In the world of essential oils and their uses in wellness routines, one particular oil hardly needs an introduction: lavender essential oil. It has been used throughout history in wellness routines due to its versatility and usefulness in everyday uses. Lavender essential oil is thought to have various benefits, one of which is promoting sleep due to its calming effect on the mind and body.
But there are still plenty of ways to use lavender essential oil for wellness. You can always check the benefits and recommendations for common uses by brands manufacturers of the oil. For example, you can find the lavender essential oil benefits by AWO when you browse their site.
If you’re thinking of incorporating the oil into your wellness routine, here are some tips:
Diffuse your bedroom to help with sleep problems
Among the many uses of lavender essential oil for wellness, promoting sleep is perhaps the most common. You may have noticed that most sleep products, including pillows, pillow mists, and linen fragrances, all contain lavender essential oil or dried lavender flowers. This is because studies have suggested that inhaling lavender oil before sleep can help improve sleep quality.
As a considerable part of your general well-being, you want to ensure that you get adequate sleep each day. If you’re having some sleep troubles, diffusing lavender oil in your bedroom may help calm your mind down, relax, and sleep better. A few drops on the underside of your pillow may also produce the same effect.
Inhale it for stress and anxiety management
Lavender oil has been shown to have a calming effect, enhance mood, and help to reduce stress and anxiety. One study even suggests that this oil can work at the same level as anxiety prescription medication. Researchers administered anxiety-relieving medication, Lorazepam, and lavender oil to two groups of participants for a duration of six weeks. Both groups reported a significant decrease in anxiety levels at the end of the trial period. The results showed a 45% and 46% anxiety level decrease, respectively.
Lavender essential oil aromatherapy has also been shown to lower anxiety levels in preoperative patients. Stress management is crucial to your wellness as it helps you stay calm, have clarity of thought, and give room for sobriety in your life decisions.
Spray on irritated skin
Inflammations on the skin are both painful and uncomfortable. Fortunately, the beta-caryophyllene compound found in the lavender essential oil has natural anti-inflammatory properties. Hence, you can tap into the benefits of these properties for your skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and even sunburn. The oil is also said to have a numbing effect that soothes inflammation.
To make a spray for your sunburn, mix aloe vera juice, water, and a few drops of lavender oil in a spray bottle. Shake to mix the contents properly and spray it on your sunburn to get relief. You can use the spray up to three times a day until your sunburn heals.
Mix with water to treat minor wounds and burns
While going on with your daily activities, you may find yourself nursing minor wounds and burns from time to time. A five-day study on animals found that lavender oil, when applied topically, closed wounds faster than saline or iodine. Scientists attributed this phenomenon to an increase in the skin’s supply of the epidermal growth factor (EGF), which is necessary for tissue regeneration.
To use the lavender essential oil for burns and wounds, you need to dilute one drop in 10mls of water. Rub the solution on your minor cuts, burns, or wounds after appropriate first aid. However, you shouldn’t self-treat serious injuries with lavender oil. Instead, always seek guidance from a medical professional.
To get relief for headaches
When your head is throbbing in pain, and you can’t seem to find a way to make it stop, it causes discomfort and interferes with your well-being. Unknown to you, the scent of lavender essential oil may be the remedy you need to keep the pain down. In a study, lavender-scented inhalation sessions were prescribed to half of a group of 47 migraine sufferers and a placebo to the other half. The study results showed that migraine attacks were significantly less severe in the experimental group on lavender for the next two hours.
You can use diluted lavender oil to massage your temples, shoulders, and neck for relief from your headache.
Takeaway
The tips for using lavender essential oil may enhance wellness by helping with the ways discussed above. The oil is an excellent addition to your wellness products and routine. But it’s advisable not to attempt using this oil in place of professional treatment, especially when it comes to managing stress, wounds, headaches, migraines, or sleep conditions.
Ellen Diamond did her degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. She is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
