Natural Herbal Beauty

Herb and Oatmeal Soap

This soap is the only one I make from caustic soda. So many of the students who attend my cosmetic workshops at the Herbal Centre ask for this recipe that I couldn’t possibly leave it out. They seem to enjoy the satisfaction of making their own soap in the old-fashioned way.

NB: Do not make this soap while children are around. I find it safer to use the caustic soda outside so that the fumes are dissipated. Do not lean over the bowl and inhale, and make sure that you wear long sleeves and rubber gloves as the caustic soda burns. Should a drop fall on your skin, wash it off immediately with cold water. (more…)

Use this herbal rinse after shampooing and conditioning to freshen your scalp and give body to your hair.

Normal hair (dark): Rosemary, sage, lavender Normal hair (light): Chamomile, calendula Dry hair: Chamomile, comfrey

Oily hair: Nettle, yarrow, thyme, sage

Dandruff: Sage, thyme, nettle, lavender (more…)

Nails become brittle and dry when exposed to hot water, soaps, and nail polishes or other chemicals. Massage a few drops of this protective oil into your nails and cuticles in the morning and evening

2 tablespoons jojoba oil

2 tablespoons almond oil

15 drops sandalwood essential oil (more…)

This rich avocado mask can be used weekly as a treat to nourish dry skin. Mix up a large batch and apply it to your arms and legs if they tend to be dry and flaky.

• 1 tablespoon ripe avocado
• 1 teaspoon yogurt
• 1 teaspoon Gentle Cleansing Grains
• 3 drops sandalwood or lavender essential oil (more…)
   

You’ll need:

2 tablespoons nettle

2 tablespoons red clover blossoms

2 tablespoons lavender flowers

2 tablespoons linden flowers

10 drops lavender essential oil

12-inch square piece of muslin or cotton handkerchief

Stress increases the production of internal toxins and hinders the body’s detoxification processes. Purification, healing and rejuvenation are more easily accomplished when the body and mind are relaxed. Herbs are wonderful allies not only for detoxification, but also for soothing and calming the body, mind, and spirit. This fragrant bath combines the purifying properties of nettle and red clover blossoms with the relaxing properties of lavender and linden blossoms. (more…)

Basil: Sweet, spicy scent. Basil is a potent stimulant that increases circulation and eases muscle and joint aches and pains. It alleviates indigestion, and has antiseptic and expectorant properties and helps to treat congestion, coughs, and colds. Basil is excellent for relieving fatigue and nervous tension. Do not use during pregnancy.

Cypress: Spicy, balsamlike scent. The diuretic action of cypress helps to relieve water retention and cellulite. It also improves circulation and is helpful for arthritis. (more…)

Herbs have long been valued not only for their benefits when taken internally, but also for their healing and beautifying properties when used externally. For the following facial and bodycare recipes, choose herbs and essential oils according to your skin type.

Dry Skin

Herbs: Chamomile, comfrey, elder flower, rose Essential Oils: Chamomile, sandalwood, lavender (more…)

The herb garden can be anything from a yard-square patch near the kitchen door to a formal and decorative garden 200 feet square. One great aspect that needs to be stressed is that a herb garden can be both fascinating and decorative as well as purely useful.

Secondly, it may be formal or informal in plan. The herb border outside Dunster Church in Somerset is a pleasing instance of an informal border, planted with a varied collection of scented plants, reminiscent of the way in which the herbs would have been grown in the old monastery gardens. (more…)

During the last centuries, therefore, the interest in curative herbs was upheld, though it had become more of a special science. In the garden, the cultivation of vegetables introduced from abroad, the spread of landscape gardening, and of fascinating plant discoveries from abroad, combined to take the main attention from the herb border. Many old favourites were grown, however, rosemary, lavender and southernwood having a lasting appeal; and the scented pelargoniums were popular in Victorian times.

The great compilation of this century has been Mrs Grieve’s A Modern Herbal in two volumes, edited by Mrs Leyel, and published in 1931. (more…)