True fine lavender from the mountains

We are producers and distillers of fine lavender, this variety of lavender produced at Château du Bois only grows in the mountains of Haute Provence, dry, arid spaces far from everything. 

But what is fine lavender?

The Fine Lavender, also known as True Lavender or Lavender officinalis, is a bushy shrub that only grows at a minimum elevation of 800meters.  It is predominantly grown in Provence. One hectare of Fine Lavender cultivation can produce about 20 liters of essential oil.

Among the hundreds of Lavender varieties, Fine Lavender stands out as the most renowned and favored for the olfactory and therapeutic quality of its essential oil.

Used since antiquity, Lavender was cherished by the Romans and Greeks to perfume and purify their baths, linens, and even thermal baths.

The name Lavender comes from the Latin 'lavare', meaning 'to wash'. In Provence, launderers and washerwomen used it to scent clean linen.

The skin benefits of Lavender were highlighted by the French chemist Gattefossé who, after being injured in a laboratory explosion, used Fine Lavender to treat his wounds, thereby discovering its antiseptic, healing, and soothing properties. This incident led him to devote a significant part of his research to the virtues of essential oils.

In the past, entire branches of Lavender were burned to disinfect and purify homes. Formerly nicknamed 'Provençal blue gold' due to its high demand by perfumers for its delicate fragrance, this is why producers began calling it 'Fine Lavender'."

What is the fine lavender essential oil used for ?

Renowned for its extraordinary soothing qualities, the organic Fine Lavender essential oil from Provence is famous for its relaxing and harmonizing impact. It enjoys an excellent reputation for its beneficial skin regeneration and repair effects. Essential for skin care, both for the body and face, it also stands out for its purifying virtues, ideal for oily or problem-prone skin. In psycho-emotional aromatherapy, it symbolizes the maternal figure, offering precious support for those seeking to progress on the path of forgiveness and emotional healing

Our fine lavender farm, 1100 meters high in Provence

Far from all pollution, our fields of fine lavender or “population lavender” currently extend over more than 90 hectares (out of the 350 hectares that make up the estate) or more than 10% of French production. It is necessary to rotate, the lavender being pulled out after 10 years.

We only produce Augustifolia P. Miller lavender, also called true, fine or population lavender.

Each clump comes from a particular seed and is different from neighboring clumps. These differences are particularly appreciable in the quality and olfactory complexity of essential oils.

Its resistance to cold is remarkable and the altitude of 1100m is ideal. It is very calcific and does not like acidic, clayey, compact and heavy soils. Good sunlight is essential for fuel yield. It is therefore perfectly adapted to our terrain.

It appreciates the precipitation at the time of the resumption of the plants after their planting, in May and June when the flowers are forming and at the end of summer for the resumption of the plants after the harvest.

A little bit of botany…

Fine lavender grows in the dry Provençal mountains above 800 meters above sea level. On its southern slope, the Sault plateau and the Albion plateau represent 70% of the population's fine lavender crops.

Fine lavender is small and has a single flower on each stem. It reproduces only by seed. It is also called “population lavender”. Always used for its medicinal virtues, it was “the blue gold of the region” when it was sought after by the greatest perfumers for its very delicate fragrance, hence the name “fine lavender” used by producers. It takes approximately 130 kg of flowers to obtain 1 liter of essential oil by distillation. One hectare of plantation can, in good years, produce up to 25 liters of essential oil.

Fine lavender to heal

Fine lavender from Provence is a medicinal plant recognized since antiquity.

The word “lavender” comes from the Latin word lavandula, itself from the Latin verb lavare which means “to wash”. The Romans already used it to perfume their baths.

Subsequently, it was attributed a disinfectant power, which is why during the great plague epidemics which ravaged Provence at the beginning of the 18th century, it was used a lot, in the form of sachets or sponges soaked in the “vinegar of the four thieves”.

It is said that lavender is the “Swiss Army Knife” of aromatherapy because at all times, from Dioscorides in Materia medica in the 1st century to René-Maurice Gattefossé who gave birth to modern aromatherapy in 1928, lavender has always been recognized and used for its medicinal virtues.

Today, aromatherapy benefits from advances in analysis methods, in particular chromatography. The precise distinction between aromatic compounds allows medicine to better understand their mechanisms of action and refine their prescription.

Emblematic flower of Provence, its essential oil is the most used in aromatherapy as its properties are extensive.

It finds its place in the treatment:

- insomnia (2 to 3 drops on the pillow), irritability (if diffused in the air), headaches (when massaged on the temples), stress (5 to 6 drops in the bath) . Lavender is calming.

- wounds and burns (1 to 2 drops), dry eczema (2 to 3 drops on a cotton pad to pass over the patches without rubbing), bedsores, sunburn, insect bites. Lavender is disinfectant and healing.

- colds and sinusitis (1 to 2 drops inhaled). Lavender is anti-infectious.

- sore throat (1 to 2 drops on a piece of sugar or on a spoonful of honey).

- contractures and rheumatism (a few drops in friction). Lavender is relaxing and calms pain.

- lice (1 drop behind the ears for prevention), intestinal parasites (1 drop on a sugar for 3 days). Lavender is antiparasitic.

Important: all these uses are only valid with fine lavender (Lavandula angustifolia population).

Fine lavender, its fragrance and use in perfumery

The use of lavender goes back to ancient times. The Romans used lavender to perfume their baths and freshly washed linen.

The master glove-makers of Grasse made leather gloves for French and European high society, and to mask the smell of tannins that might displease elegant women, they perfumed the gloves. This is how the guild of glove-makers, created in Grasse in 1614, became the guild of glove-makers-perfumers in 1714, then the guild of master perfumers in 1759.

Thanks to their know-how, developed over generations, their dynamism and the abundance of local raw materials such as rose, jasmine, tuberose and lavender, the perfume industry came to dominate all others. As a result, Grasse became the international capital of perfume.

Fine lavender has retained a fervent following, and is still used today by top perfumers such as Guerlain, Caron and Azzaro.

Good luck

Lavender "perfume" has always had a special place in Provençal daily life, and small sachets of lavender have always lined wardrobes to embalm linens and clothes. Popular tradition also has it that they bring good luck...