I received my bottle of lavender pure essential oil from Melaleuca today and I just couldn’t wait to try it on!

After a nice cool shower today, I dabbed a few drops of lavender oil (neat) onto my temples and massaged some onto my scalp and hair.   These days, I am really hooked on my essential oils.   Applying the essential oils onto my body and smelling them make me very happy. The aroma of the oils uplifts my soul and helps me to destress.

Lavender is a herb. The flower and the oil of lavender are used to make medicine.

The scent of lavender essential oil reminds me of the scent of chamomile and chrysanthemum flowers when seeped in hot water to make tea.

Benefits and Uses of Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender is used for restlessness, insomnia, nervousness and depression. It is also used for a variety of digestive complaints including meteorism (abdominal swelling from gas in the intestinal or peritoneal cavity), loss of appetite, vomiting, nausea, intestinal gas (flatulence), and upset stomach.

Some people use lavender for painful conditions including migraine headaches, toothaches, sprains, nerve pain, sores, and joint pain.

Lavender is applied to the skin for hair loss.  It also helps to kill lice, lice eggs, and nits. The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (NMCB) says that lavender is possibly effective for treating alopecia areata (hair loss), boosting hair growth by up to 44 percent after just seven months of treatment.

Lavender essential oil restores skin complexion and reduces acne. According to dermatologists and aromatherapists, lavender essential oil is one of the most beneficial oils in the treatment of acne.

Some people add lavender to bathwater to treat circulation disorders and improve mental well being.

By inhalation, lavender is used as aromatherapy for insomnia, pain, and agitation related to dementia.

Regular use of lavender essential oil provides resistance to a variety of diseases. It is well-known that lavender has antibacterial and antiviral qualities that make it perfect for defending the body against rare diseases like TB, typhoid, and diphtheria, according to early research in the 20th century.

Stimulates urine production, which helps restore hormonal balance, prevent cystitis (inflammation of the urinary bladder), and relieve cramps and other urinary disorders.

Lavender oil can also used to repel mosquitoes and moths, which is why you will find many mosquito repellents that contain lavender oil as one of the primary ingredients.

Caveat

As with many other essential oils, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid using lavender essential oil as the safety of lavender oil for these conditions hasn’t been identified. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) also warns against using lavender oil when taking medications like barbiturates, benzodiazepines and chloral hydrate, as it may increase their sedative effects and cause extreme drowsiness and sleepiness.

It may also cause allergic reactions to people that have unusually sensitive skin. Some people may also witness nausea, vomiting and headaches due to either common or excessive use of lavender oil.

Most importantly, lavender oil should never be ingested, only topically applied or inhaled through means of aromatherapy or similar activities. Ingestion can cause serious health complications, characterized by blurred vision, difficult breathing, burning eyes, vomiting, and diarrhea. So, even if you think that lavender oil is a wonderful miracle cure, don’t get overzealous and start popping it into your mouth.