Picking Your Lavender Ally
It is no mystery why lavender oil is one of the most popular essential oils in the world- lavender oil is magic, straight up. It is an intoxicatingly- scented adaptogenic oil. This means its effect adapts to your needs at any moment: giving you energy when you’re lacking in it and calming you when you need to rest. Lavender is also a great healer for skin conditions, from sunburn to insect bites and skin irritations.
It’s really one of the most versatile oils you can have in your medicine cabinet. I call it my little Swiss Army Oil.
Most people come to lavender oil for help with sleep and relaxation, those elusive states in this high-alert-blue-light-panic-at-the-pillow life we are living.
If you want lavender oil that will help you rest, you need to look for these three things:
1.Seek Species: There are many varieties of Lavender and they all have relaxing properties, but the best species for sleep is, hands down, Lavendula angustifolia.
2. Get High: Lavender that was grown 3,000 feet or higher in elevation is higher in linalool, a chemotype that makes you drowsy.
3. Manic for Organic: Organic soil produces higher quality plants with essential oils that do not contain pesticide residue, so look for organic-certified essential oil.
While the right lavender essential oils will be helpful with falling asleep, there’s deeper help available than essential oils alone. Our Sleep formulas (sleep+ and sleep) combine organic, high-elevation lavender essential oil with flower essences and gem elixirs to address the energetic and emotional imbalances that contribute to poor sleep. White Chestnut flower essence in our formulations helps to quiet the mind, so you can drift off to sleep. Rainbow moonstone is soothing to the spirit and can boost lucid dreaming.
P.S. Because there is a rising demand for lavender essential oil, adulterated or fake lavender essential oil is much more prevalent. See our blog post on essential oil authenticity for more information.