Lavender Essential Oil: Uses, Blends, and DIY Recipes

Lavender essential oil smells absolutely heavenly, and it is hands down one of the most useful oils to keep on hand for a natural, sustainable home. It shows up in more of my DIY recipes and blends than just about any other oil I own!

If you are new to lavender, don’t worry, it is one of the easiest oils to fall in love with and one of the simplest to use.

It’s no wonder that it makes an appearance in so many of my DIY recipes and essential oil blends!

Best of all, lavender smells simply heavenly. I never get sick of it, and that’s saying something, because I use it a lot!

In this post I am sharing all my favorite ways to put lavender to work, from roller bottles and room sprays to a few go-to blends I come back to again and again. Let’s jump in!

A quick safety note: essential oils are potent, so always dilute yours with a carrier oil before it touches your skin, and do a small patch test first. Keep them away from your eyes, and store them safely out of reach of children and pets. If your skin ever feels irritated, stop and rinse the area with a carrier oil.

How to Use Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender can be used in 2 different ways: topically and aromatically.

On Your Skin

Lavender blends beautifully into homemade skincare and body products. Just remember that essential oils are concentrated, so always dilute lavender with a carrier oil or lotion before it touches your skin.

Some ways to use lavender topically:

1. Make a roller bottle: Combine lavender oil with a carrier oil in a 10mL roller bottle, which allows you to take pre-diluted essential oils on the go, and gives you an easy way to apply them.
2. Stir into lotions: If you already have a lotion you love, or you’re making your own, like DIY pumpable lotion, you can mix lavender essential oil into the lotion. The lotion will smell amazing, and the oil will be perfectly diluted.
3. Add to DIY skincare products: It doesn’t have to be lotion; you can use lavender essential oil in homemade body oil, DIY aftershave, and more.

In the Air

The other way to use lavender essential oil is aromatically. There are a few ways to achieve this:

1. A diffuser: Add lavender oil (by itself or in a blend, such as one of my peaceful diffuser blends) to a diffuser and enjoy the pleasant aroma of lavender throughout the room.
2. Room spray: You can use lavender to make a homemade room spray to mist into the air and onto furniture and linens.
3. Use your hands: If you want something fast and simple, you can just add a drop of lavender oil to a cotton ball or tissue and breathe in the aroma. You can similarly take a sniff right out of the bottle.
4. Add to diffuser jewelry: Put a drop on a homemade diffuser necklace or DIY diffuser bracelet.

Lavender Oil for a Calming Bedtime Routine

There is a reason lavender is the scent so many of us reach for at the end of the day. That soft, floral aroma is calming and cozy, and it makes a lovely addition to a wind-down routine.

Here is how I like to bring it into the evening: diffuse it in the bedroom while you get ready for bed, or mist your sheets and pillow with a homemade linen spray so the whole room smells like a lavender field. You can also add a few drops to a roller bottle and roll it over your wrists as part of your nighttime routine.

Lavender Oil in Homemade Skincare

Lavender is one of my favorite oils to blend into homemade skincare, especially anything I make for my face. Its soft scent makes a DIY product feel like a little spa moment!

Because the skin on the face is more delicate than other parts of the body, it’s especially important to dilute essential oils before applying them to the face.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to use lavender on the skin:

• Simply mix lavender oil with a carrier oil and spread it on the face before bedtime.
• Add lavender oil to DIY anti-aging products, such as an anti-aging roller bottle or anti-aging face mask.
• Put a few drops of lavender oil in facial sprays, such as a homemade facial toner or DIY hydrating face mist.
• Add to homemade lotions, creams, and body butters (I love it in my DIY shea butter lotion).
• Make a roller bottle to apply to pulse points, I have a recipe below!

Lavender Oil in Hair Care

Lavender’s gorgeous scent makes it a natural fit for homemade hair care. I mostly reach for it because it leaves my hair smelling amazing, and it blends beautifully with rosemary and my other favorites.

Here are a few uses for lavender essential oil for the hair:

• Add to homemade hair growth spray for a lovely scent.
• Put a few drops in homemade hair oil to leave your hair smelling amazing.
• Use in DIY dry shampoo or DIY fragrant hair perfume to freshen hair between washes.
• Incorporate it into your homemade shampoo to add a lovely smell to your hair.

What Lavender Blends Well With

One of the best things about lavender is how well it plays with other oils. It is soft and floral, so it rounds out brighter or earthier scents beautifully. A few of my favorite pairings:

• Citrus (lemon, bergamot, wild orange) for a fresh, uplifting blend.
• Frankincense for something warm and grounding.
• Cedarwood or vetiver for a cozy, earthy feel.
• Rosemary or peppermint for a herbal, garden-fresh scent.

Start with lavender as your base and add one drop of another oil at a time until you find a combination you love.

Lavender Oil in Summer DIY Sprays

Lavender is a summer staple around here! Its scent makes it a favorite to blend into homemade sprays and balms for time outdoors.

Add it to any of these DIY recipes:

• All-Natural Bug and Tick Repellent
• DIY Bug Repellent Lotion Bars
• Homemade Bug Repellent Bracelet
• Homemade Drawing Salve
• Homemade Anti-Itch Cream

How to Make a Lavender Essential Oil Roller Bottle

How to make a lavender essential oil roller bottle 

1. Add 15-20 drops of lavender essential oil to a 10mL roller bottle.
2. Top the roller bottle off with a carrier oil; my favorite one is fractionated coconut oil.
3. Shake the roller bottle, and it is ready for use.

How to use your lavender roller bottle 

Roll it over your pulse points, wrists, or the back of your neck, wherever you like to wear it.

Lavender Essential Oil Roller Bottle Recipes

Bright and Clear

• 10 drops frankincense
• 8 drops melaleuca
• 6 drops lavender

Goodnight

• 5 drops lavender 
• 4 drops frankincense 
• 3 drop serenity 
• 3 drop balance
• 2 drops vetiver

Uplifting

• 10 drops lime
• 8 drops bergamot
• 6 drops lavender
• 4 drops lemon

Using Lavender Around Pets 

Lavender essential oil is a very gentle oil and can be safe to use around your pets. However, it is important to keep a few things in mind when using any essential oil around indoor pets.

Your pet’s sense of smell is much stronger than yours, and an aroma you love may not be as pleasant for your animal. Therefore, always give your pets a way to get away from the smell if needed by leaving doors open. 

Likewise, don’t put oil on a collar or on the pet’s fur.

The best way to use essential oils around cats and dogs is to let them be the judge. Start with a small amount, in open areas, and see how they react. 

Frequently Asked Questions

More Lavender Essential Oil Recipes

For the bath

• Ultimate Relaxing Bath Bombs
• Easy Homemade Shower Melts
• Cold Process Lavender Soap Recipe
• Homemade Bubble Bath

For the body

• Whipped Body Butter Recipe
• DIY Deodorant
• DIY Vanilla Lavender Body Spray
• Whipped Lavender Sugar Scrub

For the home

• Foaming Hand Soap Recipe
• Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap
• All Natural Febreze with Essential Oils
• DIY Mason Jar Candles with Dried Flowers

What are your favorite uses for lavender essential oil? Let me know in the comments. Mine is definitely using it topically and aromatically before bed! Mama likes her sleep! 😉

Key Takeaways

Lavender is one of those oils that earns a permanent spot on your shelf. It smells amazing, it blends with just about everything, and it slips easily into DIY recipes for your home, your skin, and your hair. If you are just getting started, pick one idea from this post, a roller bottle, a linen spray, or a simple diffuser blend, and go from there. Small and simple always wins!