If you frequent cosmetic stores for skin care, or have been keen on the ingredients of your cosmetics and soap, then you must have met the word lavender countless times. If you have been curious enough, you might have queried the use of lavender essential oil in most of the cosmetics and soap you see or use. Many people often assume the word as a feminine name, brush it off and stop there. Let’s dig deeper than that and see what it really is, and what makes it such a common ingredient of cosmetics and soap.
Lavender, botanically christened Lavandula Angustifolia, is a perennial shrub that grows up to 1 meter in height. It is typically known for it spikes of appealing violet-blue flowers that extend right above the foliage. The use of lavender finds its roots from the highly beneficial chemical constituents of the oil from the flowers of the plant. This rich and volatile oil contains an amazing 40 constituents that include geraniol, cineole, nerol, borneol, Coumarins, Tannis, linyalyl acetate, linalool, Flavonoids and many others.
Lavender essential oil is extracted by distillation of the flowers. The process involves steam distillation to obtain a pure natural essential oil. This essential oil is home to the ethereal essence of the lavender plant, which is packed with vast beneficial properties traversing both health and cosmetic uses. Talk of soap, perfumes, air fresheners or antiseptics and you are not so far from lavender.
It is however not a new discovery. Lavender essential oil has served countless generations for natural beauty and cosmetics, rolling way and ages back to the ancient Egyptians. Lavender oil was commonly part of the embalming paraphernalia. Such a long while ago, lavender oil had already found its way into cosmetics and perfumes. And by then, there were already many different types of lavender soap and, of course, lavender perfume. The Greeks were not left behind in the harvest; they too had several cosmetic purposes for lavender oil. The Romans took the lavender race a step ahead of the rest, using its oil as a solution to multitude health complications and applying it for other purposes as well, including as an insect repellent.
That history is evidencing the fact that lavender essential oil is rich with health and cosmetic benefits and that is why it finds its way into many cosmetics and soap as a vital ingredient in facilitating cleansing while sending an alluring aroma that is also therapeutic. It also illustrates that those beauty products with lavender digs beyond the surface and goes down into the inside with immense therapeutic forces that work wonders beyond any other ordinary product. Way back in those nostalgic ancient times, these benefits were probably realized by chance, experience, observation and trials. It is in these modern times that pure scientific research has unearthed the verity behind this mysterious plant and placed full use to it.
Research has revealed many cosmetic uses of lavender essential oil. The oil offers an excellent solution to the enhancement of quality of cosmetics and toiletries where it optimizes the production of sebum from the skin oil glands, making it extremely beneficial for moisturizing patchy skins, or oily ones for the dermatological problems of acne, seborrhea, eczema, psoriasis and spots. Lavender essential oil also takes credit for its speedy cell-rejuvenating properties. Its use in cosmetics and soap stretches to excellent treatment of any kind of burns. If you wish to use lavender essential oil unblended, all you need is to neatly apply a small amount of it to the burn area and get the relief and healing. Solution of lavender water also treats sunburn; the liquid is sprayed right onto the reddened skin. And, as an after shave, Lavender Dew steals the show.
Over the years that lavender has been known to have wound healing properties, it has served an excellent application in all cases of external injuries for promoting healing. It also has wonderful antiseptic properties, instantly disinfecting the wounded area. It also works well as a room spray for killing airborne germs. The soothing effect also makes it handy in treating insect bites or stings. As much as lavender essential oil will therefore also serve as an accelerator to healing of cuts and bruises, it also reduces the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines by tightening the skin. This is a great cosmetic effect as it makes you appear a lot younger, healthier and with shiny smooth skin. That serves the reason many cosmetic producers are churning out more lavender-based to help enhance natural and organic beauty as well as nourish the skin.
The cosmetic bases of lavenders essential oil provide revitalizing natural perfume and aromatherapy benefits. Lavender oil is heralded for extensive use in beauty and therapy products from soap to perfume products and cleaning industry. The aromatic essential oil is used in cologne and toilet water. Lavender oil also finds its way into bath products and stimulating, cleansing facial steams. It is a mosquito repellent and can also be used to flavor jellies and vinegars.
From the research, geraniol, cineole and coumarin have been found to be the best known active components of lavender. These component chemicals have very strong cleansing and germicidal effects and are particularly believed to expand the uses of lavender essential oil to the medicinal arena. Lavender oil helps treat pain and inflammatory conditions. It also brings relief from various skin irritations and digestive complications. It helps relieve cramping, stomach aches and diarrhea, while for respiratory cases, lavender essential oil is often used to help relieve common coughs, and bronchitis, as well as asthma and colds. Pretty many cosmetic and soap makers and hobbyist add lavender essential oil to salves and homemade balms for easy rubbing on the chest and hence inhalation. Research shows the medicinal uses then extends to the treatment of sports injuries, muscular aches, headache and rheumatism. A couple drops of lavender essential oil rubbed on the temple relives headache and migraine. For muscle aches, you need to put 5 – 10 drops of lavender oil in a bowl of warm water, then soak a piece of cloth in the mixture and wring it out. Massaging the aching muscle with the damp cloth brings relief from pain. The oil also has analgesic properties quite useful in cases of arthritis. It is therefore clear that the anti-inflammatory effects and pains numbing makes it great for first aid kits.
Lavender oil has calming and relaxing properties that soothe stress, making it useful in the evening bath. It is added as the water is running. Sprinkling some lavender essential oil also induces sleep due to the calming effect. It is also known that lavender oil has balancing and harmonizing effects on emotions. This makes its perfume so calming; notably the aroma also comes from the lavender soaps, making them all so refreshing.
Lavender essential oil still finds its uses in massage, and the lavender perfume is the most used essential oil in the aromatherapy industry. The perfume industry has benefited for over 150 years using lavender essential oil as a base fragrance for countless perfume brands.
As a flower, lavender still serves in aromatic wands and wreaths floral arrangements. Fresh bunches of lavender offers excellent craftwork material for the wreaths and the wands floral patterns. They may then be dried for durability. Dried lavender bunches serve decorative purposes when hung in the closet, where they also double as linen insect repellents.
Traditionally, stripped and dried lavender flowers are used as pot-pourri. They are also used in sachets as drawer fresheners and as moth deterrent. As an air freshener, fresh or dry lavender bunches works well at home in rooms and toilets, in the car, and so on. There are also lavender candles available in most home goods stores. They are increasingly popular and render such overpowering scent, so sweet, fresh, rejuvenating and flowery.
There are numerous lavender products out there in virtually any home supply or health stores. The range is vast and covers from creams and lotions to baby shampoos and even such luxury products as bath bombs, including an array of Sea Salt Bath Products as well as the Lush’s bath bombs. There are many amazing lavender products worth a trial.
Lavender has infiltrated all corners of home life and fills many stores due to its noted beneficial properties, easily utilized at home. The abundance in the market is not the end, many more lavender products get unleashed each and very other day. Seeking to use lavender essential oil, it is wise to get pure organic lavender oil. There are also others diluted with carrier oils; they will offer similar benefits but need to be applied in greater quantities. The range includes Organic Lavender, Spike Lavender, Australian Lavender French Lavender and English Lavender. Lavender essential oil is easily found at various online Soap making and Aromatherapy Specialty stores. Lavender oil is absolutely not for internal use and should be shoved away, strictly out of reach of children at all times.
CHIC Luxury Soaps has a variety of Lavender products, including, candles, soaps, creams, lotions and scrubs. Have a look at our website for a wide choice of lavender products.
Irina Marchenkova, President, CHIC Luxury Soaps.
www.chicsoaps.com
No comments:
Post a Comment