If you’ve ever been lucky enough to drive past a field bursting with purple lavender during mid summertime, it’s a sight that you’ll probably never forget.
But there’s so much more to lavender than just its beautiful vibrant colour.
Its heady floral scent, when inhaled, can have powerful mental and physiological benefits.
Lavender buds are also rich in natural plant oils that contain a wealth of potential health benefits.
Here are just four of our favourite uses for lavender and lavender essential oil that will enhance your everyday wellbeing.
Pain Relief
Lavender in its essential oil form has been shown to help relieve pain naturally due its powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
It’s been found to be particularly effective for muscle and joint pain, so it’s perfect if you’ve overstretched yourself in your yoga routine.
Simply add a few drops of lavender oil to a carrier oil and use it topically to provide a soothing massage for an aching body.
The aroma of the oil will also soothe a tired mind.
Adding a drop of oil to a steam inhaler has also been found to help with relieving migraine pain.
Better sleep and reduced stress
Inhaling the scent of lavender both before and while you sleep has been found in many clinical studies to promote a deeper, more restful night’s sleep.
Lavender is a natural relaxant and has been found to have the ability to reduce our stress response and lower our resting heart rate.
It can also provide relief from feelings of anxiety and improve your mood.
In a small controlled sleep study at Southampton University in the UK, scientists used brain scans to monitor participants’ quality of sleep.
The group that were exposed to the scent of lavender oil showed an increase in slow-wave sleep, which slows heartbeat and relaxes muscles.
Sleep quality in the study’s control group was found to have been improved by at least 20 per cent, with participants reporting a greater feeling of alertness when they woke up.
That’s why Intui’s Bliss Eye Pillow is filled with natural dried lavender. Apply the pillow while lying in a restorative yoga pose to achieve a deeper sense of relaxation, or put it on before bedtime in preparation for a wonderful night’s sleep.
You’ll also find lavender essential oil in our Energise & Uplift candle to naturally help improve your mood.
Skin remedy
Lavender has both healing and anti-microbial properties that make it a great natural skin remedy for a variety of conditions.
It can be used to treat minor wounds and burns, insect bites, acne and other skin disorders.
Lavender oil is rich in both antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
As an antioxidant – which can help combat free radicals in the body and slow down the ageing process – it’s a highly effective ingredient in many natural, anti-ageing skincare products.
If you make your own natural skincare products, be sure to include some lavender oil.
It’s also been shown to speed up the healing process and can therefore be beneficial in the reduction of skin scarring and also as an antidote to sunburn.
Insect repellent
Many people may not immediately think of lavender oil as the best thing to use to keep away annoying bugs and insects, but it’s actually a very effective repellent.
So if you don’t like the very distinct smell of citronella (the ingredient commonly found in natural insect repellents), or you wish to avoid putting any harsh substances like DEET on your skin, it might be time to give lavender at try.
Moths, midges, mosquitoes and other insects dislike the aroma of lavender.
You can mix a few drops of lavender oil into a carrier oil and apply lightly to your pulse points to ward off any bugs.
Alternatively, a few drops of oil in a home diffuser will create the right atmosphere in your home to repel any unwanted visitors.
There’s the added bonus that your home will be filled with a wonderful, soothing scent!