Lavender is a little purple flower with power. It carries with it a timeless charm, a gorgeous scent and a multitude of uses. These beautiful and fragrant blossoms have been grown in gardens worldwide for centuries, with several different varieties of the plant. Of which, English, French and spike lavender are the most popular.
The said little purple flower packs a punch. Besides creating luscious lavender smudge bundles to decorate your house, we’ve rounded up 6 other magical things you can do with this wonderful herb.
Since the ancient times, lavender has been used to cleanse and refresh. The word lavender has its root in the Latin word lavare, which essentially means to wash. Ancient Romans used the delightful flower to perfume their baths, bodies, beds and more, so we thought we’d recommend you to do so too!
Lavender linen water is a great addition to your regular laundry routine. Use it to fill up your iron to freshen your clothes while you press or pour it into a spray bottle and mist linens in your wardrobe.
You’ll need:
Combine the witch hazel (or vodka) and lavender essential oil in the jar and shake well for at least 20 seconds. Then, add the water to dilute the mixture and pour into your spray bottle, through the funnel. Shake well before use and mist away! You may also use the linen water as a pillow spray to help you relax and sleep better.
Not a fan of those spray things? Use lavender to whip up a batch of all-natural, homemade soaps! It’s perfect for everyday use and even makes a divine gift for your friends. Fret not if you’re a beginner soap maker, Eve Organic Beauty’s recipe is guaranteed to be easy peasy.
Makes 8 soaps
You’ll need:
Melt the goat milk soap base cubes over a double boiler on low heat, stir mixture until melted. Add alkanet root powder into the mixture and mix well. Pour into the silicone mould and add drops of lavender essential oil. Decorate with little bits and bobs of lavender buds and let dry for at least 24 hours.
For bi-coloured soap, melt cubes in two separate double boilers to have two mixtures. Pour the white soap base, wait 10 minutes until it hardens and then pour the coloured soap base.
Lavender is known to provide aid with stress and sleepless nights. It may not work like an over-the-counter melatonin pill, but it’s soothing scent will take the edge off your insomnia and induce sleep. In a 2006 research project, sleep-deprived college students inhaled either lavender or a placebo; those who used lavender slept better without disturbance and woke up more refreshed. Create little dreamy lavender-scented sleep sachets for a good night’s rest now. It may be all it takes for you to drift off.
You’ll need:
Fill each sachet with dried lavender flowers and add up to three drops of lavender oil. Tie tight with ribbon and place under your pillow or bedside table for restorative sleep.
Cleanse and refresh your skin with a simple lavender sugar scrub. Its excellent exfoliating properties will scrub off impurities and soothe all at once.
You’ll need:
Warm the coconut oil in the microwave for no more than 10 seconds. Then, mix the coconut oil and sugar together in a food processor or blender. Add dried lavender and pulse the food processor. Following so, add drops of lavender essential oil and mix well. For a purple hue, add food colouring Spoon into a glass jar and voila, you’ve made a lavender-scented sugar scrub!
Add lavender to honey for a gourmet taste and aroma! Drizzle over toast, scones, pancakes, granola… the possibilities are endless.
Makes approx. 180ml
You’ll need:
Warm honey in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the lavender. Let cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.
To ease your cocktail of nerves with a natural sleep aid, boil lavender buds in water and enjoy as lavender tea. Drop in as many buds as you wish. Super fuss-free, fragrant and fun! As an alternative, feed your passion for fragrance and explore Nilüfer’s Floral Blossom tea – it contains lavender and also includes an aromatic mélange of chamomile, cornflower, lemongrass and rose.
We hope our listed lavender-based DIY projects will enable you to learn valuable skills and have fun at the same time. Tell us which ones you dabbled in!
