The popularity of essential oils is on the rise, and if you’re going to choose any single essential oil to incorporate in your daily life, lavender oil should be the one. Famous for calming the nerves, it is arguably one of the best smelling essential oils, as well as one of the most versatile. Lavender oil has seemingly endless uses as an emollient, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and even as an analgesic (pain reliever).
Of course, always be safe. Essential oils, like medicinal herbs, have real effects on human chemistry. They can be misused and should not be used on children.
Here are 13 safe, effective ways to incorporate this floral, calming essential oil into your daily life:
Calming
Rub 2 or 3 drops of lavender oil in your cupped palms, then use deep inhalations to draw the scent all the way into your amygdala gland, the emotional warehouse in your brain, to calm the mind. Then, rub your feet, temples, wrists (or anywhere) for an immediate calming effect on the whole body. Great for use in crowded areas like planes or subways to carve out your own personal oasis.
Sleep aid
Again, use the cupping and inhalation method. Then, rub a drop of lavender oil on your palms and smooth on your pillow to help you sleep.
Bee sting / Insect bite
Put a drop of lavender oil on a bee sting or insect bite to stop itching and reduce swelling.
Minor burn
Put 2 or 3 drops of lavender oil on a minor burn to decrease pain. I recently did this after I spilled scorching hot tea on my hand and luckily had my lavender with me. I had no redness, swelling or pain and no sign of a burn. Lavender worked wonders!
Cuts
Drop lavender oil on a cut to stop bleeding, clean wound, and kill bacteria, until you can get it treated with hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol.
Eczema / Dermatitis
Mix several drops of Lavender oil with a nut or vegetable oil (coconut, sesame, etc.) to dilute it and use topically on eczema and dermatitis. I have a dear friend who suffers from severe eczema and swears by this.
Nausea or motion sickness
Alleviate the symptoms of motion sickness by placing a drop of lavender oil on the end of your tongue, behind the ears or around the navel.
Nosebleed
Stop a nosebleed by putting a drop of lavender oil on a tissue and wrap it around a small chip of ice. Push the tissue-covered ice chip up under the middle of the top lip to the base of the nose and hold as long as comfortable or until the bleeding stops (be careful not to freeze the lip or gum).
Dry or chapped skin
Rub lavender oil on dry or chapped skin for quick relief.
Chapped or sunburned lips
Rub a drop of lavender oil on chapped or sunburned lips to help relieve the symptoms.
Hay fever
Rub a drop of lavender oil between your palms and inhale deeply to help alleviate the symptoms of hay fever.
Dandruff
Mix 15 drops of lavender oil with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Wet your hair with warm water and towel dry, then massage the oil into your scalp. Let the lavender work its magic for about an hour, covering your hair with a shower cap if you want. Wash the oil out of your hair. Repeat process every few days or as needed.
Cold sores
Put a drop of lavender oil on a cold sore to encourage healing.
Are you interested in learning more about using essential oils for beauty and wellness? Check out Genesis Career College’s Cosmetology School with locations in Nashville, Lebanon and Cookeville, TN, Dalton, GA and Daphne, AL.
