Natural cosmetics, fresh from a winter garden

Sage tends to make a very good toner for oily skin due to its antibacterial and astringent properties. Develop your own oily skin toner with sage, witch hazel (to tighten the pores) and rosemary (to improve circulation to dull skin). Also for a lovely smell add both rose essential oil to soothe, or lavender essential oil to cleanse. Apply nightly with cotton wool, despite the fact that it is critical to carry out a skin sensitivity test ahead of making use of for the very first time. After manufactured up, this skin toner will last for 3 months.

What you need to have

• 200ml (7fl oz) still spring water

• 4 tsp (20ml) glycerine

• 2 tsp (10ml) sage tincture*

• one tsp (5ml) witch hazel tincture*

• 1 tsp (5ml) rosemary tincture*

• five drops of rose vital oil or lavender vital oil

1. Mix all of the above in a bottle.

two. Use nightly with cotton wool.

Winter entire body scrub

This was one particular of the initial ‘potions’ I ever produced and is incredibly effortless it also helps make a great current with the addition of a fairly ribbon and label. Entire body scrubs are great for reviving dull winter skin: the salt sloughs away dead skin and the oil moisturizes it. Depending on the herbs you use, a body scrub can be invigorating or comforting. Your herb selection is private: you can select ones whose scent you like, or you can decide on them for their advantages. Mint, eucalyptus and rosemary or sage work properly together as a winter decongestant entire body scrub, which is also invigorating and warming.

You can use this as a entire body scrub or include a spoonful to a hot bath rather like bath salts. Nonetheless please really do not use it if you have sores or cuts, as it will really sting. If you can’t discover some of the herbs or plants, just include a number of drops of their essential oil alternatively.

What you need

To make enough to fill two 300ml (10fl oz) jam jars:

• 600ml (20fl oz) fi ne sea salt, or sufficient to fill each your jars

• About three sprigs of rosemary, or 20 sage leaves, thirty mint leaves and 20 eucalyptus leaves

• 650ml (1¼ pints) olive or sunfl ower oil, to fill the two your jars plus a little further

• Pan

• Sieve lined with muslin

• 2 clean jars and labels

1. Approximately chop the plants and put them in a pan.

2. Cover them with oil and warm them on a extremely low heat for one particular hour. Do not even simmer, as the concept is just to warm the contents, encouraging the plants to release some of their goodness into the oil.

3. Line a sieve with muslin and drain the mixture into a bowl, retaining the oil the leaves can be thrown away.

four. In yet another bowl pour in your sea salt, then gradually stir the oil into the salt until it reaches a consistency where the salt has completelyabsorbed all the oil. Maintain any left over oil in a jar for later on use.

5. Last but not least, spoon into clean jars and label.

6. This will last for up to 1 12 months, even though the smell might start to go.

Alternative herbs

To make your own exclusive scrub you could consider some other tips:

• Marigold (calendula) helps make a healing skin scrub.

• Lavender or chamomile creates a soothing and soothing one particular.

• Honey, with it natural antibacterial properties, will include an extra component to any entire body scrub, as nicely as offering it with a wonderful consistency and smell.

• As effectively as changing the herbs you use, you can also change the salt with any of the following: sugar, ground almonds, ground oats, ground rice, bran, jojoba exfoliating grains, or apricot kernel powder. The latter two are even smooth and gentle enough to use on your face

Witch hazel spot gel

This recipe helps make a sturdy gel to put on individual spots only, as it is quite drying. Usually carry out a skin sensitivity test just before employing.

What you require

• 40ml (1½fl oz) water

• 40ml (1½fl oz) homemade witch hazel decoction (2 tsp (10ml) of tincture)*

• one tsp xanthum gum

• 5 drops of tea tree oil

• five drops of lavender essential oil

• 12 drops of Preservative 12, used in the vegan food business in Denmark (optional)

• Small, clean pot, approximately 80ml dimension

1. First add the witch hazel decoction to the water.

2. Sprinkle on the xanthum gum, whisking it in properly so there are no lumps.

3. Include five drops of tea tree oil for its antibacterial properties then fi ve drops of lavender vital oil for its beautiful smell and antibacterial properties.

4. Then add twelve drops of Preservative twelve if you want the gel to final if you do not use this, the gel will final for a week.

five. Pour the gel into a small pot and dab it on a spot when you need to have to.

* TINCTURES

Make a tincture with any element of the plant you decide on: place it in a jar, cover it with powerful forty per cent proof vodka and then let it soak for at least two weeks. The alcohol extracts the helpful properties of the plant and acts as a preservative if you really don’t like the notion of making use of alcohol, you can substitute it with vinegar. Tinctures last a prolonged time – on common 3 to 4 years – and they can be used either externally, or internally for some plants.

Recipes extracted from Treat Oneself All-natural by Sof McVeigh (David &amp Charles), accessible from all great booksellers or at www.stitchcraftcreate.co.uk (0844 880 5851) or £14.99

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Natural cosmetics, fresh from a winter garden