The following blog is for information only and is no substitute for medical advice or your own research. Please be mindful of your needs and seek appropriate professional support as necessary.

I flippin’ love lavender oil and everything about it, from its fragrance to all its associated benefits. But I’m aware that it can have a bit of a marmite effect on people.

No, I don’t mean put it on your toast, just that people either love it or hate it. Many associate the smell of lavender with ‘old ladies’ but I’ve always loved – even before I was an old lady myself!

You may have noticed how much I love lavender from the fact that there is lavender in my logo. It’s the most incredible flower and essential oil.  Not only does it smell gorgeous and look beautiful in the garden but, once extracted, lavender oil has many benefits.

It helps to reduce scarring, soothes burns, cuts, scrapes, scalds and spots.  It also balances skins sebum – if your skin is oily lavender oil will suppress sebum production and if it’s dry it will encourage more production. Amazing!

All of the lavender essential oil that I use is organic. This ensures that the lavender oil has the most benefit to both the planet and your skin.

The lavender flowers that I use are mainly from mine and my mother-in-laws garden, so it’s very local and, whilst not officially organic, I know it hasn’t had any pesticides or chemicals sprayed on it.

A brief history of Lavender:

Lavender is a staple ingredient of many aromatherapy and wellbeing products. And is it any wonder?

Lavender has been used for the last 2,500 years in the Mediterranean, Middle East and India. The first written record of the healing uses of lavender was by the Greek military physician Dioscorides in 77 AD.

Lavender was regularly used in ancient Rome too, especially during their bathing practices, to help keep bacteria away. In fact the name Lavender comes from the latin ‘lava’ which means to wash.

Now we all know the Romans knew a thing or two about lots of stuff and their use of lavender is no exception. The antibacterial properties of lavender are very well known, as is its ability to heal burns and minor abrasions.

Rene Gattefosse, one of the founders of modern day aromatherapy, realised the healing and antiseptic qualities of lavender when he burned his hand badly whilst working in his lab. He stuck his hand into a barrel of lavender oil and not only did the pain stop but the burn healed quickly with no infection or scarring. Lavender oil was also used to dress war wounds during World War I when medical antiseptic was in short supply.

But what else do we know about this beautiful and useful plant and why is it so great for your skin?

Lavender facts:

There are 47 different species and over 450 different varieties of lavender. It’s part of the genus Lavendula, and it may surprise you to know that this scented flowering plant is actually part of the mint family – Lamiaceae.

It’s easy to grow and simple to dry. You just need to bunch it together, using string or elastic bands and hang it upside down somewhere dark and cool to dry.

Lavender oil benefits:

Lavender essential oil is known to help reduce redness, blotchy patches, and acne scarring, whilst it’s anti-inflammatory properties make it great for soothing and healing skin that’s irritated or reddened from the sun. It can also help with burns, cuts, scrapes and insect bites.

Its fragrance promotes a sense of wellbeing and is particularly helpful for those people who suffer from anxiety and sleep problems, due to its relaxing properties. It’s why so many people find it beneficial to carry a tissue that’s had a couple of drops of lavender essential oil dropped onto it – it helps to calm the mind and body.

Products that contain lavender

So with all that in mind below is a selection of my gorgeous organic products that contain lavender essential oil, so you can reap all of those wonderful benefits.

Sleepy Thyme Balm

If you can’t relax, this innocent-looking little tin could be the answer! It has a blend of organic essential oils (including lavender of course) and it can be used during the day to keep you calm, and at night to help you drift off into a relaxing sleep. https://maldonsoap.co.uk/product/sleepy-thyme-balm/

Skin Saving Balm

Described by fans as ‘wonder in a pot’, this is the go-to product for difficult skin. It’s such a multi-tasking product as it can be used on scrapes, bites, dry skin, spots and scars, and is great for treating both the symptoms and itching of eczema and psoriasis. https://maldonsoap.co.uk/product/skin-saving-balm/

Lavender Soaps

We have quite a few gorgeous soaps that contain lavender essential oil. Choose from lavender and rosemary soap, relax and unwind soap containing both lavender and patchouli, and our pure lavender soap, to name a few.

Skincare products

We make a whole host of skincare products that contain lavender because it’s just so good for all skin types. There’s white tea and lavender face cream, the incredibly gentle lavender and oat milk eye cream, lavender and oat facial cleanser and beautiful rose argan face cream.

And for the rest of your body there’s a lavender and tea tree solid shampoo and even a glycerine and lavender hand cream, just to finish off the lavender-scented product goodness, along with lavender bath bombs.

To see all the products that contain lavender just click this link and you’ll got to the lavender section of the website.

In conclusion

Lavender is brilliant for so many skin conditions and inhaling lavender is great for relaxation and to induce sleep. It’s also been used to heal burns.

If you’re interested in some further reading about how lavender oil helped a little boy with severe burns here’s the link to a brilliant blog written by the legendary Robert Tisserand.

Obviously this treatment was closely monitored and approved by doctors and surgeons so isn’t something that should take place without medical supervision. As always, seek medical advice in the case of any skin condition.

So, who’s going to try some of these lavender products? Do let me know as I love hearing from you!

Lots of love
Sue xxx