This post will review what to do with dried lavender. Dried lavender can be used in so many ways including for making tea, desserts, drinks, soap, air fresheners, tea, syrup and more!
Table of Contents
What is lavender?
Lavender, or Lavandula, is a flowering plant in the in the mint family. Lavender is commonly planted in gardens, and is is also grown as a culinary herb, for the extraction of essential oils, for use in traditional medicine, cosmetics and personal care products.
When being used in food, drinks, personal care products or home products, typically the lavender flowers are dried first. If you are going to be using lavender in food, drinks, or on your body, it's important to ensure you are using food grade lavender that is free from pesticides.
How to dry lavender
It is very easy to dry your own lavender. The best way to do it is to cut your fresh lavender flowers just above the leaves and gather them into a bunch and tie the lavender stems together with twine, string or a rubber band. Then hang the bunch of lavender flowers upside down for 2-4 weeks, until the flowers are dried.
For best results be sure to dry the flowers in a dry, dark location away from the sunlight to protect the colour of the flowers.
Now if you don't have access to fresh lavender to dry yourself, you can easily buy dried lavender online.
23 Uses for Dried Lavender
Below is a list of different ways that you can use both dried lavender flowers and fresh lavender flowers.
1. To make bath salts
To make your own lavender bath salts mix 3 cups of Epsom salts with 1.5 cups of coarse sea salt, 1/4 cup dried lavender flowers, 1/2 cup baking soda, and 15-20 drops of a natural essential oil. Then store this mixture in an airtight jar or container.
To use the bath salts just sprinkle them into your bath water.
2. For making homemade soap
It's surprisingly easy to make your own homemade lavender soap. Lavender has antibacterial and skin soothing properties so it's a great addition to soap and other skincare products.
3. To make your own potpourri
To make lavender potpourri, combine a cup of dried rose petals, with one cup of dried lavender, with a quarter cup of dried rosemary, and 3-4 tablespoons of dried orange peels. Then add a small amount of ground cinnamon and cloves (about 1/4 teaspoon each should be enough). Lastly, add a few drops of lavender essential oil. Mix it all together in a bowl or jar and use it to scent rooms and bathrooms.
4. To make tea
To make homemade lavender tea, boil 3-4 cups of water and place 2-3 tablespoons of dried lavender flowers in a tea ball and add it to the hot water. Let the tea steep for 5-10 minutes, then serve and enjoy.
5. To make a simple syrup
To make lavender simple syrup combine 1 cup of water with 1 cup of white sugar and 4 tablespoons of dried flowers in a pot or saucepan on the stovetop. Bring the mix to a boil and then let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat and allow it to steep for about 10 minutes. Lastly, remove the flowers before serving the syrup.
6. To make lavender honey
To make homemade lavender honey, heat 1 cup of honey over low heat and then add 1 tablespoon of dried lavender flowers to the warmed honey. Cover the mix and let it to set for about 24 hours. Then warm the honey again so that it softens, and remove the lavender flowers. Then serve and enjoy!
7. For lemonade
There are so many delicious and refreshing lavender lemonade recipes you can make with dried lavender. My personal favourite is my lavender mint lemonade.
8. To make popsicles
My delicious vanilla lavender popsicles are a unique way to use dried lavender to make a refreshing dessert that is perfect for summer.
9. To make ice cream
You can find many different lavender ice cream recipes and this lavender honey ice cream is my personal favourite.
10. To make dryer bags
This is one of my favorite ways to use dried lavender. Instead of using dryer sheets which are scented with artificial fragrances that can have various health risks, put 1-2 sachets filled with dried lavender in the dryer when you dry your clothes to help them smell really nice and fresh. Each sachet will last for about 10 loads of laundry. Just be sure to tie the lavender bags nice and tight so that you don't end up with lavender buds in your laundry.
11. For drawers and closets
To help your clothing smell nice put lavender sachets filled with dried lavender in your drawers and closets. A bonus of doing this is that moths don't like the smell of lavender so this will help keep moths away too!
12. For baked goods
Dried lavender is great for making many different baked goods such as cookies, donuts and cakes. My lemon lavender cookies are one of my favourite lavender flavoured desserts.
13. For decoration
A lavender bouquet is a really pretty addition to any room. Put a bunch of dried lavender in a vase and not only will it look really nice, but it is a great way to add a nice relaxing scent to the room.
14. To make a homemade cleaner
There are many homemade cleaners you could make that include lavender, but one of the simplest ones is to combine 1 cup of white vinegar with 1/4 cup dried lavender in a jar or glass container. Seal it shut for 10 days and allow it to steep. Then strain out the lavender flowers and transfer the infused vinegar to a spray bottle and add water (you want a ratio of 1 part lavender infused vinegar to 2 parts water). You could also add a few drops of essential oils such as lavender, lemon or tea tree essential oil.
15. To make a natural insect repellent
To make a homemade mosquito repellent or insect repellent you only need a few ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup witch hazel (or rubbing alcohol)
- 4 tablespoon of dried herbs including lavender, peppermint, sage, thyme, rosemary or spearmint
- 2 dried cloves
To make the bug spray, in a pot on the stovetop combine the water, herbs, and cloves. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes. Then let the mixture cool completely and strain out the herbs. Then add the witch hazel or rubbing alcohol and transfer the mixture to a spray bottle. Store it in a cool, dry place and use it when needed.
16. Make lavender essential oil
It's actually really easy to make your own lavender essential oil. To do so, take 1 ounce of dried lavender flowers and place them in a glass jar. Then pour an oil of your choice over the dried lavender flowers (common options include jojoba oil, MCT oil, coconut oil, olive oil and avocado oil), until they are covered. Store the jar near a window (but not in direct sunlight), and let the flowers and oil naturally infuse for 7 to 10 days. Shake the jar every day or so to help get the most fragrant oils. After the 7-10 days strain out the lavender flowers and you're done! You can then transfer the lavender oil to a roller ball, dropper or small jar and use as needed.
17. Natural air freshener
To make a lavender car air freshener, add dried lavender flowers to sachet bags and place a bag or two in your vehicle or hang one from the rear view mirror. These air fresheners are also great for small rooms and small spaces too!
18. To help with sleep
Lavender is naturally relaxing and can help promote sleep. To use lavender as a sleep aid simply place a sachet filled with dried lavender under your pillow or close to your bed where you can smell it. Alternatively, you could place a vase filled with dried lavender or fresh lavender next to your bed.
19. As a wedding favour
I have been to a few weddings now where the wedding favour was a sachet of dried lavender. This is a great do it yourself wedding favour that is inexpensive to make and actually useful for your guests!
20. To make shoes smell nice
If you have some smelly shoes simply place a sachet of dried lavender into each one and leave it for a few days to help remove odours.
21. To make candles
Making your own homemade lavender candles is such a beautiful and creative way to use dried lavender. These candles make great gifts and are actually really easy to make. When they burn they give off the most beautiful natural scent.
22. To make a foot scrub
To make homemade lavender foot scrub combine 1 cup of unscented epsom salts with 1 cup coarse sugar, 1/2 cup almond oil or liquid coconut oil, 4 tablespoons of dried lavender flowers and 30 drops of lavender essential oil. Mix everything together in a jar or bowl and seal it with a lid once combined.
23. To make bath bombs
Making your own bath bombs is so fun and homemade lavender bath bombs are no exception. Kids love these and they also make a great homemade gift.
I would love to know which of these various ways for using lavender that you are going to try first. Please let me know in the comments section!
Frequently asked questions:
If you store lavender properly, in an airtight bag, in a cool dry place away from sunlight it should last for years. You can tell if your dried lavender has gone bad if it has a moldy, horse like smell.
Overtime dried lavender will naturally lose its scent. But don't worry, you can get it back by simply giving it a squeeze.
No, you do not want to store dried lavender in water. If you are putting dried lavender in a vase you will simply place the dried lavender in the vase without adding any water. Dried lavender will last the longest if kept in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
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