Lavender water has got to be one of the oldest and simplest toiletries around, but this certainly doesn’t mean that you should discard it in favour of a bottle of some mass-produced, chemically synthesised wonder product instead. In fact, if you are trying to get back to nature and reduce your carbon footprint too, then making and using your own lavender water could be just the ticket!
How to make lavender water
There are 2 main methods of making lavender water that we recommend; using fresh lavender flowers or using dried lavender buds. This means that you can make your own lavender all the year-round, and we recommend that you only make a small quantity at a time and try to use it when it’s as fresh as possible, as after a few weeks of storage we find it can get a little past its best. Making your own lavender water is very easy though, simply follow these steps from Jersey Lavender Farm:
1. Bring 100ml water up to a fast boil.
2. Pour this over 2 tablespoons of fresh or dried lavender flowers in a non-metallic bowl.
3. Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature at least until it is cool or up to overnight.
4. Strain the mixture using a really fine sieve or piece of muslin.
5. Decant into a very clean glass bottle (ideally dark-coloured) and we like to keep it in the fridge.
Uses for lavender water
Lavender water has a real myriad of uses for personal cleansing and grooming:
1. Perfume – this used to be the introduction to perfumes for little girls, however, we think that a splash of lavender water on your pulse spots will leave you with a subtle fresh lavender fragrance that is so much simpler and cleaner than many of the expensive perfumes that you can buy off the shelf.
2. Toner – lavender is naturally antimicrobial and gentle astringent, so it makes the perfect natural skin toner for use after cleansing. Simply add a splash to a cotton wool ball and wipe over freshly cleansed skin to remove all traces of build-up and tone and refine your skin.
3. Aftershave – rather than applying an aftershave that’s based on harsh alcohol compounds, a simple splash of lavender water will refresh and tone skin.
4. After Sun – a dash of fridge-cold lavender water will leave sun-scorched skin feeling like new, the calming and soothing properties of the lavender will ease any soreness and cool the skin completely naturally.
5. Hair Rinse – after washing your hair rinsing it through with lavender water will leave it smooth and shiny and your scalp will be both soothed and reinvigorated. If you struggle with dandruff then adding a couple of drops of rosemary essential oil to the mix can help to combat that too.
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