Lavender is becoming a familiar plant now because more and more products are using it as the basic ingredient. Not only made for beauty, the benefits of lavender apparently vary from beauty to health.
This purple flower is believed to have grown for the first time in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and India since 2,500 years ago. Since long ago, this plant was considered a sacred herb.
Aside from having the original benefits of lavender oil for hair and skin, people nowadays also use lavender as an essential oil that is widely used for health and beauty.
Lavender oil is one part of this plant that is widely used for medicinal purposes. In Indonesia, and many other countries, lavender oil is widely known as an aromatherapy ingredient because it has a distinctive aroma and sedative effect.
In addition, lavender oil is also widely used as a healthy hair oil. It has long been known to maintain potent hair health, being one of the excellent oils for treating this beauty part of the body. You can also process it into something, like the benefits of homemade lavender soap for example, which smells really nice.
Lavender oil still has many benefits of lavender oil that you need to know. Some of them, in particular, are useful for pregnant women.
Pregnant women can use the lavender oil. In fact, it’s one of many recommended essential oils to use, not for direct consumption, but for relaxing. As a refreshing and relaxing herbal oil, here’s the benefits of lavender oil for pregnant women:
Health Benefits of Lavender Oil for Pregnant Woman
1. Erasing Stretch Marks
As one of the benefits of lavender for skin health, using lavender oil on your stomach can actually eliminate the stretch marks. Stretch marks may be the most annoying problem for most women.
These unsightly reddish white strokes can be overcome in several ways. The trick is to massage the stretch marks of the skin using natural essential oils, like lavender oil.
When done regularly, massage with essential oils is believed to fade stretch marks. Your marks will be gone, and now you can be more confident.
2. Makes Skin Healthier
Even pregnant moms need to be pretty, and the best way to do it is by using natural products. Various types of essential oils are intended for the health and beauty of the skin, including lavender.
There are many benefits to the skin when you apply lavender oil appropriately. Acne problems, inflammation of the skin, to eczema can be treated slowly by applying this oil. When you have sensitive skin, don’t be worried, because it turns out that this oil is safe to use.
According to a paper published in May 2017 in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, lavender oil can help relieve inflammation.
For a person who has sensitive skin, they can still apply this oil by diluting it first in water. Lavender oil also contains antioxidants that can also help to heal wounds.
3. Prevents Hair Loss During Pregnancy
Generally, hair loss is usually reduced significantly during pregnancy due to hormonal changes. However, there are also those who experience the opposite. The hair becomes more brittle and easy off.
Actually, what causes hair loss in pregnant women and how to deal with it?
Every 2-3 months, as much as 10% of hair will fall out by itself. The condition of hair loss can also occur when entering pregnancy. As stated before, hormonal changes during pregnancy can affect the condition of the hair that can make it thicker and thinner.
If you want to keep it under control, you can always use lavender oil. With its great and elegant smell, lavender oil is known to be effective for treating alopecia areata, a condition when hair is missing from some or all areas of the body.
It has been a long time since this plant is believed to help hair fertility. Research conducted in 1998 showed that lavender can increase hair growth by up to 44%, especially when doing 7 months of treatment.
Seeing all the effectiveness, lavender oil seems to be hard-to-miss. But if you prefer an alternative, maybe you could have the benefits of aloe vera for hair. It’s really refreshing, but doesn’t smell as good.
4. Offers Good Therapy for Insomnia
Have done various ways but still have trouble sleeping? Insomnia should not be taken lightly because it will affect many aspects of our lives, such as organ health and daily activities. Sleep is important, especially when you’re pregnant.
You can try using lavender essential oil to overcome perceived insomnia. Its efficacy has been proven through many researches
A study published in the British Association of Critical Nurses in March 2017, found lavender essential oil to be an effective remedy in tackling it. Applying it is known to improve the sleep quality of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) who have insomnia.
Before going to bed try to put a few drops of lavender essential oil on the pillow. But be sure not to consume it orally since lavender oil is not recommended to drink.
5. Helps to Relieve Morning Sickness
Inhaling aromatherapy, like lavender oil, can help relieve the symptoms of nausea and vomiting that often become close friends of pregnant women. Inhale refreshing aromatherapy oils such as lemon or mint oil as the best option to relieve nausea.
You can also combine it with benefits of coconut water during pregnancy for better results. With them, your mind and body can be refreshed all at the same time.