The best DIY lavender essential oil that you can produce using ingredients from your own garden
Lavender is a flowering plant distinctive for its beautiful color and its soothing aroma and known for its multiple properties and purposes. Moreover, lavender is the sort of flowering plant that you can find almost anywhere in the world, and that does not require a lot of effort for anyone who desires to grow it. Therefore, whether you have found yourself with an extra supply of lavender from your garden or you simply stocked up some lavender from your recent trip to the store, there are no reasons to let any of it go to waste. So, why not try to make your own homemade lavender essential oil? You will be surprised to find that making your own lavender essential oil is actually quite simple, that it has multiple health benefits and uses, and that it can also be a thoughtful gift to someone you love. Here we have compiled a few facts about lavender essential oil as well as an easy and simple DIY recipe that you will most likely be unable to live without.
Here you will find:
What is lavender essential oil
What are the uses and benefits of the lavender essential oil
What are the benefits of lavender essential oil
How to make your own lavender essential oil
Lavender essential oil has multiple benefits and uses that you can apply to your daily life. Image courtesy of Pexels.
What is Lavender Oil?
Basically, the lavender oil is an essential oil extracted from the lavender plant, also known as Lavandula. Often, the type of lavender used in the production of essential oils is the English lavender or Lavandula angustifolia; nevertheless, there are no actual restrictions to which type of lavender should be used in order to produce lavender essential oil. In other words, you should not be concerned about whether or not you have the proper type of lavender for the homemade recipe found within this article. There are two processes which can be used to produce lavender essential oils: distillation extraction and infusion. However, the homemade type is often done by the process of infusion and the distillation extraction process is often done by companies which wish to produce the lavender essential oil in larger quantities.
The best part about making an essential oil is that you can use lavender from your own garden or store bought. Image courtesy of Pexels.
As a massage oil: you can use it on yourself by applying to your hands, feet, legs, and neck or you can use it on someone else by providing them with a relaxing massage.
As a makeup remover: not only the lavender essential oil is capable of soothing the skin, while combating redness and inflammation, but it is also a great way to treat acne with perceptible results.
As a moisturizer: the lavender essential oil can be used as moisturizer for the body, the face, and the hair! You can basically apply lavender oil anywhere on your body for a moisturizing effect.
As a treatment for sunburns: you can apply lavender essential oil directly to your sunburn for both soothing and healing effects. There is nothing like the feeling and the smell of lavender on an irritated skin.
As an addition to your skincare routine: you can add lavender essential oil to your skincare products from your moisturizer to your toner. Not only does it add a delicious smell to your skin, but also transfers its benefits to your products.
As a lip balm: you can mix lavender essential oil with coconut oil in order to create a moisturizing lip balm which will have the best smell and texture. This is perfect to treat chapped lips and make sure that they will always be moisturized.
As a fragrance: you can apply the lavender essential oil to your wrists, neck, and earlobes in order to function as a fragrance that soothes the skin and smells incredible. Lavender is often found within several perfumes and the lavender essential oil is an easy and effective way to apply a delicious smell to your skin.
As a way to eliminate undesirable smells: you can use lavender essential oil as a way to relieve your house from any smells left behind by children and pets, for instance, by combining the lavender essential oil with water and spraying it into the air.
As an ingredient: lavender essential oil can be used as a base for homemade skincare products such as soaps, fragrances, and creams. It is possible to find recipes which will allow you to take your homemade lavender essential oil and turn it into something bigger.
As a part of aromatherapy: the lavender essential oil is one of the most used essential oils for aromatherapy and you should give it a try. The smell of lavender is both incredibly delicious and soothing and it has many benefits.
The Benefits of Lavender Essential Oil
After learning about all the uses of lavender essential oil, you are probably wondering what actually are the benefits of it. The truth is that there are many benefits to using lavender essential oil and here we have compiled a list with several of them:
Lavender essential oil can be used to treat acne, eczema, and skin rash. It has incredibly medicinal properties and it is perfect for inflamed skin as it is capable of soothing it and treating it at the same time.
Lavender essential oil is perfect for the treatment of anxiety disorder and related conditions for its calming properties and it is often applied through the use of aromatherapy, but it can also be applied directly to the skin on key spots.
Lavender essential oil helps those who suffer from insomnia, once again due to its soothing abilities. It is possible to apply the lavender essential oil to one’s pillow before going to bed or simply to use it as aromatherapy in order to help create the perfect environment for a healthy sleep.
Lavender essential oil can be used as an anti-aging product which must be applied at night and helps relieve aging marks on the skin as well as prevent them. The lavender essential oil can also be used in the treatment of dark circles and eyebags when applied at night.
Lavender essential oil can be used in the treatment of migraines and headaches for its smell helps soothe the pain and it can be applied to one's forehead for increased benefits. It can also be used as a massage to help alleviate the tension often associated with headaches.
Once you make your first lavender essential oil, you will be surprised with how simple and effective it actually is. Image courtesy of Pexels.
How to Make Lavender Essential Oil
Of course, there are certain steps which you have to take in order to make your own homemade lavender essential oil: you should not pick the flowers but rather cut them. The more the merrier and you should never be too worried about having too much lavender. You must use 100% dried lavender and whether you cut the flowers from your garden or buy them at the store, you have to make sure to dry them. Therefore, in order to dry your lavender, you should tie them with a rubber band and hang them upside down for better results. You should also make sure to only use organic lavender. Even if you do not have lavender in your garden, you should try at least once to go somewhere where you can pick your own lavender rather than buy it straight from a store because it can be such a nice and fun experience! With all of this said, here is how to make your own homemade lavender essential oil:
Ingredients
Dried lavender
Glass jar
Mortar and pestle
Cheesecloth
A funnel
Carrier oil of your choice (ex.: coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, etc.)
Steps
Gather the dried lavender flowers and buds in a mortar and lightly crush them. This way you’re liberating the natural oil infused within the lavender and exposing its fragrance.
Insert the crushed lavender into the glass jar. Make sure that your glass jar is completely dry before adding the lavender into it.
Add the carrier oil of your choice until the lavender is completely submerged/covered.
Close the jar tightly and store it in a warm and sunny location, such as by the window sill or outside in your garden. You will have to shake and/or turn the jar to keep the lavender coated in oil from time to time.
Make sure to pick the perfect spot because you will be leaving your jar there to infuse for at least one week and for the maximum of six weeks. It all depends on how much power you want your essential oil to have.
After your preferred amount of time, you will want to use the cheesecloth in order to strain the lavender from the oil onto a funnel and into a jar of your choice.
Enjoy your homemade lavender essential oil!
Even though it might take a while to be ready, homemade lavender essential oil is extremely easy to prepare and you can enjoy the results for as long as you want and repeat whenever necessary. The best part is that you can use it for basically anything!
