Using Dried Lavender - All of It
Lise
What you see pictured above is a bunch of dried lavender stalks on one of my work trays.
I made a lavender hydrosol recently and used mostly fresh lavender buds, but also some of the stalks for the distillation. Because I had more stalks than there was room for in the still, I bunched up the remainder with a bit of string and hung them up to dry. Yes, just the stalks.
Not too many years ago, I would have thought nothing of tossing them, but no more.
Why?
Because lavender stalks contain loads of lovely lavender properties and can be used for numerous things. Today, I’m sharing a few things lavender stalks can be used for.
Fresh Lavender Stalks - The Fragrant Trail
If you grow and use your own lavender, you may have an ample supply of stalks after harvesting - maybe even enough to spread around.
A friend of mine saves her freshly cut stalks and strews layers of them in strategic spots in her garden - particularly along her most used pathways. Her reasoning: “I get a lovely lavender fragrance wafting up every time I walk on the stalks”.
Uses for Dried Lavender Stalks
I’m sure you’ve noticed the scissors and cut bits on the tray pictured above. These beautifully fragrant bits could easily be popped into an oil of your choosing to make a fragrant lavender oil infusion to be used in a body oil, facial serum, lotion bar, traditional salt scrub or any other cosmetic.
If you don’t want to make an oil infusion, you could do a dry infusion in sugar. Simply fill a jar 3/4 full with the sugar of your choosing, add cut lavender stalks and pop the lid on. Keep the jar in a cupboard and give it a shake regularly. You can leave the stalks in the sugar as long as you please and simply sift out what you want to use for baking or in a cup of tea. Keep refilling the jar with sugar as needed. (This infusion method works with other fragrant and edible botanicals as well. I have a vanilla sugar infusion that has been ongoing for years)
TIP: Cut stalks directly before infusing them to release (and capture into the medium you are using) as many of the fragrant components as possible.
Easy Sachet Bags
Finally, you could gather up the chopped/cut bits of lavender stalks and simply pop them into small organza or muslin bags to be used as cupboard or drawer fresheners.
That’s what I did with these.
Do Tell
Have you ever used dried lavender stalks for anything? Please share in a comment below.
Have you ever considered making your own oral care? Tooth powders are both easy to make and very effective!
