Health Benefits of Lavender Oil

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I have always loved how lavender smelled.I think they look absolutely gorgeous.Sadly, it also reminds me of those cheap air-fresheners that you get,which give you a headache or in my case they make you sneeze and sneeze....you get the picture,right? But I still stand by my liking for lavender flowers.I read somewhere that you can use lavender oil to get rid of scars and from that moment on, hunting down a bottle of this oil became my one point agenda.I finally noticed a bottle of the oil at The Body Shop at Delhi's T3 and I was so happy that I just kept staring at the 10 ml bottle for quite some time. The SA came and broke my heart by telling me it was meant for diffuser. All I could say was Oh! Okay. I ended up running up to gate number 43 with a bag full of books and no oil to show for it.Afterward, I did some research on the uses and I was surprised to see the list was really long. Here, I am sharing some of the uses of lavender oil that I found were most promising.By the way, I have noticed lavender essential oil on L'Occitane's site and it is definitely not meant for the diffuser!

Two kinds of Lavender oil are available:

• Lavender Flower Oil-It is colourless and insoluble in water.
• Lavender Spike Oil- It is denser than the flower oil and is a distillate of a herb Lavandula Latifolia.

Via Flickr Limbo Poet

Lavender oil can be used for:-

• aching muscles-If you’ve spent time doing hard work, then put few drops of lavender oil into your bath to soothe aches & pains away.
• acne-It not only reduces the onset of new breakouts but also prevents scarring.It inhibits the bacteria that cause the skin infection, helps to rebalance the over-secretion of sebum, which the bacteria thrive on, and reduce scarring.There are various ways in which you can use this oil, either you can mix it with your regular lotion or you can take a Q-tip and dab it on the scars/acne to get rid of them.
• burns-In case of a minor burn,cool the area by immersing it in running cold water for 5 minutes, gently dab  lavender oil. You will find that pain relief is almost immediate, and burn usually heals without scarring.
• coughs & cold- Add 2 drops of lavender oil to steaming water and inhale the steam.It will clear your nasal passage.
• cuts & wounds-Apply lavender oil to sooth pain, prevent bacterial infection and aid scar-free healing. Apply without diluting the oil.
• earache-Warm a bottle of lavender oil in hot water for a minute or two, then gently massage a few drops into the skin around the ears and throat.
• eczema-Stroke diluted lavender oil (a few drops of lavender oil & olive/almond oil) into dry, itchy skin.
• fatigue-Add few drops of lavender oil to a hot foot bath and relax while your feet soak in it. The soles of the feet are particularly porous, so lavender reaches your bloodstream very quickly, exerting its stimulating and soothing effects on various systems of your body.Thus, relaxing you.
• headache-The distilled water of Lavender Mist around your head is refreshing and soothing.
• insomnia-To help to induce sleep, put 3 or 4 drops of lavender oil on your pillow.Although, I have no problems in sleeping but lavender makes me feel very drowsy.
• menstrual cramps-Massage a few drops of lavender oil into your lower abdomen or apply a hot compress onto the area, which a little lavender oil has been sprinkled.
• moths,midges & mosquitos-To prevent bites, splash yourself with lavender hydrosol before you go out at sunset or to bed, put 3-4 drops of oil on your pillow or soak cotton wool ball in the oil and leave it on a saucer in front of the window. Lavender oil is also a terrific remedy for insect bites, soothing itching & inflammation: dab it on to them neat as soon as possible.
• scabies-This infestation by a tiny mite burrowing into your skin causes intense itching. Rub the whole body with neat lavender oil, then following every day until better with a mixture of lavender oil and alcohol. Change and wash bed sheets and clothes and sprinkle lavender oil on the mattress.
• stress -Apply lavender oil neat to your temples or mix few drops of oil with water and keep it in a spray bottle to be used as required.
• sunburn-Mix olive oil  or almond oil with lavender oil and put 3-4 drops of this in some lukewarm water.Soak a piece of cloth or cotton and keep it above the burn.

Aroma Magic offers blended oil with lavender called Flawless for 160 INR( 3 USD approx)
@ Urbantouch : here

Feeling Rich? Buy the L'Occitane Lavender Essential Oil for 1095 INR (20 USD approx)