Humans have been using lavender as a culinary, cosmetic, aromatherapeutic, and hygienic herb for at least several thousand years. In the Bible, Mary anoints Jesus’s feet with lavender (“very costly”). In ancient Egypt, embalmers used lavender in the mummification process. Women throughout the Mediterranean—where lavender grows natively—used it in hair oils, perfumes, and makeup.
As it turns out, lavender is much more than just a nice smell. It is a valuable herb that you can use to enhance your health, sleep, cooking, baths, and overall quality of life by incorporating it into your daily routines and regimens.
Here are 10 ideas to get you started:
1. Breathe in the aroma.
Crush fresh lavender between your fingers and take a big whiff, or rub lavender oil on your temples for a soothing dose of aromatherapy stress relief.
2. Drink lavender tea.
Like chamomile, lavender tea improves sleep, reduces anxiety, and it can even lower depression scores. To make lavender tea, steep a handful of fresh lavender flowers (or two grams of dried flowers) in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Strain and enjoy.
3. Make perfume.
Lavender oil makes a nice, chemical-free alternative to perfumes and colognes, especially combined with a more woody scent like sandalwood. Dab a little at the back of your neck or wrists to smell clean and light.
4. Take a Roman lavender bath.
The Romans would add fresh lavender to their public baths. Adding either oil or fresh lavender buds to a hot bath will make an already-relaxing bath even more relaxing via two routes—topical absorption and aromatic absorption.
5. Use lavender at bedtime to sleep more deeply.
Tie up fresh flowers and tuck them inside your pillow case, or diffuse the oil beside your bed when you sleep.
6. Use topical lavender to soothe skin.
Is your skin burned, chafed, or irritated? Add a drop of lavender oil to your moisturizer or a spray water bottle and apply to your skin generously. You can also steep fresh lavender in a carrier oil, and then apply to irritated, burned, or chafed skin.
7. Make sweet, fresh-scented laundry.
Instead of using chemical-laden dryer sheets, tie up a bundle of lavender blossoms in a cloth and add them to the dryer cycle when you do laundry. You’ll have to replace the lavender in between drying cycles.
8. Apply lavender to cuts and scrapes.
Lavender oil applied to wounds can actually improve and speed up wound healing. Add a few drops to carrier oil (coconut, olive, avocado) and apply it to wounds when they occur.
9. Use lavender on your scalp.
When applied to the scalp, lavender may stimulate the growth of hair follicles. It also exhibits anti-dandruff activity. Steep lavender as you would to make tea, allow the liquid to cool, then use as a daily rinse until dandruff clears up.
10. Cook with lavender.
Lavender gives a unique floral accent to many dishes. It goes particularly well with lamb, grilled fruits, and higher-fat cuts of meat. Do be warned: a little bit of culinary lavender goes a long way.
What about you? What’s your favorite way to use lavender?
