Amazing Lavender - Uses and Properties (Lavandula angustifolia)

During my second Physio appointment, my therapist suggested using something other than Bio-Oil to massage my arm. I'm usually willing to try new things but since my injury I have become very much a creature of habit. Try something new...hmmmm. What if it doesn't work? What if I react to it. What if I get ANOTHER rash?

My therapist explained to me that the massage wax she had in mind contained a high quantity of Lavender essential oil and that this was very good for burns, something I had never heard of. A stint on Google later and I am amazed that I haven't come across this before. I have been in a Burns Unit and am still under the Burns Outpatients yet no one has mentioned the close link between using Lavender oil and improving burn healing and scarring!

Traditionally Lavender has been used for many medicinal purposes. It is believed that one of it's many ancient uses was in treating burns, although today it is usually only applied to minor burns as serious burns require hospitalisation and medical attention. Lavender is a very soothing, balancing and relaxing oil and also has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It is said to have 'cicatrisant' properties which means it helps in the formation of scars.

The Daddy of Aromatherapy, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse had a terrible burn accident himself. In 1910 he burned his hand and plunged it into the nearest liquid which turned out to be a vat of Lavender Oil. He was amazed to find that his burn healed well, with very little scarring. This lead to him investigating the healing properties of oils and wrote a very famous book detailing his finds in 1937, 'Aromathérapie: Les Huiles Essentielles Hormones Végétales.'

So off I went, tub of wax in hand, to begin a week-long test of Songbird Lavender Wax.

1 Week Later

I substituted my usual Bio-Oil for Songbird Wax and used it 4 times a day, massaging for 15 minutes a time. In just a week I have seen a great improvement and this was noted by my Physiotherapist too. The colour of my skin has changed. It has lost some of it's purplish tinge and is not as livid. Some of my rash may (may!) have retreated. A small patch at the edge of the graft has gone back to normal colour!!! My skin is definitely more supple and soft too.

Massaging is a more pleasant experience overall. I no longer smell of bio-oil! The wax provides a little more friction than the oil, making it easier to massage. It also seems to react with my rash better than the greasy oil.

I'm going to take some photos today to compare next week but so far I would really recommend this wax. It can bought online at Songbird Naturals but your Physio might stock it too. If anyone has had experiences with Lavender as well, positive or negative, please share them in the comments box below.