Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil in Nail Defender
The calm, floral oil that gives Nail Defender its soothing note.*
The short version
Lavender oil is the third name on the label, written as Lavandula angustifolia, the botanical name for true lavender. It is the soft, floral voice in a formula that also has a spice oil.
Most people recognize the scent from soaps, candles and linen sprays, which makes it one of the friendliest names on the list.
A Mediterranean shrub
True lavender is a woody shrub with silvery leaves and tall purple flower spikes. It grows wild on sunny hillsides around the Mediterranean and is now farmed in many countries.
The oil is steam-distilled from the flower spikes. Hot steam carries the fragrant oil out of the petals, and cooling the steam brings the oil back as a liquid.
What the brand says
The brand describes lavender oil as a soothing botanical with calming properties.* It softens the overall feel of the spray and balances the warmer note of clove bud oil.
That is all we claim: it is on the label, and this is the brand's stated reason.
Why a floral oil in a nail spray
A formula made only of acids and spices could feel sharp. Lavender brings the opposite mood, which is calm and gentle, and it pairs naturally with the hydrating plant coming up next, aloe vera leaf.
Good formulas are often about balance, and this one has a clear balance between purifying and soothing names.
A relaxing time to spray
Many people prefer an evening routine: spray after a warm shower, when hands and feet are relaxed and nails are clean and dry. Others spray in the morning before socks go on. Either works, since the brand says once or twice a day.
Our thirty-second spray habit note has ideas for building the habit.
Keep reading
Next is the leafy hydrator, aloe vera leaf, and after that the oil blend in almond, jojoba, chia and flax oils.