Organic lavender from Slovenian Karst – part 1
…and the distillation process of Lavender essential oil
I was a total fan of perfumes since ever and thus interested even in the process of producing perfumes. One of the methods used in perfume production is also the plants distillation process. Have you read the Patrick Suskind’s book Perfume? I did many years ago, but not so much because of the story itself but because of the charming nature of producing perfumes. The story was located in France’s famous city with Lavender fields: in Grasse … And of course I wanted to once see the distillation process of plants needed for perfumes… And guess what? I had this charm right at my hands! I just had to go a few kilometers far from my house to discover the magic world of organically grown Lavender and its beautiful distillation process that I want to introduce you in. Lavender is one of my favorite plants not just because violet is my favorite color and because the amazing therapeutic smell of Lavender…It seems there is more behind this beautiful alchemy of scents…
I’ve also realized that summer is the season when I unintentionally discover beauties in my green native country Slovenia. So a few weeks ago, I discovered the biggest production of organic Lavender in my country, in the amazing region of Slovenian Karst. I took a trip in the lovely Karst village called Ivanji Grad and literally caught the last drop of Lavender essential oil. It was the last day of distillation process and I was there just in time! It’s needless to say that I was in heaven when I inhaled and watched Lavender everywhere! I checked the entire process of distillation and so finally my wish came true 🙂
I also met the owner of all this beauty, Mrs. Tanja, who explained me everything about the production of Lavender essential oil. But this is not the end! In the upcoming 2nd part of this post a big surprise is waiting for all beauty and Lavender lovers like me 🙂 where I will unfold the best part of Mrs. Tanja’s story. Here are a few things she told me about her Lavender production:
– In Ivanji Grad all the Lavender is produced organically, without any pesticides or other toxins.
– They have 5 species of Lavender on different fields and are adding new ones.
– In Ivanji Grad they harvest their Lavender manually. They have their own distillation and drying rooms.
– Did you know that you need 50 kg of dried Lavender to produce 1 liter of pure Lavender essential oil? Stunning! A by-product of this is 9 liters of Lavender Hydrosol/Hydrolat (click here to know more about what is hydrolat)
How To Extract Lavender Oil and What is the Steam Distillation Process?
(check the slideshow below to see the process)
Essential oils are produced by several different methods, among which the steam distillation is one of the most used methods for obtaining them. In the steam distillation process the raw material(Lavender in our case) is heated and the fragrant compounds are re-collected through condensation of the distilled vapour. Steam from boiling water is passed through the raw material, which drives out their volatile fragrant compounds. The condensate from distillation are settled in a Florentine flask (or Alembic). This allows for the easy separation of the fragrant oils from the water. The water collected from the condensate, which retains some of the fragrant compounds and oils from the raw material is called hydrosol/hydrolat. (Source: Wikipedia)
Body-mind-spirit beneficial properties of Lavender – the Divine herb
Violet color corresponds to our 7th (crown) chakra that is located at the top of the head and is linked to the pineal gland. It’s not by chance that even Lavender is violet. Pure organic Lavender oil has a very high frequency and is used not just for calming but also to purify and cleanse our body, mind and spirit. If you have any stress or problems with headaches spritz your face and body with lavender hydrolat or inhale a few drops of high-grade lavender essential oil. You will feel better and refreshed! You can also put 2 drops of oil on your wrists and rub it into the skin to feel better. Lavender is also among rare essential oils that you can apply directly on the skin. Before doing yoga or meditating, you can even inhale a few drops of Lavender essential oil. It will help you to connect with your Self. When buying Lavender essential oil make sure is really high quality otherwise you won’t feel the effect! Even wounds, scars and acne will heal better, insect bites will soothe quickly. A few drops added in a warm bath will alleviate rheumatic ailments, sciatica, pain in bones and muscles. It will also help us in diseases, such as eczema and skin fungus. Lavender bath will calm us before bedtime. Lavender tea is welcome for mouth/gum diseases, excellent also for digestive problems, because it accelerates the secretion of bile and helps to calm nervous stomach and heart. However, we can go on and on with all the benefits that Lavender has got for us!
I’m really proud to promote such a unique and loving mission that Mrs. Tanja and her team are doing for themselves, for our country and for the planet as well! I will present you the entire story more in detail in the second part. Now, enjoy the beauty of Slovenian organic Lavender from Ivanji Grad on the pictures below! And perhaps take a nice trip there!
copyright photo credits: Boris Gorjan
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[…] you as promised with the second part of my story about organic lavender from Slovenian Karst. The first part of the post was about learning how the organic lavender is produced. The second part is all about […]
green make-up 
Beautiful!!