Lavender Essential Oil Uses, Tips and Benefits

We don’t need to tell you lavender enjoys some serious hype in the wellbeing world. If you don’t like the smell (or it reminds you of grandma) we hear you - but there’s a reason it’s stayed so popular through generations...and generations...and then some. It WORKS. It’s calming, comforting and genuinely game changing in your wellbeing toolkit, here’s why we love it.

Six Lavender essential oil benefits 

1. Anxiety and stress-busting

Lavender has become a go-to in essential oils for anxiety, thanks to, well, YEARS of anecdotal evidence, and more and more scientific studies to back this up. It's been shown to lower your heart rate which in turn slows your breathing, directly interrupting your fight-or-flight response (parasympathetic nervous system) and dispelling those anxious symptoms. For those days when we all need a little help swatting the anxiety away, you could do a lot worse than lavender.

2. Healing

Lavender is naturally antiseptic (more on that later) which makes it friendly on broken skin, but not only does it clean, it’s been shown to actually speed up the healing of wounds and scars. It also has the potential to reduce pain too - all round healing power.

3. Sleep

The big one. You can’t talk about lavender without mentioning the cause that’s given it its real status, and that’s SLEEP. Nothing affects how you look and feel more than the quality of your sleep, so investing in a routine that works is well worth your time, whether that’s a bath an hour before bed, a candle with sleepy vibes, a soothing Essential Oil Blend in your Pod or even just some stretches, journaling or meditation to calm the mind. And to give that routine a boost? Enter: lavender. Not only does it lower your heart rate (instantly relaxing) but it’s also been shown to lower skin temperature, which is essential for nodding off. And while you’re in the land of nod, you’ll be more likely to stay in a deep, refreshing sleep. 

We blended lavender with jasmine and sweet basil (two more sleep-boosting heroes) in our Perfect Night’s Sleep fragrance because it really WORKS. But because we know not everyone loves it, we just had to make Bedtime Hero with chamomile as well, here’s how to choose which one’s for you.

4. Acne and ageing

One of the things that makes it such a good healer is that lavender is naturally antiseptic, which means it’s GREAT at battling acne-causing bacteria (and proven effective). Yes it’s an oil on your skin, but lavender is non-comedogenic so it won’t clog pores and make problem areas worse. If acne is a concern, try a Face Oil with lavender in it for a natural alternative to harsh chemicals - just one way to swap naturals into your day. It’s also packed with antioxidants so helps protect you from skin stressors that cause the pesky signs of ageing we don’t like to see.

5. Eczema

As well as protecting against bacteria, lavender is naturally antifungal making it a super effective natural remedy in treating skin concerns like eczema and psoriasis. If you’re looking to move to a more natural remedy for your skin concerns look for the specialist products that contain lavender for effective results fast.

6. Anti Inflammation

Having effective protection against inflammation is one of the best ways our bodies stay healthy and able to heal from stresses, fast. 

Quick tips: 

Try a few drops of lavender oil or Perfect Night’s Sleep Essential Oil Blend on your pyjamas and bed linen for an extra boost to your sleep routine.

If you have a Wellbeing Pod, set the timer for an hour just as you’re getting into bed, so it fills the room as you drift off to sleep.

Mix lavender oil with your favourite carrier oil for a massage treatment that won’t clog pores.

Lavender in NEOM

We get ours from a sustainable farm in Provence, France, where it’s harvested in July each year before undergoing steam distillation to extract the oil. We work with a sustainable supplier who works hard to eliminate waste and make sure everything’s as efficient as possible, to protect the crop (and the people who grow it) for years to come.