Archive for the 'Cosmetics, Body Care' Category

How to Put Summer in a Bottle

tammy November 9th, 2007

I finally found a way to preserve a little piece of summer to enjoy all year long! And just in time, too. Every morning now there is frost on everything when I leave for work… I have to wear shoes and socks, when I much prefer bare feet… We’ve had our first round of colds in our house… Yep, the signs are clear — winter is on the way.

Imagine how delightful it was for me to open the bottle of Goldenrod infused oil that I made this summer and be instantly transported back to a bright sunny August day just by its heady aroma! I’m not sure I can adequately express in words what a powerful and joyful experience that was. All of a sudden it felt as though I was sitting out in the middle of a hazy, lazy August afternoon with fragrant wildflowers and buzzing bees all around. It was pure joy.

One of my favorite things to do in cold weather is to take a hot bath before bed, for the warmth more than anything else. I also usually add a little oil to the water to counter the inevitable dry skin I get during this season. For last night’s bath, I put lots of drops of my Goldenrod oil in the water and just immersed myself in it. What bliss!

In addition to its use as a bath oil, I have also found Goldenrod oil to be a wonderful oil for working out tight, spasmed muscles and relieving pain. My neck tends to spasm from an old whiplash injury, so when it starts cramping really bad, giving me a headache, I just rub the oil deeply into the tissues and I am usually pain free soon after. And the pain doesn’t return for a long while. The drops of oil in the bath water just enhance this relaxing, pain-relieving effect all through the body.

It is too late this year to harvest your own goldenrod (which tends to grow everywhere during the summer — you likely won’t have a problem finding it in the right season), but I would highly encourage everyone to put a reminder on next August’s calendar to be on the lookout for it. There are many different species of Goldenrod that often grow near one another, some more aromatic than others. Look for the kind that has a strongly pleasant fragrance, which you can sample by simply crushing some of the flower buds and leaves.

Making an infused oil of the fresh flowering tops is super easy. Just take some scissors out to your chosen patch of Goldenrod that is just beginning to open its flowers, and clip the flowering tops off. It’s okay to have some stems and leaves, too. Let them wilt for a little while to remove some of the moisture, then cut them into small pieces and fill a clean, completely dry, glass jar, pushing them down to really fill it — this takes a lot of flowers — then pour pure cold-pressed olive oil over them. Stir to remove any air bubbles and then fill to the very top with the oil. You want to make sure there is absolutely no moisture in the jar before you start and that you cover the herb completely with oil so as not have any air making contact with the herb, as either of these situations will encourage mold to grow.

Don’t forget to put on a label with the date, name of the herb, and the menstrum (olive oil). Sit in a dry place out of direct sunlight to brew for at least six weeks. Remove the cap and stir the oil everyday until no more bubbles come to the surface when you stir. When you strain the oil, put it in a clean dry jar and let it sit for a couple days to let any water settle to the bottom, then pour off the infused oil leaving the water behind. 

Also check it frequently to make sure there isn’t any mold growing. If you do find mold, you can sometimes remove it if it is just on the surface or along the sides of the jar. You would simply skim the mold off the top, or in the case of mold growing on the jar, pour off the good oil into a clean dry jar leaving the mold behind. Occasionally, mold will grow throughout the oil and you will lose the whole batch and have to throw it out. This happened to me once when I left my jar sitting in a too moist place. But for the most part, I have not had any problems with mold in my oils.

So save this post, or make a note to come back to it next August — then next year you will be able to enjoy summer even on the coldest of days all through the winter!

All Natural Face and Body Scrub

tammy October 25th, 2007

My skin is picky and often irritated. It tends toward oily sometimes, and dry others. I also struggle with psoriasis and eczema in certain areas. The skin is the largest organ of our body and is very important to our overall health and wellbeing, so for a while now I’ve been looking for a way to make my own nourishing cleansers instead of the chemical laden commercial products. I finally learned how to make an all natural, nourishing cleanser that I have come to absolutely love!

My recipe (below) was inspired from Rosemary Gladstar’s “miracle grains” recipe in her book, Herbs for Natural Beauty. This mixture can be used as a daily cleanser & scrub for your face, as a body wash & scrub, or as a facial mask. I’ve used it for all of these and have been very pleased with the results.

I often run a bath and add oatmeal tied loosely in a thin kitchen cloth. As the oatmeal softens in the hot water, it adds a luxurious and milky silkiness to the water that is very moisturizing for skin. I also use the oatmeal filled cloth to rub all over my body as a nourishing wash, and then used my homemade scrub to slough off dry skin from my knees, elbows, and feet.

During these leisurely baths, I like to also use a mask on my face and neck. For this, I mix the scrub with raw honey and a little distilled rose water, smooth the mask all over my face and neck, and leave it to sit while I bathe in the oatmeal water. When I rinse the mask off, my skin is always dewy moist, radiant, and very soft. I love the way it feels. I’ve been using the scrub as a daily facial cleanser too. It’s just wonderful all around.

Here is the recipe:

  • 1 cup finely ground oats ( just regular oatmeal like you would make for breakfast)
  • 1/4 cup finely ground almonds (buy raw, organic if possible, available in bulk from most health food stores)
  • 2 cups white clay cosmetic powder (available from www.mountainroseherbs.com)
  • 1/4 cup finely ground dried rose petals (available from www.mountainroseherbs.com, or many health food stores)
  • 1/4 cup finely ground dried calendula flowers (available from www.mountainroseherbs.com, or many health food stores)

Use a coffee grinder (that you do not use for grinding coffee — you don’t want coffee in your scrub) to separately grind the oats, almonds, and flowers to a very fine powder. I bought an inexpensive grinder for about $10 that I use exclusively for grinding herbs, which is very convenient. I’ve heard that you can also use a blender, but I’ve not personally tried that.

Once ground, mix everything together very well in a large bowl, then store in a clean, dry glass jar with a tight fitting lid. You don’t want to dip your wet hands into the storage jar each time you bathe, so use a large shell to scoop out the amount you need before each shower or bath.

To make a facial mask, mix with honey and just a little distilled water (or distilled rose water) to the desired consistency. You can also add other nourishing ingredients, such as mashed avacado or banana — there are many possibilities that are very good for the skin (but that’s another post!).

I also added a few drops of pure lavender essential oil to my dry mixture, but really wish I hadn’t. I think it smells a little too heavy, but some may like it. I really prefer the more earthy smell of the clay and the lighter scent of the dried roses. Next time I make it I will not add any fragrance.

I am now working on formulating a recipe for herbal shampoo that will make my fine, thin hair feel thicker and have more body. Look for a future article with the recipe, which I’ll post here as soon as I get it right!

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