This salve features elder flowers, which are an old-fashioned remedy for softening and toning skin. Elder flowers are also traditionally used to heal scrapes, scratches and wounds, and as a treatment for dry skin. I also like to include rosehip seed oil in this salve, for its well known effectiveness against scarring, wrinkles and signs of aging. The…
Learn how to easily harvest & dry flowers and herbs from the garden. I’ve also included a free printable reference chart of 23 herbs and flowers, with ideas for using them! I often get questions about how to best harvest and dry flowers and herbs from the garden, so today I thought I’d write up…
Every spring, I look forward to making one of my all-time favorite soaps – Dandelion & Honey. I’ve been making some version of it for about 14 years or so now, changing up the recipe here and there for variety. This year, I decided to switch things up and turn it into a liquid soap, instead…
Learn how to use common weeds growing in your backyard to make a dandelion salve that’s useful for sore muscles, achy and arthritic joints, and rough chapped skin. Dandelion salve is especially ideal for those who work outdoors and with their hands a lot! Dandelions are one of my favorite plants! They’re the epitome of…
Learn how to use dandelion flowers to make useful things such as: salve, soap, dandelion jelly, and more! Dandelions are the epitome of cheerful resilience. Though many people inexplicably find them ugly and try to destroy them with harmful herbicides, they’re sunny little drops of happiness that offer a multitude of health benefits and even…
This simple natural soap features: According to my favorite reference for essential oils (The Complete Aromatherapy & Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness), cedarwood “Atlas” (Cedrus atlantica) is mildly astringent, antibacterial & antifungal, making it a good addition to products for acne, eczema, psoriasis and oily skin. (Though if you sell soap, you can’t make…
When I was first learning about herbs, I would excitedly read a new recipe or tutorial only to find out it needed some exotic-sounding special ingredient that required an internet order to obtain. Remembering that frustration, I thought I’d share with you fourteen ways to use ground ginger, which is easily obtained from the baking or…
Here are a dozen pretty and practical ways to use violet flowers and leaves. I’ve also included a handy Violet Plant Spotlight printable that you can use as a reference sheet when working with violets. Violets (Viola odorata, V. sororia) are not only lovely to look at, but are cooling and healing. The leaves and…
Are you confused about which essential oils can be used when making cold process soap? Wondering how much of an essential oil should you put in a batch of soap? If so, this article and printable chart should help! It can be downloaded and printed out, so you’ll always have it for easy reference when making…
These bath bombs capture the sunshiny happiness of a field full of spring dandelions! Dandelion flower infused oil is often used in preparations designed to soothe and heal chapped or cracked skin. It’s also useful for sore muscles and other aches and pains. A few drops of sea buckthorn oil gives these bath bombs a…
Here’s how to use dandelion flowers to make homemade shampoo bars! Some unseasonably warm spring-like weather, along with an extra jar of dandelion-infused olive oil I had on hand, inspired this shampoo bar recipe. Keeping in theme with the happy sunny feelings that I associate with dandelions, I scented the soap with a cheerful blend…
Recently I had the good fortune to view the inside of Rosalee de la Forêt’s upcoming book, Alchemy of Herbs. As expected, it’s absolutely wonderful, filled with all sorts of helpful herbal information and beautiful photos. This is definitely a volume for your home library that you’ll refer to time and time again! I’m so excited to be able…
Today’s herbal massage melts recipe is a special feature from the new book The Beeswax Workshop by Chris Dalziel. It’s a fantastic book filled with 130+ recipes and ideas for using beeswax to make everything from candles, soaps and personal care products to surfboard wax, shoe polish and beeswax crayons. Reading through this book, I was…
This natural soap recipe features rose clay, powdered milk (optional), and cocoa butter. The overlapping ingredient list and heart shapes coordinate nicely with the rose milk bath bombs in my previous recipe. The weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day present a wonderful opportunity to find and stock up on a variety of inexpensive heart shaped molds at…
These pretty heart-shaped bath bombs are naturally colored with rose clay and scented with a relaxing blend of essential oils. You can also optionally include milk powder for extra skin-nourishing benefits, or leave it out if you’d like. To use, run a comfortably warm bath then drop a bath bomb into the water. Watch it…
These scrub cubes feature creamy cocoa butter combined with coffee grounds and brown sugar to gently polish away dull flaky skin. Use 1 or 2 cubes during your shower or bath, rubbing over rough areas of skin that need exfoliating. They’re especially effective on dry feet, knees and elbows. The heat from your skin will melt the…
These cheerful little sunflower soaps are made with sunflower-infused oil and naturally colored with lemon peel powder. I scented mine with a bright blend of mostly citrus essential oils, but feel free to use other scents in their place, or leave them completely unscented. How to Add Sunflowers to Soap Because I have lots of sunflowers…
Today, I have the great pleasure of sharing this lovely lemon honey balm recipe created by one of my favorite bloggers, JES from the Strangers & Pilgrims on Earth blog. It features: The directions are excerpted (with permission) from her wonderful new ebook that’s filled to the brim with creative ideas for using fruit peels! 100+ DIY Projects to Make…
I created this lotion for a dear loved one who struggles with nervousness and anxiety, and has trouble relaxing and sleeping at night. It features four essential oils that help calm nerves and uplift the mood. I also incorporated a bit of magnesium oil into the recipe, since it’s such an important mineral to support…
This simple herbal syrup recipe combines calming herbs with raw honey, creating a tasty and effective dose of natural stress relief. It features: * St. John’s Wort is contraindicated for some people. Please read this Mayo Clinic article before taking. As a milder substitute, you may want to investigate using chamomile instead. Recipe Variations There are two…
