After a discussion with my dental hygienist re: how she hadn’t been sick in years thanks to essential oils, I was motivated to learn more.

What are essential oils? Basically, they’re extracted from natural plants – aka lemon, ginger, cinnamon, basil, etc. They are the foundation of medicine + therapy, essentially.

I’ve been exploring a few different oils and while I am obviously still learning, I wanted to share my findings on how to use the most versatile essential oil out there: Lavender.

Lavender oil can be used to:

1. Enhance (add drops of lavender to any recipe, such as tea/water/baked goods/salad dressing).
2. Improve (inhale 1 drop of oil to help colds, coughs, & allergies).
3. Moisturize (put a few drops on chapped or sunburned lips + dry skin).
4. Improve (mix several drops of lavender oil with olive oil + put on eczema & dermatitis or use to decrease scar tissue).
5. Freshen (diffuse lavender for home scent, put a few drops onto a cotton ball to scent linen closets, put on a wet rag and throw in with laundry, combine water + lavender for a refreshing scent).
6. Aide (put on palms + pillows for better sleep).
7. Relax (put 2-3 drops on hands + feet + wrists + temples, base of neck + inhale, place a few drops in your bath water).
8. Alleviate (put 1-2 drops on bee stings, insect bites, cuts, minor burns, cold sores).
9. Relieve (rub in several drops on scalp for dandruff relief, place 1 drop behind ears to help motion sickness, 1-2 drops in your facial moisturizer for acne).