A Modern Approach to Herbal Traditions
I wrote an article for the website, The Better Normal, and wanted to share it here as it has two recipes from my All-Natural Perfume Making book. (The recipes were modified in that they use straight oil or alcohol for the bases, instead of the herbal oils and extracts in the book, in order to provide less complex recipes.)
Here’s the first paragraph:
To continue reading, please click this link.
Thank you for reading!
It’s March, my birthday, and my book will be released this month! I’m in the mood to celebrate! 🎉! March has become heavy with significance the last few years, and I am so happy that this March I can turn it around into a lighter, brighter month heralding spring and good things to come once again. In March of 2019, my (now ex)husband left after a tumultuous few years and right after promising we could start over and everything would be fine. In March of 2020 my divorce was complete on the same day we moved from the only house my kids had known, and it was the first day that schools here went remote and we embarked on a “two week” quarantine, which of course is still more or less going on a year later. To say that I’m happy that this March is the month my book is officially releasing is an understatement, and to celebrate all month I’ll be giving glimpses inside it.
One piece of perfume creation that the book covers is how to balance top, middle, and bottom notes. In the book you’ll find examples of where the essential oils fall in terms of top, middle, or base notes, but in general the top notes are the lightest scents, so citruses and some florals, middle notes are herbs and other florals, and base notes are generally the woods and resins. In order to make the most well-rounded perfume that lasts the longest, it’s best to have essential oils from each category. Top notes refer to the first notes of a perfume that you smell, while the middle notes come in next and are often referred to as the main component of the perfume, and the base notes are the last to come through and also linger the longest. If, for example, you are drawn to top heavy perfumes, it can help balance out a perfume to add scents from the other note categories. Personally, I tend to like base-y perfumes, and usually have to add a top note towards the end and that is always when the perfume comes together and smells complete.
Below is a recipe from the book for a mood balancing perfume, where the note categories are clearly shown. This perfume still works with just two of the essential oils, but when all three are together, it’s a more balanced, complete scent that just resonates better. As the word ‘note’ suggests, it is indeed like music. If you can imagine just a drum playing, then a drum and guitar, then a drum, guitar, and a bass guitar, that can help you visualize the difference between a perfume that’s just thrown together with one or two scents, as opposed to one where the different note categories are considered.
Once you mix your essential oils, add them to oil or an alcohol like vodka to actually put on your body. Don’t put essential oils directly on your skin because they are extremely potent and need a carrier. (There are a couple of exceptions to this rule, but in terms of perfume, always use a base oil or alcohol unless it is a solid perfume in which case the carrier is already oil and/or wax.)
Enjoy the change of seasons, wherever you are! It feels like spring here today🌷🌻🌷.
My blogging friend, The Healthy Epicurean, inspired this post when she asked if I had the yeast einkorn bread recipe I’ve been using here or not. I have shared the sourdough version here, but up until today, I hadn’t shared the yeast version. This is a really easy recipe (easy is even in the title) and I throw it together two or three times a week. I use Jovial’s recipe, just as I used Jovial’s sourdough recipes as well, and I highly recommend perusing their site for more recipes and to shop their delicious goods. Jovial Foods is the one einkorn brand I can find so I am very lucky that Whole Foods and PCC both carry it now. I actually couldn’t find it for a while which is why I let my sourdough go (whaa!), and now that it’s back on the shelves I’m too worried it’ll disappear again to put in the effort of remaking a starter again. I know I can always order the flour, but being able to pick a bag up at the store just makes it seem so much simpler and I’m not willing to add more items to my “must be ordered online’ list at the moment. I think einkorn is easier to find in Europe, (is that right Fiona?) And speaking of Fiona, if you don’t already read her blog, The Healthy Epicurean, it’s full of tasty, healthy recipes and enough humor to get you through at least one dark pandemic winter day. Check it out when you need a new recipe along with a side of chuckles.
Why use einkorn? Einkorn is the oldest iteration of wheat that we still use, and it fell out of favor because of its weak gluten content. This of course means that for some who are sensitive to gluten this form is digestible and does not cause the usual wheat-induced symptoms. This is not for celiacs though and there is no guarantee that you can handle einkorn if you can’t handle other wheats (like spelt) so please be mindful if you try it out. My son and I can handle it but only after we took measures to heal our digestive systems and I am SO happy we can because it’s so good. If you are just someone looking for a healthier wheat, this is it! It has more protein and less gluten and tastes like real food which, let’s face it, gluten-free bread has a hard time doing. Gluten-free baked goods (besides bread) are awesome, but for some reason bread is just a hard one to replace.
Here’s the recipe copied straight from Jovial’s website with some of my own tips below:
Easy Einkorn Sandwich Bread Recipe from Jovial Foods
INGREDIENTS
Click the link for more tips from Jovial about this recipe, but I’ll give you a couple of mine here. For one thing, make sure the water is lukewarm and not edging towards ‘hot’. The bread will rise much more fully if the water is the right temperature. The next tip is that when I leave the bread to rise longer than the two times given above, the bread is much better and fuller. I usually like to give the first rise a good hour or more, and the second one even longer, so close to two hours if I have the time. You don’t have to elongate the times, but that’s what works best for me. For the work surface, I put down a piece of wax paper and then dust it with flour and also dust my hands with flour. When the dough is in the loaf pan, I throw the left over flour into the compost and save the wax paper for another time or two of bread making. (It just saves some clean-up time.)
Incidentally, I don’t mind baking bread several times a week but cooking on a daily basis is still a thorn in my side. The delivery service I tried ended up being a good thing for my youngest, but my oldest and I really didn’t care for the food. Back to the drawing board on how to make this constant cooking situation more manageable. Any tips would be appreciated!
Enjoy the last couple of weeks of this crazy year. If you are looking for homemade gifts to make, check out this old post or type DIY into the search box on here, and be sure to let me know if you make something.✨
If you’ve visited here for a year or more, you certainly know by now that I’m not a fan of traditional Thanksgiving foods. Although, I must say that as far as those foods go, the desserts aren’t bad, but if you are looking for something else to add to holiday get togethers (wait, are we going to be able to get together at all this season?) scratch that. If you are looking for an easy dessert to have around the house this holiday season, or to gift your gluten-free and/or vegan friends, this is an easy, yummy recipe and it can be customized according to your tastes. Plus, pound cake in an appropriate breakfast food, right? Add some Greek (DF) yogurt and a satsuma, or an apple with peanut butter, and you have a full meal. Really, a pound cake is basically a muffin in a different shape when you think about it.
I looked for a simple recipe online that I could easily change to gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, and this one from Dinner then Dessert worked well. It lured me in with an advertised ten minute prep time and hour bake time, and it didn’t let me down. This was the easiest thing I’ve baked lately and my sons and I have enjoyed every bite.
Here’s the recipe, but keep in mind it’s completely customizable to your own dietary needs and tastes. You can add chocolate chips or cinnamon for example, which I considered, but then decided to keep it purely vanilla. If you don’t do dairy but eggs work for you, I recommend using the eggs instead of the flax if you want that pretty golden color that pound cakes wear so well. Mine turned out more of a dull brown than golden but it still shined in taste. Here’s the recipe:
GF, Vegan Pound Cake (Modified from Dinner then Dessert by Sabrina Snyder)
Have a great Thanksgiving if you are in the U.S. and I hope everyone, everywhere, has a lovely start to the holiday season.
Peace and Gratitude to all ☮🙏✨
I woke up with one goal in mind today, to make a perfumed body oil because I’ve been out for about a week and my skin is already feeling parched. (Winter weather problems). Instead of just stopping with the oil though, I decided to make my teenage son an acne-fighting toner and also an eczema oil for some dry patches he has on his neck.
He uses Alba Acnedote products on his teenage skin, and they work pretty well, but he still has issues at times as probably all 16 year old boys do. One problem is that when he goes to his Dad’s he has different products there and also his diet isn’t as strict as it is here pertaining to his food intolerances. Skin issues are very often related to dietary intolerances, which is likely why there is the common misconception that dairy causes acne. It’s not the dairy, but being intolerant to dairy and consuming it anyway, that causes the acne. So many people are dairy intolerant that it makes sense that many, many people would get relief from their skin issues by avoiding dairy. Gluten is another food that can cause skin problems if you are intolerant to it and I know it made me break out every single time I ate even just a scrap of it. (Now I eat spelt and einkorn without problems but that is after a lot of digestive healing measures and years without any gluten at all.) Other foods to consider avoiding if you have chronic skin issues are soy, eggs, and nuts.
Toner is used after cleaning and before serums or moisturizers. This is an easy toner with just 2oz of witch hazel, 3 drops of tea tree essential oil, and 3 drops of lavender essential oil. I instructed him to keep his eyes firmly shut when he sprays this on his face because no one wants essential oils in their eyes. If your skin is sensitive, start with one drop of tea tree and one drop lavender in the two ounces of witch hazel.
The eczema oil is very simple as well. I used .5oz of jojoba oil which is noncomedogenic (doesn’t clog pores) with 2 drops lavender essential oil and 2 drops rose absolute. I chose rose over tea tree for this one because tea tree is slightly drying while rose is specific to dry and/or mature skin. Lavender e.o. is great for any type of skin issue. By the way, eczema is just as often related to food intolerances as acne is, and in fact almost all skin issues (such as rosacea) and have a strong correlation with the digestive system. Hippocrates famously noted, “All disease begins in the gut.”
This is the perfumed body oil in the making. These body oils not only keep my stomach, arms, and legs soft and moisturized throughout the year, the act of putting it on day and night also keeps my hands moisturized and healthy. I used to have chilblains during the fall and winter, but ever since I started being consistent with perfumed body oils, the flair ups are far less common. I change up the base oils and essential oils each time, but as long as quality of the ingredients is good, the body oils are therapeutic and beautifying. If you would like the recipe for this one that I did this morning, let me know and I’ll add it, but I want to encourage you to create your own concoctions with the ingredients you have on hand.
Thank you for reading and if you haven’t already checked out my book coming out in March but available now for preorder, take a look and let me know if you have any questions 👀:
Thank you for reading and let me know if you make any of these, and if so what your recipe turned out to be.
Happy crafting ✨🌿!
Rose water is lovely to have around for both drinking and using externally in beauty products. Rose is specific to the heart chakra is known to ease depression, anxiety, and grief. It can also relieve headaches, especially those caused by stress. Externally, rose is a skin healer and rejuvenate-r. It is great for mature skin, as well as skin that has blemishes, scars, eczema, rosacea, sunburn, and on and on. Basically, if you have skin, rose water is good for it. In the summer I like to have a little spray bottle of rose water in the fridge for fresh spritzes during the day. I also use it in homemade toners, in a proportion of 50% witch hazel and 50% rose water. It’s easy to make and there is plenty of room for variation. For drinking, rose petals combine well with strawberries for some infused water goodness, or try sprigs of lavender with rose petals in water for a true stress reducing combination.
The fastest way to make rose water is to make an infusion on the stove top. This is fine for external uses and in a pinch if you need to drink rose water in a hurry, but I recommend the cold method for rose water if you have a night of sleep to spare. The hot method makes a browner version, while the cold method makes a pure, translucent, rose water.
For the hot method, use half the amount of rose petals as distilled water, (example: 1/2 cup rose petals with 1 cup distilled water,) bring to a near boil but not quite, then simmer until the color drains from the petals into the water which doesn’t take long. You can do the whole process in half an hour. Strain using cheese cloth over a metal strainer so you can easily squeeze out the rose petals. A coffee filter works well if you don’t have a cheese cloth.
The cold method involves the same proportions, but honestly if you want a less potent rose water just use less petals. This is an herbal craft so variation is both expected and encouraged. Place the rose petals and distilled water (half the rose petals as water, so 1/2 cup rose petals to 1 cup distilled water for example) in a glass jar and let it sit overnight. In the morning the color and healing benefits will have moved from the petals into the water. Strain as described above, pictured below.
There are so many ways to enjoy herbs that it’s hard to imagine them not a part of everyone’s life in some way. They offer so much health, beauty, and joy, and it is my greatest hope that you have a variety of ways to have them as part of your life too.
Thank you for reading! Let me know if you make some rose water and if so, what you do with it~ I’d love to hear! 🌹🌹🌹
I wrote this post last year but it’s relevant every summer.
This is somewhat counter-intuitive, but bugs do not like essential oils. That always struck me as odd since bugs and plants seem like they should be natural friends, but I guess the strength of essential oils is off-putting to them. This works out really well for us because we can lather ourselves up with essential oil laced products and smell divine while playing in nature, without having to endure the nasty smells and questionable ingredients of over the counter bug sprays. Citronella is an essential oil that is already commonly used in mosquito repelling products such as candles, but there are other essential oils that can be just as effective and perhaps more appealing to put directly on your body and/or your clothes.
One way to take a precautionary measure before even getting dressed in the morning is to apply a body oil with essential oils on your arms, legs, and stomach. To make a body oil, you just need a base oil or a mix of base oils such as sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, or jojoba oil, and add whichever essential oils you want to wear. Almost any essential oil or blend of essential oils will deter bugs, but especially good picks are lavender, peppermint, thyme, and lemongrass. You will want there to be 5-7 drops of essential oils per 1 teaspoon of base oil. (There are 6 teaspoons in an ounce, so aim for 30-42 drops of essential oils per ounce.) Make sure to shake the mixture before blending, and allow time for the oil to dry before putting your clothes on for the day to avoid oil stains. This can be reapplied throughout the day, but it is probably easier to make a spray for day time reapplication.
To make a bug spray, add essential oils to distilled water with at least a teaspoon of vodka, or use witch hazel instead, in a spray bottle (preferably dark glass) in the same proportion as above, 5-7 drops of essential oils per teaspoon of distilled water. You can spray this as often as needed on yourself throughout the day and it will help deter bugs and also provide a nice little scent pick-me-up when you do so. Again, any essential oils will be helpful, but the ones mentioned above would be a great place to start. Of course, citronella is always an option too.
In Valerie Ann Wormwood’s book, The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy, she gives this recipe for a great blend to keep away the little buggers:
4 drops Thyme
8 drops Lemongrass
4 drops Lavender
4 drops Peppermint
She recommends putting a couple of drops of this blend on a cotton ball at night and placing near open windows or around your head or body, especially while traveling. Another technique for traveling is to add a couple of drops to boiling water and placing it by an open window or if you are sitting outside, right on a table next to you. Even very hot water in a mug will dissipate the essential oils, so as long as you travel with an essential oil or two, or a blend like the one she suggests above, you don’t need to worry about a diffuser.
I actually do like to take a little terracotta diffuser with me when I travel. They are quite small and do not require any heat, so it’s a convenient option. These make cute little gifts as well, and are one way to easily use essential oils in your car or in other places where you don’t have the option to light a candle or use an outlet.
If you do happen to get bitten or stung by an insect, lavender can be applied neat to the area. Applying essential oils to the body without a carrier is 99% of the time NOT recommended, but lavender is one of the few that can be applied without a carrier and it actually is quite good for burns, bites, and other skin issues. Do use caution if you have sensitive skin though.
Thanks for reading and enjoy your bug-free outdoor time! Please share this article with anyone who might be interested in flower powered bug repellent.
In case you missed the links above, here’s more information on making your own body oil: https://botanicalalchemyandapothecary.com/body-oils-diy/ and more details on making a body spray: https://botanicalalchemyandapothecary.com/essential-oil-sprays-for-body-and-home/.
Happy July and Happy Canada Day to all of the Canadians! I’m sure we are all pretty happy to enter into the second half of this unusual year. Here in the Seattle area there is a common understanding that summer weather does not begin until July 5th, and true to form it’s windy, drizzly, and cool this morning (see above pic). The sunny days are coming though and if your skin tends to burn easily, this after sun spray is easy-peasy to make.
Peppermint and lavender will be the stars for this after sun spray, as well as aloe vera juice and/or witch hazel. Peppermint needs to be used with care because it can irritate sensitive skin, so although it is cooling, use it in moderation. Lavender’s healing effects on burns started the study of aromatherapy as we know it, so it’s fabulous on its own in this recipe if you don’t have peppermint or are too sensitive to it. Aloe vera is a great plant to have around your house in case of burns, or the juice can even be used as a facial mask for its firming action. Witch Hazel has tannins which help soothe sun burned skin and you can use it alone as the base if you don’t have aloe on hand.
–2 oz spray bottle (preferably dark glass)
–1oz witch hazel (can be plain or infused)
–1 oz aloe vera juice
–10 drops lavender
–5 drops peppermint
–Store in the refrigerator for up to one month, or use 2 oz witch hazel instead of aloe and store for 6 months in a cool, dark place.
Don’t forget to label your bottle with what it is and the date you made it. Writing down your recipe for next time is always beneficial too, as well as any notes such as ‘too much peppermint’ or ‘try aloe juice next time’.
May your July be a fresh start to this year with many happy summer days ahead.
I have never been so tired of cooking in my life. I know some people have become inspired by this lock down and groups of friends are exchanging recipes in chain letter fashion, but not me. I was asked to join one of those recipe exchanges and I declined, not because I didn’t want to share a recipe but because the thought of 36 emails coming at me with recipes I had no intention of making was more than I could stomach. (Pun intended.) There are three of us here, two of us eat relatively the same with avoiding gluten and dairy, and the other one is extremely picky, lives on gluten and dairy, and refuses to eat leftovers. Adding to the meal plan disruptions, the boys have taken full advantage of the online schooling and are sleeping until late morning or early afternoon, while I’m still waking up at dawn-ish so our timing is all off. That actually isn’t quite as bad as it sounds because the boys are teenagers and can eat pretty much anytime, all the time. In other words they can have breakfast at 11:AM and lunch at noon no problem. If I let it, this all means I can be in the kitchen making one meal after another all day long and by dinner time I’m not happy about it. In regular times the boys take care of their own breakfasts and lunches on school days, so I’ve tried to keep that going in this strange time, but for some reason it just hasn’t worked like that more days than not. Probably because if I’m making myself food, it’s just not possible to not end up making them food as well. So, the default dinner has turned into either gluten free pizzas, one with dairy and the other not, or gluten free and vegan mac n’ cheese, or its more posh cousin, pasta with Alfredo sauce, also gluten and dairy free. I thought I’d provide an overview of these with reviews in case you too are looking for the easiest way to get dinner on the table with as little effort as possible.
For pizzas, I use Trader Joe’s gluten free flat breads that can be found in packs of two in the refrigerated session. For one son I add Trader Joe’s vegan pesto, shredded vegan cheese, red onions, and turkey pepperoni slices. For the other son I add regular red sauce and shredded mozzarella or an Italian cheese mix. For myself I add 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil to each flat bread (I make each of us two flat breads at a time), sea salts mixed with herbs, extra basil, oregano, and rosemary. I cook these on 425 for about 10 minutes and make up a salad at that time for one of my sons and myself, and cut an apple up for the other.
Whole Foods has a vegan Alfredo sauce that the boys love. I’ve never tried it but they are happy to eat it any time with either Trader Joe’s gluten free penne or fusili. We sometimes get Jovial’s gluten free pastas which are a treat but usually eat the Trader Joe’s versions more often. My gluten and dairy eating son likes all these too by the way. That is saying a lot.
Daiya’s mac n’ cheese and Alfredo boxes have been my sons’ go to meals of late. Again, both my sons love these which makes my life so much easier. To be honest, I’ve tried these and I don’t really love either one, but my sons think they are awesome so it doesn’t really matter what I think. I can eat them if I really don’t feel like making myself something different, but usually what I do is saute garlic, broccoli, onions, and smoked salmon to eat on top of the Daiya boxed food. (One son eats it all together, one needs them on separate plates.) I put the sauteed food on top of a salad or eat it on some other carb such as leftover rice which we almost always have. Easy enough. (The pics below are off their respective websites because I need to go to the grocery and get more.)
The last gluten free and vegan mac n cheese we have tried lately is Annie’s. This is the kind that needs to be mixed with non-dairy butter and milk, but I personally think this one is better than the Daiya. My sons disagree and since I’m making it for them, I’ll stick with the Daiya, but if you try the Daiya and are not thrilled, give Annie’s a try. I liked it.
What are your quick dinner ideas when you don’t feel like cooking? Or are you cooking up a storm and loving it? Whether you are relying on boxed foods or letting your inner Julia Child come out to play, do whatever it takes to stay sane during this strange time.
Below is a blog post I wrote two years ago. If you are like me, these holidays are sneaking up even more than ever in this strange time. I’ve read that we are currently in the month of “Marprilay” which sounds about right to me and if you agree, take heart. Making bath salts might be something you can do easily while sheltering in place because Epsom salts work wonderfully and you can find them at drug stores and grocery stores so no need for anything from hard to get to places. Here’s the post from 2018:
What mom doesn’t treasure her bath and beauty time? Whether you are making a gift basket for your mom as an adult, or helping little ones make gifts for your partner, natural DIY pampering gifts are easy to make and will actually be used and appreciated. If you are working with little ones, essential oils need to be handled with care because they are so potent they should not be put on the skin directly without a carrier, and also the scents can be overwhelming if you are using a lot all at once.
To make a custom jar of bath salts, you have some options. You can use sea salt, Epsom salts, pink, grey, or black salt depending on where you are and what you fancy. Epsom salts are best known for aches and pains, but pink and grey salts can help with those too, and they have a high mineral content. Sea salt and black salt are detoxifying, and all the salts are good for the skin. You can also blend different salts together if you can’t decide or want to make sure you cover all the salt benefits. Whatever salts you use, just fill a jar with them, and add the essential oils you want in a ratio of about 10-25 drops per cup, depending on how strong you want the smell. Mix with a chopstick and cap tightly.
To make it a moisturizing bath soak, you can almond oil or grapeseed oil to the salts slowly, mixing the blend as you pour. You will want about 1 3/4 cup salts, with 1/4 cup oil. When the oil and salts are all blended together, add your essential oils and stir some more to make sure everything is evenly distributed. Since this is a total of 2 cups, you can use 20-50 drops of essential oils.
If you are making this for someone who takes more showers than baths, then a salt scrub is another option. You want more oil than salt in that case~ 2 cups of almond or grapeseed oil, 1 cup of fine sea salt, and 20-50 drops of essential oils. You can always make an herbal oil first, then add that to the salts. Add the oil directly on top of the salt, then add the essential oils and stir well. You can use sugar instead of salt for a gentler body scrub. Prepare the exact same way as the salt but use brown sugar instead.
Another option is to add dried herbs to the salts. This of course looks lovely but can make a huge mess, so adding a large sized muslin bag or two to the jar of bath salts is a nice touch. The bather can spoon in however much they want into the muslin bag, then place it into the bath for a nice soak that they don’t have to worry about cleaning up later. Lovely herbs to add are rose petals, calendula flower tops, seaweed, and/or oats. The proportions are completely up to you, and in fact you can just use herbs for an herbal bath without any salts, or just add the salts and herbs together, or add essential oils to the mix as well. There are no hard and fast rules, so just follow your aesthetic sense or look to your (or her) favorite products to get an idea of what proportions might be most appreciated.
As always, be sure to label whatever you make and to write down the recipe. Here are some more DIY gift ideas if bathing isn’t the best treat for your gift recipient. Have fun with whatever you are making and Happy Mother’s Day to all the hard working mamas out there. Please subscribe for weekly posts about herbs, natural health, and green beauty, and please share with anyone who might benefit from this article.