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DIY Herbal Body Care Products

12/6/2018

 
​Crystal Stevens
Picture of mint
Body Wash

1 cup water

2 cups of liquid castile soap

4 tablespoons melted coconut oil

10–15 drops lavender essential oil or essential oils of your choice.

Never use clove oil or oregano oil directly on the skin as they will burn. If you choose peppermint essential oil, use only half of the suggested number of drops. To be safe, stick to gentle essential oils such as lavender and rosemary. Small amounts of peppermint, tea tree or other safe essential oils can be used as well.

Whisk all ingredients together in a measuring cup. Using a funnel, fill a reused body wash bottle or squirt bottle. Be sure to label. Use 1 or 2 squeezes per wash.

Invigorating Shampoo


1 cup water

1/2 cup liquid castile soap

8 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoons coconut or calendula oil

10 drops peppermint essential oil

10 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops rosemary essential oil

Whisk together all ingredients in a measuring cup. Funnel into reused shampoo bottle. Be sure to label. Use 1 or 2 squeezes per shampoo.

Natural Mint Toothpaste


6 tablespoons baking soda

1 tablespoon Celtic sea salt

5–10 drops peppermint or spearmint essential oil

1 tablespoon water

​Mix together ingredients in a small plastic container with lid. Be sure to label. Use ½ teaspoon per cleaning. Use within three months.
Picture of mint
Spearmint Mouthwash

1 cup water

½ cup vodka

10–15 drops of peppermint or spearmint essential oil

2 teaspoons aloe vera gel (optional)

5 teaspoons liquid vegetable glycerin (optional)

Bring water and vodka to a boil and then let cool. Add 10–15 drops of peppermint or spearmint essential oil and mix well. If you like, add in aloe vera gel and liquid vegetable glycerin. Transfer to a recycled mouthwash container and shake well before each use. Be sure to label. Use 1 capful per rinse.

Deodorant

1 cup coconut oil

½ ounce beeswax

1 ounce shea butter

1 tablespoon vitamin E oil

40 drops lavender essential oil

1 tablespoon zinc oxide

Mix coconut oil, vitamin E oil, beeswax and shea butter together in a double boiler. Let cool. Stir in essential oils and zinc oxide. Store in small recycled jars (baby food size) jars with tight fitting lids.

Natural Baby Wipes

Medium stack of heavy-duty organic cloths (30)

2 cups water

½ cup aloe vera juice

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons calendula oil or vitamin E oil

1 tablespoons liquid castile soap

2 drops lavender essential oil

Whisk all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Gently press down cloths into liquid so it is all absorbed. Place wet wipes in a reused wipe box with lid. Be sure to label.

Diaper Ointment

1 cup coconut oil (infused with 1/8 cup dried calendula flowers, 1/8 cup chamomile flowers and 5 plantain leaves,)

¾ cup shea butter

1 tablespoon vitamin E oil

15 drops lavender essential oil

1 tablespoon zinc oxide

​Infuse coconut oil with flowers and plantain on low heat for 20 minutes. Strain. Mix coconut oil and shea butter together in the top of a double boiler. Let cool. Stir in essential oils and zinc oxide. Store in recycled shallow jars with tight-fitting lids.

#naturalbodycare #herbalbodycare #herbs #freepermaculture #permaculturewomen #DIY

Tincture Making

10/29/2018

 
​Crystal Stevens
Picture of herbs in a mortar and pestle and scattered on a table
Tincture making is an ancient art that has been passed down through generations, usually from mother to daughter, around the globe.

​Tinctures involve soaking herbs in a liquid — typically vodka, brandy, apple cider vinegar or vegetable glycerin — to extract the medicinal properties of the herbs. Alcohol tends to have a long shelf life so the tincture will last up to a year. Vinegar and glycerin tinctures have a shorter shelf life and may need to be refrigerated.

​The liquid used in tincture making is known as the menstruum. The standard ratio for fresh herbs in tincture making is 1 part fresh herb to 2 parts menstruum. The standard ratio for dried herbs is 1 part dried herbs to 5 parts menstruum. Typically the herb will rise to the top of the jar, above the liquid surface. To prevent this from happening, weigh down your herbs with a crystal (be sure to sanitize the crystal first). For advanced tincture-making, 190-proof organic alcohol works best. Different herbs require varying concentrations of alcohol.
Picture of herbs in a mason jar soaking in alcohol with a small tincture bottle next to it
Simple Tincture

Herbs and flowers of your choice

Mason jar with lid

Alcohol (organic vodka or brandy)

1) Label your jar with contents and date.

2) Fill jar ¾ of the way full with herbs.

3) Fill jar halfway with alcohol.

4) Fill remaining space in jar with water, leaving one inch at the top of the jar.

5) Be sure your herbs are covered. If they are not, tamp them down with a spoon.

6) Shake vigorously for 1–2 minutes.

7) Store in a dark, cool, dry place.

​8) Shake daily. Medicine will be ready in two weeks and will last up to one year.

#tincture #herbs #herbalremedies #wellness #freepermaculture #permaculturewomen #DIY

Botanical Tea Blends

10/8/2018

 
Crystal Stevens
Picture of cups of tea and some herbs
​Cold Infusions can be made by steeping fresh herbs in cold water for an hour or more. Hot infusions are soothing, warming and comforting during winter months. Herbs can be steeped for 5–10 minutes to extract the active constituents and the medicinal benefits from the herb. Leaves and flowers require less time to steep than roots and bark.

Try the following herbs when you are feeling under the weather.

Cold and Flu Support


​Ginger
Cinnamon
Turmeric
Garlic
Echinacea Root
Burdock Root
Dandelion Root
Slippery Elm Bark (ethically harvested)
Licorice Root
Pau d’ Arco Bark
New England Aster Flower
Chamomile Flowers
Nettle Leaf
Reishi Mushroom
Red Clover Blossoms
Calendula Flower Petals
Thyme Leaf
Oregano Leaf
Sage Leaf
Rosemary Leaf
Cloves
Cinnamon Bark
Mullein Leaf
Ginger Root
Peppermint Leaf
Lavender Flowers
Tulsi
Picture of a cup of tea by ginger, cinnamon sticks, herbs and a pepper
​Immune Support

Cayenne
Ginger root
Garlic
Echinacea 
Goldenseal
Astragalus
Oregon Grape extract
Pau d’ Arco Bark
Reishi Mushroom
Elderberry
red clover blossoms
nettle leaf
sage leaf 
St. John’s wort

Natural Stress Relief

 
Skullcap
Oatstraw
Chamomile
St. John’s Wort
Motherwort
Peppermint
Lavender
Tulsi
Women’s Support
Red Clover Blossoms
Stinging Nettles
Red Raspberry Leaf
Skullcap
Oatstraw
Chamomile
St. Johns Wort
Motherwort

Floral energy


Roselle, red clover flowers, calendula flowers, chrysanthemum flowers, Echinacea petals, rose hips, lemon balm, red raspberry leaf, nettles

Digestion


ginger root, TULSI, peppermint leaf, basil leaf, and chamomile flowers
Rest and relax
chamomile and valerian root
Stress relief
kava kava, chamomile flowers, spearmint, passionflower herb, rose petals, lavender flowers and cinnamon bark
 
Headache relief

​peppermint leaves and lavender flowers
Picture of a cup of tea and some herb flowers
Crystal Stevens is an Author, an Artist/Art Teacher, a Folk Herbalist, a Regenerative Farmer, and a Permaculturist. Crystal is the author of Grow Create Inspire and Worms at Work, published by New Society Publishers. Crystal speaks at conferences and Mother Earth News Fairs across the U.S.. She has been teaching a Resilient Living workshop series for over a decade. She is the Garden Manager at EarthDance Organic Farm School in Ferguson, MO, where her husband, Eric Stevens, is the Farm Manager. They have two children and live along the rolling hills of the Mississippi River near St. Louis. Visit them at www.growcreateinspire.com, on social media @growcreateinspire and @earthdancefarms
Picture of a woman in a lavender field
#herbs #freepermaculture #permaculturewomen #DIY #herbalinfusions #botanicalteas
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