When we think of lavender, we think of the pretty, light purple flowers that blow gently in the breeze, producing a lovely, heady scent. The lavender's scent has been used for many years in bouquets, sachets, and potpourri. Did you know that lavender has many other uses?
Lavender plants repel insects. Place them around the house, or grow them near the patio. Boil the flowers in some water, and keep the liquid mixture handy to relieve insect bites. The flowers of the lavender plant can be used either fresh or dried in the rinse water for your hair or clothes.
Lavender also can be used in bath products. Here's an easy recipe for a fragrant lavender soap:
Lavender Soap
(Not only is this soap cleansing, it's pretty! Consider giving it as a gift in clear jars, decorated with ribbon.)
Ingredients:
Crush the flower petals until they are powdery. Melt the soap in the bowling water in a double boiler. Stir it frequently until it is smooth and melted. Remove from heat, and stir in the crushed flower petals. Pour into a bottle and keep covered.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have a lot of lavender in my garden, it is absolutely beautiful! I am looking for ways to use it. My mother used to use Lavender to scent drawers - but I am not sure the best way to use it. Can anybody please help?
I also grow lavender, in pots by my front door, The smell in the summer is amazing! I just pick some and put it in places around the house I just tuck it wherever I want to enjoy a little bit of scent. You can also use the leaves and stems in sachets or potpourri. I even keep a bit on my dashboard when the sun or my heater warms it I can really get a good wiff!
Did you know that you can make a tea with lavender? I have made lavender rice too. they have a very subtle flavor. Lavender is a ver soothing aroma.
Recipes are here
www.napa-lavender.com/
www.happyvalleylavender.com/
I'm sure that there are more if you google recipes
lavender vinegar is lovely and fairly easy to do. Take a tall glass jar or bottle with a removeable lid. Take lavender, stems and all, as long as possible and tie them in small bunches that will fit through the jar or bottle opening with ease using white thread. Place the bunch into the bottle, making sure the stems do not extend over the lip of the opening. Gently heat, just until warm, enough white vinegar to cover the lavender flowers. Pour over the lavender bunches in the bottle/jar, leaving a space at the top so you can shake the bottle later.
I still treasure the lavender wand my grandmother made for me, I'm still grateful that she showed me how, and hers still smells so nice, decades later.
My Dad LOVES these!
LAVENDER SHORTBREAD COOKIES
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar
2 TB fresh lavender flowers, chopped fine (or 1 TB dried)
Cream butter and add next 5 ingredients. Mix by hand, or with electric mixer on low, until light and fluffy. Add the last 3 ingredients and mix well. Divide dough in half, flatten, cover and chill until firm. Preheat oven to 325. Roll out to 1/2 thickness on floured surface and cut into 1 1/2 circles; press designs on top, if desired. (You can also use cookie cutters.) Bake 18 to 20 minutes on parchment paper covered cookie sheets. Cool slightly and transfer to wire rack. Makes approximately 2 dozen, depending on size of cookie.
Optional: When cool, dust lightly with powdered sugar flavored with lavender flowers.
I have a ton of Lavender too.....'Munstead' and 'Vera'. If you like the taste of turpentine by all means go for it LOL! I just use the plants to make wands. After they dry they can be left as is in wands or you can strip the dried buds from the stems and use in sachets, potpourri, ect.
I harvest wands just as a few flower buds actually fully open but are mostly still in tight bud form. I take them back into the foliage as I harvest and round the shrubs as I go. A sharp scissors works well. Mine re-bloom in late summer/fall for a 2nd round of wands.
I leave a few go to seed in fall for the finches too....they love it! Also I get lots of baby lavender seedlings each spring for give-aways :)
I recently came across some dried lavender flowers. Does anyone know of a website or ideas for soaps, scrubs, etc. I would also like to find out how to make my own lavender oil. Any insight would be appreciated.
I have an herb book that gives several uses of lavender but none pertain exactly to beauty. It gives a receipe for biscuits, mentions making a jelly out of it, numerous medicinal uses (mostly the oil) and says it is great as a moth repellent!
Me again. I found this post several months ago on ThriftyFun!
When we think of lavender, we think of the pretty, light purple flowers that blow gently in the breeze, producing a lovely, heady scent. The lavender's scent has been used for many years in bouquets, sachets, and potpourri. Did you know that lavender has many other uses?
Lavender plants repel insects. Place them around the house, or grow them near the patio. Boil the flowers in some water, and keep the liquid mixture handy to relieve insect bites. The flowers of the lavender plant can be used either fresh or dried in the rinse water for your hair or clothes.
Lavender also can be used in bath products. Here's an easy recipe for a fragrant lavender soap:
Lavender Soap
(Not only is this soap cleansing, it's pretty! Consider giving it as a gift in clear jars, decorated with ribbon.)
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons boiling water
10 tablespoons finely grated castile soap
2 tablespoons dried and crushed lavender flower petals
4 drops of lavender oil
Crush the flower petals until they are powdery. Melt the soap in the bowling water in a double boiler. Stir it frequently until it is smooth and melted.
Remove from heat, and stir in the crushed flower petals. Pour into a bottle and keep covered.
This is a page about uses for dried lavender. Lavender's lovely scent makes it a sought after perennial flower that, in its dry state, can be used in many ways.
