It is even suggested that the first usage of lavender oil can be traced back to over 230 years ago to ancient Egypt, Greek, Persians, and Romans. Back then, people use lavender oil for cleaning, bathing and as perfume.
That is of course not without reasons. Having the scientific name Lavandula angustifolia, lavender oil can be considered as one of the most versatile essential oil. It goes without saying that the versatility comes from its wide range of uses. As of now, lavender oil has become the main ingredient for products such as deodorants, lotions, and other skin care products. The natural properties of lavender oil, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, antiseptic and also insect repellant, might be the main factors which make it such a well-rounded, beneficial essential oil.
When it comes to topical uses, nothing beats lavender oil in term of benefits. Ranging from cosmetic to medical benefits, lavender oil offers so much it’s hard to pass up. Therefore, in the following paragraphs, we will discuss the benefits of lavender for skin and health.
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As pleasant as the scent of lavender is, turns out, certain types of insects aren’t exactly fans of it. This is especially useful if we live in the region where the cases of insect bites or mosquitoes are high in frequencies. That’s why, lavender, along with other herbs such as lemongrass and geranium have been popular ingredients for mosquito repellent.
As a plus, lavender oil is also friendly and even soothing to the skin, which makes it suitable for both lotion and mosquito repellent. The anti-inflammatory properties of lavender oil can relieve the skin from itchy and swelling caused by insect bites. Not only that, as lavender oil is also anti-bacterial and antiseptic by nature, applying lavender oil to the skin can also help preventing infection because of certain insects, such as mosquitoes.
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Lavender along with some other essential oils has been used as traditional cure for many skin problems, such as eczema. This skin problem is mostly identified with reddening and drying on the skin, as well as dark patches in some regions, leaving the skin looks somewhat unsightly. Fortunately, as the symptoms is mostly caused by inflammation by bacteria or yeast, lavender oil can be a great help in treating this skin problems.
As discussed in the previous paragraphs, lavender oil has anti-inflammatory as well as anti-bacterial properties, which is really effective in dealing with the nasty skin diseases. The anti-bacterial properties in lavender oil might help in repelling unwanted bacteria which might cause infections and inflammations, while the anti-inflammatory properties means that lavender oil can help soothing and relieving the inflammations and swelling which have already happened.
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Next time you have joint or muscle pain, look no further from the multi-purpose lavender oil. After you feel the curative effects of lavender oil on muscle pain, you might even start considering ditching the muscle pain relief cream that you currently have. That is because as an essential oil, it can permeate into the skin better than many other liquids. Not to mention that lavender oil also has analgesic properties, which means it can relieve pain by mildly affecting the nervous system.
Therefore, lavender oil can be used for massages by mixing it with some coconut oil. The pain-killing effect as well as its calming aroma can help relaxing the tense muscles and at the same time relieving it from pain. Some research on postoperative patient found that inhaling the vapor of lavender oil might significantly reduce the amount or the intensity of pain experienced.
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Tossing some drops of lavender oil on your face can also do wonder. With the antibacterial and antiseptic properties, this essential oil can clease your face from bacteria and other irritants which cause problems on its skin. This might even be better alternative than using many over-the-counter facial products which mostly contain ethanol and other chemicals that can dry and even damage the skins.
A better alternative would be the natural one, in this case, lavender oil. To make your own facial toner using lavender oil is also quite simple. You only need to mix a few drops of lavender oil with a tablespoon of witch hazel. Take a little dab of the mix with a cotton ball and apply it to cleansed skin. The mix works together with the lavender content helps to heal bacterial infections while the witch hazel content tones the skin.
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Keeping some lavender oil in your medicine cabinet, or somewhere else for that matter, can save you some troubles later. For example, when you suffer from an injury or other external wounds. Instead of looking for some disinfectants, you can use the natural alternative which is already available. That’s right, putting lavender oil on the skin can help killing the microbes, bacteria and fungus which might be detrimental to your health and thus preventing infections.
There’s this one study in South Africa in 2013 which suggested that the antimicrobial properties in the lavender oil, when combined with some other essential oil such as tea tree oil, cinnamon and clove can be effective solution as well as prevention for bacterial and fungal infection. The infection in question is mainly caused by two common offenders, which are Staph aureus and Candida albicans which are mainly associated with skin fungus and pneumonia.
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Using lavender oil as facial toner, as described on previous paragraphs, can further benefits your face. We all probably know that there are some skin problems which aren’t directly associated with bacterial infections, but can be slightly unflattering to our overall appearances. Thsoe problems include but not limited to dark spots, black heads and skin discoloration. As lavender oil has anti-inflammatory properties, it can help calming down the reactions of the immune system and fasten the regenerations of the skin tissues, mostly in the epidermis layers.
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What’s more benefits of lavender for skin? It’s for massage purpose, you can use lavender oil for many benefits for your overall wellness. There are many reasons to back up this claim. First, lavender has an unique and soothing aroma which relaxes the tensions of the nervous systems. Second, lavender oil can reduce the inflammation in the muscle tissues, and lastly, lavender oil also has beneficial effect on blood circulation. There is a research that suggested that lavender oil can benefit coronary circulations, which allows more oxygen to be distributed throughout the bodies.
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Not only lavender oil is useful to cure many skin problems, it can also safely be used as daily skincare product. Naturally, lavender oil has antioxidant as well as antibacterial properties which can clease your skin from harmful bacteria and other pollutants. As a plus, it can also moisturize the surface of your skin as the pH contained in the lavender oil is balanced.
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However, when it comes to purity and effectiveness, nothing beats the pure lavender oil. Therefore, make sure to get your lavender oil from natural organic food vendors and other stores which sell local herbs. Of course, in the information era as nowadays, you can always look them up on the internet for the best price and best reviews.
Here are more benefits of lavender for skin treatments:
There are just many benefits of lavender for skin treatments and many other uses.
However, as lavender oil is basically an essential oil which derived from floral plants, some cautions must be taken especially for those who are allergic. Additionally, as lavender oil has relaxing properties, almost akin to anesthesia, it might slow down the nervous system. Therefore, lavender oil might not be suitable for women who are breastfeeding or pregnant, as the usage of lavender oil might affect the growth process of the infants, especially on their nervous systems.
Likewise, small children and elderly people should in most cases refrain from using lavender oil as the effect might be too strong in its purest form. The point is, always consult your general practitioners or professionals before deciding to use lavender oil.
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So, those are the benefits of lavender oil for skin. Seeing those benefits, it is no wonder that many skin care products have been marketed with lavender as their main or additional ingredients. The wide range of products available makes it increasingly easier to get the benefits of lavender oil.
Finally, when the cautions are taken and you get the good grasp as to how lavender can benefit you, only then can you receive the full benefits of using lavender. The awareness of the health benefits that many essential oils have are crucial as they also help in maintaining the ecosystem of medicinal herbs and encouraging people to live more naturally and healthily. We thank you for reading, hopefully you can learn many things about the benefits of lavender for skin. Stay healthy and keep learning.
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