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 Contents

Page

4 Introduction
4 About Lavender
5 Lavender Oil- a natural calming agent
6 Lavender Oil - A natural anti-bacterial
6 Other Uses
7 Conclusion

Recipes
8 Lavender Honey Sugar Scrub
9 Lavender Calming Spray
10 Lavender Bath Salts
11 Lavender Soft Scrub
12 Homemade Lavender Natural Lip Balm
13 Homemade Lavender Deodorant

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Introduction
Every generation discovers the benefits of lavender oil - whether for its distinctive
aroma or its health benefits. This guide aims to reveal some of the uses to which
you can put this natural material in your life and give you some our favourite uses!

About Lavender
Lavender has been popular for centuries. It is one of those smells that everyone
knows. It is grown in great quantities in southern France. There is even a museum
devoted to it in Grasse. Grasse is in Provence and lavender is one of the distinctive
features of the cuisine of that region. It is one of the 'Herbes de Provence' blend.
The highest grade Lavender based on soil and growing conditions is in Bulgaria.

There are lots of cultivated forms of lavender. The most common species in
cultivation is Common Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia). Flower spikes are used for
dried flower arrangements. Pouches of dried lavender are placed among stored
items of clothing to give a fresh fragrance and to deter moths. The fragrant, pale
purple flowers and flower buds are used in potpourris. The plant is also grown
commercially for extraction of the oil from the flowers.

The oil is used as natural antiseptic and for aromatherapy. The traditional lavender
pillow takes advantage of its calming properties.

Humans aren't the only ones who benefit from lavender. It is also a good source of
honey for bees.

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Lavender Oil- a natural calming agent
There has been a lot of work done on the calming activities of lavender.

One study compared the effect of the odour of lavender on gerbils in a maze. The
gerbils became braver in exploring the maze and showed less anxious behaviour
after only twenty four hours exposure, and the effect grew over the 2 weeks of the
trial. The researchers estimated that the effect was the same as a dosage of 1mg
per Kg of the well known anxiety treatment diazepam.

The use of lavender pillows to help sleeping is a long standing tradition. This effect
has been shown by watching mice to see how quickly they move around when
exposed to the fragrance of lavender oil. It turned out that the lavender oil slowed
them down.

It is also supposed to be a relaxing agent. This is borne out by a study carried out in
2006 when a group of patients recovering from painful surgery were given lavender
oil drops in their oxygen face masks in addition to the normal pain killing drugs.
They found the drugs used to control the pain more satisfying than a group that
weren't given the lavender. A 2002 study of hospice patients found small decreases
in pain and anxiety compared to the non-treated group.

Perhaps the way it works is to affect your mood. This in turn can affect the signals
your brain sends to the immune system giving it a bit of a boost. It is well known
that your frame of mind has a lot to do with the way you cope with stress. The
placebo effect is a well known feature of clinical trials, where simply the act of being
treated is in itself beneficial even if no drug is being used. It doesn't seem too far-
fetched to suppose that the sense of well being that lavender induces is also good
for you.

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Lavender Oil - A natural anti-bacterial
Lavender oil has a long history of use as an antibacterial. One of the main purposes
the plant produces the oil itself in the first place is to protect itself from attack. It is
interesting that the different lavender species have different profiles in how
effective they are against particular microbes. Lab work shows a complex pattern
where no one grade of oil is most effective against all the species of bacteria. The
effectiveness of most lavender oils is on a par with tea tree oil.

English lavender oil, Lavendula angustifolis, has been shown to have a minimum
inhibitory concentration of 0.32% against staphylococcus aureas. (This means that in
the presence of 0.32% of the oil, the organism cannot grow.) This organism has
been implicated in making eczema worse. In fact its name, aureus, is the latin for
gold. The gold appearance of the scabs in impetigo, which is simply a very severe
form of eczema, comes from colonisation by this organism. It seems that this
organism is adept at colonising dry skin and when it does it triggers off a cascade of
further reactions causing the eczema to flare up. Potentially lavender oil could break
this cycle by preventing further development of the eczema.

Other Uses
Lavender is currently being investigated as an insecticide, both as a headlice
treatment and most interestingly as an alternative to organophosphate sheep dips.
These applications are still at their early stages and may not come to anything, but it
shows that even in our modern technological age there are still new uses to be
found for this very familiar material.

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Conclusion
Lavender oil has been used for centuries and is likely to continue to be used long
into the future. The benefits are so well known as to be commonplace, but many of
them can be shown to be effective scientifically. And even now, new uses continue
to be found for it.

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Recipes
Lavender Honey Sugar Scrub:

This scrub exfoliates your skin, leaving it soft, silky and smooth. Use on your feet, elbows
and knees.

I used organic evaporated cane juice, raw honey and sunflower oil for this version, but feel
free to use whatever type of sugar and oil that you have on hand.

To make this you'll need:

cup cane sugar

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon honey

2 to 3 drops of Essential Oil Labs

lavender oil

optional: pinch of crushed

lavender flowers

Combine all of the ingredients

together in a bowl and mix well.

This recipe makes just enough to

fit in a small 4 ounce jelly jar.

To use, scoop out a small amount

and gently rub on dry areas of
skin such as feet, elbows and
knees. Rinse well with warm
water.

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Lavender Calming Spray:

This is something that I've been making for quite some time. In fact, it was among the first
of my herbal experiments!

Initially, I used it to help calm rowdy children as bedtime approached. These days I use it as
part of a treatment plan for my eldest dog.

As he's reached the sunset years of his life, he's gotten more jittery and nervous. Sudden
noises, storms, cameras, flashlights, the dark all of these things and a million more
triggers make him shake uncontrollably.

I mist this into the air and treat him with herbs such as passionflower. A few minutes of
that along with comforting stroking of his head will usually settle him down enough to
sleep.

To make this all you need is: water, Essential Oil

Labs lavender oil and a spray bottle.

Fill the bottle almost to the top with water. Add

several drops of our lavender essential oil.

To use: Shake well then spray the mist around the

room to add a subtle, calming lavender scent to
the air.

Please note that while lavender is safe for use on

dogs, most essential oils are toxic to cats, so this
should not be used for any of your feline friends.

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Lavender Bath Salts:

Bath salts are so fun and easy to make!

To make these you will need:

1 cup Epsom salts

several drops of Essential Oil Labs lavender oil

optional: a pinch or two of dried lavender flowers

optional: sea salt

Combine the Epsom salts with sea

salt, if using.

If desired, rub a few pinches of

dried lavender flowers between
your fingers to crush and release
their scent. Add to the salt as well.

Add several drops of lavender

essential oil. (Let your nose be
your guide as to how much you
use.)

Stir well and pour into a pretty jar.

The one shown is from a localcraft
store.

To use: Sprinkle in your bath as the

water runs. Seal tightly between
uses to retain the lovely lavender
scent.

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Lavender Soft Scrub:

Homemade soft scrub is one of my most favorite things in the world!

Not only does it do a great job on my shower, but it has the alternative use of being a great
foot scrub for getting feet sandal-weather-ready. Let's see the store bought version do
that!

It's also extremely simple to make.

First, mix together:

cup baking soda

1 tablespoon castile soap

a few drops of Essential Oil Labs lavender

oil

Then, add just enough water to make a

thick paste.

I store mine in a repurposed small castile

soap bottle.

To use, squirt a small amount out onto a

rag or sponge and scrub the area to be
cleaned. Rinse well.

If you've not used a homemade cleaner

on your sinks or tubs before, be sure to
do a spot test first!

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Customer Favourite Recipes:

Homemade Lavender Natural Lip Balm:

This homemade all natural lip balm is perfect to keep handy now that the weather has
turned chilly. Many lip balms re too greasy so the ratios of ingredients call for increasing
the beeswax to get something a little thicker and more the consistency of store bought
Chapstick. This homemade lip balm is the perfect little gift for any occasion.

4 tablespoons grated beeswax (about 2 ounces)

2 tablespoons shea butter

2 tablespoons coconut oil

4-6 drops of Essential Oil Labs lavender oil

15 lip balm containers

Directions:

Set a glass measuring cup in a couple inches of water in a saucepan. Turn the stove onto
low/medium heat, add your ingredients and stir until ingredients are melted. Add the
lavender oil. Then line up empty lip balm containers and carefully pour. Youll have a little
bit of spilling, its inevitable, but I got about 14 lip balms out of this recipe, but if you are
super careful you may get a couple more.

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Homemade Lavender Deodorant:
This deodorant will work way better that any other natural one, plus its cost effective as
th recipe below will yield two containers which will last you a while. It has a lovely texture
and is not sticky and wet rather smooth and powdery.

cup baking soda

cup cornstarch
4-6 tablespoons coconut oil
3-5 drops lavender essential oil (You can purchase pure essential oils here)

1. Mix baking soda and cornstarch in a small bowl, then add essential oil and coconut oil a
tablespoon at a time until ingredients come together.

2. Use your fingers to press into an old deodorant container or warm for a few seconds in
the microwave and pour into the container.

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