How to Use Lavender for Sleep, Relaxation, and Health
Discover lavender’s amazing benefits for sleep, relaxation, and health. This fragrant perennial has been revered throughout the ages for its ability to breathe a sense of clarity and calm into every place it dwells. It has long been used as a remedy for a range of ailments, from insomnia and anxiety to depression and fatigue.
Lavender, Lavandula, of which there are several known species, is a shrub-like herb that can be found in gardens countrywide, where it is adored for its lovely little blue flower buds that grow in whorls. It is known for its popular and pleasing floral fragrance.
Research has confirmed that the scent of lavender causes slight calming, soothing, and sedative effects, so while it is blooming in the garden, make sure you bring some inside as well.
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Lavender Ushers Sweet Sleep
“There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight.”
–SHAKESPEARE, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
For centuries, bedding and pillows have been stuffed with scented herbs, grasses, and petals to keep them smelling nice and to aid in sleep. Victorian-era ladies favored lavender in their pillows for its sweet scent and often inhaled it to calm their nerves. Lavender has been used as a sleep aid for centuries, a practice backed up by a recent study at Wesleyan University, that showed that smelling lavender before sleep increased the percentage of deep, slow-wave sleep in both men and women, and all of the subjects reported higher vigor in the morning after lavender exposure. So, how do we infuse the sleepy scent into our nighttime routine?
- Add dried flower buds into pillows either directly or by placing a sachet or pad into the pillowcase.
- Spritz your pillows and linens with an essential oil spritzer consisting of water, lavender essential oil and either witch hazel or alcohol.
- Massage the scent (mixed with a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil) into the temples, behind the ears, and under the nose.
- Dab a few drops of lavender essential oil onto tissue paper and place it under the pillow.
- Brew a before-bed cup of lavender tea for sweet dreams.
- Make a lavender salt scrub and use it during your evening bath.
Lavender Refreshes Rooms and Drawers
- Toss the synthetic room fresheners and create a natural room potpourri consisting of dried lavender buds and any other garden flowers or herbs such as geranium, rose petals, or rosemary. Not only will it smell amazing, but when placed in a decorative bowl, it adds a burst of color and beauty. *When the scent fades, simply revive with a few drops of lavender essential oil.
- Sachets or simply old hankies or cotton napkins can be stuffed with dried lavender buds and tied with a ribbon and tossed into drawers and linen cupboards to infuse a wonderful refreshing lavender scent.
- Go to the source and infuse your laundry with lavender by stuffing a muslin sachet with the dried buds and topping with a couple of cotton balls. Pull tightly to close and you are good to go. Throw one in with the next load of damp clothes to the dryer and let the scent infuse your laundry.
Let Lavender Revive Your Beauty Routine
The Latin root for lavender is lavare which means “to wash” and speaks to the cleansing and refreshing qualities of this herb. Lavender can be added to a daily facial cleansing routine to revive and uplift both your skin and your spirits. Below is a recipe for a floral vinegar for use in the bath or as a general tonic. Simply add 1 cup to the bath or dab the forehead, temples, and behind ears to refresh after being out in the sun.
Floral Vinegar Recipe
- 1 1/2 cup fresh lavender buds
- 2 cups white wine or cider vinegar
Put lavender buds into a large bottle. Gently warm the vinegar; then pour over lavender buds in the bottle. Leave bottle on sunny windowsill for two weeks. Strain.
Lavender as First-Aid and Relief
Lavender Essential Oil has analgesic properties and can be helpful for minor burns, scrapes, and bites. Mixed with carrier oil such as sweet almond or jojoba oil, it can be used for minor burns or bug bites to offer quick relief. We have a roller bottle on hand for when those inevitable kitchen burns arise. Essential oils are potent and it only takes 1 to 2 drops of essential oil added to 1/4 ounce of carrier oil. For severe burns, seek medical advice immediately.
In his 1597 book, Garden of Health, William Langham shared a method for perfuming clothes that would also act as an insect repellant:
“Boyle it (lavender) in water and wet thy shirt in it and dry it again and weare it.”
Laundering your clothes in the scent of lavender might serve to keep away menacing mosquitoes as well as offering a relaxing scent!
Melissa Spencer
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Do not use if you have cats it's toxic to them!
This article wonderfully highlights lavender's remarkable benefits, making it an indispensable addition to any health-conscious individual's lifestyle.
So far, sprinkling cut pieces of lavender (flowers and leaves) in areas where cats poo in my garden has discouraged repeat visits.
Showering regularly with lavender soap is an effective tick repellant.
Last year my Lavender was so prolific that I decided to used, the end of the year, long stem cuttings in the fireplace. It gave off a lovely scent and almost completely covered the smell of burning wood in the house. It also helped with a "quick start" lighting the fire. I've been so pleased that from now on I will be using the end of the year long cuttings in the fireplace. I already use some of the earlier cuttings that dry naturally in the kitchen and bedrooms. Why put such fragrance in the composter when it can naturally keep my house smelling great without all those chemicals or making my pets ill either.
Don't use it in essential oils around animals! They get very sick and death has even occurred..
...beautiful bouquets are now available at farmer's markets. // In my experience, even some who are ultra-sensitive to most fragrances (even those used in soaps, shampoos and lotions sold at health food stores and "green" household cleaning & laundry products) are nonetheless fine with the scent of *lavender essential oil.* // Thanks for the article!
I was having leg cramps nightly. I put a bar of lavender soap between the sheet and mattress close to my legs. The leg cramps have stopped. Its amazing.
I enjoyed your comments on lavender,trying to figure out how to subscribe?
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