Lavender (High Alpine, Mt. Ventoux) Essential Oil - 10 ml (100% Pure Concentrated)

Name: Lavender, Lavandula officinalis/angustifolia

Manufacturer: Holisticshop.co.uk - Professional quality oils

Size: 10 ml

Concentration: 100% concentrated and pure

We say: This is a pure lavender essential oil that comes from the Mount Ventoux region of France, renowned for their superb lavender. There are many different kinds of lavender on the market from many different countries but many favour the lavenders grown at higher altitude because of their gentle, sweet yet powerful properties.

About Lavender Essential Oil: Lavender is the most versatile of all the essential oils, reacting in accord with the system's particular needs at any given time. It is therefore an essential addition to your natural medicine cabinet. Patricia Davis (Aromatherapy An A-Z) sums it up perfectly: "Calming, soothing, normalizing and balancing - restores unbalanced states of mind or body to a state of balance where healing can take place." 

Description of Aroma: Like clean, fresh, tangy mountain air. Classically pleasing and instantly recognizable, this soothing fragrance is sweet and flowery with a woody undertone. Lavender adds a light floral softness to your blends. 

Ruling Planet: Mercury.

Properties Beneficial To The Mind, Emotions and Spirit: This incomparable oil is calming, soothing, relaxing and balancing, physically, emotionally and spiritually. An ideal choice if you are suffering from depression, stress, anxiety, melancholy, fear, extreme mood swings or irritability. It can also help if you have volatile or intense emotions and want more stability, reducing negative self-talk and aiding balanced decision-making and clear thinking. The fragrance imparts a feeling of inner freedom that allows you to let go of compulsive behaviour and anger.

This oil has a tonifying and soothing effect on the nervous system, which may be beneficial if you are suffering from nervous exhaustion. It is particularly helpful for insomnia, reducing mental ramblings, resulting in a calm, peaceful state conducive to sleep. 

The aromatic influences of lavender are peace, love, health and higher consciousness. It is said to have an appeasing effect on an over-active astral body, bringing back under control of the vital centres. It is also recommended for people with intense psychic abilities, such as healers and mediums, to prevent the depletion of their energy and vitality. 

Of Interest: This hardy plant is native to the Mediterranean, and has been used continuously for thousands of years in perfumery, cosmetics and medicine. Lavender oil was used in Greece, Rome and Persia to disinfect sick rooms and hospitals, and to cleanse wounds. It was one of the favourite aromatics used by the Romans in their baths, in fact the name lavender comes from the Latin lavare, meaning to wash. Roman housewives would put sprigs of these aromatic flowers between freshly washed sheets. It was the Romans who introduced lavender to Britain and Northern Europe. 

Hildegarde of Bingen recommended lavender for maintaining a pure character, while Rudolf Steiner suggested that lavender has a stabilizing effect on the physical, etheric and astral bodies, indicating a positive effect on disorders of a psychological nature.

For centuries lavender bags kept moths and insects at bay in linen closets and clothes drawers. The principal ingredient in pot-pourri and herb sachets, it used to be strewn on the floors of churches and houses for festive occasions. Popular in the Elizabethan and Stuart ages, it was the favourite perfume of the wife of King Charles I, Queen Henrietta Maria. The flowers can be made into an aromatic teas that calms the nerves, and they also give a rather unusual flavour to certain French and Moroccan recipes. Nearly every cologne, toilet water and vinegar once contained this oil, and this is probably why some people consider the scent old-fashioned. 

The plant belongs to the same family as many other popular herbs, and the finest quality lavender grows between 3,000 and 6,000 feet on the sunny slopes of the southern Alps. Lavandula officinalis is reputed to have greater healing properties than augustifolia, however it is more rare and difficult to collect. Harvesting must be done during the hottest time of the day, as this is when the highest content of oil can be found in the flowers. It takes 150 - 160 pounds of flowers to produce one pound of essential oil. For a long time original English lavender was grown in Mitchum, Surrey, and is now cultivated extensively in Norfolk.

Spike or Spanish lavender, Lavandula latifolia, grows lower than 2,000 feet. It has a harsher aroma and is more camphoraceous. Lavandin is a hybrid of true lavender and Spike lavender, created by insects cross-pollinating the two varieties. To date over 160 different chemical substances have been identified in true lavender oil, and chemists are certain more exist. This is the reason it is so versatile, due to its chemically complex structure and numerous active components. It also heightens the action of any other oil it is blended with.

In studies, lavender oil inhibits and destroys the growth of numerous harmful disease-causing bacteria, including typhoid, pneumonia, T.B. and diptheria. It is also used successfully in dentistry and veterinary medicine. French scientist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse is credited with discovering lavender's amazing healing properties on burns when he was severely burnt during a laboratory accident. He went on to treat serious burns and war injuries while he was a surgeon in the French army.

Properties Beneficial To The Physical Body: The possible uses for lavender are almost endless - here are just some ways you can utilize it. This powerful oil is a strong antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiseptic agent, an important ally against infectious diseases. Lavender stimulates the formation of white blood cells which strengthens the body's defenses. Preventative as well as an effective remedy for most respiratory complaints, it also eases aches and pains, rheumatism, muscle spasms, nausea, cystitis, migraines and stress headaches. You may find lavender helpful if you have high blood pressure or a nervous heart disorder, or if you are prone to fainting. 

This oil promotes growth of new cells, thus encouraging the development of new skin tissue, and balances sebum, so every skin can benefit from a rejuvenating treatment with lavender oil. It is particularly useful for a variety of skin irritations and disorders, including dryness, acne, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, bruises, dandruff, athletes foot, wounds and abscesses. Especially healing, cleansing and soothing for burns, including sunburn, it can also ease the pain of insect and snake bites. You may find it helpful to add lavender to your hair products if you are experiencing alopecia or hair loss, expressly if it is of a nervous origin.

Lavender Essential Oil Blending Suggestions: Add a light, floral note to your blends with the inimitable oil of lavender. This oil is compatible with most other oils and its effects are enhanced by blending, so it is quite hard to go wrong. Try it with lemon, bergamot, lime, bay, citronella, grapefruit, mandarin, nutmeg, patchouli, thyme, coriander, rosemary, marjoram, tea tree, pine, orange, chamomile, balm, geranium, clary sage.

However, lavender is not usually considered a sensual oil, and therefore tends to blend less harmoniously with the more sensual oils such as jasmine, neroli, vetiver, sandalwood and ylang ylang. Even so, this should not put you off experimenting if you like the sound, or smell of it!

Alternative Suggestions For Use: Try using lavender as an insect repellent, or if you're too late, apply it to the bites or stings. It is reputedly repelling to moths, and can also sooth nettle stings. A pleasant and effective deodorant for personal use, put it in diffusers and spray bottles to deodorize and freshen your home and workplace. 

Essential Safety Precautions: Lavender is generally considered a safe oil and can be used undiluted. It is an ideal oil for children, but should be avoided in the early months of pregnancy as a safety precaution. People with low blood pressure may feel a bit drowsy after using it. 

Do not use essential oils undiluted or take internally without the guidance of a qualified practitioner. The information contained here is for general interest and is not intended to replace medical diagnosis or treatment.

More About Our Own Brand Oils
We take great pride in the quality of our essential oil range.

Originally the Holisticshop range of essential oils went under the name of Windflowers. This company was founded by a qualified aromatherapist, selling high quality oils to shops and aromatherapists throughout UK and the world. In 2003 the opportunity came up for Holisticshop to buy Windflowers, which we did. This acquisition has meant that since this time Holisticshop customers have been able to buy high quality oils at the price professional aromatherapists would expect to pay.

Lower quality oils are available on the market but we continue to pick the best quality source for every oil. For example our lavender oil is "High Alpine" lavender from Mount Ventoux in the Pyrennes and the ylang ylang is the "complete" oil, not the ylang ylang II or III which come from a different stage in the distillation process. In the current climate essential oil prices on the open market have risen quite dramatically and some sellers are cutting quality. We have maintained quality, bought well and kept as competitive as always. 

We do not buy anonymous drums of essential oils on the open market and we do not redistill lower quality oils to remake a “scientifically” higher grade oil that does not smell great (this happens sometimes with ylang ylang). We know the country and the growers of all our oils. Please be assured by the care we take with making sure our oils are great quality. You will smell the difference.

* They are non-adulterated and are as produced at the still
* We specify the country of origin for each oil
* Each oil has been independently tested by French chemist
* Our essential oils are not blended unless we say specifically say so
* No middlemen - straight from soil to bottle