On this year’s family vacation, I made it a point to visit my first lavender farm, AKL Maui, to finally witness the home of my favorite scent and essential oil. Here, I was fortunate to see a vast amount of different types of lavender, such as Spanish, French, English, Sweet, growing naturally in the countryside. The farm is quaint, and sits on the side of a mountain, just so that you can see clouds make their way through the lavender bushes growing. As I made my way through the trails, the scent of lavender accompanied my steps. I had discovered that I was only semi-knowledgable on all the benefits of lavender. AKL Maui Farm explains it best:
Lavender. Perhaps no other essential oil has been used as widely for many thousands of years as Lavender. Lavendula officialis is a native of the Mediterranean. There are over 200 different varieties of lavender. Each variety has it’s own unique and distinctive lavender scent ranging from heavily camphor to middle sweet. The aromatic scent of Lavender has a regulating effect on the nervous system and is known for its soothing, calming and stress relieving qualities. Its harmonizing and therapeutic nature provides mental clarity as well as emotional balance. The Essential Oil of lavender is antibacterial, anti fungal and extremely concentrated. It can be applied topically to cuts, scrapes, insect bites, burns and helps to prevent scar tissue. The oil is used to combat acne, eczema and sunspots. Lavender is also an effective insect repellent, cleaning agent and unifies the air. Placing a drop under the nose and on thickest can help ease congestion from a cold. The oil can be applied to the bottom of the feet providing relief from insomnia as well as on the temples for headaches. A few drops are a delightful addition to the bathwater.
I think it’s safe to say that lavender is an amazing plant – so make use of it! Below, I have step-by-step instructions on how you can incorporate lavender in your house, and even in your car: bundles and sachets.
If lavender begins to make you more inquisitive, there are hundreds of types you can choose from. From the ones I was exposed to, the Sweet Lavender was my personal favorite, but the English variety seems to be the most popular. If you can grow lavender, or pick it fresh, that’s great, but you can also just order some off of Fresh Direct or purchase at other supermarkets and florists.
Okay, let’s start!
Dried Lavender Bundles
Steps:
- Gather enough lavender that you can easily wrap your index finger and thumb around (around 1 inch diameter), and cut. Align the bottoms of the stems and wrap around a rubber band near the base of the lavender. If your lavender stems are too long, snip them to desired length with gardening scissors.
- About 1.5 – 2 inches above the rubber band, tie a knot with at least 24 inch segment of jute twine. Then, closely wrap the twine below the knot five times, making sure to cover the tip of the knot. Make your fifth wrap a little bit looser than the others so you can tie another knot. Make sure to not snip it off there!
- With the remaining rope, hang the bundle upside down your freshly made lavender bundle!
Note: I like to hang my lavender on my curtain rod in my dining room so you can smell it while you eat. It should be placed in a dry location, and be out of direct sunlight. It dries after about a week, depending on the humidity/dryness of the room.
Lavender Sachet Bags
Once your lavender from the bundle has dried, the funs starts here by making handy and fragrant sachets of it to place in closet drawers to repel moths, or even in your car as a car freshener!
Steps:
- Snip off the flower part of the lavender, and begin to peel apart all the petals and seeds in it.
- Put in a bag.
Note: I made my own little bag with leftover fabric I had, and you can make your own too.
