Lavender Aromatherapy

Lavender aromatherapy can lift your spirits on the worst day. When you need some serious rest and relaxation, turn to this fabulous essential oil, and recharge those empty batteries...

We've all had those days - you know the ones I'm talking about, the days where all you can feel thankful for, is the assurance that they have to end. Or the days when the universe seems to be conspiring against you, and the simplest things can make you feel like bursting into tears. While there's little you can do to avoid these days altogether (and I say that more out of reality, than pessimism, since I'm hardly likely to win your trust by saying I have a cure for every bad day) you can ensure that there's something to make it better. Lavender aromatherapy can lift the lowest spirits and calm the most turbulent soul. The essential oil of this fragile and beautiful flower is one of the most powerful mood enhancers, and its use in aromatherapy is as varied as it is beneficial. The following are some lavender oil benefits and uses.

Lavender Aromatherapy Benefits

Aromatherapy is a type of alternative holistic medicine that involves the use of essential oils and other aromatic compounds to bring about beneficial changes in mood and health. The essential oil of lavender is one of the most widely used in aromatherapy because of its myriad benefits, and its inherent mood enhancing nature. Essential oils for aromatherapy can be used in mainly three ways - topical application, aerial diffusion and inhalation; and lavender is suitable for all three. When topically applied through massage or with a few drops added to warm bathwater, lavender oil can help relieve stress and have a calming effect, it can also induce sleep. Scent and emotions are closely linked, and lavender aromatherapy uses this principle to induce a feeling of tranquility and peace. The smell of this essential oil causes certain neurochemicals to be released, in the brain, promoting a feeling of serenity; seretonin release is also triggered by the inhalation of lavender. Lavender aromatherapy is widely advocated for mood enhancement and overall well being. In addition to this, lavender oil uses are given below.

Lavender Aromatherapy Uses

• Applied directly on cuts and burns, the antiseptic properties of lavender oil can speed up the healing process
• Inhaled through scented candles or oil diffusers, it can help reduce stress
• Lavender aromatherapy has also been used as a proven medical treatment for headaches and migraine
• Steam inhalation with lavender aromatherapy oils enables it to work as a nasal decongestant, lavender oil is also useful as a herbal remedy to combat cold and flu
• Lavender aromatherapy oils can also be effective as analgesics; add a few drops to regular massage oil for pain relief
• It doubles as an air freshener and insect repellent at once
• Lavender aromatherapy can also combat air sickness, or motion sickness, with a few drops massaged onto the temples
• Lavender is also used to create scented sachets that can be placed inside cupboards and clothes, to impart a mild soothing scent to combat mustiness and moth balls
• The calming effect of this oil is also used in the treatment of sleeplessness and other associated sleep disorders

Whether you need a pick me up after a blue day, or a relaxing addition to a bubble bath, a good nights' sleep or a natural pain reliever, lavender aromatherapy is the answer you need. Lavender essential oil has been used over the ages, and has stood the test of time - to me, it brings back memories of days gone by, a grandmother's feathery cheek, and lace handkerchiefs tucked inside ladylike handbags. Smell is one of the most powerful memory stimulants, and the age old use of lavender is bound to bring back a long-forgotten memory for you too.