How to make lavender tea from fresh lavender buds and mint. You can also use dried ingredients, it doesn’t have to be fresh. This tea will help to relieve stress, soothe the mind, and is the perfect night-time drink.
Since we started growing lavender out in our back garden, and it’s just absolutely flourished! It’s now twice as big as when we planted it, with no sign of slowing down. So, now that we have lavender coming out our ears, I thought I’d use it in some homemade products and recipes.
I’ve used it so far to make lavender-infused oil, but recently I made some lavender tea with it that was so soothing I just had to share the recipe with you!
Thanks to the linalool and linalyl acetate components found in lavender (which are present even when diffusing), it has beneficial and protective effects shown to help soothe nerves (great for relieving anxiety), stabilise mood, improve sleep, detoxify the body, work as an expectorant (helping to loosen mucus so you can cough it up), balance blood sugar, kill bacteria (it’s a natural antibacterial), relieve pain, and speed up wound healing (it’s a great anti-inflammatory).
Uses for Lavender Oil
Some wonderful uses for lavender essential oil include:
- In a facial moisturiser. Lavender can help remedy skin issues like acne. A little goes a long way, so a few drops is all you need.
- Mixed in with the oil you use for oil cleansing.
- As a general moisturiser for your body, as well as your face. Use along with a carrier oil to rub onto skin as a massage oil, to soothe bug bites, sunburns, eczema, stings, rashes, and scars, or use as a natural perfume. Avoid contact with sensitive areas around your eyes.
- An ingredient in homemade body care products. Lavender oil can be used as a base ingredient for body butter, cream, balm, salve, ointment, soap, and more.
- As a hair serum to nourish hair, moisturise your scalp, and encourage hair growth.
- An ingredient in homemade cleaning products. Incorporate a tablespoon or two of lavender oil into your homemade cleaning sprays.
- Ear drops for bacterial or fungal infections. These homemade ear drops are super easy to make and work wonders against bacterial or fungal ear infections.
- Diffuse the oil before bed. Place a few drops of lavender oil in an essential oil diffuser before bed to help calm you down before sleep.
- Soothe sunburns or other burns. Lavender can help with wound healing. Add a few drops of lavender essential oil to a bottle of cool water and spray onto burns to relieve pain.
- Bath salts. These DIY bath bombs or bath salts make for the perfect relaxation experience after a long day and may help to relax and soothe sore muscles.
- Homemade bug spray. This homemade natural insect repellent works wonders to deter bugs like mosquitos, ticks and other biting insects.
While essential oils are natural, they’re also extremely potent so they to be respected. I personally do not ingest or take essential oils internally. There’s some evidence pointing towards long-term regular use of concentrated lavender possibly causing hormone imbalances in males.
Uses for Fresh & Dried Lavender Buds
Some uses for fresh and dried lavender include as a:
- Relaxing herbal tea. You can add chamomile, mint or other herbs that you like. Steep all the herbs in hot (not boiling) water for a few minutes and add honey or pure stevia to give it a sweeter flavour. The tea, once cooled, can also be used as a scalp rinse to treat dandruff or as an after-sun spray. Full recipe below.
- Lavender tincture. A lavender tincture can promote relaxation and sleep.
- Laundry or drawer freshener. Place some dried lavender flowers into small satchels and place them in drawers or in place of dryer sheets in the dryer.
- Use in cooking. There are so many different recipes you can find online and in cookbooks sharing how to incorporate lavender into delicious recipes.
Homemade Lavender Tea for Sleep
You don’t have to add mint leaves to this recipe, you can simply use fresh or dried lavender. However, you may find it to be quite strong. If this is the case, adding some mint and honey can help to dilute the strength of the tea and make it more appealing. You can add chamomile, too, for an extra soothing effect.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups filtered water
- 2 tbsp lavender, dried or fresh
Optional:
- 1-2 tbsp fresh mint leaves
- 1 tsp raw honey or stevia, to taste
To make:
- Place the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then turn the heat off.
- Add the lavender and mint into the saucepan with the boiled water, and let it steep until the tea has reached your desired strength; around 15-20 minutes.
- Strain the tea and stir in the honey (if using), then serve it hot or let the tea cool and serve it over ice to make iced tea.
It’s recommended to avoid taking dried or fresh lavender internally while pregnant, and because of its relaxing properties, it is recommended to avoid use in conjunction with medication that also causes sleepiness or relaxation as well.
People who have allergies, especially to pollen, should avoid lavender as it may trigger an allergic reaction.
As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products. I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes or tips mentioned in this post.
Have you used lavender before? What did you use it in? Share in the comments below.
Lots of love,
🖤 Vanessa
Sources:
Wells, Katie. (Updated: May 22, 2020). How to Use Lavender (Grow It, Make Natural Remedies & More). Wellness Mama. Retrieved from https://wellnessmama.com/7041/lavender-uses/
J Henry. Lavender Mint Tea. All Recipes. Retrieved from https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/229352/lavender-mint-tea/
Lavender Tea Health Benefits, Side Effects, and How to Brew. (October 2, 2020). Sencha Tea Bar. Retrieved from https://senchateabar.com/blogs/blog/lavender-tea
Gotter, Ana. (Last reviewed: December 17, 2018). How to Improve the Health of Your Skin with Lavender Oil. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/lavender-oil-for-skin
Krans, Brian. (Updated: December 19, 2016). How to Make Lavender Tea. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/how-to-make-lavender-tea