Medicinal properties and application of lavender oil

Lavender is an unpretentious plant that can be grown in your garden if climatic conditions are suitable. It will not only fill the garden with wonderful aroma, but also provide the raw materials for the production of unique oil. This tool can have a calming effect and be used for the manufacture of cosmetic products. It is also used to relieve inflammation or clear the skin.

Lavender and its historical roots

Lavender began to be appreciated from ancient times, legends about it were made under the Egyptian pharaohs. Then it was grown in a special garden of Thebes. It was considered the main ingredient of embalming kings. It is said that, thanks to the lavender scent, Cleopatra could seduce men so easily. Lavender used to grow only in India. The ancient Romans never washed their hands if the oil of this plant was not added to the water.

The British added lavender extract to headache medications and made perfumes from it. In the Baroque era, this plant became a symbol of love. In the Middle Ages, the British began to use it to flavor linen. The Tudor dynasty added lavender even to food. It was the British began to engage in the production of lavender oil on a large scale.

The composition of lavender oil

Previously, the oil was obtained in different ways, but now they use only fresh flowers. It contains many different components that have healing properties:

1. Alcohol ether.
2. Acetic acid.
3. Valerian.
4. Caproic acid.
5. Cariofillen.
6. Lavandiol.
7. Geraniol.
8. Coumarin.
9. Borniol
10. Herniarin
11. Tannins.
12. Bitterness and tar.

The consistency is light and creepy. Properties of the drug depend on the place where it grows. Good quality lavender can be found in Australia and on the Crimean peninsula. The most expensive and healing remedy is made in France.

How to get lavender essential oil

To get a quality essential substance, inflorescences are taken no longer than 10 centimeters. They gather at the peak of flowering. Cut them laid in clear weather. If it was raining the day before, then you need to wait for the earth to dry out. Raw materials are processed immediately after collection. Distillation takes place using water vapor, cooking or long exposure. If the cut buds are not processed in time, then the oil will turn out to be of poor quality.

The use of lavender oil in traditional medicine

Lavender oil is used in the treatment of various diseases. Consider the main applications:

1. For inhalation. It helps in the treatment of dental diseases of the pathologies of the respiratory organs.
2. For warming compresses.
3. For massage.
4. Beneficial effect on the central nervous system. Helps with headaches and chronic fatigue, nervous disorders and loss of appetite, heart disease and hormonal disruptions.
5. A positive effect on the urinary system. Removes puffiness and helps with renal failure in complex treatment.
6. Normalizes the functionality of the digestive system, relieves nervous arousal and soothes the intestines. Adding lavender oil is indicated for bloating and gallstone disease.
7. Conducts deep cleaning of the respiratory tract. Destroys bacteria and infections. It is ideal for colds and their complications.
8. Beneficial effect on the musculoskeletal system. It is used to treat rheumatism.
9. Positive effect on the cardiovascular system.
10. Helps after a stroke. It has an active effect on the human brain and blood circulation.
11. Women take this substance during menopause and with a severe form of the menstrual cycle. It easily removes anxiety and normalizes sleep.
12. Actively used in gynecology. Treats vaginal inflammation.
13. Lavender is added to therapeutic baths. It relieves pain in the joints, has a beneficial effect on the skin and treats the respiratory system.
14. Toothache.
15. Bruises and sprains.

Application in cosmetology

Lavender oil is actively used for cosmetic procedures and in perfumery production. A positive effect on the skin and hair and nails. Application in the field of cosmetology:

1. Face. Lavender is used to make homemade face masks. Manufacturers of professional cosmetics also actively use it to create creams. Easily cope with skin imperfections: eliminates rashes, dryness and peeling. Normalizes sebaceous balance and in complex treatment is able to remove pigment spots. Narrows the enlarged pores and makes the skin smooth and elastic.
2. The neck and neckline. It has a rejuvenating effect and removes fine lines. Exfoliates dead skin particles and promotes regeneration at the cellular level. Increases tone, prevents premature aging and smoothes the relief.
3. For body. In combination with other ingredients can be added to the bath to get a relaxing effect, or in a scrub for deep cleaning. Lavender oil is often used in the bath: dripping on the stove or rubbing the whole body.
4. For hair. It improves blood circulation in the scalp and has a positive effect on the scalp. It nourishes the bulbs and protects the hair follicles from the harmful effects of the external environment. It is used in hair masks. Relieves itching and irritation. Helps with dandruff and psoriasis. Performs restorative function and heals wounds. Promotes active hair growth and prevents balding. Adds extra shine to the strands. Hair becomes obedient and silky.
5. Perfumery. Most perfumes contain up to 10% lavender extract. It is added in the manufacture of soap, shampoos and other means. Cosmetologists advise applying this product to sensitive, oily and combination skin.

Daily use is not recommended. The interval between treatments using lavender oil-based products should be 1-2 days. Experts advise to conduct procedures in the evening, because lavender is soothing. When applying the mask on the face or body, the hands are also healed: the nail plate is strengthened, and the skin becomes silky. Can not be applied in its pure form.

Before use it is worth conducting a test. Add a drop of lavender oil on your wrist, and if after some time there is no redness, then there is no allergic reaction. It will be useful to consult a cosmetologist and clarify the nuances of use in a particular area.

How to make lavender oil at home

There are two ways to make lavender oil at home: cooking, water bath and infusion. Consider the third option, because experts believe that in this way a higher-quality product is obtained. Stepwise Algorithm:

1. It is necessary to collect lavender blossoms in the period of active flowering. The weather should be dry, it will eliminate the wateriness of the raw materials.
2. Tearing flowers, you need to separate them from the trunk and immediately begin to obtain oil. If the flowers lie for a day or more, this will affect not only the quality of the product, but also its quantity.
3. Put the raw material in the jar and pour the flowers with olive oil. They must be completely coated with the substance.
4. After some time, the inflorescences swell, absorbing an oily product.
5. Then we cover the jar with a lid and put it in the sun. This procedure should be carried out 2 days in a row.
6. We transfer the vessel to a dark place and lay a package between the lid and the can so that the lid closes tightly. Thus, the raw material is infused for at least 2 months.
7. After the expiration of the due date, you need to take a gauze and a deep plate. Transfer the contents of the jar to the container and slightly heat the oily raw materials using a water bath.
8. We take another container and cover it with thick gauze so that it is stretched like a drum. Then we lay out the oily raw material on it and wait for the oil to drain. It takes from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of product.
9. After the main product is drained, you need to squeeze gauze well.

Experts then advise to filter the resulting product several times, until a homogeneous consistency. Storage of the product is strictly in the refrigerator. To increase the shelf life, you can add a few drops of vitamin E.

Contraindications and side effects

Lavender, like other essential oils, has some contraindications. In some cases, they are associated with increased dosage of the drug or too frequent use. Main contraindications and side effects:

1. Age up to 12 years.
2. Allergy.
3. Individual intolerance of individual components.
4. Pregnancy and lactation.
5. Two months after abortion.
6. Low pressure.
7. During oncology and during chemotherapy.

An overdose of the drug will greatly increase the cholesterol content in the human body. During procedures with the addition of lavender oil can not use products that contain iodine or iron.

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