These easy DIY bug bite sticks relieve the itchiness of pesky bug bites and are perfect for outdoor enthusiasts on the go! There are several herb or flower choices you could use in these, including: lavender flowers lavender leaves calendula flowers plantain leaves violet leaves Ingredients needed: 1/2 cup (3.5 oz, 99 g) sunflower oil…
This all natural skin cream recipe features rose-infused aloe, rosehip seed oil, beeswax, and shea butter. Yesterday, I shared how to make an aloe and rose skin soothing gel that’s great for treating sunburn, rashes, bug bites, and more. Today, we’re going to use some of that gel to make this deeply moisturizing face cream,…
Aloe vera & fresh rose petals make up this soothing aloe rose gel that’s useful for sunburn, bug bites, rashes, dry skin, and more! This week, I’ll be sharing a few project ideas using fresh roses and aloe. Today’s recipe is for a skin soothing gel, tomorrow we’ll use some of that gel in an…
Rose lotion bars are easy to make and are fantastic at healing damaged skin. They also make wonderful gifts! To use, rub a lotion bar over your skin wherever it feels dry. They’re especially helpful for spot treating rough feet, knees, and elbows. To make this recipe, you’ll first need to make rose infused oil….
This small batch vegan lip balm is easy to make and perfect for smoothing over dry chapped lips. Sunflower wax (Helianthus Annuus seed wax) is a natural vegan wax sourced from sunflower seeds. It can be used to replace beeswax in lip balms and salves, only you don’t need as much sunflower wax as beeswax,…
I’ve been experimenting with pure aloe vera to create a homemade aloe mint lotion recipe perfect for the warm spring and summer days and finally found one that I absolutely love! I based it off of Rosemary Gladstar’s “Famous Face Cream” recipe found in her book, Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide, and then tweaked it…
Last week, I shared 12 ways to use up an abundance of Lemon Balm. Today, I’m going to highlight its equally prolific cousin: Mint. Though it attracts beneficial insects and has many practical uses for home and health, mint can quickly become unruly in the garden. Be sure to plant it in an out of…
Today, we’re going to turn roses into lip balm! To make this, first you’ll need some rose petals. You can either go outside and gather these off of the roses growing around your home, or you can order dried, organic petals online from a place such as Mountain Rose Herbs. If using fresh roses, spread…
I started off this past weekend trying to tame an antique climbing rose that had been long neglected and was overtaking my porch. Not that I mind roses overtaking my porch usually, but this one has lethally large thorns and was making it where we couldn’t use our porch swing. I’ve never tried to catch…
So many people express frustration with trying to label their homemade creations that I thought I’d start including printable labels to go along with my recipes, when suitable. The labels are sized to fit the 1 and 2 ounce screwtop type tins that are available from Specialty Bottle. You’ll probably be able to find similar…
My foray into homemade herbal shampoo began last summer. Up until that time, I just used whatever cheap shampoo I could get my hands on. Times were tight and my beloved salon shampoos were most certainly not in the budget. However, I was pretty uncomfortable with the thought of us being exposed to all of…
I created this DIY natural rose face and body cream as a gift for my mom. She absolutely adores all things roses and the color pink, so I think she’ll love this! (Update: I never can wait to give gifts to people & already gave my mom some of this. She LOVES it. Success!) :)…
This is my family’s go-to healing salve recipe for soothing pretty much any scratch, cut, scrape, bug bite, dry skin patch, bee sting, hives, and so forth. I have a relative who even likes to use it instead of an eye cream! Think of this as an herbal alternative to something like your typical store-bought,…
This lip balm is ideal for active people who spend a lot of time outdoors. Mango butter offers a small amount of protection from UV radiation while the jojoba and coconut oils moisturize dry, chapped lips. Calendula is famous for its skin-soothing properties and castor oil tops everything off, lending a soft glossy shine and…
This rich face cream contains an assortment of flowers and herbs, along with precious blue chamomile essential oil – which contains a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, chamazulene. It’s most suited for dry and/or mature skin types. Before starting, make sure to sterilize all utensils, bowls, beaters, and jars – I use the sanitize cycle on my…
Although violet blossoms are long gone from our area, the leaves have persisted in spite of the dry, hot weather and can still be found flourishing in shady spots around my house. I’ve touched on it before, but wanted to highlight today just how beneficial those violet leaves can be. Violet leaf is a wonderful…
