Oil of the Month Lavandin | The Versatile Oil

Lavandin essential oil is often confused with its cousin, Lavender Oil, and so the one of the purposes of this blog is to help you understand the difference between the two and to show you how wonderful Lavandin essential oil is in its own right, it is really beneficial for your mind body and health, and I hope you learn to love it as I do and to incorporate it into your daily life.

Everything you need to know about Lavandin

• Lavandin essential oil is a cross-breed oil between ‘True Lavender’ (Lavandula angustifolia) and Spike lavender (Lavandula spica).
• Spike lavender grows low down nearer sea level and True lavender grows high up on the mountain tops. Where the two meet in the middle, a natural cross-fertilisation takes place producing various types of Lavandin plants.
• The Lavandin plant was naturally formed when bees carried pollen from higher altitudes, where True lavender is grown, to the lower altitudes, where Spike Lavender is found. 
• Due to the unique benefits of Lavandin for the perfumery and cosmetics sector, the cultivation of Lavandin was quickly commercialised.
  
  

Spike Lavender is a huge, camphorous- smelling plant, with many stems formed off each branch. It can grow to around 5 feet high.

Lavender on the other hand, is a small, unprepossessing plant with flowers of soft violet hue, on one single stem. It does not look like all the pictures you see of the lavender fields in France, in fact, those pictures are most likely fields of Lavandin!

Lavandin, a cross breed and a medium height plant, with at least 3 stems off each branch, it produces a lot more essential oil than True lavender. This is one of the reasons it is so popular. It is easy to clone and grow, it has a lot of essential oil within it, it smells very similar to True lavender and it is much cheaper to produce.

The Lavandin plant is a non-fertile hybrid of the Lavender varieties Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia, and is usually cloned.  Farmers wishing to grow Lavandin, walk the areas where the cross-breeding has produced the plants (or they create their own from their own chosen True and Spike Lavenders), and they choose the strongest, most prolific oil producing plants to clone. Once the plant is chosen, thousands of cuttings are made to propagate the Lavandin, and once strong enough, these are planted in the fields.

It's in the Name 

Many farmers name the hybrid after themselves, so for instance, Lavandin Grosso, was developed and introduced by Pierre Grosso in the early 1970s, (this one remains the most popular Lavandin variety for commercial cultivation), while Monsieur Abrialis also produces a better quality Lavandin used to replace Lavender in perfumery and aromatherapy.

Properties & History of Lavandin Essential Oil 

Latin name: Lavandula x  intermedia (‘Super’, ‘Grosso’, ‘Abrialis’)
Synonyms: Bastard lavender, L. hybrida
Plant family: Lamiaceae
Extraction: Distillation of the flowering tops
Origin: Europe, mainly France and Spain

• So as discussed Lavandin is a hybrid plant developed by crossing true lavender with spike lavender (also known as aspic).
• The plant is steam distilled in very large roadside distillation units in France during the months of July and August, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, due to the amount of oil in the plant!
• The resultant essential oils is pale yellow liquid with a fresh camphorous, floral scent that is very similar to Lavander but not as sweet.
• Lavandin essential oil does not have a long history but has been used for the last 60 years as a substitute for true lavender. Lavandin essential oil used to be used by hunters to quickly neutralise venom when snakes bit their dogs, but was commercially developed for the French perfume industry.

Therapeutic Properties of Lavandin Essential Oil 

Lavandin essential oil has many properties we use today. The oil is:

• anti-catarrhal
• antifungal
• antiviral
• expectorant
• neurotonic
• sedative. 

It is commonly used for:

• bronchitis
• candida
• athlete’s foot
• chronic migraine
• enteritis

Mentally, it can be used for:

• nervous debility
• listlessness
• post-surgery stress. 

Because lavandin is therapeutically different to lavender, the two should not be confused.

Know your chemical differences!

• One of the key elements that differentiates Lavandin Oil from Lavender Oil is it contains a much higher percentage of camphor. While Lavender Oil contains 0-0.6% camphor, Lavandin Oil contains 6-10%. This makes it a far more powerful expectorant, as well as giving it a stronger, more pungent scent.
• There are no known contra-indications, and the main chemical constituents vary widely depending on the clone. Lavandula x intermedia Super has the following components: Alcohols (>48%), Esters (25%), depending on the quality of the hybrid.
• Aromatherapists do need to understand the difference – chemically, esters are much scarcer in Lavandin essential oils, and oxides and camphor are increased.
• This means that if you want to heal skin after a burn, you really do need to use Lavender essential oil. If you are treating asthma or aches and pains, Lavandin essential oil is to be preferred.

 

How do we use Lavandin today?

Lavandin Essential Oil first rose to fame in the perfumery and household care sectors as it was relatively inexpensive compared to Lavender Essential Oil. It is used by the ton as an excellent natural fragrance to incorporate into low-priced detergents, washing powders, soaps, and household cleaners. This is mainly because Lavandin essential oil is fresh and deodorising and it helps to mask the unpleasant aroma of detergents. Lavandin essential oil is widely used in the manufacture of body care products and cosmetics, including soaps, shower gels, shampoos, and body lotions.

Today, there are many commercial cultivars of Lavandin that exist, the main ones being Lavandin Grosso, Lavandin Abrialis, and Lavandin Super. Of these, Lavandin Grosso is the most popular, with approximately 75% of total Lavandin production thought to be devoted to the Grosso variety.

In aromatherapy, Lavandin essential oil was initially disregarded as a therapeutically mediocre oil compared to True Lavender. This is due to its higher percentage of Camphor, and the therapeutic applications of Lavandin Essential Oil do not have the same gentleness that is associated with Lavender Essential Oil. However, it is a wonderful oil with great properties.

Blends Well With
Lavandin essential oil blends well with oils such as cypress, clary-sage, pine, patchouli and rosemary.

Our Lavandin Blends

Penny Price Aromatherapy has several blends including Lavandin essential oil, or that blend well with it. Three of these products are Nurture Men, Nurture Purification, which works well with Lavandin essential oil, and Travel Rollerball, which can also be used in conjunction with Lavandin essential oil to help keep travel sickness at bay.

This is a really special blend for men to help maintain hormonal balance and equilibrium, and to promote a healthy outlook on life. The blend also helps to balance emotions and diminish stress. Blended with Pine, Cedarwood, Basil and Lavandin essential oils, this lovely blend can be used in the bath, a vaporiser or in massage. It was blended to work with the male hormonal system and to bring it into balance to promote a healthy hormonal and immune balance and to promote wellness.

This lovely pure essential oil blend has essential oils that have been chosen to help cleanse and detoxify the mind, body and spirit, and to bring newness of thought and being. Used regularly, this blend will help to push out the old and enable new beginnings.  It contains Cypress, Bitter Orange, Basil and Sweet Marjoram essential oils. Nurture essential oil blends are a useful tool in any home and promote well-being in mind, body and spirit.

Roll on Well-being - For when you are on the move, this blend of 100% natural pure essential oils with a carrier will help you feel refreshed and awakened. This rollerball can also help to prevent jet-lag. Travel is a blend of essential oils of Lavender, Mandarin and Peppermint.

Recipes 

Recipes and ways to use Lavandin Essential Oil – all products available from Penny Price Aromatherapy

The Keeping Calm Vaporiser Blend

To stay calm and in control, use the recipe below:

In a 10ml dropper bottle use-

3ml Lavender essential oil
3ml Palmarosa essential oil
3ml Lavandin Super essential oil
1ml Sweet Orange essential oil

Blend all the oils well in the bottle and push in the dropper cap. Use up to 8 drops at a time in a vaporiser or use on a tissue to carry round with you when needed.

The Versatile Body Lotion

For an effective everyday body lotion, use the recipe below:

In a 100ml jar with cap use-
80ml Blending Cream Base
12ml Rosehip oil
1ml Lavandin Super essential oil
1ml Roman Chamomile essential oil
1ml Geranium essential oil

(30 drops is 1ml from a Penny Price Aromatherapy essential oil bottle)

Put the Blending Cream and Rosehip oil in a small basin and whisk together. Add the essential oils and stir well, then transfer to the jar, clean the edges and put the lid on. Use during the day whenever needed.

The Everyday Face Cream

This recipe will help you to keep your skin soft and supple, ready to face the day:

In a 100ml jar use the following recipe-

90mls Moisture Cream for sensitive skin base
5mls Rosehip oil
4mls Rose hydrolat
8 drops Lavandin Super essential oil
8 drops Palmarosa essential oil
4 drops Sandalwood essential oil

Put the Moisture Cream Base into the 100ml jar and stir round to soften. Add the rosehip and stir again, then add the hydrolat and mix well. Finally add the essential oils in the order they are written in the recipe and stir well. Clean the edges of the pot and put on the lid. Use every day and before going to bed.

The Beautiful Bath Foam

This is a really lovely way to end the day!

In a 100ml bottle with pump top blend the following recipe-

99ml Bath Foam Base
15 Lavandin Super essential oil
8 drops Geranium essential oil
7 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil

Put the bath foam into a small bowl and add the essential oils. Stir really well and then, using a funnel, put the blend into the bottle and apply the lid. This can take some time so be patient! Use in your evening bath to prepare for bed.

I do hope that you try out the wonderful Lavandin essential oil – if you have any questions about Lavandin essential oil or the recipes in this Blog please don’t hesitate to contact us.