Lavender oil
Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the flower spikes of certain species of lavender. There are over 400 types of lavender species worldwide with different scents and qualities. Two forms are distinguished, lavender flower oil, a colorless oil, insoluble in water, having a density of 0.885 g/mL; and lavender spike oil, a distillate from the herb Lavandula latifolia, having density 0.905 g/mL. Like all essential oils, it is not a pure compound; it is a complex mixture of phytochemicals, including linalool and linalyl acetate.
Lavender oil has long been used as a perfume, for aromatherapy, and for skin applications.: 184–186 Lavender oil is used in massage therapy as a way of inducing relaxation through direct skin contact. Oil of spike lavender was used as a solvent in oil painting, mainly before the use of distilled turpentine became common.
