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Plant Love
Happy Valentine’s Day <3 I’ve been researching Lavender today and have this song playing over and over in my head… (It’s such a sweet love song. Please don’t tease me about showing my age.)
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Good Soap.
When I’m not in the garden, I’m in the studio crafting vegan bodycare with herbs and veggies. Here’s my latest: ‘Lettuce & Lavender’ cocoa butter soap with poppy seeds for a little scrub and lavender, fennel, and marjoram essential oils for an intriguingly herbal scent. One of seven new blends coming soon! Gentle, creamy, softly aromatic, handmade with natural ingredients. And palm oil-free. My idea of a good soap.
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Soaping on Schedule
Boy, for one crazy minute there while pondering how to get done everything that needs doing this year, I decided to give up on soap-making. That was scary! I am so enamored with hand-milling olive oil soap, it made me kindof bummed that it was gone. Soap takes about a month to fully dry and cure though, so I have to plan out my soaping schedule in advance to make sure it gets fit in. And I can only make so much, so I have to limit my choice of blends. the definites for this year are: Rose, with Rose petals, Marshmallow root, and Geranium essential oil Lavender, with Lavender flowers,…
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August Special: Coconut Hair Conditioner 33% Off
Last post, I announced the exciting giveaway each week in August of my Coconut Hair Conditioner from Arjuni Hair. In case you’re not one of the lucky four, you can get a jar of this deep conditioning, tangle reducing, split end repairing, shine enhancing conditioner for yourself at a deeply reduced price for the rest of the month. Regular Price= $15.00 / 4 oz. jar Special Price 33% off = $10.05 / 4 oz. jar Handmade with lavender flower, holy basil leaf, and rosemary leaf-infused coconut oil with jojoba oil, hemp seed oil, and lavender, holy basil and rosemary essential oils. Offer good through August 31, 2013
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Coconut Oil for Hair Repair
Virgin coconut oil is one of my favorite oils. Besides the beautiful natural aroma, it’s an easy and effective hair conditioner adding shine as well as repairing dry and damaged hair. This is coconut oil infused with lavender flower, holy basil leaf, and rosemary leaf; herbs that condition, reduce tangles, strengthen hair, and stimulate growth. Don’t you just love that green? With jojoba oil, hemp seed oil, and lavender, holy basil and rosemary essential oils added, this is what I’ve been using to deep condition the “supercrunch” I’ve got goin’ on (my hair is so dry right now it actually sounds crunchy!). Split ends be gone!
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Herbal Lore: Basil
When I say “basil”, do you think “pesto”? Pesto made with sweet basil just happens to be one of my most long-standing addictions, but with over 50 different varieties (possibly as many as 150!) distributed around the world, basil is about much, much more…. Since ancient times, basil has found its way into our food, medicine and cosmetics. It’s antibacterial and antiviral, and a good source of vitamin A, vitamin K, iron, and calcium. Basil has been used medicinally to ease headaches, sore throats, coughs, nausea, and to ease nervous tension. It’s also reputed to strengthen dry or brittle hair, restoring hair’s natural luster and shine. D.I.Y. One…
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Hurry Up and Wait!
Gardening catalogs began arriving before the holidays this Winter, and I jumped right on them! Didn’t want any of my first choices to be sold out when I ordered! (I’m swooning over the “Early Blood Turnip” beets, “Hakurei” turnips, “Listada de Gandia” eggplants, and “Jenny Lind” muskmelons that I’m trying for the first time, and hoping to grow more calendula, chamomile, lavender, and holy basil than ever before) I’ve been rushing to devour all the organic gardening books I could get my hands on to prepare for our “farm expansion” in the Spring, taking notes and stockpiling supplies like mad. Now it’s January 11. All my seeds have arrived. Planting plans have been sketched…
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Herbal Shampoo- My weekend D.I.Y. project
At the D.I.Y. Herbal Spa meetup last Sunday, we briefly touched on hair care, and Brittany mentioned she makes her own shampoo with liquid castile soap, herbal infusion, apple cider vinegar, and I forget what else. Because shampoo is packaged in plastic bottles and because I’m getting pretty hardcore about getting plastic completely out of my life, I’ve been relying on my homemade olive oil bar soap to wash my hair. It’s workable, but does take more effort, like needing a vinegar rinse. So I was really intrigued by Brittany’s recipe! A quick search on Youtube turned up this easy D.I.Y. herbal shampoo recipe. The ingredients are: • 1 tbsp lavender…
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D.I.Y. Herbal Spa Meetup
“The way to health is to have an aromatic bath and scented massage every day.” -Hippocrates BIG THANKS to Jennifer Goodheart at Acadia Herbals, Brittany Wood Nickerson of Thyme Herbal, and everyone at the “D.I.Y. Herbal Spa Meetup” on Sunday! SO much fun to relax and swap tips and recipes with other bathtub goddesses while sipping Jennifer’s delightful Jasmine-Lemongrass tea 🙂 (Join our herbal group at Meetup.com if you’d like to catch the next meetup!) Brittany advocates using salt scrubs to keep skin exfoliated and moisturized for its optimal health, and explained how this also supports our lymph and nerves. She demonstrated an easy-to-make recipe that I know will leave you feeling just sparkling: 1 cup…
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Bathtub Therapy
Stressful day? Try some “Bathtub Therapy” (or, when the going gets tough, the tough get into the tub)! Baths can be so soothing, both for body and mind. When I’m feeling fritzed, there’s nothing better than sinking into a big tub with a cup of tea and good book. I like to soak in herbal teas as well as drink them! San Franciscan herbalist and aromatherapist Jeanne Rose calls herbal baths “the organic antidote to impure air and harsh water conditions”. She recommends taking a herbal bath 2-3 times a week to smooth and hydrate the skin, and keep it healthy and young looking. I tend to have lots of…
