Soap Scents: Let’s Talk Lavender
Aromatherapy is one of the primary benefits of using natural skincare products made with essential oils. In the time it takes for a routine bath or shower, you gain bonus benefits based on the properties of the essential oil(s) used in a soap, scrub or lotion. This edition of our Soap Scents Series explores lavender essential oil and introduces related handcrafted products.

Lavender and Lemon Natural Body Lotion

The name “lavender” originates from the Old French “lavandre.” Lavandula angustifolia (true lavender) is a member of the Lamiaceae or Mint family. Common names include English Lavender and Garden Lavender. The herb’s name comes from the Latin lavare, which means “to wash.” It is native to the Mediterranean region.

Use of lavender spread from the Mediterranean region to India and then to Tibet. In both regions, lavender gained a reputation for helping to quell anxiety and clear the mind. By the late Middle Ages, lavender was commonly grown in Monastery gardens and used as a soothing tonic. Lavender water or lavender tea was prescribed to relieve insomnia, tension and depression.

Naiad Soap Arts
French Lavender Vegan Soap

Lavender Oil Benefits
Lavender oil benefits skincare through its antiseptic and antibacterial properties. The high percentage of linalool that it contains is beneficial for healing. Lavender oil is known to balance the skin, making it ideal for any skin type. Lavender oil has properties known to encourage the growth of new skin cells, beneficial for certain skin conditions related to acne and aging.

A number of studies have reported that lavender essential oil may be beneficial in a variety of conditions, including insomnia, alopecia (hair loss), anxiety, stress, and postoperative pain. However, most of these studies have been small. Lavender is also being studied for antibacterial and antiviral properties. Lavender oil is often used in other forms of integrative medicine, such as massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic manipulation.

Scientific evidence suggests that aromatherapy with lavender may slow the activity of the nervous system, improve sleep quality, promote relaxation, and lift mood in people suffering from sleep disorders. Studies also suggest that massage with essential oils, particularly lavender, may result in improved sleep quality, more stable mood, better concentration, and reduced anxiety. In one recent study, people who received massage with lavender felt less anxious and more positive than those who received massage alone.

Several small studies suggest that lavender aromatherapy may help reduce agitation in patients with dementia. Lavender flowers have also been approved in Germany as a tea for insomnia, restlessness, and nervous stomach irritations.

Thornapple Ridge Soaps
Peppermint Lavender

In modern herbal medicine, lavender is most commonly prescribed as a mild, calming sedative for insomnia and sleep disorders, to settle indigestion and nervous intestinal complaints and to treat minor nervous ailments. Lavender oil uses in aromatherapy headache and migraine relief, and relief of emotional upsets. The mind and the body can be relaxed and soothed down by the inhalation of a lavender tincture (made from the essential oil of the lavender); smelling the lavender flowers also induces this effect in the body. Topical use of diluted lavender oil or use of lavender as aromatherapy is generally considered safe for most adults. However, applying lavender oil directly to the skin can cause irritation.

More Information About Lavender

Sources
University of Maryland Medical Center accessed at http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/lavender-000260.htm on April 17, 2011
Herbs 2000 accessed at http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_lavender.htm on April 17, 2011.
Foster, Steven and Johnson, Rebecca L. (2008). National Geographic Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicine. National Geographic