essential oils

Summer Bug Repellent Reminder

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Shady lane on a sunny summer day

In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s that time of year again when longer hours are spent outdoors alongside our insect frenemies. We can’t live without them, but I think we’d all prefer to not be their snack nor their targets for taking out their buzzy ire. If you find yourself particularly tasty to mosquitos or simply irresistible to their more combative cousins, one way to shield yourself from the unwanted attention is to use essential oils. Bugs do not like essential oils, so you can make a body spray or body oil to use daily, or simply add a few drops into your sunscreen or lotion if you are in a hurry as I wrote in the post linked above. Here’s a recap of that post if you don’t feel like clicking through:

Instructions:

To make your sunscreen or body lotion into a bug repelling screen as well, all you need to do is squeeze about a tablespoon of sunscreen into your palm. Add 5 to 10 drops of essential oils into the sunscreen, mix it together, and then lather it on your body. This hack is for your neck down, not your face. Start on the lower end of that 5-10 range, so 5 or less drops of essential oils per tablespoon, to make sure your skin isn’t sensitive and then you can add more drops next time if you wish.

Which Essential Oils?

Almost any essential oil can be used and will be effective, but do not use citrus oils because they can cause hyperpigmentation. Citrus oils are mostly obvious, such as sweet orange, lemon, and lime, with one exception, bergamot. Please avoid these and any other citrus essential oils in your sunscreen. Particularly effective essential oils are citronella (of course!), lemon eucalyptus (not a citrus oil despite the name), thyme, and all the mints but especially peppermint. Be a little cautious with peppermint because it is a cooling essential oil but just as dry ice can burn, so can peppermint at certain levels and everyone’s skin sensitivity level is different. Mixing essential oils is recommended because some bugs are repelled more or less by certain scents, so your end result will be more effective with two, three, or more essential oils.

Make Your Own

If you prefer to make your own dedicated spray and/or oil, which I highly recommend because it is a fun way to scent yourself for summer with the added benefits of less bug bites, I have all the deets on this post (linked) but if you don’t want to click through, here are the most important paragraphs:

Body Oil

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.

Body Spray

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 and vodka, or witch hazel. 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.

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Travel

If you travel with essential oils, as I do, to secure your sleeping area you can put some drops on cotton balls to keep bugs away, especially around open windows or near your bed. I actually 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.

After Care

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 and always assume you do have sensitive skin and start small until proven otherwise.

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/.

Nature Medicine

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Today I was running with my usual airpods in my ears, listening to the KEXP runcast as I like to do on my longer runs. Everything was fine for about the first mile, and then the music suddenly stopped playing and my app seemed to go into ‘searching’ mode. My first reaction was annoyance because when it comes to my runs, I lean hard into my routines. I like the way my mind can wander when I don’t have to think too hard but instead can just put one foot in front of the other on autopilot, but the annoyance didn’t last long. Almost immediately I heard geese having a loud and vivid conversation off to my right in the Juanita Bay. The sound was so calming, and as my attention had been drawn to the bay, I then noticed several black and white ducks that looked almost like puffins swimming with the usual brown and green varieties, long-necked swans in the distance, and two herons quietly standing guard and might actually have been what the geese were talking about. They were in the same general vicinity and likely eyeing the same fish beneath them.

It made me realize how often we move through the world distracted nowadays, with phones and earbuds, and how much calming nature medicine we are missing. We know that the sound of waves or rain are calming sounds, but so are bird calls, the wind whistling through trees, the crunch of footsteps on dried leaves. Nature has a plethora of calming tricks up her sleeve and we should take note. For one thing, I’ve always been struck by how many herbs and essential oils are calming. Even if the herb or essential oil has other attributes it is more known for, almost all herbs and essential oils can also be said to reduce stress and calm the mind. It makes sense that nature wants us humans to be calm, because a calm brain makes better decisions, thinks deeper, moves more gracefully, and makes connections more effectively. We live at a time when speed is often subtly or not so subtly encouraged with sayings such as, “Time is Money,” in our culture, and “Fast paced environments,” in pretty much every job description. Calm does not mean slow or sluggish, it means not distracted or stressed out, but somehow it all gets lumped together in our jumpy minds and we replace calm moments with numbing.

I suppose I’m just worried about the state of the world and how separate from nature we are willingly becoming. When I walk around it seems like 95% of people are on their phones whether they are walking around and looking down at them, driving with them on nearby, or sitting somewhere with others but yet still looking at their phones. I know people who post on social media seemingly around 5 times per day. I seriously don’t understand how they are living their lives effectively with that much social media engagement. They must exist on a different timeline than I do because I cannot work, parent, cook, clean, have friendships, keep up with family, go to appointments, and not feel overwhelmed regularly much less spending countless hours on social media. It all depends on values and priorities I suppose but there are so many studies showing how disruptive distraction is in our lives, how negatively social media impacts us, and how it all relates to a dopamine cycle that puts us further and further into a dopamine chasing state. To state the obvious, if you are interested in optimal health, chasing dopamine is not in support of that goal.

I’m not really in to making New Year’s resolutions because I do more of my pattern and perspective overhauls around my birthday each year, but this seems to be calling to me as 2024 nears so I will comply. I’m going to listen to nature more from now on, especially while running. I don’t want to give up my musical runs so it’ll have to be a compromise, perhaps half of the time I’ll listen to music and half the time I’ll be present with nature’s sounds. I’ve already greatly reduced my social media use but intend to do so further. It’s just not adding value to my life, and the things I do instead of scrolling do add value, such as reading, learning languages, cooking, and just…living life.

Happy New Year and I hope you are steeped in a year that resonates with your purpose and your values. ✨

Summer Hack for Repelling Bugs

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Sunny day along Juanita Bay

*This post includes affiliate links to Mountain Rose Herbs. I highly recommend their essential oils, herbs, and crafting materials, but use whatever you have on hand first!

A couple of weeks ago my niece mentioned that her sunscreen, which she loves, attracts bugs, which she does not love. I recommended putting essential oils into the sunscreen container because bugs do not like essential oils. I realized later that it’d be more useful to actually add the essential oils right before you put sunscreen on, and an easy hack for anyone who would like some insect protection along with their sun damage protection. I’ll explain how to do just that in a moment, but also want to remind you how easy it is to make your own bug repelling sprays and body oils for when you are heading outside and maybe do not need sunscreen, such as enjoying summer nights out, or you just want to be able to spray yourself repeatedly throughout the day. I have all the details on making your own bug repellent here.

Instructions:

To make your sunscreen into a bug repelling screen as well, all you need to do is squeeze about a tablespoon of sunscreen into your palm. Add 5 to 10 drops of essential oils into the sunscreen, mix it together, and then lather it on your body. This hack is for your neck down, not your face. Start on the lower end of that 5-10 range, so 5 or less drops of essential oils per tablespoon, to make sure your skin isn’t sensitive and then you can add more drops next time if you wish.

Which Essential Oils?

Almost any essential oil can be used and will be effective, but do not use citrus oils because they can cause hyperpigmentation. Citrus oils are mostly obvious, such as sweet orange, lemon, and lime, with one exception, bergamot. Please avoid these and any other citrus essential oils in your sunscreen. Particularly effective essential oils are citronella (of course!), lemon eucalyptus (not a citrus oil despite the name), thyme, and all the mints but especially peppermint. Be a little cautious with peppermint because it is a cooling essential oil but just as dry ice can burn, so can peppermint at certain levels and everyone’s skin sensitivity level is different. Mixing essential oils is recommended because some bugs are repelled more or less by certain scents, so your end result will be more effective with two, three, or more essential oils.

Let me know if you try this and how it works out for you!

Happy Bug Repelling 🐜🚫 and remember, it’s good for the bugs too because if they aren’t bothering you, you aren’t bothering them! ☮

Time to Start DIYing for Valentine’s Day

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This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission or other incentive for purchases made through these links.

There are a lot of options for making your own one-of-a-kind, deeply personal Valentine’s gifts, but I’m partial to perfume body oil. It gets my vote for best DIY Valentine gift because it can also be used as a massage oil for some loving partner time, or bath oil for individual (or shared) self-care tub time. Even if your gift recipient is prickly about baths, massages, and perfumes, they can still rub their feet with the oil before putting on socks and this is a highly effective way for the essential oils to get into the body, and whose feet don’t need some extra love? They could also soak their hands in warm water with the oil which again is another way for the whole body to experience the essential oils and afterwards they can rub their hands with more oil for deep moisturizing after pandemic quality washing and sanitizing for a couple of years now.

Making a body/bath/massage oil is incredibly easy with just base oil(s) and one or more essential oils. It can be made even more healing and complex with first creating an herbal oil, then adding essential oils. Making an herbal oil using the quick method only takes a few hours and is guaranteed to make your house smell divine. I have several tutorials on how to do this, here, and here.

Base oils are fairly interchangeable but there are some I’d recommend over others depending on how the final product will be used. If you think it will be used as a pulse-point perfume, then jojoba or fractionated coconut oil are the best choices. If you don’t have either of those, use sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil. For a full body perfume oil, combining two or more of the oils mentioned above is a great idea. Just using one of those oils will work too, but sweet almond oil and grapeseed oil are going to provide more slip so those two make it easier to cover larger areas than merely pulse points. That makes those two oils ideal for massage oil, and any of the base oils I’ve mentioned will work for a bath oil.

For herbal oils great choices would be lavender, rose, or vanilla, or a combination of two or more of those herbs. As noted above, I have several tutorials on making herbal oils here and here.

So, which essential oils to choose? That’s the easiest part in one way, and also the most daunting in another. It’s easy because any essential oil or combination of essential oils is going to most likely reduce feelings of stress and tension, and help boost feelings of wellness and calm confidence. The only time this might backfire is if the person has a bad experience associated with a certain scent and therefore the scent can trigger feelings of unease. For example, lavender is traditionally known to be calming and relaxing, but if someone went to a lavender farm when they were young and got lost in the fields, separated from their family for long scary minutes, then lavender could easily trigger feelings of distress and alarm on some level for that person for the rest of his/her life. This is fairly rare though and we often know what scents our friends and family gravitate towards. If they are big flower people, pick florals, if they love citrus fruits, pick a citrus, if their favorite thing to do is to hike in the woods, pick pine or cedar, etc. The daunting part can be when trying to decide which essential oils blend together nicely, and for that I’d recommend starting small and starting early, which is why I am posting this a couple of weeks before Valentine’s Day. Use a small container to test the essential oil blend before adding it to the oil, so that way you can see how the blend develops over a few days or weeks’ time, and what adjustments need to be made, such as more top note for more of a lighter initial hit or more base note for grounding, or perhaps more middle note to weave it all together better. I have a few recipe suggestions below but follow your intuition, your nose, and what you know about your gift recipient. Think of this as a truly customized, personal, gift that only you would make for only that one special person. That way what you create will be unique to you and your giftee and both of you will think of the other each time that scent is in the air. Which reminds me, don’t forget to write down your recipe so you can recreate it!

If you are looking for an aphrodisiac combination since this is the holiday that celebrates all aspects of love after all, keep in mind the general effect of any essential oil is to support a calm, confident, and relaxed yet alert state, so any essential oil is truly going to be a good place to start. That being said, some essential oils have traditionally been used for aphrodisiac affects, including the spices such as cinnamon*(see caution), cardamom**, and nutmeg**(see note). Vanilla which is not a true essential oil but can be used in the form of an herbal oil or an absolute. Rose, jasmine, and ylang ylang have sensual reputations as well.

*Cinnamon essential oil can be irritating to the skin. Cinnamon leaf is less so than cinnamon bark, but use either essential oil sparingly in blends and test for sensitivity. ** Cardamom and nutmeg are very potent and easily take over blends, so although they aren’t known to cause the same skin irritation that cinnamon and clove e.o. can, use one drop in a blend at the end of blending, mix, and then test to see if you want to add more. If so, only add one drop at a time, mix, then test.

If you prefer to just buy a ready made oil or body mist with aphrodisiac essential oils already considered in the blend, you might like to check out these two items from Mountain Rose Herbs: a body oil and a body mist. They also have an essential oil Love kit that makes picking out ‘love inducing’ scents easy too.

Here are a couple of recipe ideas to get you started. There are many more recipes in my book, All-Natural Perfume Making, with proposed amounts of each ingredient, so check it out if you like playing with herbs and essential oils. I didn’t suggest amounts for the recipes below so you can truly experience blending with your nose and intuition. Feel free to contact me though with your ideas if you want a second set of eyes.

For a traditionally masculine scent:

Cedarwood, vanilla absolute, bay, and lime in a base of lavender, rose, or vanilla herbal oil

Or

Sandalwood, vanilla absolute, bergamot, and nutmeg in a base of lavender, rose, or vanilla herbal oil

For traditionally feminine scents:

Vanilla absolute, ylang ylang, rose absolute, and cardamom in rose herbal oil

Or

Sandalwood, jasmine absolute, ylang ylang, lavender in vanilla herbal oil or rose herbal oil

Here are more Valentine’s Day DIY projects to consider and here is a post with more information on herbs that support reproductive health, including healthy sexuality.

Wishing everyone rich, deep and layered love this upcoming Valentine’s Day and always ❤.

Multi-Layered Natural Perfume Making

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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🌷🌻🌷.

Natural Skin Products for Acne and Eczema DIY

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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 ✨🌿!

Bug Spray DIY

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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.

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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/.

After Sun Spray DIY

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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.

 

Immune System and Moving

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Hello from the land of Limbo! I’ve been stuck in a moving delay with most of our stuff moved over to the next house and some essentials keeping us at the old house and quite frankly it’s been rather stressful and discombobulating. Add this to the whole living and working in the center of US’s coronavirus outbreak (Kirkland, Washington) viewfromworkand it’s been a wild ride for the last few weeks. Our schools are still in session, but all the businesses around here are insisting their workers telecommute which has at least been a boon for traffic. All the trips I’ve made between the two houses trying to locate our things has at least been through less congestion. Counting all the blessings I can at this point.

 

No one seems to know exactly how panicked everyone should be~ debates rage on if this all overblown to this isn’t being taken nearly seriously enough. All we can do is take personal responsibility for ourselves and our loved ones and boost our immune system with the usual suspects: elderberry, astragalus, medicinal mushrooms, echinacea if getting sick, essential oils in a variety of ways, and general good sense. Probiotics are also smart, as is vitamin C, zinc, and pretty much any herb used in any way is going to be healthy for your immune system so if you are cooking at home, go heavy on the herbs and spices. Adaptogens help with stress, nervines with anxiety, and of course there’s CBD for all of it if that works for you. In other words, you don’t have to feel helpless and panicky. There are many natural ways to help us all move through these trying times. Now only if they would help move the last of my things to the new house, that’d be magical. ladybug

But, no worries, the movers are supposed to finish up this Friday the 13th…what could possibly go wrong?

Stay healthy, XO

 

Valentine’s Day DIY Gifts

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In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’m reposting my blog post from last year. I hope you all have a lot of love this Friday, self-love, family-love, friend-love, and romantic love too. XOXO

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission or other incentive for purchases made through these links.

Homemade gifts made with heart and intention are perfect for the holiday that celebrates love. Valentine’s Day is a warm reminder during this cold season that love should be celebrated fully and joyfully in all its forms, from friendship to family, and of course that special someone. Everyone can appreciate an herbal gift that conveys not only love, but also health, beauty, and green thoughtfulness.

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What plant could be more associated with Valentine’s than the rose? A flower of beauty that signifies love, it also has healing attributes that qualify it as an herb. Drinking rose petal tea is relaxing, due to its mildly sedative properties, and it also has some historical use as a headache reliever. The petals are used extensively for skin health, anti-aging, and beautification, while rose hips are full of bio-available vitamin C. Rose oil makes a lovely base for a massage or bath oil, and bath salts with rose petals would make a relaxing gift that encourages self-care and rejuvenation. Baths full of rose petals are picturesque and you will see plenty on Instagram, but if you don’t want to clean up wet petals after a restful bath, I suggest packing them in a muslin bag. You get all the benefits without worrying about the messy clean-up afterwards. The proportion of salts to rose petals is completely up to you, but if you want to add essential oils to the mixture, keep the essential oils down to about 10-20 drops per cup of mixture. Example: 1 cup Dead Sea Salt, 1/2 cup rose petals, 15 drops of lavender oil, and 10 drops of rose absolute in jojoba. Mix all together in a bowl before adding to a jar with a tight cap for gifting. Don’t forget to add the reusable muslin bag inside the jar, or tie it on the outside.

Making a rose petal mask is another lovely way to gift roses and encourage self-care. Make a powder from dried rose petals either by using a mortar and pestle or a food processor. I actually use an old coffee grinder for making herbal powders and it works great. Mix the rose powder with either French Green Clay or another clay that suits the skin of your recipient (or yourself if this is a self-love gift) in the proportion of 1/3 rose powder, 2/3 clay. Example: 1 tablespoon rose powder mixed with 2 tablespoons clay. Store in a dark glass jar and mix one tablespoon at a time with either a water, a hydrosol, honey, or yogurt to apply. Actually, adding the powder mix to any of these one ingredient masks will make a multifaceted concoction, and you can choose if you want more of a firming, brightening, or evening out action. Leave on for 10-15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water. Skin will be moisturized, clean, firmer, and more even-toned.

Making a massage oil out of rose oil is as easy as adding the desired essential oils to the homemade rose oil. Aim for no more than 50-60 drops of essential oil per cup of base oil. You can also add in more base oils to the rose oil, so the mixture is more suited to the recipient’s particular skin. The heavier the oil, the more appropriate for dryer skin, and the lighter oils are more beneficial for oilier skin. Massage oil should not soak into the skin but rather allow for easy gliding, so sticking with sweet almond oil, avocado oil, apricot kernel oil, and grapeseed oil are good choices, especially when mixed together. Here’s a sample recipe including the aphrodisiac scents of rose, vanilla, and jasmine:

Massage Oil

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Making Massage Oil
1/2 cup Rose Oil (olive oil infusion)

1/2 cup Vanilla Oil (sweet almond infusion)

1/4 cup Avocado Oil

1/4 cup Apricot Kernel Oil

30 drops Sandalwood

40 drops Vanilla absolute

5 drops Jasmine absolute in jojoba

I hope your Valentine’s day is full of love for your family, your friends, your partner, and yourself. We are experiencing the most snow in most of our lifetimes here in the Seattle region right now so I’ll be herbal crafting away happily this week. I also managed to make my first sourdough loaf this past weekend and it turned out splendidly! There’s a pic on my Instagram if you are interested.

Thank you for reading and Happy Valentine’s Day!