13 Benefits and Uses of Lavender Essential Oil

Known and respected as one of the most versatile essential oils in aromatherapy, Lavender essential oil is a powerful all-natural resource that has improved life quality for decades. Derived from the beautiful lavender plant, Lavender essential oil is reputable for its profoundly elegant fragrance, potent medicinal properties, and exceptional beauty advancing compounds. Overall, this oil has been widely studied and proven to foster incredibly diverse health and wellness results, regardless of being used via a diffuser, stick inhaler, or as a massage oil. To provide a glimpse of just how wonderful Lavender essential oil truly is, below are 13 extraordinary benefits that one can expect to experience when leveraging this multi-faceted, organic solution.

1. Helps Fight Insomnia

To date, several studies have linked Lavender essential oil with reducing insomnia. For example, a 2015 study that was published by the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that inhaling Lavender essential oil helped college students sleep better. These students also reported having higher levels of vibrancy and energy the next day as well. The underlying reason for this is because lavender is able to increase slow-wave sleep, which is vital for the slowing of the heart and the relaxation of muscles.

2. Reduces and Prevents Acne

Acne can feel like a frustrating and debilitating challenge to go through, especially when none of the over the counter treatments work. But Lavender essential oil can take that away and deliver real, skin-clearing results. In summary, Lavender essential oil contains antibacterial elements that can kill the acne-forming bacteria on the skin. This becomes the catalyst for acne to subside and future breakouts being reduced. Keep in mind that before applying, mix it well with a carrier oil to reduce the risk of skin irritation.

Tip: For stubborn pimples, mix a drop of Lavender oil with a drop of Argan oil and apply it directly to the affected area twice a day.

3. Offers Various Hair Care Advantages

For those who are facing the adversities of hair loss, dandruff, or dull hair aesthetics, know that Lavender essential oil can help. By applying this oil and massaging it into the scalp, it is able to deeply penetrate the hair follicles, which stimulates blood circulation for increased hair growth. Furthermore, this antioxidant-filled oil is able to condition, nourish, and moisturize hair to keep it shiny and keep dandruff under control. The best part is to surface these hair care benefits, it only takes performing a hair oil massage once or twice a week.

4. Soothes Dry Skin and Eczema

Dry, scaly skin can happen to anyone, especially for those who are prone to getting eczema. Instead of reaching for the nearest lotion that may or may not work, choose Lavender essential oil instead this time. Along with being an antibacterial, this oil is also a rich antifungal that can reduce inflammation and keep both dry skin and eczema outbreaks at bay.

Fun Fact: Lavender essential oil may also help with treating psoriasis, as it reduces redness, irritation through cleansing the skin.

5. Reduces Dark Spots and Wrinkles

One of the more famous reasons why people use Lavender essential oil is because of its compelling ability to reverse signs of aging. This oil is able to lighten and reduce skin discoloration and dark spots due to its anti-inflammatory properties, and the prevalent antioxidants can combat free radicals in the body. For those unaware, free radicals are a significant reason behind fine line and wrinkle formation. By reducing those levels with lavender, it equates to much more youthful skin and a glowing complexion.

6. Naturally Heals Wounds

Believe it or not, but researchers have found that Lavender essential oil may support the healing process of scrapes, cuts, burns, and other wounds. The studies performed have concluded that Lavender essential oil holds compounds that influence the healing of skin tissue and increases the rate at which the wound is healed as well. In conjunction with this, using the oil to speed up the healing process also features the benefit of scar reduction due to its skin lightening elements, as mentioned above.

7. Acts as An Organic Insect Repellent

Looking for a chemically-free alternative to repel insects? Lavender essential oil is able to support this effort too. Lavender is a natural, double-duty insect repellent that can also help with the itching caused by bites afterward as well. In fact, many commercial mosquito repellents contain lavender as a primary ingredient for this reason. But instead of going with a resource that can be harsh on the body, go with pure lavender oil instead and gain all the same protection without the health risks attached.

Tip: To treat an insect bite with Lavender essential oil, mix one or two drops of it with a carrier oil such as coconut and apply the mixture over the bite twice a day until remediated.

8. Helps with Stress and Anxiety

Lavender's effects on those with stress and anxiety are nothing shy of impressive. The soothing, sweet scent of lavender is able to relax and ease the mind and muscles of an anxious, stressed out person and gives them much more clarity and calmness. This ubiquitous result is why so many dentists take advantage of lavender aromatherapy to improve the mood and lessen patients' anxiety. Ending on a more scientific note, the lavender fragrance stimulates the nose to pass signals to the brain, letting the brain know that it is okay to relax and calm down.

9. Improves Signs of Depression

As noted above, lavender's floral scent is highly valued for its calming effects, which also supports those with depression as well. Lavender aromatherapy helps improve mood, promote relaxation, ease stress and anxiety, and give those with depressive thoughts a more euphonic mindset. There have actually been studies on this health sector as well, which found that Lavender essential oil might be an adjuvant therapy to treat mild to moderate depression.

10. Alleviates Premenstrual Emotional Symptoms

Women across the globe suffering from premenstrual emotional symptoms can have the peace of mind knowing that they will find relief when using Lavender essential oil. Studies have shown that this oil is an excellent aromatherapy that can drastically reduce PMS symptoms. This is because lavender is a well-respected stress and muscle relaxer and can improve mental wellbeing/mood when both inhaled and applied topically. In addition, lavender is attributable to enhancing the parasympathetic nervous system, which stimulates digestion and helps the body relax.

11. Combats Nausea

Using Lavender essential oil may be able to ease those feeling nauseous back to a better state, primarily if the nausea is caused by anxiety or physical pain. The Lavender scent is known to relax the mind and body, which can reduce the tension that is causing nausea to surface in the first place. For more insight, a study was done on patients who experience queasiness after surgery, and those who sniffed Lavender essential oil reported 83% nausea improvement than those who did not.

12. Prevents Chronic Headaches

On a global scale, more than 12% of people get migraine headaches. Migraines and common headaches occur in people of all ages, and triggers can include things like loud sounds, light, weather changes, etc. Though there are many commercial products that try to combat it, try going a more natural route with Lavender essential oil this time around. This oil has been proven to treat migraines through its therapeutic scent and is one of the safest options to choose in easing headache pains. Furthermore, those who used it over a three-month duration reported less frequent and severe headache/migraine episodes.

13. The Perfect Air Freshener

The sweet lavender plant of mystical qualities may feature so many incredible benefits, but let’s end this list on a more intoxicating and therapeutic note. Overall, the sedative, calming scent of lavender not only fosters better health and wellbeing, but it can also deliver a captivating scent to any space. The earthy, lively aroma can soothe the air and environment, lower the carbon dioxide levels in the air, and cleanse areas of bad smells. So many manufacturers use lavender as a key scent for their air freshening products. But know that the same, if not better, results can be obtained with Lavender essential oil and a diffuser.

Conclusion - Take Advantage of the Ultimate Multi-Purposed Oil

From treating depression, insomnia, skin conditions, infections, to so much more, there is no question that Lavender essential oil is an ideal resource to have nearby. Being the anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antidepressant, antibacterial, antiseptic, and detoxifying agent that it is, this oil is able to deliver incredible multi-angled benefits that inevitably promote improved life quality. In the end, Lavender essential oil has been used for hundreds of years for a reason. And with advanced studies and clinical trial cases documenting its abilities, holistic health and wellness seekers can have the solidifying confidence that they will live a life of levitating prosperity with this in their cabinets.

Written by Amber Dean