Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)

(Source: Flickr)

Lavender is incredibly versatile. It can be used to treat so many ailments such as; acne, bruising, insect bites, skin irritation, athlete's foot, inflammation, eczema, psoriasis, head lice, stings, and burns. I've been told that if you treat a burn immediately with lavender, it will heal with little to no scarring. It's wonderfully soothing, relaxing, and calming. I use it in my bath water to treat my acne-prone skin, it soothes the irritation and redness. Lavender is also a natural antiseptic and will ward off insects, but also can be used to treat insect bites. It soothes the itching and inflammation. Its sedative quality helps with trouble sleeping.

Lavender has a lovely sweet, floral-herbaceous scent. The essential oil is safe to apply directly onto skin, though using a base oil is always recommended.

I would recommend it in every one's medicine cabinet. You can buy the essential oil at many health food or natural remedy shops. There are also many products that feature lavender as it main active ingredient:

Dr. Hauschka- Lavender Bath Oil, Lavender Body Oil, Moor Lavender Body Oil

Weleda- Lavender Relaxing Bath Milk

Prima Vera- Relax Body Lotion (Lavender Vanilla), Relax Shower Gel (Lavender Vanilla)

Lavera- Lavender-Aloe Vera Shower & Bath Gel, Lavender-Aloe Vera Bath Oil, Lavender-Aloe Vera Bath Salt, Lavender-Aloe Vera Body Oil, Lavender-Aloe Vera Body Lotion, Lavender-Aloe Vera Spray Deodorant, Lavender-Aloe Vera Roll-On Deodorant, Lavender-Aloe Vera Euy de Toilette

Badger Balms- Sleep Balm, Lavender-Tangerine Lip Balm