At the farm we often refer to lavender essential oil as "liquid gold".  It's pale golden hue is certainly apt, but it is in the myriad of everyday uses that lavender essential oil's precious value comes to the fore.  It's application spans the breadth of daily life from personal care and therapeutic to home and pet care settings.  Like gold, it is also costly to create.  Our lavender fields produce an average of 1 fluid ounce of pure essential oil for every 2 mature plants in our distillery.  It requires an immense amount of plant material to create a very small amount of essential oil*, but, like gold, it only takes a little bit to be effective.  Lavender essential oil is so potent, any application requires only a few drops.  Scroll down to learn how a few drops will benefit your daily life...

 

We bottle our versatile Lavender Essential Oil in 3 convenient sizes at the farm

How to use lavender essential oil in everyday life

 

PERSONAL CARE and THERAPEUTIC USES

Lavender Essential Oil is one of the few natural plant oils that be can applied undiluted directly to the skin with no toxic effects.  As such, it is highly effective as a topical antiseptic, anesthetic and anti-inflammatory in many common therapeutic situations:

• superficial cooking or baking burns
  
• bee stings or bug bites
  
• abrasions
• preventing wound infection
• treating pimples (utilizing lavender's natural solvent property as well!)
• minimizing scar formation during healing processes

Learn why Organic Lavender Essential Oil is a "must have" for your First Aid Kit. 

Additionally, it can be used on the body as a...

• soothing, calming sleep inducer (dab a drop or two on the upper lip at bedtime)
• tension headache and stress reducer
• perfume with the added benefit of an insect repellant
• bathing adjunct to create a fragrant aromatherapy soak
  
  

This 5ml dropper bottle is an excellent size to start benefiting from lavender's many uses

HOME and PET CARE USES

Lavender's naturally occurring solvent, disinfectant and insect repelling properties are an ideal means of broadening the use of natural, non-toxic remedies throughout the home and with four-footed family members.  For example...

• Use to remove difficult adhesives, oils, paint and tree sap as a natural solvent instead of resorting to chemical treatments
• Regularly apply between your dog’s shoulder blades to keep fleas and tics at bay
• Freshen linens and keep moths away from woolens
• In the form of a lavender candle or room mist or with an ultrasonic diffuser to keep your living space or office fresh and fragrant
  

Lavender Essential Oil is also the "active" ingredient in Lavender Hydrosol.  This non-toxic, multi-use home care product can only be produced during the steam distillation of essential lavender oil and is an ideal means of bringing the all-natural disinfectant, cleansing, oil solvent and insect repellent properties of lavender essential oil to an even wider range of household, workspace, pet, plant, automobile, boat and other care applications...

• for washing fruit and vegetables (safe to spray on or near food)
• for cleaning and disinfecting all hard surfaces (sinks, counters, floors, refrigerators, microwaves, stove tops, desks, dashboards, etc)
• for general dusting
  
• as a natural solvent for removal of oily substances from kitchen counters, bathroom and other hard surfaces
• for spot cleaning carpets, rugs and upholstery (test in a discrete location first)
  
• as an all-natural no-scrub daily shower spray to help prevent mildew
• for non-streaking no-residue cleaning of windows, glass, mirrors, fine jewelry and digital screens (computer, TV, tablet, smartphone, etc)
• for removing water spots and finger prints from chrome and stainless steel
• for discouraging common insects, including flies, fruit flies, spiders and ants, on and around counters, sinks and garbage areas
• as an extraordinarily effective repellant plant spray for both indoor and outdoor plants, helping rid them of aphids, mealy bugs, etc
• freshening pet coats and pet mouths
• treating "hot spots" on pet skin
  
  

Our 1 fluid ounce (30ml) dropper bottle is ideal for the avid user who wants to ensure they always have it at hand

When considering any product, especially one used to care for body, home and pets, quality is of the utmost importance.  To ensure optimum quality, unlike many others who buy their oil from "bulk sources" with no clear production history, all our essential oil is USDA Certified Organic by Washington State Department of Agriculture and distilled right on the farm exclusively from the lavender flowers we grow ourselves here in our own fields.  You can see the lavender fields anytime via our Farm web cam.

When primarily applying to the skin, this 10 ml roller-ball applicator is ideal

*This is true for all pure essential oils. Which is why pure essential oils are more expensive than "essences", "oils", "aromas" or any of the other names that others give to products that, rather than containing only the pure plant oil, often contain fillers or synthetic fragrances.  It's best to avoid these imposters and use only, pure plant essential oils.  Because they are unadulterated, a little bit goes a very long way and they have very long shelf-lives — both mitigating the initial cost.

Lavender Dry Shampoo - Naturally refresh and boost volume

Dry shampoo is a great way to reduce hair greasiness without the need for washing. Freshening hair after working out, in a humid climate, when camping or to extend the life of a blowout, etc., are all perfect times to take advantage of the quick and easy application of a dry shampoo. While no substitute for your regular hair washing and conditioning rhythm, a dry shampoo is an excellent means of absorbing oil, making your hair appear cleaner and adding a little volume before your next wash.

Did you know that our Lavender Body Powder can perform double duty as a dry shampoo? It certainly can and to great effect! Our all-natural formula relies on non-synthetic ingredients which makes it gentle on the scalp and avoids the risk of an allergic reaction to the the chemicals commonly found in other dry shampoo products. The presence of our pure, Organic Lavender Essential Oil is, of course, wonderfully fragrant and brings the added benefit of lavender's natural antibacterial and disinfectant properties.

To use Lavender Body Powder as a dry shampoo, open the cap slightly by gently twisting the edge of the cap counterclockwise to reveal very small openings. This will help control the amount of powder dispensed. A little goes a long way in this instance, so start with a small amount and add more as needed.

Shake a small amount into the hand and gently rub both hands together to thinly coat the fingers and palms.

Starting at the roots, work the powder into the roots of your beautiful locks. Alternatively, dip a large makeup brush into the powder and apply to the roots. Be sure to avoid the scalp directly as it can be difficult to blend on the scalp.

Add a little more powder as needed working through the sides and back of the head. Be sure to manipulate each section with fingers, a brush or comb to thoroughly distribute and blend in the powder.

 

If needed, blow dry on low, cool for a few seconds to finish blending.

 

As you have likely noticed, our Lavender Body Powder (a.k.a Lavender Dry Shampoo) is white. While this works well for silver gray and light blond to dark blond, what about darker hair? 

 

Here's where you don your artist hat and do a little color blending to match your unique locks. Activated charcoal powder is great for very dark and black hair, unsweetened cocoa powder for softer, mid-tone browns (think chocolate!) and a bit of cinnamon is excellent for auburn or copper tones. Start off by adding a little activated charcoal powder and/or unsweetened cocoa powder. Thoroughly mix it and keep adding very small amounts until you've found your shade. 

 

Remember: Blend in color in very small amounts. You can always add more color, but you can't add less.

4 Tempting Lavender Inspired Ice Cream Toppings

A bowl of vanilla ice cream is about as classic as it gets when it comes to dessert. When it comes to the toppings, however, the possibilities are nearly endless. From sweet and salty to fruity and crunchy, the variety of flavors and textures we like to dress our ice cream in is as varied and unique as us. It probably comes as no surprise, then, that we like to top our ice cream with lavender. Here are 4 lavender inspired ice cream toppings we love and think you'll love too!

Lavender Gourmet Pepper

This one might make you pause. It certainly did us when we first heard about it from a long-time customer. As much as we were skeptical, we were also highly intrigued. To our surprise and delight, it proved to be delicious! 

The combination of sweet vanilla and floral lavender with a peppery kick in our Lavender Gourmet Pepper is remarkable. We never would have tried it had it not been at the recommendation of a fellow lavender enthusiast. We always love hearing from you and learning new ways to use our products from you.

Lavender Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

Drizzling a decadent chocolate sauce atop a mountain of ice cream is certainly not unusual, but make it a Lavender Chocolate Sauce and you have something altogether more rich and luxurious. We are big fans of pairing lavender and chocolate together. Each flavor elevates the other without diminishing any of its own complexity or potency.

For chocolate lovers and lavender lovers, the pairing provides a unique taste adventure of lightly floral notes that blend beautifully with the rich notes of chocolate creating a singular experience. Add some nut pieces  — we particularly like pecans or walnuts – for an added texture complexity and, well, nuttiness.

Organic Lavender Honey and San Juan Island Sea Salt

A beautiful pairing of San Juan Island flavors from both earth and sea. A drizzling of our Organic Lavender Honey and a few grinds of San Juan Island Sea Salt is the perfect balance of sweet and salty.  

Our friends at San Juan Island Sea Salt draw out the rich, briny and bright flavors of our local waters through solar evaporation... a.k.a. "dried up ocean" to create a variety of salts found nowhere else on earth.

From our lavender fields and the Salish Sea that surrounds our island home, these flavors will transport you to the island with each spoonful.

 

Lavender Peach or Berry Chutney

Here's where things get spicy! Unusual and all together adventuresome, sweetness and spice collide in a riot of flavor when a dollop of our Lavender Peach or Berry Chutney tops a dish of vanilla ice cream. 

The sweetness of peaches, the floral notes of lavender and the zing of red chili and ginger in our Lavender Peach Chutney bring an exotic heat to the rich, creamy coolness of ice cream.

The slightly tart brightness of berries, the delicate sweetness of lavender and the rich warmth of star anise, cinnamon and cloves blended in our Lavender Berry Chutney create a scrumptious and thoroughly cozy taste experience atop a bite of smooth ice cream.

Some of these lavender inspired toppings may be on the more unusual side, but if you enjoy forays into unique flavor pairings we highly recommend picking up a gallon of your favorite vanilla ice cream and having a tasting party with a few good friends. 

For more lavender adventuring in the kitchen, our lavender cookbook and these sweet and savory recipes are a great place to begin your tasty journey.

   

Why Shea Butter and Lavender are our Favorites for Natural Skincare

All living things thrive or decline by their level of hydration. Our skin is no different. Well-hydrated skin that receives regular care will thrive. The natural world is filled with many plant-based substances that contain powerful moisturization properties. One of our favorites is Shea Butter.

Over the last two decades working with this remarkable natural moisturizer, we have come to deeply appreciate its efficacy and its versatility for all skin types and all skin ages.

What is Shea Butter?

Shea butter is a solid, fatty oil that comes from the nuts of the Shea or Karité trees (Vitellaria paradoxa). These trees are native to the Sahel region of central Africa extending from West to East Africa and almost all shea butter still comes from this area. The nuts are crushed and boiled to extract the natural butter and then filtered to remove impurities, bits of husk and the like.

It naturally contains high amounts of Vitamin A and E to protect and repair skin, several types of fatty acids — including lineoleic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acids — to help the skin retain moisture and elasticity, and it's phenolic compound profile is very similar to that of green tea, making it an effective antioxidant as well.

Shea butter has held a highly respected place in daily life — skincare and beauty preparations, medicine, and cooking (it is non-toxic and edible) — for thousands of years. It has been used, and still is, in applications such as: waterproofing, hairdressing, candle-making, instrument making to increase the durability of the wood, cooking as a vegan oil, and skin moisturizing, healing and general protection.

For centuries shea butter has been referred to as “women’s gold” not only for its rich golden color during the extraction process, but also because it is primarily a women's industry, providing employment and income to millions of strong women throughout Africa and by extension benefiting their families and communities.

While certainly versatile in its uses, let's focus on shea butter's skincare benefits as these are most personally experienced. Some of these uses may be more applicable to some, but we firmly believe that shea butter is for all skin.

Skin Care Benefits of Shea Butter:

• Highly moisturizing and skin softening
  
  
• Helps skin retain moisture and improves elasticity due to the presence of mulitple naturally-occuring fatty acids (lineoleic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acid)
  
  
• Improves skin's ability to absorb moisture — it melts upon skin contact and when fully absorbed does not leave the skin looking or feeling oily
  
  
• Reduces the potential for scars, stretch marks and dark spots as a result of its high vitamin content
  
  
• Improves eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis while being non-comedogenic (it will not block pores)
  
  
• Repairs cracked heals, lips and cuticles
  
  
• Soothes dry, itchy scalp skin while alleviating dandruff
  
  

As is often said.... "Every recipe is better with a little butter." When it comes to shea butter, the same is true of your skincare routine.

For all these marvelous reasons, shea butter is an integral ingredient in several of the skincare products we handcraft at the farm. The powerful skin-benefiting properties of shea butter dovetail beautifully with the equally powerful and naturally-occuring antiseptic, non-comedogenic, topical anesthetic, aromatherapy, sedative and solvent properties in our organic lavender essential oil.

• Lavender Body Butter
  
  
• Lavender Therapeutic Salve
  
  
• Lavender Lip Balm
  
  
• Lavender Hand & Body Lotion
  

Winter, spring, summer and fall the weather takes a toll on the skin. Adding shea butter and lavender to your skincare routine can keep your skin smooth, soft and supple all year long.

For an extra dose of skin therapy, our Rejuvenating Lavender Green Tea Skincare Mask or our Moisturizing and Gentle Exfoliating Lavender Honey Oat Scrub for Face and Lips make for luxurious at-home spa experiences.
 

Note: Although there is no evidence that shea butter is a common allergen, if you have a severe tree nut allergy it would be best to consult your physician.

Lavender Kissing Ball

When we think of holiday affection a sprig of mistletoe probably springs to mind first, but a holiday kissing ball is a far older holiday decor tradition. With roots in the Middle Ages, when bundles of evergreens were hung over doorways as a focus for blessing and goodwill to all who walked beneath, they flourished in Victorian England when all manner of festive foliage was added and single people would line up below for a kiss from an eligible suitor. It was at this point that mistletoe was added and as fashions ebbed and flowed it become the primary beacon for holiday kisses.

Kissing balls are making a well-deserved comeback and we are delighted! They offer a spherical decor twist to the common wreath and swag that feels both modern and nostalgic. Since lavender is, of course, our material of choice, we made one entirely of our dried lavender flowers and love it! Its elegance, simplicity, and pure, fresh fragrance are uniquely festive for the holidays and year-round.

If you are feeling crafty, scroll down for a quick tutorial to make your own Lavender Kissing Ball.

 

How to make a Lavender Kissing Ball

You'll need:

• Foam sphere (the size is entirely up to you, we used a 5 inch sphere)
• Ribbon (we used a 3/4" cream satin ribbon, but select the color and style that appeals to you)
• Paperclip
• Scissors
• A wooden skewer, small dowel or similar
  
• Dried lavender flower stalks
  

A note about dried lavender flower stalks... We used approximately 8 of our Organic Lavender Bouquets for this project. The variety in this bouquet is Lavandula x intermedia "Grosso". As this project is an investment in time, we wanted to be sure that we were using lavender that will retain it's color well and remain sturdy for many years. Grosso is perfect for this project as keeps it's deep violet hue when dried and will not crumble readily. Incidentally, this is the same lavender variety we use for our lavender wreaths and wands.

Step 1 — Using a wooden skewer, create a narrow tunnel through the foam ball. 

Step 2 — Fold your ribbon in half and push the fold through the tunnel using the wooden skewer until a loop pokes out the bottom of the foam ball.

Step 3 — Secure the paperclip through the loop. Pull the two tails of ribbon taught on the other side and tie them together to create a hanging loop.

Step 4 — Start processing the dried lavender flower stalks by cutting or snapping the stalks off 1/4 - 1/2 inch below the buds and sticking the ends gently into the foam. Start from the paperclip and work around the sphere from there, keeping the depth of the lavender consistent. 

Step 5 — Once the ball becomes too unwieldy to hold, hang the ball from the loop on top and work up the sides and top. After the ball is fully covered in lavender, you could add an additional bow to the top if you want or leave it sleek and simple like we did. Find a place to display your stunning lavender kissing ball and pucker up!

Give yourself time. While it's easy enough to construct, it does take time. Make a cup of hot chocolate and put on your favorite holiday movie and enjoy the creative process!

Note on storage: If you don't plan to display your lavender kissing ball all year, use 3 wooden skewers to create a tripod for the ball to stand on in storage. Gently poke the wooden skewers into the ball between the lavender flowers equal distances apart at an angle that will allow the ball to sit atop them securely. Place the ball and tripod in a bubble wrap lined box with tall sides so that it cannot tip over. Keep out of direct sunlight for the best longevity.

How to make a Lavender Ball Garland for your home

Crafting with lavender brings to the fore lavender's aesthetic and aromatic attributes. Visually, lavender is a wonderfully versatile plant that can seamlessly transition between both elegant and rustic looks. It's calming and pleasant fragrance is a delight to experience during the crafting project and long after. Let's create something beautiful and sweetly-scented with this fun and simple DIY project!

 

 

Lavender Ball Garland

Supplies:

• Dried lavender buds
• Basic white crafting glue
• Paint brush
  
• Small foam balls
• Wood skewers
• Small bowl
• Twine, cord or ribbon
   

 

 

A note about lavender buds... We used some left over lavender buds from last year's harvest. This project is a great way to use up dried buds from your own garden or you can always order some from our organic lavender fields.

 

Step 1 — Fill the small bowl with lavender buds and insert a wooden skewer through each foam ball so that you have something secure to grasp.

Step 2 — Apply basic white craft glue to the ball and spread it with a paint brush to fully coat the ball. A generous coating will help the buds adhere, but avoid so much glue that it is dripping.

 

 

Step 3 — Roll the glue-coated ball in the dried lavender buds until fully coated and no foam is visible.

 

 

Step 3 — Stand the wooden skewers up in a vase and allow the lavender balls to dry overnight.

Step 4 — Once dried, gently remove the wooden skewers and string the balls on your preferred twine, cord or ribbon. If you find the balls are slipping too much, add a little glue to the holes in the lavender balls to secure the balls and twine.

Hang your lavender ball garland anywhere you like to add a little organic elegance and sweet fragrance to your home. For a different look, skip the garland and display the lavender balls in a clear vase or a shallow bowl.

This is a fun DIY craft project to do with kids. You can vary the foam ball size and add in other colorful dried florals for added flare. Dried rose, calendula and cornflower petals complement lavender well. Happy crafting!

 

'Tis the season of festive gatherings around the table with friends and family. From intimate holiday dinners to large parties, there is much hosting happening this time of year. For our gatherings this year we are creating a festive tablescape with just a few key materials to create an elegant, fresh look. 

 

Come take a look at our table and fill your plate with some lavender holiday decorating inspiration!

Holiday Table Setting with Lavender and Juniper

When creating a color and texture palette, less is often more. Restricting the palette can make the overall look more cohesive and visually powerful. For our holiday table, we have confined our palette to only a few color and textural elements and then repeat them throughout the look.

  

For our foundation we used an oatmeal linen runner. We chose a light color to both bounce light and to set the stage for our more colorful elements. Creating contrast this way, with a runner or tablecloth, helps our focal elements visually pop.

The primary naturals in our tablescape are fresh juniper, tree trunk rounds and dried lavender, of course! Limiting our palette to just three naturals allows us to create visual play through repetition and volume. We repeated these three elements throughout to carry the eye and create visual interest along the entire table.

We chose fresh juniper for its soft, dusty blue-green color and sinuous texture to complement and bring out the blue-violet in the dried lavender. The texture and scale of the tree trunk rounds provide color echoing with our wooden table and actual weight and height to our overall look.

 

 

Our accents consist of large pine cones (not the cinnamon ones from the grocery store!) and a variety of light wood, gold and clear glass candlesticks in a range of shapes and sizes. We used white and cream taper candles of varying heights to create an organic elevation flow. We avoided positioning these accents in a uniform row, but rather varied their positions on the runner to create depth within the overall aesthetic. This also creates small, visually engaging moments when viewed from different angles and heights which is a fun treat for the guests around your table.

 

 

For our place settings we continued the aesthetic themes we had already established by using neutral dishes and cutlery so that our decorative napkin presentation had a supportive stage from which to shine.

Here are a few versions of napkin presentation repeating our textural and color palette by having a few sprigs of lavender and juniper peaking out of each napkin. You could add a small card stock rectangle to the napkin (either tied into the twine or tucked into the fold) with the guest's name inscribed on it to help guide folks to their seats.

  

All that's now needed is to light the candles, dish up our plates and enjoy the joy and comfort of sharing a holiday meal with good friends and family.

We hope these ideas have sparked your creativity and provided some inspiration for your own festive holiday table. Cheers!