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Lavandin. An affordable lavender oil?

lavandin vs Lavender oil

Lavandin is often get confused with lavender but is there a difference?!

Lavender oil is probably one of the most popular essential oils on the market. It has been used for centuries due to its pleasant smell and versatility in health benefits. It occupies a prominent place in holistic medicine. People use it to relieve headaches, fight anxiety, help solve skin problems, promote a good night’s sleep, and so on. However, the price range of lavender can differ significantly, even for seemingly the same products. That is because a lot of the essential oils marked “lavender” are actually not 100% pure lavender.

This is due to the cost of producing essential oils.

100% pure oil is derived from the plant Lavandula angustifolia. But it is a very costly process, as it takes a lot of lavender flowers to extract a small amount of oil. That’s why, to cut the cost of production, companies mix it with other types of lavender plants or with lavandin. Those essential oils are not considered to be 100% pure and cost significantly less.

So is it worth paying more, or should you save your money?

What is Lavandin

lavender flower
lavender flowers

Both essential oils are derived from the lavender plant, but pure lavender oil is extracted from true lavender, or Lavandula angustifolia, while lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia) is actually a hybrid of true lavender and “spike” lavender, Lavandula latifolia.

While still 100% natural, lavandin oil is not considered to be pure lavender oil.

The main difference between the two oils is that lavandin has a sharper, stronger smell, which makes it ideal to be used in a variety of household products.

The hybrid occurred naturally in France thanks to cross-pollination when bees carried the pollen from the true lavender plants, growing at higher altitudes, and mixed it with the spike lavender, growing at lower altitudes.

It quickly gained popularity. Farmers found out that lavender contains less than half the oil yield of the lavandin plant. Lavandin produces approximately three times more oil per kilo than Lavandula angustifolia. That’s why it started to be used in production as a cheaper alternative to lavender oil.

Companies started to use lavandin oil to add to cheaper mass-market products such as detergents, soaps, shower gels, etc. Later on, due to its strong and crisp fragrance, it became very popular as a key ingredient in house sprays and car fresheners.

Lavender vs Lavandin

Lavandin
lavender oil

Lavandin shares some of the benefits with more expensive lavender oil such as it is said to be good to clear nose congestion and add a nice fresh scent to the house.

But there are some key differences that might make you consider choosing pure lavender oil over the one mixed with lavandin.

Despite having its benefits, lavandin is quite different from 100% pure lavender oil.

First of all, unlike true lavender oil, it is considered more stimulating than calming, which might not be ideal if you choose it to aid sleep and relieve anxiety.

Another important thing to consider is the composition of both oils.

Pure lavender oil’s main ingredients are linalyl acetate and linalool, which make it a great product to help with skin irritation problems such as acne, irritation, scarring, and burns. It can be used directly on the skin (though to use it on the sensitive parts of the skin, you would still want to mix it with the carrier oil).

Lavandin, as opposed to pure lavender oil, also contains a significantly large amount of camphor. For example, lavender contains 0% to 0.6% camphor, while Lavandin contains 6% to 10%. That makes Lavandin quite dangerous to be used on broken or burned skin. Instead of soothing and promoting healing, it can actually worsen the symptoms and cause more scarring.

In fact, it is not advised to use lavandin oil directly on the skin, even when mixed with a carrier oil.

Conclusion

While both essential oils are good, it is very important to choose the right one depending on what results you want to achieve.

But to get the most out of the essential oil, make sure that you always choose high-quality, pure essential oil and follow the guidelines for safe and beneficial use.

Note!


While it is considered rare, there is still a possibility of an allergic reaction to both lavender and lavandin oil. If you are not sure, consult your physician and discontinue use if you start having any adverse reactions.

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