Hello plant friends,
Summer holidays have just started, making it the perfect time to talk about lavender! I recently returned from my travels through France, and what scent could be more emblematic of those long summer days than French lavender? It is the symbol of Provence, where lavender colors the region from June to August.
Lavender evokes a sense of nostalgia for many, myself included. However, I've discovered a particular lavender material that will change your perspective—it’s entirely different from the lavender my mother used to sprinkle on my pillow before bed, the first bottle of essential oil I bought with my pocket money at 'De Tuinen,' or the lavender sachets and potpourri of my grandmother. We will explore lavandin, a variety of lavender, and true lavender, both from a delightful Provençal company called Distillerie Blue Provence.
I’ve also brought along one of my favorite materials, a French Lavender absolute. This is one of my secret ingredients that I love to use in my perfumes. In fact, I often have to restrain myself from wanting to include it in every new perfume I create! I will discuss the history and differences between these materials, as well as some recent developments that will change your perspective on lavender for good. Enjoy!
With love,
Merle
In your box this month:
Lavandin super bio essential oil, Lavender fine bio from Distillerie Bleu Provence, Lavender absolute. from Hermitage. All from France. Dried organic lavender from Het Blauwe Huis.
Merle at Distillerie Blue Provence in 2020
I bumped into this very darling lavender oil producer
4 years ago when I just started Lingua Planta. If you happen to drive through Provence and feel like a little scent immersion, be sure to pay them a visit. They also have the most amazing organic lavender icecream.
Here's flowers for you;
Hot lavender, mints, savoury, marjoram;
The marigold, that goes to bed wi' the sun
And with him rises weeping: these are the flowers
Of middle summer, and I think they are given
To men of middle age. You're very welcome
- William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale, 1623
Etymology
The name is derived from the word 'lavender', which comes from the Latin verb lavare, 'to wash'.
Lavender may have earned this name because it was frequently used in baths to help purify the body and spirit. However, this herb has also been used as a remedy for a range of ailments from insomnia and anxiety to depression and fatigue. Research has confirmed that lavender produces slight calming, soothing, and sedative effects when its scent is inhaled.
Lavender is also a textile relaxant so its use in washing may have reduced wrinkles and folds.
Lavender in famous perfumes
Acqua di Parma's Colonia Futura is a fresh and vibrant scent with lavender at its heart, complemented by citrus and woody notes.
Diptyque's Eau de Lavande is a unisex fragrance that captures the true essence of lavender, combined with spices and a touch of musk.
Serge Lutens' Gris Clair is an elegant and smoky interpretation of lavender, blended with amber and tonka bean.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian's Aqua Universalis, while not exclusively lavender, features lavender as part of its clean, fresh, and versatile profile.
Chanel's Boy Chanel is a sophisticated and aromatic fragrance that features lavender combined with geranium, sandalwood, and vanilla.
Hermès' Brin de Réglisse pairs lavender with licorice, creating a distinctive and intriguing scent.
Distillerie Blue Provence is a family business bought by Christine and Philippe Soguel in 1994. Wanting to support this industrial heritage of Nyons, this company chose innovation mixed with tradition in order to continue the tradition of cultivation and distillation of lavender and aromatic plants in Drôme Provençale.
Distillerie Blue Provence produces essential oils, hydrosols, and other products derived from lavender and similar plants. The company focuses on traditional methods of distillation, preserving the natural essence and therapeutic properties of the plants, offering organic/cosmos, Fair For Life and Demeter range of products.
They also do guided tours, workshops, and educational sessions about the distillation process and the various uses of lavender and other aromatic plants.
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia):
Scent: Known for its sweet, floral, and slightly woody scent. It is considered the superior lavender in terms of fragrance.
Essential oil: The oil is often preferred in aromatherapy due to its higher quality and therapeutic properties. It typically has narrower leaves and a more delicate flower spike and a sweeter, more floral scent.
Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia):Hybrid: Lavandula x intermedia, a hybrid of Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia.
Lavandin plants are usually larger and produce longer flower spikes than true lavender.
Scent: It has a stronger, more camphorous scent, which is less sweet than true lavender. While still beneficial, lavandin oil is considered slightly less refined and is often used in cleaning products and mass-market items due to its lower cost.
LMR is not our supplier (yet), as we are too tiny, but this video shows really nicely how lavender production goes.
More lavender immersion..
Simon Porte of Jacquemus celebrated the 10th anniversary of his fashion house with this cult show set in the lavender fields of Provence, his native region.
Hildegard von Bingen was born in the summer of 1098 to a noble family in Germany. At that time, the custom was that if you were fortunate enough to have ten children, you were to give your 10th child to the church as a tithe. Hildegard’s parents waited until she was 8 years old to put her in the care of a young woman who was a hermit (an anchoress) associated with a Benedictine monastery. Hildegard lived a life devoted to God.
Her accomplishments are impressive. At a time when women were not taught to read or write, Hildegard was extraordinary. She was a physician, abbess, prophet, theologian, writer and composer.
Hildegard celebrated lavender. Writing about lavender, Hildegard said the herb gives “pure knowledge and a pure spirit.” Hildegard advises her readers to drink wine mixed with lavender, lukewarm to “allay the pains of the liver and the lungs.”
Lavender latte
You can make a lavender latte by making a strong and small infusion with the lavender in its teabag with water just of the boil. Leave it in for 5 minutes, remove the bag, squeeze all the lavender flavour out, foam your favorite milk and adding it to this lavender concotion. Add a little honey to taste and you’ll have a wonderful nightcap. I’ve also seen a recipe for a lavender steeped vodka, which sounds interesting perhaps to try one day. Anyway, loads of options.
Bonus! Bonus! Bonus!
I added a sample of tomato leaf perfume 20.06 to the box as a little surprise and it actually contains lavender absolute, the addition of petitgrain sur fleurs, green clementine, plenty of green kitchen herbs essential oils, galbanum and many more materials. So very curious to your thoughts and how it develops on your skin.
Reach out or say hi
Thank you so much for joining me in my adventure through perfuming materials, navigating plant intelligence and smelling stuff! Would love to hear your thoughts.
or DM @linguaplanta