We love lavender. Its fresh fragrance and vibrant shade never fail to please, and our lavender scented candle is one of our best-sellers. However, there’s far more to this much-loved flower than its pretty blooms and heady scent. Here’s a look at some of lavender’s many uses.
The plant
There are almost 50 species of lavender and, as it’s happy in most well-drained soils, it’s grown all over the world. Its name comes from the Latin lavare, meaning to wash, which gives a hint at its household uses. Today, it’s grown both domestically and commercially. Essential lavender oil is distilled flower spikes and has so many uses, from bathroom cleaners to candles!
Every house should have some…
This pretty and delicate-looking flower actually has some pretty mundane uses. There are lots of household uses for lavender, which is one of the reasons it’s become such a popular domestic plant. Mixed with water and white vinegar, lavender oil is a brilliant kitchen and bathroom cleaner. Add a few drops to water to make a lavender spritzer for ironing and refreshing household fabrics. A sachet of dried lavender in your wardrobe should keep the moths at bay, and we’ve also heard of lavender oil being used as a stain remover.
A medicinal herb
The wise village housewife also kept lavender in her medicine cupboard as an essential first aid item. Soothing lavender has been uses for centuries as an antiseptic, and is thought to be especially good for burns, inflamed skin and insect bites. Some people apply cooling lavender blends to their temples to ease headaches. Because of its antibacterial properties, it’s used as an ingredient in some acne treatments.
A beauty product
Lavender is a favourite fragrance in bath and shower products, moisturisers and perfumes. It’s a popular ingredient in soaps with the added benefit of its anti-bacterial qualities. Because of its soothing scent, it’s the oil of choice in any bath product labelled “relaxing”. Yardley’s English Lavender is one of the all-time classic fragrances, as famously referenced by Marilyn Monroe (it’s apparently all she wore in bed in England!).
Good enough to eat?
It’s an acquired taste! However, just a touch of dried lavender in a biscuit or home-made ice-cream adds a subtle floral flavour that’s really rather delicious. Pop a little sprig on the top of an iced cup cake for a pretty and unusual decoration. If you’re feeling bolder, use it to replace rosemary in lamb or Provencal dishes. Still not sure? Just pop a stem or two in a citrus-based cocktail for aroma and decoration.
A garden favourite
These days, lavender is still a garden favourite, adding scent and colour to borders and pots. It attracts bees and butterflies, but is said to repel some of the bitier little insects. It’s a lovely cut flower in the summer; and it’s easy to dry your own bunches to scent drawers and cupboards. If there’s a wedding coming up, dried lavender flowers have become a popular, natural alternative to confetti. You can also tuck a sprig of dried lavender into the back of the car to keep the kids calm on a long journey!
And relax…
And of course, lavender is known for its calming and relaxing properties. Its unmistakable sweet fragrance is both refreshing and comforting, and lavender oil has long been used in massage blends. Our classic lavender scented candle is made from pure essential oil: we haven’t added any other fragrances, letting this much-loved scent speak for itself.
We find that our lavender candle has a timeless and universal appeal, loved by women and men of all ages. It works equally well as a calming scent in the bedroom or a refreshing fragrance in the living room (we like to light it after a meal to neutralise the cooking smells).
If you’d like to know more about any of our ingredients, we’d love to have a chat with you. Please get in touch with us at Dexter & Mason.
