How to Dry Lavender So It Smells Great for As Long as Possible

Lavender’s fresh, herby scent is unique, and the flowers can retain their lovely smell for a long time when dried properly. Dried lavender can be decorative, used in potpourri, in a scented satchel, or used for cooking.

Here’s how to dry lavender to keep it smelling good for as long as possible.

What Part of Lavender Can Be Dried

The main part of lavender that should be dried is the flowers. Depending on you plant to use the dried lavender, you may want to leave some of the stem attached when you prune your plant.

For example, having 2 or 3 inches of the stem may be useful for making a decorative wreath, but you would need maybe 6 inches of stem for a vase arrangement.

The lower portion of the lavender stalk containing leaves does have some fragrance, but the spiky leaves tend to fall off once they get too dry, so these parts are not as practical for crafts.

Methods for Drying Lavender

There are a number of different methods for drying lavender, and you can try more than one to find the one that’s most effective and/or convenient for you.

Keep in mind that lavender, being a flower of Mediterranean origin, will not dry thoroughly in a humid environment, so avoid drying them in the bathroom or kitchen if using slow methods like hanging.

Hanging Your Lavender to Dry

Hanging lavender to dry it is the most common, traditional way of drying your lavender. It’s also a somewhat decorative way of doing it, provided you like the rustic look of bunches of herbs hanging in your house.

Here’s how to dry lavender by hanging it:

1. Cut the lavender, leaving at least six inches of stem attached. You can always trim the stems later.
2. Gather the stems and tie the ends together with yarn, twine, thread, twist ties, rubber bands, or floral wire. Tie firmly but not too tightly, leaving an inch or two of stem below the tied area.
3. Hang the lavender upside down with a piece of twine on a hook on a wall or door, or on a clothesline between two spots on the wall. The best place to hang lavender to dry is one that’s out of direct sunlight and in a room that is not too hot or cold, and preferably not humid. If the bunches of lavender are small, you can attach the clusters to the twine using wooden clothespins.
4. Wait a week to 10 days for your lavender flowers to dry. If the room is warm and dry, it may dry out a bit faster; if it is humid, it may take a bit longer.

Using a Screen

A screen is an easy way to sell lavender. Just like with drying lavender by hanging, to dry it with a screen you need to choose a room that isn’t too hot or cold and isn’t humid.

1. Place a piece of clean window screen flat so there is open air underneath (you can elevate it from a flat surface using two books or bricks, one for each side of the screen).
2. Lay your lavender stems out in a single layer on the screen.
3. Lay a cotton sheet or thin cotton towel over the tops of the stems to protect them from dirt and debris.
4. Wait seven to 10 days for the lavender to dry.

Using a Dehydrator

A food dehydrator is the fastest way to dry lavender—it only takes a couple of hours.

Because lavender has such a strong smell, there is a chance the scent might linger in the dehydrator. Some crafters have a separate dehydrator they use just for flowers.

1. Lay your lavender stems out on the tray of your dehydrator in a single layer, and turn the dehydrator on to 100 degrees.
2. After two hours, check your lavender for dryness. If it’s not dry, keep checking at 15-minute intervals. It shouldn’t take more than three hours.

Using an Oven to Dry Lavender

Although not as fast as a dehydrator, using an oven is also a fairly quick way to dry lavender.

1. Preheat the oven to 110 degrees F.
2. Lay out your lavender stems on a cookie sheet or baking sheet. You can put a piece of parchment paper down first if you wish.
3. Place the sheet in the oven.
4. After one hour, take the sheet out and gently turn the stems over; this allows them to dry more evenly.
5. Repeat the process of rotating the lavender every hour for three more hours.
6. After a total of four hours, turn off the oven. Leave the baking sheets in the oven until the oven cools down completely, then remove them.

Tip

Though you can dry lavender with flowers attached to the stems, it’s also easy to remove the flowers from the stems after they’ve been dried by holding the stem with one hand and gently removing the flower buds with the other.

How to Store Dried Lavender

Dried lavender stores best in glass jars, left in a cool dark place, such as a closet or pantry. You can use other airtight containers such as plastic food containers or resealable bags, but glass is preferable.

Airtight containers will preserve the lavender fragrance the longest and should prevent any mold or mildew from forming, as long as the plants are completely dry.

Preserving the Fragrance and Color of Dried Lavender

To preserve as much scent and color as possible in your dried lavender, store your containers in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight and away from any source of heat or humidity, such as a heater or air conditioner.