Benefits Of Lavender Oil: 8 Uses For This Essential Oil (2024)

If you're looking to calm both the body and the mind (and let's face it—we could all benefit from a little R&R), look no further than the classic essential oil:lavender oil. While the pretty purple plant itself is a sight to see, its versatile essential oil is where the healing powers are at. From your head to your toes,lavender oilcan help you de-stress, decompress, and develop your healthiest routines yet.

What exactly is lavender oil?

Lavender oil, also known by its scientific nameLavandula angustifolia1, is a type of essential oil derived from—you guessed it—thelavender flower. Although it's now grown globally, lavender is native to theMediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula, and Russia.

The oil is extracted by asteam distillationprocess, in which the flowers are steamed, the steam is captured, and the oil is separated and collected from the water. You can usually findlavender oilat health food stores, or even drugstores, located near the other essential oils.

Health benefits of lavender oil

Essential oils and aromatherapy have gained quite the reputation for being a go-to in holistic health. Essential oils are the liquid extracts of plants, which can be used to help with everything from stress to sleep, hormone health to home cleaning, and beyond. But each essential oil is unique and offers its own specific benefits. Here's what you need to know about how one of the most popular essential oils,lavender oil, can promotewell-being:

Any way you spin it, the foundation of a healthy lifestyle starts and ends with sleep. If you find yourself tossing and turning at night, research suggests thatlavender oilmay be your saving grace: One study found that several whiffs of lavender oil before bed increased the percentage of deep sleep time2 in healthy men and women. It even has beneficial effects for those who suffer from insomnia—a study found that inhaling lavender oiltwice a week for 20 minutes at a time soothed thenervous systemand improvedsleep qualityscores3 for women with insomnia when compared to alavender-oil-free control group.

The soothing powers oflavender oildon't stop there. In one study, researchers found thatlavender oilcould go toe-to-toe against a prescription medication4 for general anxiety. For six weeks, one group of participants took the anxiety-reducing medication Lorazepam while another group took an oral dosage oflavender oil. At the end of the trial period, both groups reported an almost identical decrease in anxiety—45% and 46%, respectively. When it came to more extreme conditions, the oil still proved effective: A 2017 study5 found lavender aromatherapy even calmedanxiety levelsin preoperative patients.

Just aslavender oilcan soothe the mind, it can also do wonders for calming the body. In particular, not-so-fun skin flare-ups like eczema and psoriasis have responded well to theanti-inflammatory properties of lavender oil. A review of the most popular essential oils and their functions in dermatology citedlavender oil's ability to calm irritated skin6 when used topically. What's more, the oil's de-stressing qualities come in handy for psoriasis, in which flare-ups are often triggered by anxiety.

It can even be used as a natural alternative for healing peskybug bites—when mixed with a little baking soda and applied to the bites, you'll hardly even notice they're there.

What do yeast infections, athlete's foot, and ringworm all have in common? They're each a different form of fungal infection, which occurs when annoying fungi develop in or on damp parts of the body.Lavender oilhas both antibacterial and antifungal properties, which could help clear these up. In fact, it was shown to fend off candida (the culprit behind yeast infections) inone lab study7.

However, it is important to note that this was a preliminaryin vitro study, meaning infected cells were combined withlavender oilin a test tube for observation.Do nottopically applylavender oil, or any essential oil for that matter, to your vagina since the pure form is too strong and can burn. These types of studies help inform researchers about the properties and potential uses of substances, but more research is needed to understand howlavender oilcan be used on fungal infections in the future.

While the research is still preliminary, one animal study8 showed that applyinglavender oilonce a day for four weeks to the backs of mice stimulatedhair growthon all facets: from follicle number to depth to thickness. Clinical trials in humans are needed, so the jury is still out on this one, but perhaps this is the inspiration you need to add a couple ofdrops of lavenderto your DIY hair mask.

Minor wounds, that is. One animal study found that when applied topically, lavender oil closed up wounds9 more quickly than other solutions, such as saline and iodine over the course of a five-day period. Researchers chalked this phenomenon up to improving the quantity of EGF, or epidermal growth factor, in the skin, which is necessary for regenerating tissue. The catch: Once again, the study was conducted on animal subjects, so more rigorous clinical trials are needed before we start hailinglavender oilas the next Neosporin.

Pounding head? Try a whiff of lavender. A study10 looking at 47 patients who suffered from regular migraines prescribed one-half of the group regular 15-minute lavender-smelling sessions while the other half inhaled a placebo. The effects were immediate and lasting: Researchers found that those in the experimental group reported significantly less severity of migraine attacks for the next two hours.

Lavender oilis lauded for both its antioxidant andanti-inflammatory11 effects, which makes it a quality contender to include in your cleanskin care routine. Antioxidants are known to fight off the free radicals that can send your skin into a tizzy by impairing mitochondrial function and speeding up the process of aging. Including a drop or two oflavender oilinto your favoritelotionor face cream will give your skin a boost of antioxidant power before bed (and will add a touch of soothingaromatherapyto your nighttime routine).

Before hailing this floral concoction as a miracle oil, it's important to note that more rigorous clinical trials are necessary before it should be treated as a prescriptive gospel. That being said, the work that has been done to putlavender oilto the test has generated some pretty impressivehealth benefits.

OK, how exactly do I use or apply lavender oil?

Just as there are myriadbenefits oflavenderoil, there are myriad ways to use it. It's typically used topically for skin and hair health although methods can differ based on your preferred ways of application. It's wise not to go too heavy-handed with the oil—since it's highly concentrated, two or three drops are most likely all you need.

When it comes to your skin, dilution is important: The oil can be applied topically to help with irritated or inflamed skin but only if it has been diluted in a "carrier oil" or neutral, minimally processed oil such as coconut, argan, or olive. The mixture can be used just as you would alotionor moisturizer, once or twice daily. For hair health, you can massage a couple ofdrops oflavenderoilinto your scalp as a calming end to the day, or add two or three drops to each dollop of shampoo or conditioner you use.

If it's improving anxiety or getting a sound night's sleep that you're after, putting your oil in adiffuseris your best bet. There are a few ways to use thescent of lavenderfor your benefit, one of the most popular being diffusion. Essential oil diffusion consists of using a small device to disperse particles of oil into the air, allowing for easy inhalation. If you'd rather not diffuse, a few deep inhales of the scent before bed (or anytime you need a moment of calm) will do the trick. You can even draw the perfect calming herbal bath using a fewdrops of lavenderto soak your stresses away.

How to find high-quality lavender essential oil

Whenever you're purchasing an essential oil, it's important to look out for certain things on the bottle. You can tell an oil is high-quality if it lists both the common and scientific name of the active oil(s) and anycarrier oils, has the word "therapeutic" on the label, and comes in a dark glass bottle that keeps light from entering—which can mess with the oil's efficacy. Be sure to check the expiration date, too! It's a relatively affordable essential oil because of the way thelavender plantis extracted, so a low price isn't necessarily a red flag.

Potential side effects to look out for

If you're ready to dive into the lavender lifestyle, there are still a couple of factors to consider. Someside effectsincludeskin irritationor anallergic reaction, so putting a patch test on your skin before use can save you some trouble. Just as with any new supplement, chatting with a medical professional before use is recommended. Thoughlavender oilis safe for most individuals, women who are pregnant orbreastfeedingshould consult with a doctor.