The soothing scent of lavender
Imagine ending your day in a soothing, lavender-scented bath. Sounds relaxing, doesn’t it? Lavender is best known for its calming floral scent, which is used in many beauty and cleaning products. But did you know its essential oils also have many healing powers? Lavender oil is used for everything from hair loss to infections – we mean almost everything.
Lavender hails from the Mediterranean region, then spread to Europe. In the 13th and 14th centuries, it was cultivated extensively for both its visually pleasing appearance and medicinal properties. Today it’s grown all over the world.
The healing effects of lavender
Lavender’s essential oils contain many healing properties. A study published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology found that lavender oil could be very effective in combating the incidence of antifungal-resistant infections. In another study from Celal Bayar University, Turkey, researchers found lavender oil to be effective in wound healing. It’s also effective in the treatment of alopecia areata, a condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body.
In addition to helping with wounds and alopecia, lavender has been shown to help fight acne and heal acne scars. Lastly, lavender aids in digestion, pain relief (sore muscles) and circulation issues. We told you it was a lot!
Aromatherapy benefits
Feeling a little jittery? Or maybe you suffer from depression? Need to relax so you can get a good night’s sleep? Lavender can help with that – not to mention it’s a great mosquito repellent too. Talk about a powerful scent! The gentle scent of lavender calms nervous exhaustion and restlessness while also increasing mental activity. It has a well-researched impact on the autonomic nervous system, which is why it’s frequently used as a treatment for insomnia.
Lavender is one of the most common scents used for laundry detergent for these reasons. We’ve become big DIY fans so here’s a recipe to make your own lavender scented laundry detergent. It’s easy and lasts for 200 loads!
Lavender laundry soap recipe
What You Need:
- Detergent Ingredients:
- 4 cups of Borax
- 4 cups of washing soda
- 2 cups of baking soda
- 2 bars of Lavender Castille soap
- 20 drops of lavender essential oil
Tools and Storage:
- food processor with grater attachment and S-blade, or a grater
- large container for mixing
- measuring cup
- gloves
- mask
- large spoon for mixing
- container for holding finished detergent
- scoop for measuring out detergent
Steps:
- Chop your soap. This will help you feed the soap into the food processor. If you’re grating by hand, skip this step.
- Grate the soap. Use the grater attachment first. Going straight to the S-blade with the chunks causes the blade to catch on the soap.
- Process the grated soap. Dump the grated soap into the bowl and switch to the S-blade. Pulse until soap is as fine as you can get it.
- Measure out Borax, washing soda, and baking soda into bowl. Add processed soap and stir. I thought a whisk did the job well. Use a mask and gloves so you don’t breathe in the dust or irritate your skin by touching the ingredients at full strength.
- Mix in essential oil. Use 20 drops. The scent is strong in the detergent, but not so much in the laundry once it’s done. Add more or less to suit your preference. Or use a different essential oil altogether! None is also fine.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Enjoy! Use 1-2 tablespoons per load. HE machine-safe. Add vinegar to the rinse cycle to soften clothes. Shake container periodically to redistribute contents.
