Body & Soul: Make Lavender Spa Products
Set your sights on tranquility with these body care recipes that use lavender.
By Janice Cox
August/September 2011
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If you are having trouble unwinding or falling asleep at night, you might want to raise your bath temperature and add a few drops of lavender essential oil.
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The fresh clean scent of lavender has been used in cosmetic and skin care products since ancient times. Nefertiti and Cleopatra wore vials of their favorite scents, which contained lavender oil. Lavender soap and commercial bath products date back to the 1920’s. It was a favorite scent of Irene Langhorne the original “Gibson Girl.” In fact the name derives from the Latin word lavare, meaning “to wash.”
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6 Lavender Body Care Recipes
• English Lavender Bath
• Lavender Mineral Bath Salts
• Sweet Dreams Spray
• Lavender Lip Balm
• Lavender Body Butter
• Lavender Solid Perfume
• Try These Editor-Recommended Lavender Beauty Products.
Grow Lavender
This fragrant herb which is in the mint family is easy to grow and can be found as a feature in almost every home herb garden. It can be found growing all over the world from Africa to Europe. here are around 39 different species of lavenders (Lavandula). It grows best in dry, well drained, sandy or gravelly soil in full sun. For urban gardeners you can also grow it in containers with good drainage.
Sleep Soundly with Aromatherapy
Lavender is a popular scent in the practice of aromatherapy. The relaxing scent is used to soothe headaches and calm nerves. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is what is used to make most of the essential oils on the market today. The oil is distilled from the oil glands embedded among the tiny flower blooms. It has a sweet, clean scent and can be used in lip balms, salves, perfumes and massage oils. Many people carry or wear small vials of lavender oil and massage into their temple when headaches occur. It is also a cure for jet lag and allows travelers to go to sleep while traveling or changing time zones.
All-Natural Antiseptic
Lavender also has antiseptic properties and can be used to treat minor cuts, scrapes and insect bites. It can be added to skin lotions and massage oils to calm skin inflammation and soothe sore muscles. It can also be found in laundry and cleaning products. In fact it was used in World War I to disinfect hospital floors and walls. Today you can find many all natural cleaning products that contain lavender oil.