We’re true believers in the power of our organic, locally grown lavender. Lavender is one of the most widely used botanicals in aromatherapy, and it’s a fan favorite in the kitchen and body care products.
This little purple flower is beautiful in bouquets, but it can also be broken down and used in many different formats. The flower can be used to extract essential oils through steam distillation. Stems can be dried and used to smoke meats or just add a lovely scent to your bonfire. Dried lavender buds make for a great spice in the kitchen, and since the bees love it so much, it’s also a key player in making delicious honey! At Appalachian Botanical Co., we leverage the many shapes and forms that our locally grown lavender can become by incorporating them into a variety of different products.
Now that many of us are spending more time at home than we ever imagined, we could use a reset both mentally and in our surroundings. Lavender is known for its soothing and comforting abilities, but it can also help us to restore our energy and rejuvenate our bodies. It is the perfect steward of mental clarity, more restful sleep, and clearing negative energy. Here’s how you can use this humble little flower to *gently* but effectively hit the reset button.
Supports Mental Clarity
There are so many ways to incorporate aromatherapy into your daily routine. We often use lavender to help us achieve better rest. We place sachets under our pillow, mist our sheets with lavender hydrosol, or use a relaxing lavender-infused CBD cream. When it comes to “resetting”, nothing beats a good night’s rest! However, while lavender can sometimes help us rest, we use it throughout the day as well! Lavender soothes and calms us and can help us relax and focus.
I like to diffuse some pure lavender essential oil while I work to help me stay calm and focused even as my work begins to pile up. I’ve found that in times of high stress, I tend to lose my focus and I become absent-minded. In these situations, sometimes I just need to take a step back and find a calming ritual; like taking a quick shower during my lunch break. I add a couple of drops of lavender essential oil to a wet washcloth and place it on the floor to squeeze in some aromatherapy as well. Between the warmth of the water and the gentle scent of lavender, it helps me power through the rest of my day.
Lavender Smudge: Rid of Negative Energy
If you feel like you have negative energy looming in your body or in your space, it can really weigh you down. It can be subtle, such as mental fog setting in, grogginess, or an uneasy feeling. A popular natural solution that you may already be familiar with is called smudging or saging. This is a Native American spiritual practice in which a bundle of dried herbs (most commonly white sage) is lit and the smoke is used to rid the home or body of negative energies. This practice is growing in popularity in non-Native American communities and poses some interesting challenges. First, many people fail to honor or even realize that sage smudging is part of a religious ceremony followed by indigenous people. Second, due to the unprecedented demand for white sage, it is now being harvested at unsustainable rates. That’s where lavender comes in.
Lavender is a European herb (grown in the Mediterranean) that has been used in many different fashions over the centuries. Dried stems (a byproduct of lavender harvesting) make lavender a more practical, ethical, and sustainable alternative to sage. It’s also much easier on the planet and can even be used to bring new life to abandoned coal mine land or “unusable” soil. When dried and lit, it has beautifully scented smoke that can be used for smoke baths. So, if you want to perform a smoke bath of your body or home to lift negative energies and clear your mind, dried lavender is a great alternative. We’ve lined up all the details on how to do it yourself here.
Try a Detox Bath
Sometimes what we really need is to rid our bodies of the toxins that are garnered through our foods and environment. If you need another excuse to take a hot bath, this is it!
For a full-body, relaxing, and rejuvenating soak add 1 cup of Himalayan salt, 1 cup of Epsom salt, and 10 drops of lavender essential oil to warm running water. You can soak for as little as 12 minutes or as long as an hour to help your body and muscles relax. You can also make your own lavender bath bombs or soap to make your bath a whole self-care event!
Some other good-measures to help with mental clarity are your basics – drink lots of water, get up and stretch, take breaks when needed, and most importantly, give yourself some breathing room. If you’re running on empty, you’re bound to break down. No matter which route you choose, lavender can help to reset your energy!
The Importance of Locally Grown Lavender
Our lavender is locally grown in the heart of Appalachia, namely Ashford, West Virginia. We follow organic farming practices and partner with local businesses to produce high-quality products that honor the plant and the community that it’s grown in. That means that you’re getting a pure product that won’t load your body or home with chemicals. Shopping locally made and locally grown products bring economic opportunities to people of all backgrounds and especially those who have been hit the hardest by job loss due to the pandemic. That’s at the forefront of our mission here at Appalachian Botanical Co. If you want to help us further our mission and impact while helping to make your home a true sanctuary for mental calm and relaxation, you can check out our full range of products, follow us on social media, or sign up for our newsletter.
MEET THE AUTHOR / ELIZA TALVOLA is a writer from Pittsburgh, PA who considers herself to be a conscious consumer and traveler, slow fashion advocate, and devoted foodie. She is a firm believer in creative reuse and putting people over profits, and is a long time lavender enthusiast. Her favorite product: Lavender Hand Sanitizer Spray