What Lavender Is Good For Oil - A Detailed Guide
Lavender essential oil is considered the most promising essential oil with versatile uses. From aromatherapy to skincare products, it rules as the primary ingredient for crafting diverse, soulful products. Being home to a soothing fragrance, antioxidants and many vitamins, lavender essential oil is the only therapeutic guide that you ever need.
But sometimes it becomes very hard to identify quality lavender essential oil. The primary reason is its demand, purity and quality concerns. In order to ease all your concerns, we have curated this concise guide that will help you understand the different types of lavender essential oil, it's origin, and a quick recipe to make lavender essential oil at home. Let’s start by learning what lavender is.
What Is Lavender?
Calm, relaxing, and refreshing are the most suitable adjectives that we use while describing lavender. It has a sweet, soulful aroma that can uplift any dull room without occupying your senses, making it the most popular choice among essential oils. Probably, it is the first name that comes to mind of an individual when it comes to natural oils. This Mediterranean shrub belongs to the mint plant family and has different varieties depending on the climate and cultivation type. Each variety has a different biotic mass and aroma that serves diverse uses.
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Types Of Lavender
The most common types of lavender plants are:
Lavandula angustifolia
The dense shrubs of Lavandula angustifolia, or English lavender, belong to the mint ( Lamiaceae ) plant family. Native to Mediterranean regions, this variety of lavender species is considered the best lavender for essential oils and tea. It's potency and aromatic goodness find a definite place in the bottles of luxury perfumes and bath elixir products.
Lavandula latifolia
Spike lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a hybrid plant that carries a deep camphoric fragrance in comparison to the soothing, sweet-smelling essence of true lavender. This species of lavender plant is a powerhouse of extensive anti-bacterial, microbial and antiseptic properties due to the rich presence of cineole. The oil derived from it is called spike lavender essential oil and is second most popular after angustifolia.
Lavandula stoechas
Lavandula stoechas or Spanish lavender, is a small shrub that grows up to 2 feet and adorns itself with dark purple flowers or white in rare cases. It contains a high composition of camphor that advocates its extensive usage in medicines, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Not only this, individuals native to ancient Europe still use Spanish lavender to treat the symptoms of inflammation and multiple skin diseases.
Which Is The Best Lavender For Making Essential Oil?
The best lavender essential oil comes from the aromatic flowers of Lavandula angustifolia. This Mediterranean lavender species delivers a premium range of lavender essential oil that is widely popular across the globe for its relaxing and calming properties.
Lavandula angustifolia, with the therapeutic goodness of ester and low camphor composition, is the only variety of lavender that can be used for cooking purposes. It has a gentle, sweet, and floral aroma that complements the most exotic perfumery in the world.
Many aromatherapy experts also consider Lavandula angustifolia as the most relaxing essential oil that rebalances your mind and body. Besides, the power combination of linalool and bergamol makes this the best emollient for skin and hair, adding more to its rich profile.
How to Make Essential Oil from Lavender Plants?
Extracting lavender essential oil from lavender plants is a task that requires great precision and care. Here is a quick DIY recipe to make lavender essential oil at home without any heavy machinery or the use of solvents.
Necessary Ingredients:
- 1 Linen bag or a muslin cloth
- Fresh lavender flower petals (250 gm)
- Virgin coconut oil or argan carrier oil (500 ml)
- A glass bowl and container
Procedure:
- Fill your linen bag with 250 g of fresh lavender petals and enclose it properly. You can also use a clean muslin cloth, but ensure that all it’s ends are stitched properly.
- Now, pour 500 ml of extra virgin coconut oil into a glass bowl and soak the linen bag properly. Leave it to rest for 2 days.
- After two days, pour the mixture into a steel beaker and boil it on a low flame for 25 minutes. The heat will allow lavender petals to tear apart, releasing their content in the oil.
- Turn off the flame and leave the mixture to rest for the next 5-6 hours.
- Now, take a clean glass container and strain the oil and also squeeze the line bag thoroughly to get the maximum outcome. Close the lid of the container and place it in a cold-dry place to prevent oxidation.
- And yes, your homemade lavender essential oil is ready to use.
Tips to Identify Quality Lavender Essential Oil
In the vast sea of essential oil suppliers, it can be extremely difficult to recognise the best quality lavender essential oil. Here are 5 easy steps to identify pure, high-quality, and organic lavender oil.
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Odour test: Each drop of pure lavender essential oil carries a herb-like soothing aroma. If your lavender oil gives an extra sweet, perfumery aroma, then it definitely requires a check.
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Colour test: Lavender essential oil tends to be a colourless or slightly yellow liquid. Purple or other shades of lavender essential oil are a great sign of chemical infusion and impurities.
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Freeze test: Naturally acquired lavender essential oil never solidifies into ice upon freezing. It might turn a bit cloudy, but it never solidifies. Conversion of lavender essential oil into ice highlights the presence of water or any other diluents.
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Paper test: Drop 2-3 drops of undiluted lavender essential oil on a tissue paper and leave it for an hour. Pure essential oil evaporates without leaving any traces of grease marks behind. It is considered the best method to analyse the quality of your essential oil.
- Label check: Always run a throughout check on the label stuck behind the bottle of lavender essential oil. Read the ingredient list carefully and ensure that your lavender oil is 100% pure without the inclusion of any artificial colour, perfume or preservatives.
How Lavender Type Affects Essential Oil Quality
One should never underestimate the impact of different lavender plants on the quality of lavender essential oil. Each variety of lavender is stimulated under different conditions and carries a diversified profile of plant bioactives. It can even be understood by examining the composition of camphor in different types of lavender plants. For a take, Lavandula angustifolia contains a low camphor profile in comparison to the highly camphoric Spanish lavender. This leads to a great difference in the quality, scent and biotic properties of the oil extracted from both plants.
Lavender Essential Oil Extraction Methods
High-quality lavender essential oil is extracted using the steam distillation method. This is considered the most standard technique for acquiring lavender essential oil without hampering it's nutrient profile and aroma. Other effective methods include solvent extraction, CO2 extraction, and microwave-assisted extraction.
Steam distillation
In this method, steam is passed through the leaves and herbs of the lavender plant that breach the oil glands and vaporise the volatile compounds. The vapour, when condensed, turns into a mix of oil and water that is later separated to acquire pure lavender oil.
Discover the differences between essential oils vs absolutes in this complete guide.
Solvent extraction
This oil extraction method includes the use of clean solvents like ethanol and hexane to obtain essential oil from lavender flowers. It is the best extraction method for heat-sensitive plants like jasmine, moringa and rosehip oil.
SCFE Supercritical CO2 Extraction
This method requires using supercritical carbon dioxide as a solvent to extract lavender oil. Lavender CO2 extract oil has a more potent, powerful and cleaner aroma. Another great thing about this method is there are no residual solvents.
Growing Lavender for Essential Oil at Home
Planting lavender flowers at your home is a harmonious practice. The best time to execute is during early spring, as this wet-dry weather is perfectly suitable for meticulous execution of this task. You can choose between high-quality lavender seeds and a partial plant of lavender.
However, be extremely attentive while choosing the soil and spot for your plant. This perennial shrub grows in well-drained soil and requires a balance of water and sunlight. Avoid overwatering, as it can damage the roots, making them soggy and rot.
Conclusion
Learning about the different types of lavender plants is important to select the best quality oil for all your needs. There are several suppliers of lavender essential oil in the market that offer different prices for the same product. This raises a big question about the quality and measures that are used to procure the oil. Always go on purchasing quality essential oil from a trusted supplier, one that gives assured purity certification at standard market rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best lavender for making oil?
Lavandula angustifolia, with it’s low camphor profile and sweet-smelling aroma, is considered the best lavender to extract high-quality lavender essential oil.
Which type of lavender has the strongest scent?
Spanish lavender has the strongest scent due to the intense presence of camphor and cineole. This gives it a strong, herb-like aroma that is ideal for a wide variety of industrial and medicinal uses.
Which lavender is the most medicinal?
Lavandula stoechas is considered the most suitable variety of lavender due to its rich composition of camphor.
What lavender is best for beginners?
True lavender is considered the best lavender oil for beginners. It has a gentle, sweet aroma that is relaxing and doesn’t overpower the senses, making it ideal for first-time users.
How to make lavender smell stronger?
Try combining your lavender essential oil with your regular perfume or any light-weight carrier oil. This will help enhance its appeal and character to the aroma.
