- Lavender
Essential Oil
- Recipe Ideas For The Handmade
Cosmetic Crafter
By Mindy Schwartz
When it comes to manufacturing
handmade cosmetics one ingredient no crafter should be without
is lavender essential oil. Lavender essential oil (Lavandula
angustifolia) posses antibacterial proprieties, is gentle to
both dry and oily skin, and has the ability to relieve such conditions
as muscle pain, insomnia, headaches, burns, bug bites, eczema,
psoriasis, and acne making it the most versatile of essential
oils. It is also one of the few essential oils that can be used
as a middle or top note in perfume due to its fresh, floral smell
and affordable price.
Here are a few recipe ideas
for using lavender in handmade cosmetics:
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Salves, Ointments, and Balms: Lavender blended with neem seed oil
or comfrey root powder produces a salve that soothes itching
caused by insect bites, bruises, burns, and even diaper rash.
Add cinnamon and clove for a pain relieving muscle rub ointment.
Use lavender by itself as a gardeners salve to help chapped
hands or as a temple balm to aid in falling asleep and to quell
headaches.
Hair Care Products: Blend lavender with apple cider vinegar
and nettle herbs for a normal-to-dry hair rinse. You can also
try combing rosemary, peppermint, and lavender essential oils
along with jojoba and oat extract, which produce a very effective
scalp oil treatment. |
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Bath and Body Care Products: Add lavender to toners, facial creams,
and body lotions to combat acne or dry skin conditions. Lavender
essential oil combined with dried lavender buds, dead sea salt,
Epsom salt, and powdered milk make for a lovely bath salt recipe.
Blend jojoba with rose geranium, lavender, sandalwood, and vanilla
for a sweet and sexy feminine perfume oil.
Soaps: Try adding tea tree and lavender essential oils
to opaque melt and pour soap base along with pumice (sprinkled
at the bottom of your soap mold) for a deodorizing and exfoliating
soap bar.
A word of caution, due to their
volatility, research any essential oil, and always do a skin
patch test before use. |