Jewelweed is an excellent natural remedy for poison ivy, poison oak, bug bites, and general itchy skin conditions. If you’re fortunate to have any growing around you, be sure to harvest some now to preserve for year ’round use! Lately there’s been an increase in reader interest and questions about jewelweed, so I took a quick video clip of how I make “jewelweed juice” to share here on my site. In addition, you’ll also learn … Continue reading
Learn how to adjust for and add lanolin to soap recipes, plus guidelines for using it. Kimberly asked a great question the other day, about how to include lanolin in a soap recipe she’d recently made. She also wanted to try including it in my Dandelion Scrub Bar recipe, but wasn’t sure what changes to make. I thought it might be helpful to type up my answer here, in case anyone else has the same … Continue reading
Lavender flowers are only around for a short time, but there are plenty of uses for lavender leaves! Learn how to harvest, dry & use them in DIY projects. First though, you may wonder – what are the health benefits of lavender leaves? While the leaves haven’t been studied as specifically or extensively as the flowers, “Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) flowers, leaves and oil contain linaloyl acetate, linalool, perillyl alcohol, 1,8 cineole (eucalyptol), and at least … Continue reading
This easy DIY sinus and headache balm is an all-natural remedy that helps relieve stuffy noses, allergies, and headaches. I created this balm recipe specifically for a relative with chronic sinus problems that have kept them from sleeping well for years. They reported that it helped immensely and they even regained some lost smell after using it! In testing it on myself first and then a few others, I found it had the bonus benefit … Continue reading
We all have soapmaking fails. This ultimate troubleshooting guide breaks down the reasons and solutions for 30+ common cold process soap problems. On a daily basis I receive emails from readers about problems and questions encountered while making soap. (Currently, I have 70+ of those emails in the queue to answer!) A few months ago I realized that I’ve been writing variations of the same answers over and over for several years now, so it … Continue reading
Elderberries and apple cider vinegar combine with honey, butter, and vanilla to make these delicious antiviral elderberry vinegar honey caramels. We’ve made elderberry syrup and elderberry tincture, now it’s time for elderberry vinegar! I’ll also show you how to turn that vinegar into a delicious honey caramel treat with an antiviral boost. Step 1: Make the Elderberry Vinegar Fill a jar about 1/2 way with fresh elderberries, or 1/4 with dried. Add herbs if you’d … Continue reading
Elderberries (Sambucus nigra) are a fantastic home remedy for colds and flu and are backed by both science and traditional use. They’re often turned into a sweet and tasty syrup, like my homemade elderberry syrup made with honey, but can also be preserved and dosed in other ways, including this elderberry tincture. I chose to add a handful of herbs to my elderberry tincture to give it an added antiviral boost, but they’re completely optional. Antiviral … Continue reading
Beautiful blueberry herbal vinegar features ingredients that are good for your brain and body! Learn how to make blueberry vinegar, plus how to turn it into a brain boosting oxymel (herbal sweet and sour syrup). This recipe was inspired by an interesting study I read about blueberry vinegar and its potential to improve cognitive function. “…The BV [blueberry vinegar] group showed significantly restored cognitive function in the behavioral tests. BV facilitated cholinergic activity by inhibiting … Continue reading
