Little Homemakers in Training

It has been a lavender week around here.  We don’t have lavender plants but a friend gave us for pruning her plants.  We had two bags full.  Danielle and Destiny helped make lavender oil.  The lavender oil is for household use and the essential oil is for our therapy needs.
We had so many buds, that at the end, we fill up nylons pieces and stuck them in our clothes drawers and put some in our closet.  We also made a refreshing cold lavender tea with stevia.  Everyone loved it and went to sleep peacefully.

Here is Danielle, busily working while Mommy reads the Bible aloud.  She is also working on peppermint leaves.

How to make lavender  oil.

1.  Gather lavender twigs and deflower them in a bowl.

Here is Destiny gathering the lavender buds in her princess costume.

2.  Gently crush the flowers. It’s fine if you get some twigs in.  They also have some oil.  But don’t over do it.  Just enough to help them begin to release the oil.

 Danielle is using a meat tenderizer because we don’t have  mortar and pastille.  Use whatever you have on hand.

3.  Fill jars about 3/4 of the lavender flowers.

Our ice cream scoop came in handy here.

4.  Cover the flowers with vodka. Cover the jar with it’s lid.

5. Place jar in a crock pot.  Fill the crock pot with water just below the jar’s lid.  Place a kitchen towel in the crock pot to prevent any cracking.  Set it on warm, or lowest setting and leave it for 3 days.

6.  After 3 days, strain the liquid using coffee filters.  Just let it sit straining itself so some of the alcohol evaporates as well.

7.  If there is any sediments, do a second straining.  Place in an amber color container and keep in a dark cool place.  Will last a long time.

Here is a different way to make lavender oil.

You just have to let the lavender herb soak in a carrier oil and then strain it. Carrier oil is a base oil, which is usually used to dilute pure essential oils.

 

Step #1: Collect enough lavender flowers and then fill them up in the jar.

 

Step #2: Now take a carrier oil in a saucepan. The quantity of the oil should be enough to fill the glass jar. Slightly warm this oil, and then pour it slowly in the jar, till it has nicely covered the jar. Your can use olive oil, jojoba oil, almond oil or grapeseed oil.  I prefer grapeseed oil because it doesn’t have a scent as strong as the others.
Step #3: Take a piece of cling film, and wrap it around the opening of the jar. Secure the plastic cling film using a rubber band.

Step #4: Let this essential oil mixture steep for a month. Keep shaking the bottle lightly everyday, to let all the ingredients mix well. Store the bottle in a cool and dark place.

Step #5: After a month’s period, take out the jar and strain the mixture and use a spoon to press the lavender flowers, to completely separate the precious oil from the flowers.

Step #6: Pour this oil in an amber colored glass bottle, and close it using a cap. There, you have it; your own homemade lavender oil.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/lavender-oil-how-to-make-lavender-oil-at-home.html

30 Ways to Use Lavender Essential Oil

Important:  Lavender oil is NOT the same as Lavender Essential Oil.  We use homemade lavender oil for household use and fragrance.

1. Rub Lavender oil on the soles of the feet for a calming effect on the body.
2. Rub a drop of Lavender oil on your palms and smooth on your pillow to help you sleep.
3. Put a drop of Lavender oil on a bee sting or insect bite to stop itching and reduce swelling.
4. Put 2-3 drops of Lavender oil on a minor burn to decrease pain and stimulate healing.
5. Stop Bleeding; put 1-4 drops of Lavender oil on a cut to stop the bleeding.
6. Mix several drops of Lavender oil with a carrier oil and apply topically for eczema and dermatitis.
7. Alleviate the symptoms of motion sickness, place a drop of Lavender oil on the end of the tongue or around the naval or behind the ears.
8. Stop a nosebleed; put a drop of Lavender oil on a tissue and wrap it around a small chip of ice. Push the tissue covered ice chip up under the middle of the top lip to the base of the nose and hold as long as comfortable or until the bleeding stops (do not freeze the lip or gum).
9. Rub a drop of Lavender oil over the bridge of the nose to unblock tear ducts (avoid eye area).
10. Capped Skin; rub a couple drops of Lavender oil with a little carrier oil on dry or chapped skin.
11. Rub a drop of Lavender oil on chapped or sunburned lips.
12. To reduce or minimize the formation of scar tissue, massage Lavender oil on and around the affected area.
13. Rub 2 drops of Lavender oil over the armpit area as a deodorant.
14. Rub a drop of Lavender oil between your palms and inhale deeply to help alleviate the symptoms of hay fever.
15. Dandruff; rub several drops of Lavender oil into the scalp to help eliminate dandruff.
16. Place a few drops of Lavender oil on a cotton ball and place in your linen closet to scent the linens and repel moths and insects.
17. Place a drop of Lavender oil in your tabletop water fountain to scent the air, kill bacteria and prolong the time between cleanings (NOT in fish tanks though).
18. Put 2-4 drops of Lavender oil on you vacuum cleaner bag to scent the room while vacuuming.
19. Bed Linen Spray; in a 4oz. spray bottle filled with water add 5-10 drops of Lavender oil, shake and lightly mist bed linens every morning upon making your bed, this provides a calming scent that helps induce restful sleep.
20. Dryer Sheet; place a few drops of Lavender oil on a damp washcloth and toss into the dryer, which will deodorize and freshen your laundry.
21. Put a drop of Lavender oil on a cold sore to facilitate healing.
22. Diffuse equal portions of both Lavender and Orange essential oils to reduce stress and anxiety.
23. Sunburn; spritz several drops of Lavender oil mixed with distilled water on a sunburn to decrease pain.
24. Cuts and Wounds; put 1-2 drops Lavender oil on a cut to clean the wound and kill bacteria.
25. Itching; apply 1-2 drops of Lavender oil to a rash to stop the itching and heal skin.
26. Foot Bath; mix 4 drops Lavender oil with 1/4 cup of epsom salts and add to warm water, soak feet for 20 minutes.
27. In a 32 oz. spray bottle mix 14-20 drops of Lavender oil with water for a chemical-free spray air freshener.
28. Add a drop of Lavender to one quart of softened vanilla ice cream, stir well, freeze until hardened, serve.*
29. Lavender Tea; add one drop of Lavender oil to a cup of hot water for a relaxing cup of tea at the end of a busy day.*
30. Use Lavender oil in one of these recipes: Lavender Sorbet, Lavender Lemonade, or Lavender Chocolate Truffles!*

*NOTE: Only food grade essential oils, such as Mountain Rose, Terra or Young Living Essential Oils, can be ingested or taken internally as a supplement. Please do not ingest otherwise.