If you only ever use one essential oil, make it lavender!

It’s one oil I always have in my handbag and I make sure I take on holidays. Lavender essential oil is a multipurpose oil and it smells amazing too. Make sure you use a pure 100% oil (like Thursday Plantation) to make sure it’s free from synthetics and fillers.

Lavender oil is made from steam-distilling the flowering tops of the lavender shrub.

Lavender has a wide variety of properties which make it so versatile around the home and for first aid. It is antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and a relaxant.

Lavender is one of the few oils that is safe to use directly on the skin – however always use in small amounts and for children under 12 it is recommended to dilute with a carrier oil.

Here are 20 practical uses for lavender oil around your house:

♥ Bug bites. Instantly soothe insect bites with a drop of neat lavender oil straight on the bite.

♥ Sore muscles. Add a few drops to a bath with epsom salts or add a carrier oil and massage in to the affected area to soothe.

♥ Ouchies. Put the lavender oil neat on minor burns and minor cuts and scrapes – it will kill off any bugs, allowing the wound to heal.

♥ Spotty skin. You can dab neat on spots or mix a drop with a carrier oil like jojoba and massage into the affected area. As well as inhibiting the bacteria that grow on the skin, it also helps reduce the sebum production.

♥ So stressed. Inhale a drop of lavender oil on a tissue for any sort of upset, stress or mild anxiety. You can also diffuse it a room or pop it in a bath.

♥ Repel moths. Keep a few cotton balls with drops of lavender in your cupboard to repel moths and silverfish.

♥ Pongy underarms. Just add one drop to a tablespoon of coconut oil and rub into your armpits for a super easy, natural deodorant. As well as smelling nice, it will help kill off the bugs that cause body odour.

♥ Zzzzzz. For trouble sleeping, pop a drop on your pillow or pyjama front or diffuse in your bedroom for a restful sleep. But go easy you only need one or two drops – too much lavender can have a stimulating effect.

♥ Lavender Laundry. I like to add a drop or two to my laundry rinse cycle to freshen clothes and bedding. You can also pop a drop onto a wet clean cloth and pop into your dryer or put the oil straight on to wool dryer balls.

♥ Rub on your lightbulbs. Just one drop rubbed on your lightbulbs (when they are off and cool) will give you lovely scents when you turn them on and also repel insects.

♥ An ache in the head. Massage into your temples and behind your head for headache relief.

♥ Chilled-out playdough. Add a few drops to your homemade play dough for restful and calm playtime for the kids!

♥ Fabric refresher. Add a few drops to a spray bottle and use to refresh carpets, lounges, mattresses and your car upholstery. Just a light misting, not a drenching!

♥ Itchy Eczema. Pop 5 drops of lavender oil into 10ml of carrier oil and gently massage into the affected areas.

♥ Zen Loo. Pop a drop of lavender oil on the cardboard tube of your toilet roll – every time someone uses the roll, it will deodorise the loo and leave you feeling zen too!

♥ Wash your hands! I love to make my own lavender hand wash – I just use castile soap and a few drop of oil in a reusable foaming bottle.

♥ Too much sun? Lavender oil can help soothe sunburns.

♥ Instead of ironing. Okay, this could be my favourite tip ever!! Shannon Lush says to use one teaspoon in a litre of water and spray your clothes after washing. It will relax the fabric and ease out wrinkles!

♥ Shower power. After a hard day at work or running around with the kids, a few drops of lavender oil on your shower base will relax and calm you. Special self nurturing time!

♥ Aroma–Cleaning. As lavender oil is a disinfectant, you can use it to wipe down benches, clean toilets and bathrooms and mop the floors.

If you would like some more tips on how to use lavender oil around the house or for first aid, head over to the Thursday Plantation website and check out their 100+ uses. You may even like to submit your own tip of how you use lavender oil.