You see the fields. The little bottles. The finished products lined up on the shelves.

This is the part you don't usually see.

Welcome to Behind the Lavender — a new series where we show you what actually happens here between the harvest and the shelf.

We're starting with Darian and our decidedly unglamorous essential oil operation.

How we make lavender essential oil

After harvest, we steam-distill our lavender right here on site — a few steps from where it was cut.

Copper and steel lavender still set up outside the production building at Lake James Lavender Company, a lavender farm in Angola, Indiana

The process itself is simple, and very interesting:

1. The lavender goes into the still. Cut buds, packed in, sealed up.

2. Steam does the work. As it rises through the lavender, it pulls the aromatic oils out with it.

3. Everything condenses back into liquid — a mixture of lavender hydrosol and lavender essential oil.

Freshly distilled lavender hydrosol and essential oil in a beaker beside a collection jar at an Indiana lavender farm

Then we separate the two. That's the funnel in these photos, and the reason we are standing over it watching very closely.

Look closely

Take another look at one of these photos. See that thin golden line floating at the top?

That's the essential oil.

Close-up of a thin golden layer of lavender essential oil floating above hydrosol in a glass separatory funnel

That's it.  It still surprises us every single time how much lavender, how much time, and how much work goes into producing such a small amount.

The hydrosol underneath it doesn't go to waste, either. It's the base of our hydrosol spray, and it carries the same scent in a softer, gentler form and also is a disinfectant.

Why we're showing you this

There are certainly prettier ways to photograph all of this. A little morning light, a linen tablecloth, a sprig of lavender laid just so.

That's not really the point of this series.

We want to show you the real stuff. The experiments. The mistakes. The people who show up to help. The things we're still learning. The dirty jobs, the late nights, and occasionally the things that work exactly as planned.

Because there's a whole lot happening behind those purple rows.

Watch us distilling lavender here!

Welcome to Behind the Lavender.

Lake James Lavender Company — Where Love Grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is lavender essential oil made?

Through steam distillation. Cut lavender is packed into a still and steam is passed through it. The steam pulls the aromatic oils out of the buds, then everything condenses back into liquid — a mix of lavender hydrosol and essential oil. The two are separated afterward, since the oil floats.
What is lavender hydrosol, and how is it different from essential oil?

Both come out of the same distillation. The essential oil is the concentrated aromatic layer that floats on top; the hydrosol is the water beneath it, carrying a much lighter version of the same scent. Hydrosol is gentle enough to use directly on skin, linens, and pillows — essential oil is not.
Where can I buy lavender essential oil made in Indiana?

Ours is distilled in Angola, Indiana, from lavender grown in our own fields — you can find it in our shop. If you'd rather see where it comes from first, the fields are open during bloom season, roughly mid-June through mid-July.
What can you make with lavender?

Far more than most people expect. The buds go into candles, wax melts, sachets, bath salts, soaps, and dried bundles. The distilled oil goes into essential oil, roll-ons, and home fragrance. The hydrosol left behind becomes linen and room mist. And culinary-grade buds go into shortbread, honey, syrups, sugar, and tea. One plant, three usable forms — bud, oil, and water.