Lavender harvest is in full swing! Plants are blooming like crazy, so if you’re ready to get crafty with those potent little flower, grab your scissors and let’s get to some really easy work.
The aroma of lavender is said to have many benefits, but most people consider it to be a calming and soothing scent. It can help relieve stress, inflammation, tension, and even assist with sleep. One of my favorite ways to use lavender is in eye pillows that I use both for sleeping and when I have tension headaches. You can make a low-budget version with a sock, or a little bit fancier of a pouch with two rectangles of a nice, soft fabric. Fill with dried grains, ground rice, lentils, quinoa, or whatever you have on hand, plus a hefty amount of lavender buds with potent lavender oil. I’ve had mine for over two years, and you can pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to release more of the aroma. For headaches, place the lavender pillow on top of your head or across the crown (while laying down). Again, you can heat, or even chill, your lavender pillow for relief of your choice.
To easily harvest lavender buds, place freshly trimmed lavender stalks inside of a large bag and shake. The buds will fall away, especially if you let them dry out for a day or two. You can also remove them with your fingers by gently rubbing them in the opposite direction of growth. Lavender buds can be steeped in oils (steep in a jar for a few days in sunlight to infuse even more of the lavender oils into your body or massage oil), added to your bath or body scrubs, or simply place it in a bowl in open air. Dried lavender stalks can make some nice decorative pieces as well, and can hang on to their scent for quite a while, so they don’t have to head to the trash.
Simplecare Products 