Why is it that the largest bruises always seem to appear when you don’t expect it? Maybe it’s just me but I always end up thinking to myself “how the heck did I end up with that?”

Anyway, some years ago my mum ended up with a huge big bruise and decided to try out some lavender essential oil to get rid of it. So she put some drops of lavender onto a cotton pad and taped it over the bruise. The problem was that the cotton pad wasn’t big enough to cover the entire bruise so when it was taken off, there was a surprising result….

The covered area was yellow whereas the exposed area was still black/blue.

I wish I had a photo to show you, it looked amazing. No one could try and say it was just a “placebo effect”!

None of the bruises I’ve had recently are big enough to reproduce this experiment however if I do get one I’ll make sure I take a photo as proof.

Lavender oil isn’t the only natural remedy you can try, here are some other suggestions:

• When the bruise appears, apply fennel, helichrysum or hyssop essential oils to the skin.
• Arnica gel, a homeopathic remedy, is said to be one of the best ways to get rid of a bruise.
• When the bruise has turned yellow, rosemary oil is said to help by increasing circulation.
• Eat foods rich in vitamin C.
• Bromelain (a digestive enzyme found in pineapples) breaks down proteins that trap fluids in the tissues after an injury.

Has anyone else successfully treated bruises using natural remedies?