Carriage House Lavender, aka the local Oregon lavender farm, is undertaking an exciting new effort: distinguishing our 100% pure lavender essential oil by lavender varietal and year.
Often, when you buy “pure” lavender oil, it is a mix of lavender varieties! Not often do lavender oils get grouped by type of lavender plant, and year. This is an exciting endeavor not often seen outside of the wine industry. We want to start!
Just like grapes, environmental changes and weather events affect the crop. The lavender oil from 2020 smells different from the pure lavender oil of 2021, when Oregon saw that extreme heat wave. This year is shaping up to be different, as well!
Currently, we have the beginnings of a few “vintages:” 2020 Riverina Thomas lavender oil, and 2020 Miss Katherine oil. Riverina Thomas French lavender, or lavandula riverina thomas is an Australian variety of lavender, known for its high-quality lavender oil. This is one of just three lavender varieties we grow on our lavender farm in Sherwood, Oregon.
This care and attention to detail in our essential oils make our products the best pure lavender essential oil there is! Are we biased? Yes. Are we right? Also, yes.
Our Riverina Thomas essential oil is sharp, floral, and complex. There is the recognizable and familiar base of lavender, with depth and notes not often present.
Using just one varietal in our pure essential lavender oils creates room for sophisticated fragrance, and our Riverina Thomas certainly is. This is not your everyday lavender scent… this is something intoxicating that is unlike anything you’ve smelled before.
Can you put lavender oil on your skin?** Pure lavender essential oil isn't recommended for use on skin. It is best to use a small amount, diluted with other oils. (That's why we sell this roller bottle paired with moisturizing oils you can use directly on your skin!) We also offer multiple sizes of our 2020 Riverina Thomas oil, so that you could buy pure lavender oil in “bulk,” if you wanted, or just try a sampler.
How different could two types of lavender be? We think plenty! Our Miss Katherine Lavender oil is softer than our Riverina Thomas. This time, the lavender core is paired with mild herbal notes. It smells earthier, leaving a finishing fragrance with mild woody, green, and balsamic notes. It is as relaxing as your favorite cup of tea.
Not everyone knows about the wide variety of lavender plants. There's English Lavender, French Lavender, and more! There are differences in the blooms: most have purple or indigo blooms, but some, like Newberg's very own Opal Rain, have pink flowers!
The lavender you use for cooking is not the lavender you use for oils and bath scents, nor is it the lavender you plant for ornamentation. Carriage House Lavender grows Miss Katherine, Riverina Thomas, and Opal Rain.
We love lavender (so much so, we have a whole field of it), and we are grateful to be able to highlight the amazing qualities of lavender.
Lavender is complex; the marks of their environment live on in the product taken from their flowers. They change year-to-year, just like us. How exciting is it to be able to differentiate between the years? Keep an eye out for more exciting things from CHL!
Right now, you could even see our lavender farm in bloom! Check out the Events that we host on our grounds. Or, stop by the grounds during our business hours and check out the blooms for yourself!
**Medical News Today recommends using carrier oils with lavender essential oil, as it can be harsh.