True lavender, also known as real lavender, is an essential in aromatherapy. It has many benefits and has soothing, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Find out how to use it to benefit from its virtues.
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How To Use True Lavender Essential Oil.
Summary
- Key Points About True Lavender Essential Oil
- True Lavender Essential Oil in Topical Application
- The Use of True Lavender Essential Oil on the Scalp
- Our Care Products Enriched With Real Lavender Oil
- Sources
Published February 29, 2024,
by
Pauline, Head of Scientific Communication
—
10 min read
Key Points About True Lavender Essential Oil.
True or real lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of dried flowers. From the Lamiaceae family, this perennial plant grows naturally in hilly or mountainous Mediterranean regions. Its purple inflorescence are known for their olfactory and medicinal qualities. However, it is important to distinguish between true lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia), as these two plants do not have the same use or virtues.
Real lavender oil is a light yellow to orange liquid with a floral and herbaceous fragrance. Its main components are esters (about 30% linalyl acetate), monoterpenols (linalool) and monoterpenes (terpinene, limonene). These compounds are at the origin of its calming, purifying and antibacterial properties. It is also suggested that this essential oil has healing properties. Several mechanisms of action are proposed, but some are contradictory and others are still not well researched or understood.
True Lavender Essential Oil in Topical Application.
True lavender essential oil is gentle and can be used by all skin types. Nevertheless, it is a real ally for irritated or sensitive skin (insect bites, feelings of discomfort...), as well as for oily skin or skin prone to imperfections. This essential oil has an antibacterial activity, acting against the proliferation of microorganisms, such as Cutibacterium acnes involved in acne. In addition, it is popular for its calming properties and its soothing action on fragile skin. It relieves itching and has a repulsive effect on certain insects, such as mosquitoes.
For an optimal use, apply one to five drops of true lavender essential oil on the concerned areas every quarter of an hour, then 3 times a day until disappearance of the redness or the irritation. Very mild, it can be used pure but generally has a content lower than 10% in care products. It is of importance to know that its properties do not vary when it is diluted.
Precautions for use: Even if it is very well tolerated, the use of too strong a quantity of essential oil of true lavender can be harmful. It is recommended to sensitive people to dilute it, either 20% of essential oil in 80% of vegetable oil. Its use is neither recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women, nor for young children.
It should also be noted that real lavender oil contains allergenic biochemical compounds, such as linalool (20 to 48%), geraniol (<1.5%), limonene (<1%) and coumarin (<0.2%).
Before using true lavender essential oil,
it is recommended to test it. To do so,
apply two drops to the hollow of your elbow
and wait at least 24 hours to verify
that there has been no reaction.
The Use of True Lavender Essential Oil on the Scalp.
Just as when applied to the skin, true lavender essential oil soothes irritation and redness of the scalp, and cleanses it. Its softening action also helps to relieve itching and discomfort. This essential oil is also the ally of dry or damaged hair. It is said to have nourishing and strengthening properties, although these have not yet been clinically demonstrated.
Nevertheless, several studies have shown that its application in the hair, in synergy with other essential oils, would be effective in case of alopecia. Its use combined with that of essential oils of thyme linalol, rosemary and atlas cedar would help prevent hair loss.
Finally, the essential oil of true lavender is known for its anti-lice virtues. The camphor and linalool present in the composition of real lavender oil act as a repellent towards these parasites. Simply apply a drop, pure or diluted, behind each ear and massage.
Our Care Products Enriched With Real Lavender Oil.
For its soothing and purifying virtues, true lavender essential oil (INCI name: Lavandula Angustifolia Oil) can be found in the composition of the following Typology products:
The exfoliating night cream restores the skin's radiance and removes dead skin. It is enriched with alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA), active ingredients with cleansing properties, and lavender extract. Day after day, the dilation of the pores and the number of blackheads decrease.
The firming body serum helps to fight against the first signs of skin slackening. Rich in active tensors such as retinol and borage plant oil (INCI name: Borago Officinalis Seed Oil), it firms and smoothes the skin.
Sources
WILKINSON J. M. & al. Biological activities of lavender essential oil. Phytotherapy Research : PTR (2002).
ALTMAN P. M. & al. An ex vivo, assessor blind, randomised, parallel group, comparative efficacy trial of the ovicidal activity of three pediculicides after a single application - melaleuca oil and lavender oil, eucalyptus oil and lemon tea tree oil, and a "suffocation" pediculicide. BMC Dermatology (2011).
DE OLIVEIRA J. R. & al. Antioxidant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of lavender essential oil. Anais de Academia Brasileira de Ciencias (2015).
HOLLINGER J. C. & al. The Use of Natural Ingredients in the Treatment of Alopecias with an Emphasis on Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia: A Systematic Review. Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology (2020).
IZRI A. & al. Essential oils as a potential treatment option for pediculosis. Planta medica (2020).
WYSONG A. & al. The effects of lavender essential oil on wound healing: a review of the current evidence. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2020).
LADERMANN J. & al. Safety and efficacy of combined essential oils for the skin barrier properties: In vitro, ex vivo and clinical studies. International Journal of Cosmetic Science (2022).
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