Lavande vraie - Huile essentielle

True Lavender - Essential Oil

Gentle and soothing, true lavender promotes calm and relaxation. Its delicate floral fragrance makes it a valuable ally for sleep, sensitive skin care, and daily well-being.

Avertissement

Les propriétés, indications et modes d’utilisation présentés sont tirés d’ouvrages et de sites de référence en aromathérapie, hydrolathérapie et phytothérapie. Ces données sont fournies à titre informatif et ne constituent pas un avis médical. Elles ne remplacent en aucun cas un diagnostic, une consultation ou un suivi médical et n’engagent pas notre responsabilité. Avant toute utilisation, consultez le guide des huiles essentielles pour connaître les précautions d’emploi. En cas de doute, demandez l’avis d’un médecin.

Properties

Relaxing
Relaxing
Tranquility
Tranquility
Zen
Zen

Uses

icone-site-cutanee-utilise-born-to-bio
icone-site-diffusion-utilise-born-to-bio
icone-site-inhalation-utilise-born-to-bio

  • Properties, uses & synergies

  • Precautions for use

  • History of the plant and characteristics

Properties

True Lavender essential oil, also called Fine Lavender, is a benchmark in aromatherapy for its gentleness and versatility. According to specialised literature, it is known for:

• Soothing and relaxing properties: traditionally used to ease tension and encourage relaxation
• Helps you wind down before sleep: supports natural, restful sleep
• Emotional well-being: helps reduce stress and nervous tiredness
• Skin properties: ideal for sensitive skin, or skin prone to irritation or redness
• Refreshing and harmonising action: much appreciated in after-sun or after-shave care
• Varied uses in cosmetics, hygiene and household care thanks to its delicate floral fragrance

These qualities make True Lavender an essential oil you can't do without, appreciated in both well-being and natural cosmetics.

Traditional uses

Aromatherapy

Traditionally, True Lavender is used to calm the mind and encourage emotional balance. It accompanies relaxation practices and helps create a calm atmosphere, especially in the evening.

Cosmetics and natural care

In cosmetics, it is included in care for sensitive and reactive skin. It can be found in soothing creams, after-sun lotions, after-shave oils and shampoos for delicate scalps.

Household care

Its fresh, floral fragrance makes it an ally for making room sprays, eco-friendly laundry detergents and homemade household products. It brings a natural feeling of cleanliness and freshness.

Well-being and relaxation

In diffusion, it is sought after for creating a calm atmosphere that encourages relaxation, helping to release tension and prepare for sleep.

Other possible uses

In some traditions, True Lavender essential oil is also used in cooking (in regulated preparations) and remains a major ingredient in natural perfumery for its characteristic floral notes.

Uses

Diffusion

A few drops in a cold-air diffuser are enough to create a soothing, floral atmosphere.

Recommended duration: 15 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the room.

⚠️ Avoid prolonged diffusion in young children's bedrooms.

Skin application

Always dilute True Lavender essential oil in a vegetable oil (sweet almond, jojoba, apricot kernel).

The recommended concentration is 2 to 5% depending on the area (face care, massages, etc.).

It can be applied to the solar plexus, wrists or back of the neck as part of a relaxation ritual.

Inhalation

For dry inhalation, put a few drops on a tissue or a ceramic pebble and breathe deeply to enjoy its cocooning effect.

Aromatic bath

Always dilute in a dispersing base (e.g. milk, honey, Solubol) before adding it to hot water.

This bath becomes a true moment of relaxation and serenity.

Synergies

True Lavender essential oil blends harmoniously with:

• Petitgrain Bigarade, Roman Chamomile or Sweet Marjoram to enhance its relaxing effect and encourage sleep
• Tea Tree, Rose Geranium or Rockrose for skin-care, soothing blends
• Lemon, Eucalyptus Radiata or Cineole Rosemary for household preparations with fresh, purifying notes

Essential oils are powerful active ingredients that should be used with caution.

True Lavender essential oil is known as one of the gentlest, but certain precautions apply:

• Always dilute before applying to the skin, unless professionally advised
• Do not ingest without specialist supervision
• Avoid contact with the eyes and mucous membranes
• Keep out of reach of children

Sensitive groups

• Not recommended during the first trimester of pregnancy, unless advised by a doctor
• Limited use for babies under 3 months (only very light diffusion, approved by a professional)
• Caution for people with allergies or epilepsy, because of its linalool content

⚠️ Unlike some citrus essential oils, True Lavender is not photosensitising, so it can be used during the day and in summer.

The plant

True Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It grows on the sunny hillsides of the Mediterranean basin, especially in Provence, as well as in Spain and Italy.

Its flowering tops are steam-distilled to produce a fine, precious oil with an inimitable floral scent.

This variety, also called officinal lavender or fine lavender, is the most prized for its aromatic purity and gentleness.

Anecdotes & History

True Lavender has been used since Antiquity. The Romans scented their baths with its flowers, hence its Latin name from lavare, meaning "to wash". In the Middle Ages, it was an essential ingredient of the famous Four Thieves Vinegar, said to protect against the plague.

In Provence, harvesting fine lavender at altitude (between 800 and 1,200 metres) is an ancestral know-how. This rare variety is known for producing an oil of exceptional olfactory finesse.

In the collective imagination, lavender is associated with purity, inner peace and protecting the home, values that explain its timeless success in aromatherapy and perfumery.

Physical and olfactory characteristics

True Lavender essential oil has recognisable characteristics:

• Appearance: clear liquid
• Colour: colourless to pale yellow
• Scent: floral, herbaceous and slightly camphor-like
• Texture: fluid and non-greasy

Its delicate fragrance, evoking the lavender fields of Provence, is a symbol of calm, freshness and serenity.

Biochemical composition

The composition of True Lavender essential oil is mainly based on:

• Linalool (up to 45%)
• Linalyl acetate (up to 45%)
• Traces of 1,8-cineole, camphor, β-caryophyllene, lavandulol, terpinen-4-ol

This richness in monoterpene alcohols and esters explains its balanced floral fragrance and its recognised relaxing and skin-care properties.

Back to Essential Oils Fact Sheets