Natural Skin Care

As it is: The eclipse, elixirs, and healing

 in Aromatherapy / Distillation / Gardening / Healing Herbs / Markets / Natural Skin Care / Products / Wild Harvest by

As summer comes to a close we have been very busy harvesting the herbs and distilling, learning about our new environment and adjusting.  The herbal teas, the hydrosols, the oils and the resins provide the elixirs.

The ones for illness, the ones for the soul, the ones for the heart.

Last night (the night of Aug 21st and the Solar eclipse in Leo) I distilled the Rose Geranium and when I started to process the plant I got a clear message to slow down and let the aroma seep in, permeate my mind and I felt my heart open up to myself.  I hadn’t known I was closed, I was rushed, busy and tired, and suddenly I felt more acceptance, acceptance of everything.  Love was present.

The distillation is aromatically exquisite.  The oil this morning was the color of the sky.  I hope that others will find healing, love and connection to self through this hydrosol and I will use the Oil in my next batch of Deep Sleep.

 

Rose Geranium oil in the separator

Rose Geranium permeates the room

 

Here are a few more things we have been up to!

In the woods behind the house I found this:
Phaeolus schweinitzii. It can be used as a natural dye

Tulsi Holy Basil as it is about to move into the new tunnel in the beginning of August.

Harvesting Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa harvest will become a tincture for our family.

From the garden daily.

Blue Chamomile essential oil

Butterfly on the Gotu Kola

The Mother. The Source.

Gifts

Speaking of Gifts……That will be the focus for the next months, Energetically aligned and Inspirational aromatic and healing salves and oil blends to get us through the fall and into winter! Whether you are feeling sluggish or need to rest, feeling down or need to channel that enthusiasm? Contact me for any custom blends you might be interested in.

Here is what I am making just now… and will bring to the Midsummer Herbfest in White Lake, Ontario

 in Aromatherapy / Distillation / Healing Herbs / Markets / Natural Skin Care / Products by

Midsummer Herb Fest, White Lake, Ontario

I’m excited to be joining on this market and to meet many people and share my aromas.  Hope to see you there!
http://www.midsummerherbfest.ca/
Sunday July 30,  9-5  Rain or Shine.

I won’t have a lot of plants or fresh hydrosols because we just don’t have them ready yet, but I will share some of the best aromatherapy blends and salves I make.  I just received a very nice order from my supplier of Frankincense and Spruce resins, Dan Riegler from Apothecary’s Garden.  Based in Ontario, Dan travels personally to Africa and the Mediterranean to arrange equal exchange of the resins,  meeting with the harvesters personally.  He specializes in fairly traded and high quality products including his own hand harvested Canadian Spruce resin and extremely unique resins, perfumes, and more.  All of his products are the real deal and are available on his Etsy shop.  I’m glad I discovered Dan; I learn from him more than I can say and the Frankincense and other resins that I am working with are the true teachers, if you listen.

All the goodies from Apothecary’s Garden

Spruce sap dissolved into safflower oil.

 

Frankincense Salve

I recently (last 3 years) began working with Frankincense resins as incense for anxiety and depression. Now I prepare that resin into a salve by dissolving the oleo resin (water content removed) of Frankincense into safflower oil and then creating a salve.  In my most recent salve I used a new granule of Boswellia carterii with a little bit of added Boswellia papyrifera essential oil.  This smells heavenly and carries within it the true Boswellic acids that are so healing to the tissues of the muscular and skeletal body.  I will only have a few of these available at the market but will make more soon.

Spruce Resin Salve

Using spruce sap dissolved into safflower oil I made a few plain Spruce Resin (nothing plain about it really) Salves and then used the remainder of the oil and made many Winter Woods Salves.  The recipe is close to that of last year but always with its own uniqueness.  This respiratory blend is especially targeted for that lingering sinus issue, stuffiness and clogged sinuses with little mucus;  it is a cooling, opening blend to enliven the breath and mind, rejuvenating and boosting.  I use it often when I just want to refresh.

In the fall I will formulate a stronger expectorant type with the Eucalyptuses, Rosemary, and Niaouli.

Custom Aromatherapy

I will also bring two special blends that I make: Deep Sleep and Balance.

Deep Sleep: Jatamansi (an Ayurvedic herb), Frankincense, and Rose Geranium in safflower and jojoba oil.  Strong but effective, rub it into your feet or dab a little on your wrists.  This blend helps many people sleep more soundly through the night.

Balance: clary sage, vetiver, and ylang ylang in jojoba oil.  Grounding, harmonizing and relaxing to the nervous system.  This formula does not make you tired but gives a sense of security and smooth flow (of hormones and energy).

I will also have some of my sun-infused Arnica Body Oils, made using my own organically grown (in Sweden) Arnica montana flowers.

And St. Johns Wort infused oil made with fresh wild crafted Hypericum perforatum flowers harvested by me.

I’ll also have the Deep Nourishing Repair Oil that had become a favorite among my customers in Sweden.  Contains: Rosehip seed oil, Sea Buckthorn, Argan, and Jojoba seed oil, with Immortelle, Carrot seed, Cistus, and Frankincense essential oils.

I strive to keep all my costs and mark ups at a very minimum because I want to make things available to everyone, while using only the very best ingredients and putting the earth and its inhabitants first.  I believe in what I do and the plants that I work with.  I hope that you will feel the same.

 

New Tea Tree oil salve at the Knivsta market Thursday, August 18th

 in Aromatherapy / Gardening / Markets / Natural Skin Care by
Calendula and Tea Tree oil Salve

Calendula and Tea Tree oil Salve

It is time to put our feet back into shoes again so I felt inspired to make a strong calendula salve with tea tree oil.  This is great for keeping away or addressing any fungal issues lingering between the toes and healing up blisters and cuts from a summer of outdoor play.  Of course it’s great for many other applications as well because Tea Tree is an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral essential oil that is highly tolerated by almost everyone.  If we use an organic and sustainable source then we have highly effective medicine to work with.  Calendula is also an effective, non toxic, herbal medicine.  I hand pick and process this organically grown flower in several different ways and for this salve I used two different preparations in oil in order to give it a double impact.  The first is a 4 week midsummer sun infusion into Safflower and Jojoba oils and the second is a 24 hour warm infusion of fresh flower into Safflower oil.  These are blended with a small amount of lavender essential oil and a strong (20%) amount of Tea Tree oil.   Apply this salve to minor cuts and scrapes.

I will have this salve at the market Thursday in Knivsta and Saturday in Uppsala along with many other great herbal preparations grown and produced here in Sweden.

Anti-oxidant salve for the skin and the blessings of a wild lawn

 in Biodiversity / Natural Skin Care by

I am so thankful for all the wonderful herbalists who share their knowledge with the world and many do it completely for free. Rosalee de la Floret writes practical posts packed with information and I highly recommend reading her blog. She is also the education director for Learning Herbs.com, which is another great herbal resource. Their Wildcraft board game for kids, and also the Herb Fairies series of books are excellent to read, listen to, and to share and learn with children about the many uses of herbs.

I originally learned about the properties of the self-heal plant (Prunella vulgaris) from Rosalee, and the research is there, just as she says.

We have a lot of self-heal growing wild all around our wild lawn (read more below) so all i have to do is let it grow!  I waited to pick it when it has some flowers opening and then warm infused it together with plantain into safflower oil over a 24 hour period, a very mindful process.  To complete the salve, I added calendula oil (sun infused), cocoa butter, local beeswax, and geranium essential oil (also known for its skin healing properties).  This is NOT a sunscreen but just think of it as immunity boosting for the skin, helping the body to correct any damage that’s been done.  Gotta love it.  Smells good too!

Self Heal in the wild lawn

Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris, Brunört) in the wild lawn.

We try not to mow our lawn.  We let it go to flower over and over; in fact, the lawn is mostly cute little flowers everywhere. Last year it became a haven for all types of wild birds, bees and other insects which we gladly welcomed because the biodiversity breeds a healthy balance in the garden.  This beautiful green woodpecker was happy to come and literally tear apart the hidden ant nests and we were happy to have it.

Gray headed Woodpecker eating ants. Gråspett

Young Green Woodpecker (Picus Viridis, Gröngöling) eating ants.

2016-06-30 Super-emollient Lip Salve

 in Aromatherapy / Natural Skin Care by
Our own freshly-harvested, organically grown herbs: marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), calendula (Calendula officinalis), and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) before being pressed.

Our own freshly-harvested, organically grown herbs: marshmallow (Althaea officinalis), calendula (Calendula officinalis), and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) before being pressed.

Today I made an emollient lip salve with marshmallow!  I was inspired by Rosalee de la Floret who talked in her blog about the topical uses of marshmallow. After nurturing my plants over the last two years I am looking for more and more ways to utilize the amazing emollient properties of Althaea officinalis.  I used freshly harvested leaves and a little dried marshmallow root from last year’s divisions, and added some dried calendula petals (Calendula officinalis) and dried lavender  (Lavandula angustifolia) and warm infused it into safflower oil (Carthamus tinctorius L.) over a 24 hour period, very gently warming it and then letting it cool down (about 5 times).  I was myself surprised that the plant material retained such vibrancy through the process.  The picture shows the plants before I squeezed out every drop of oil I could get.  Lastly, I added beeswax, cocoa butter and spearmint essential oil.