Results for Category: DIY
DIY Fine and Dandy Facial Serum
My son and I were out on our walk the other day, and I realized we’re full blown in the middle of spring here in Texas. Everywhere I turn, I am seeing dandelions pop up all over the place! Last spring I taught you how to Sweeten Your Breakfast with Dandelion Flower Syrup, so I […]
Foraged Skin Care Remedies
Early spring is a wonderful time for foraging. After winter, it is refreshing to finally get outside and gather some healing herbs...
4 Easter Egg Decorating Techniques
Easter is right around the corner, and dyeing eggs is a much loved tradition on this holiday. This spring, add some herbal fun to ...
Skin Care Tips and Simple Recipes for Spring
Although you might feel energized by the warmer weather when spring comes around, your skin could be suffering. Here are some springtime skin care tips to help you prettify your skin. Get Rid of Winter in Your Spring Beauty Regimen Before you can focus on gorgeous spring beauty, you first need to get rid […]
Herbal Remedies for Dry Skin: 3 Simple Recipes
Most of us have dealt with dry skin at some point in our lives, and for many of us, this concern intensifies during winter. Even though spring is just around the corner, if you are still dealing with the drying effects of cold air and indoor heat on your skin, here are some natural options […]
How to Make Your Own Soap + Herbal Recipes
One of my favorite ways to utilize herbs and essential oils is by adding them to my handmade soap. Soapmaking is a great skill to ...
Soothing Oatmeal Bath Recipe
My son and I suffer from eczema, and during the coldest parts of winter our eczema tends to flare up more often than usual. It can...
Comfrey Uses + Soothing Comfrey Cream Recipe
I started growing comfrey a couple of years ago, but my reasons were NOT strictly altruistic. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of my herbs, but I particularly love perennial herbs like comfrey that are well suited to a pot and can be brought indoors during our cold Kansas winter. There is Comfort in […]
Can You Be Green and Glamorous?
Editorial Note: This is the first part of a two-part post exploring the realities of the cosmetics and personal care product industry. The first part focuses on animal testing and cruelty-free alternatives. The second post will delve deeper into natural products and environmental impacts. As human beings, we are multi-faceted creatures. But what happened when […]
A Simple Cold and Flu Recipe with Ginger, Lemon, and Garlic
Like many families, each winter we struggle through cold and flu season; fortunately, it’s usually just a cold. I have a pre...
Make Your Night Memorable With a Rose-Vanilla Massage Oil
Valentine’s Day is looming, tantalizing us with its impending possibilities. With a five year old son who loves to come to o...
Spring’s Bitter Tonic Tea with Dandelion Root, Motherwort, and Lemon
The holidays have passed and the new year is upon us. Many of us have given ourselves license over the winter festival season to indulge in drinks, rich foods, and way more sugar than makes sense for a person to have. And all of those people! Friends, family, coworkers, parties… it is easy to feel […]
Detoxifying Face Mask: Ring in the New Year with a Fresh Face!
The new year is upon us and it has me looking at all of the ways I need to detox in my life. After a holiday season of sugary treats and candy, my face is telling me that it needs to detox from all of the holiday cheer I forced upon it. What better than […]
Wintertime Herbal Infused Whipped Body Butter Recipe
‘Tis the season for cold and dry winter weather, which also is synonymous, in our world, with dry cracked hands and feet. My...
Breathe Easier With a Decongesting Herbal Steam
When I get a cold, my least favorite thing is not being able to breathe well. I even get dreams when I am congested that I am drow...
Making Sage Honey
Sage. One of my favorite culinary herbs and one of the herbs people have easy access to no matter where they are. Salvia officinalis – even the Latin name gives us an idea of the respect this Mediterranean beauty has earned. Salvia in Latin derives from the word salvere which means, “to save.” Historically, it […]
Violet Leaf Soap Recipe
While violet flowers are only around for a short time in the spring, the leaves often persist well into autumn, depending on where you live. Oil infusions of these leaves are wonderful for toning and moisturizing the skin (Cech, 2000) and can be incorporated into a gentle, soothing soap, perfect for those with sensitive skin. […]
Warming Ginger Cayenne Salve For Natural Pain Relief
I have been going through surgeries on my spine since my first one, at 8 years old. It all started with scoliosis, and from there ...
DIY Lavender Bath Salts
Is there a person on the planet who does not wish for a long bath at the end of a stressful day or week? Unfortunately, not much...
Valerian Mint Cordial: The Perfect Herbal Nightcap
No matter how hard I try to maintain a good sleep schedule, I often find myself lying awake, staring at the ceiling long after I should be asleep. My mind is either going over tomorrow’s plans, replaying today’s conversations over and over, or fixating on some other anxiety that I just can’t let go of. […]
Making Herbal Vinegars
Fall is a bountiful and busy time of year. Now that I have decanted my infused oils and most of my herbal tinctures, I take to the gardens to harvest herbs and plants that will be dried for use during the winter and spring. Making herbal vinegars from flowers and culinary herbs is also something I look […]
Lice Home Remedies Using Herbs
It is that time of year: the kiddos are in the full swing of school and bringing home all sorts of things for you to take care of....
Ten Homemade Herbal Teas for Cold and Flu Season
The changes in the leaves, drops in temperatures, and pumpkin pie-everything are signals to me that it’s time to prepare for...
Calendula Uses: Our 14 Favorite Recipes
There are many, many uses for calendula! Calendula is perhaps most commonly known as a first aid support for cuts and wounds. It’s also used internally as an antimicrobial to help the body resist pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Having anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, astringent, and vulnerary properties, calendula is also a good herb […]
Elderberry Calendula Cold and Flu Elixir
Herbalists need to be good at multi-tasking and planning, like a juggler with three or four balls in the air. Late summer is a good example, when I am simultaneously picking the calendula flower heads daily and setting them to dry, planting another round of cilantro, wildcrafting the last of the mugwort before it goes […]
An Herbal Deodorant That Works… Finally!
I think I’m one of those people who’ve tried every natural deodorant recipe they could find only to be utterly disappo...
Promote Healthy Gut Flora With A Prebiotic Herbal Electuary
As a health conscious person, you are likely aware of the fact that digestive health is directly linked to overall health. This me...
Meet the Mint Family (+ Mint Sun Tea Recipe!)
I walk in my gardens on a July evening, admiring the lush green that abounds in midsummer. The bee balm is chest high and near blooming, the lavender, catnip, and oregano are in full flower; the sage, rosemary, thyme, and basil are growing tender new leaves almost daily; and the peppermint and lemon balm are […]
A Summer Bitters Recipe with Dandelion, Gentian, and Licorice Root
It goes without saying that most people prefer a sweet or salty flavor over a bitter one these days, but did you know that bitter foods are foundational parts of traditional diets due to their action on digestion? It’s true! Bitter plants were incorporated into the beginning of almost all meals as a way to […]
Lavender-Infused Oil and Sugar Scrub Recipes
Summer has always been my favorite season. I just love the warmth of the sun, the gardens that come alive, the meadows that fill ...
