About Lavender

It is believed that lavender was widely used in ancient Roman times. With the rapid development of chemistry in the 19th century, people preferred modern industrially prepared products and the essential oil was gradually forgotten. It wasn’t until 1910 that French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse (the father of modern aromatherapy) burned his hand during an experiment by immersing it in lavender oil, and the pain quickly disappeared and Jean-Claude also healed quickly. Gattefosse’s interest in the effects of lavender was so great that he devoted himself to research and, together with other chemists, pioneered aromatherapy.

Lavender is native to the Mediterranean coast and has gradually spread throughout the world. Provence, France is one of the most famous regions for lavender. China’s Xinjiang region also has a large area of lavender cultivation, the output of lavender essential oil quality is also good, has been in the world lavender essential oil market occupy a place. Many of the essential oils in China under the banner of French lavender and Japanese Hokkaido lavender are lavender essential oil from Xinjiang.

Lavender essential oil is complex, containing dozens of compounds, the main components of linalool, linalyl acetate, eucalyptus brain, β-rhodene, terpene-4-ol, camphor. The ingredients contained in lavender vary greatly depending on the type and origin of the plant. This determines their different market prices, different applications and different fragrance types. The quality of lavender is also related to the extraction site, extraction method, and extraction equipment.

The quality of lavender is judged on the basis of various physical and chemical indicators and requires professional equipment to test it. However, the average consumer can still judge the quality of a lavender essential oil by some personal feelings. A high quality lavender essential oil has a strong lavender floral fragrance, which is pleasant and non-nasal. Lavender essential oil is highly volatile and evaporates quickly on a drop of white paper without leaving an oil stain. If the essential oil evaporates and leaves an oily residue, then the lavender oil is not pure.

How Lavender Essential Oil Works

Lavender essential oil is known as the “all-purpose essential oil” and is very versatile. However, the main effects that have actually been scientifically proven include the following.

• Sedative hypnosis

A research organization has tested that subjects who inhaled 10% lavender essential oil showed significant physical relaxation, decreased anxiety, increased alpha wave amplitude in the EEG (increased surface sleep), and the EEG showed a significant sense of comfort.

Another research organization did a study on psychiatric patients who were hospitalized for long periods of time, and lavender essential oil increased the patient’s mood score and reduced heart pain. The scent of lavender can be mentally uplifting, affect sympathetic changes, and help patients sleep.

The calming, soothing, and sleep-aiding effects of lavender essential oil have been proven in numerous experiments. However, it is important to note that lavender essential oil only helps and promotes sleep, but it can also help those who suffer from chronic insomnia.

There are many ways to use lavender to promote sleep, you can put drops of the essential oil in an aromatherapy lamp and let the oil diffuse slowly. For those who don’t have an aromatherapy lamp, you can put drops of lavender essential oil directly on a piece of white paper and place it on your pillow to promote sleep before you go to bed. You can also purchase dried lavender flowers directly and place them in your room. It is not recommended to buy lavender incense bags and other products that you can not see the contents of, many of these products use lavender essence, not to promote sleep.

• Relaxes muscles and relieves fatigue

In addition to acting on the central nervous system, lavender essential oil also relaxes smooth muscles, relaxes muscles, relaxes blood vessels, relieves stress, and relieves fatigue. In practical application, it is mainly about lavender essential oil diluted with a base oil and then massaged by manipulation to achieve the purpose of relaxing muscles and relieving fatigue. This effect is widely used in aromatherapy.

• Antibacterial effect

Narrow-leaved lavender has excellent antibacterial and fungal inhibitory properties. Studies have shown that lavender essential oil can inhibit the growth of 17 in bacteria and 10 in fungi. The antibacterial action of lavender essential oil can reduce the symptoms of skin diseases such as psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema.

The antibacterial action of lavender can explain why some people with colds and flu are relieved by the use of lavender essential oil. Some of the youngsters with acne have improved after using lavender essential oil. However, it is important to specifically note that lavender essential oil, although it has antibacterial properties, is very limited for more severe inflammation. The medical field uses lavender for its antibacterial properties, which has been purified and is of medical grade, unlike the lavender used in cosmetics. Therefore, those who use lavender for acne will find that while there is improvement, it is not particularly effective.

• Reduces scarring

The mechanism by which lavender essential oil works on scars is not well understood, and as far as practical use is concerned, using lavender essential oil during the healing phase of the skin helps to reduce scar tissue. For scars that have already formed, there is very little that can be done.

Skin Care Benefits of Lavender

Among the many effects of lavender, balancing oil production and oil control is often mentioned. However, I have not found any convincing studies on this effect, and I am skeptical, so I can be prompted by those who have seen studies on it. Those of you who have used lavender oil and lavender pure dew can tell me if there is any oil control.

Some research institutions have done experiments and confirmed that the ingredients in lavender can scavenge and inhibit free radicals to achieve the purpose of antioxidant. But the effect is not strong. So, some propaganda lavender has a whitening, anti-aging effect, there is a certain experimental basis, but the effect is not particularly obvious, the need for long-term persistent use before you may feel.

The effect of lavender, the above analysis, can only play an auxiliary role, rely on him to get rid of acne, most will be disappointed. In the early stages of acne mark formation, the use of lavender oil will help to eliminate skin inflammation and reduce the possibility of the formation of acne marks and scars. For acne marks and scars that have already formed, it is of very limited use.

In summary

lavender has a complex composition and a wide range of applications. It has a proven role in aromatherapy and is a great directional spa oil that can be used with a variety of oils. It is one of the few essential oils that does not need to be diluted and can be applied directly to the skin. While lavender essential oil has a wide range of skin care uses, each effect is not particularly outstanding and only plays a supporting role. When purchasing lavender essential oil, it is important for the youngsters to know what they are getting into to avoid unnecessary waste.