Lavender is considered the most useful of all essential oils. Lavender is known to help relieve headaches, insomnia, tension and stress. Its therapeutic properties have been well chronicled all over the world. Originally an inhabitant of the Mediterranean countries, this perennial herb has long been recognized for its exotic perfume and medicinal properties.

Used in past by the ancient Romans for its healing and antiseptic qualities, the name itself comes from the Latin “lavare” or “to wash”. Tibetans still make an edible lavender butter to use as part of a traditional treatment for nervous disorders. Today, the essential oil of lavender is widely used across Europe and North America for a number of illness and medical problems.

Lavender is just a beautiful herb in your garden. It has gray-green, pointing leaves that grow in a bushy, spreading manner. It is crowned with tall spikes of beautiful pale violet flowers during summer. As an ornamental flower, lavender is unique, sporting exotic fragrance, beauty and a rich harvest of sweet smelling blooms.

Old English Lavender, a popular inhabitant of a cottage garden, can grow up to two to three feet high, producing fragrant grayish leaves and blue/purple flowers. The more compact variety Hidcote, has darker blue flowers, grows to around a foot high and is very pretty in any flower or herb garden. The easiest way to propagate lavender is to cut softwood cuttings in the spring.

However, as lavender benefits from a light pruning in early autumn, these clippings make excellent new plants too, as long as you protect them from frosts and winter bite.

With its flowery fragrance Lavender is the most versatile and useful oil. If you are a newbie to essential oils, you may need to start here by using lavender oil. Called the “Swiss army knife of essential oils”, because of its versatility, lavender is very soothing to sun burnt skin and is used to cleanse cuts and skin irritations.

Essential oil of lavender is used in aromatherapy practices to get rid of depression, fight tiredness and get relaxation. It has strong disinfectant properties and was even used on the wars to prevent infection and relieve pain.

A drop of lavender oil mixed with a teaspoon of carrier oil, such as grape seed and massaged into the temples and back of the neck will drive away headaches. Mixed with any massage oil, it also helps relieve the pain of arthritis or aching muscles. Occasionally, just a small cotton ball with droplets of lavender near your pillow can help you drift off to a deep sleep.

Lavender essential oil can help reduce anger and frustration, while improving your self esteem. Lavender is found to elicit the emotion of happiness. Lavender has a property of calming and sedating effects.

You can also use lavender, by scenting a relaxing and antiseptic bath by slowly adding lavender droplets and letting the bath water run over it as it fills the bath. Fresh lavender flowers are excellent for bath too.

Dried lavender is a tool to experience the sheer aromatic properties in a relaxed ambience. To dry your lavender, strip the leaves or the just opening flowers from the stalk and spread out in a warm place, before using in pot pourris to fragrance your rooms. Around your home, dried lavender stalks can be burned like incense sticks or burned on the fire for their wonderful fragrance.
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Candles provide a glowing history as an object of exoticness and reverence; its use is as old as the human history itself. Many great civilizations and modern societies have held candles as an instrument of radiance; its radiance properties surpass any other similar objects. Candles have long been used as a ‘mood-setting’ addition to a room or occasion and now more innovative aromatherapy candles enhance that goal.

Aromatherapy practice uses natural essential oils that are absorbed through massage, ingestion or olfaction (also called sensory). Aromatic oils are also use to make candles, which candles have a physiological or therapeutic effect on mood through their fragrance.

However, scented candles should not be confused with aromatherapy candles. Scented candles simply contain a fragrance, most probably artificial, whereas aromatherapy candles contain natural essential oils.

Probably, one of the most well known aromatherapy oils for alleviating stress and anxiety is lavender. A bowl of floating lavender aromatherapy candles to accompany your bath will help you relax after a long day. A small candle on your dining table will sway your desolate mood into a feeling of satisfaction.

For every mood and moment, there is an aromatherapy candle. Some of these top-rated essential oils might be found in aromatherapy candles:

Sage: This oil helps with insomnia and relaxation;
Chamomile: Exciting oil used for relaxing, helps with sleeplessness and anxiety;
Rosemary: An out of the world oil, which is stimulating and uplifting and good for mental stimulation;
Grapefruit: Freshly uplifting and refreshing
Eucalyptus: A strong oil, which helps with respiratory problems and boosts the immune system;
Ylang Ylang: Soothing oil as a good antidepressant that helps you relax and sleep;
Geranium: Its sober effects help with relaxation while also being uplifting; helps balance hormones in women;
Peppermint: Sweet aroma helps with digestive disorders, headaches and muscle aches;
Lemon: Invigorating oil, which uplifts and relaxes you senses;

As with any health product, you should understand what you are using when burning aromatherapy candles. You must know which type of oil is used in your candles. Certain essential oils can be harmful; it is always advised to be careful. Any type of candle can be formulated to serve as an aromatherapy candle, whether it’s a floating, pillar, gel, votive or even jar candle.

Even though there may be doubts about the effectiveness of aromatherapy, all of us do know that candles and aromas are effective for evoking mood and emotions.  You will notice candles labeled as “aromatherapy” candles range greatly in price; the price ranging from a low to high cost depending on the quality and availability of the essential oil used.

Several factors affect the price, such as types and qualities of wax, additives or purity, as well as other factors related to manufacturing.  However, one main ingredient which can make or break the success of a candle as well as the price, is its fragrance.

You can make your own aromatherapy candles too at your home! The best waxes for aromatherapy candles are of course a bit more expensive.  Many natural waxes such as soy, palm and beeswax burn cleaner and do not emanate soot and are not petroleum or polymer based such as paraffin or gel waxes.

More natural cotton or zinc core wick should be used instead of leaded wick because of health hazard issues.  Instead of adding dye to color the candle, include natural substances like herbs and flower petals.

Always use pure essential oils for fragrance.  This is definitely expensive, but worth it plus you can mix and match your own blends.  Palm wax or palm/beeswax blend candles are always better, because they burn so long and clean and they blend quite easily with your oils.

Essential oils should be added after the wax has melted and started cooling to preserve the integrity of the fragrance as they easily breakdown and evaporate.

Decorating your candle can be as easy as tying a ribbon around it to adding pressed flowers to it.  Make several small motifs or round candles and add to a basket for a great gift idea. Candles attach emotional importance to any occasion and moments; a great aromatherapy candle has that great ability to enhance the mood and ambience of any environment.
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