DIY Life

Join me each week as I explore the naturally aromatic side of DIY.
herbs, and other botanicals to soap-making, body care products and other useful blends.

What comes to mind when you think of lavender? It may be a calming scent for you; maybe you even have a sleep sachet stuffed with dried lavender buds. You may think of your favorite handmade soap, scented only with lavender essential oil, a staple in many showers around the country. Surely some sort of relaxing, powdery floral makes your olfactory sense tingle when you think of lavender.

For me, lavender is many things. It is the sleep sachet that sends me back to slumberland on those sleepless nights. It is one of the primary essential oils in the baby products that I make, so I remember smoothing the healing butter onto my son's bottom and massaging his excited limbs with the baby oil. We even planted a row of lavender plants along our front walkway, greeting our guests with the familiar fragrance as the sun gently warms the plants, releasing the welcoming scent.

Most of all, lavender is the promise of many things, as it can take on a whole different personality depending on how you blend it.

There are actually many types of lavender, but we are writing today of the true lavender, lavendula officinalis or lavendula angustifolia.

On the next couple of pages I'll share some lavender recipes with you.

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