use it:
- Apply lavender oil mixed into a bit of carrier oil on your neck, chest, or back.
- Inhale it via a steam inhalation tub.
- Add it to your essential oil diffuser to vaporize into the air in your room.
8. Smells Great As A Perfume
If you love the lavender scent and aroma, go ahead and use it as a perfume! Lavender is native to the Mediterranean region in Europe. For the best aroma experience, make sure you’re buying a French Lavender product.
Lavender grows in many other climates as well. But if you are looking for that unique, original flower scent aroma, go with the French Lavender.
How to use it:
- Apply lightly to your wrists or neck.
9. For Hair Growth
Lavender oil has shown positive results when it comes to treating hair loss in both men and women ². It can help your hair growth as well as your hair quality. Further, you can use this oil to help kill head lice, and lice eggs. When rubbed into your scalp, it can even help with dandruff problems. As an easy natural home remedy, lavender helps to keep your hair healthy and shiny!
Use Lavender essential oils in your natural hair care.
How to use it:
- Mix in a drop of essential oil to your regular shampoo.
- Make this DIY Lavender Hair Mask and apply once per week.
10. For PMS
Even though PMS is a common occurrence, no single lady suffers the same way as the next. And no single treatment is effective for everyone. Many women turn to alternative methods to care for themselves in those moments, including aromatherapy. Lavender essential oil does a great job at lifting spirits when suffering from PMS.
How to use it:
- Put Lavender oil in your diffuser and make sure you run it for at least 3-4 hours.
- Put a few drops on pulse points on your wrists or neck, and surround yourself by the scent.
- Get a lavender oil massage from your partner, or ask your professional massage therapist to add a few drops to their products.
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Blending with Lavender Essential Oil
If you own an essential oils starter kit, chances are it includes Lavender! It is one of the most versatile, well-known, and well-loved scents.
Lavender blends well with:
- Bergamot
- Peppermint
- Teat Tree
- Eucalyptus
- Cedarwood
- Chamomile
- Frankincense
- Geranium
- Palmarosa
- Lemon
- Lemongrass
- Rosemary
- Vetiver
- Valerian
To get started with creating your own aromatherapy blend, please visit our tips on blending essential oils here. If you’re interested in a lavender essential oil blend, you can check out the doTerra Peace oil blend, which contains lavender and other soothing essential oils.
Lavender Oil Precautions
Remember, pure essential lavender oil we buy in bottles today is a distilled, highly concentrated version of a natural herb remedy. An interesting fact I found on Young Living’s website is that it takes them 27 square feet of Lavender plants to make one 15 ml bottle of oil. Yes, it’s concentrated alright! Therefore, please always ensure you dilute it properly.
Lavender oil may also be poisonous if taken by mouth – do not take orally or internally.
If you’re using any kind of sedative medications, the combination of lavender oil with these traditional treatments may increase drowsiness. Make sure to tell your health care provider(s) about any and all alternative practices you use. Giving them an accurate and full picture of all that you do to manage and improve your health will help ensure a safe and coordinated overall care for you.
Final Thoughts
Out of all essential oils, lavender oil is one of the most popular natural remedies. A drop of lavender oil on dry skin can help it heal and not itch. Have a stubborn cold sore that showed up out of nowhere? Dab a little drop of lavender oil on it to help it heal. Feeling tense and emotional? Use lavender to help calm your nervous system.
I hope you enjoy one (or all) of these many wonderful uses for lavender essential oil.
If you have comments or questions, please let me know in the comments box below.
References
¹ Does Lavender Oil Do Anything? We Review the Research: https://healthybutsmart.com/lavender-oil/
² Medical News Today: What are the health benefits of lavender? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265922.php
Can you use lavender with a carrier oil in your belly button because …I read that was a good place to feed all the nerves or would this be toxic?
Thank you for sharing such detailed information about essential oils! I’ve been looking for trustworthy resources, and your post has provided exactly what I needed to know.
Thank You For Sharing 👏🏼👏🏼😊GREAT Recipes And SUPER Information , G-d♥️Bless 😊
Tonight will be my first time using the dropper lavender to wind down n calm my anxiety!!! I’ll let u know how it worked! So excited!!! Smells so good!!!
Love this article! It is a helpful post I really like this article so much. Thanks for sharing.
Besides loving Lavender oil and other essential oils I love your article and website very much, I have found your website to provide me so many useful tips which I would never know existed if I was not a regular subscriber.
I would like to share I use lavender oil as a mist spray for my plants which is a natural way to keep them healthy and pest-free of insects indoors and outdoors, you just add 10-15 drops of lavender oil to a 8-12 ounce spray bottle and you are ready to mist your plants.
Thank You
Jeff
Great to hear Jeff, and thank you for the recipe!
How long does homemade lavender oil last? (Using Oil, vitamin E oil, lavender oil and buds)
What’s the difference between Lavandula Officinalis & Lavandula Angustifolia? Can pregnant women use either one? I appreciate any information you can help me with :)
I have a fragrance bottle with the sticks to release the smell and wanted to use the scented oils. How do I use them and what is a carrier oil that I am suppose to use?
Excellent written! I use lavender oil to reducing anxiety and emotional stress.
Please double check your statement about how much land it takes for 15ml of lavender essential oil to be produced. Young Living’s website States that it takes 27 sq ft not 27 acres for 15ml. Here is the link https://www.youngliving.com/blog/7-essential-oils-you-wont-want-to-live-without/
Thanks so much for bringing that to my attention James, I have updated the information in my article.
This was a fascinating read and I have to admit that I had no idea that lavender could be used for so many different things. If any of these uses really appeal to me it is the one about using it to lessen the itching of bug bites.
Excellent uses! I’m going to try a few of them today!
Awesome read. I use lavender essential oil myself, it really helps me wind down at the end of the day and get to sleep. And it’s a plus it helps with anxiety too. That is much needed lol. Thanks for the info, your awesome!
This was a really good read. I am just recently getting more into essential oils for medicinal purposes and am trying to read up on the benefits. Thanks!
Lavender oil has really helped me in the past for treating eczema. I can actually testify for it’s effectiveness! It’s amazing how the simplest remedies can help a lot in getting rid of these common problems!
Wow, there are a lot of uses for essential oils! I have always used an oil warmer and just let it sit, making my home smell better. Now I know that there are a lot more different things I can do to get the benefits of essential oils. Thanks for the tips!