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Lavender essential
oil comes from over 20 different species and they can be grouped into 3 main varieties.
1. True lavender. Lavandula
angustifolia, L. officinalis, and L. vera are commonly known as common lavender or
English lavender. These plants feature narrow leaves, short,
crooked stems, and barrel-shaped flowers. The flower gives off a sweet, floral
scent that sooths, calms, and relaxes.
2. Spike lavender essential oil. L.
spica and L.
latifolia are
coarser plants, with broader leaves than true lavender (L. officinalis). While these varieties
yields up to three times the amount of essential oil as true lavender, the
scent is less highly prized. The oil from spike lavender flowers is more akin
to a combination of eucalyptus and lavender.
3. Lavandin
essential oil.
L. hybrida is a sterile hybrid plant
that results from the cross-pollination of English lavender and spike lavender.
This oil is more camphorous than L.
angustifolia and has similar, but less pronounced, therapeutic properties.
It can be included in formulations intended for pain relief or disinfection.
Compared to true lavender plants, these plants have larger leaves, longer
stems, and larger flowers that are pointed at the tip. Lavandin produces more
oil than true lavender; however, the scent is quite different from true
lavender. Lavandin tends to have a woody scent with a hint of a spicy-green,
camphor aroma. While Lavandin does have therapeutic properties, it is not be
used as a substitute for true lavender since the therapeutic properties differ.
Lavender Oil is often the first essential oil that is used to help recover from burns. Here is an
interesting tidbit: This amazing property of lavender essential oil was
first discovered by René-Maurice Gattefossé in 1910. The following is a tale
traditionally told about his discovery:
“In
1910 French chemist and scholar René-Maurice Gattefossé discovered the virtues
of the essential oil of lavender. Gattefossé badly burned his hand during an
experiment in a perfumery plant and plunged his hand into the nearest tub of
liquid, which just happened to be lavender essential oil. He was later amazed
at how quickly his burn healed and with very little scarring. This started a
fascination with essential oils and inspired him to experiment with them during
the First World War on soldiers in the military hospitals.”
While there is some truth to this tale, the real story as told by Gattefossé himself, in his book Aromathérapie: Les Huiles Essentielles Hormones
Végétales (buy here translated
into English), states:
“The external application of small quantities of
esences rapidly stops the spread of gangrenous sores. In my personal
experience, after a laboratory explosion covered me with burning substances
which I extinguished by rolling on a grassy lawn, both my hands were covered
with a rapidly developing gas gangrene. Just one rinse with lavender essence
stopped “the gasification of the tissue”. This treatment was followed by
profuse sweating, and healing began the next day (July 1910).”
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Ladybug Soapworks Lavender Soap
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Ladybug Soapworks uses lavender essential oil in our lavender
soap, lavender
bath salts, lavender
roll-on perfume oil, and lavender
bath oil. Try some of these products to experience the calming and relaxing
properties of lavender oil.
For more information see:
Aromaweb.com - Great website with
lots of information on essential oils.
http://personalcaretruth.com/2011/04/gattefosses-burn/
- Good site with the true story of how René-Maurice Gattefossé found the burn
healing properties of lavender.
