Keep Cool This Summer With A Homemade Floral Body Powder
Summertime finds forests, fields, and gardens flushed with the vivaciousness of all the things green and growing. With this life-filled energy comes plenty of sunshine and heat… heat that can make for sticky, sweaty situations which may not be so comfortable and pleasant. Floral body powder filled with the goodness of herbs can go a long way towards keeping a hot body feeling fresh and dry. And the good news? It is simple to make your own body powder at home!
How To Create A Homemade Floral Body Powder
Create Your Base
Many body powders found in commerce are made with talc which can be harmful to airways when breathed and has recently been investigated for carcinogenic properties (American Cancer Society, 2016). Making your own floral body powder ensures that you know the ingredients being used and that they are healthy for you and your family!
So what base can you use for your powder? Powders such as arrowroot powder, cornstarch (GMO-free, please), kaolin or French green clays, and rice flour make wonderful choices for the base of a floral body powder.
You can keep it super simple by using just arrowroot or cornstarch as your base or mix things up a bit by adding clay to your blend—clays are absorbent, helping to pull moisture from the skin. Try blending 1 part of arrowroot or cornstarch with ½ to 1 part clay, add your powdered herbs, and you are done!
10 Helpful Herbs to Choose From
Using flowers and herbs in body powder helps to add not only lovely fragrance but also the goodness of the chosen plants. Though by no means an exhaustive list, each of the herbs below has much to offer with properties such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and in some cases, even cooling benefits!
| Calendula petals | Calendula officinalis | anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, astringent, antiseptic |
| Chamomile blossoms | Matricaria recutita | anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, calming |
| Rose petals | Rosa spp. | astringent, aromatic, soothing, antiseptic |
| Lavender buds | Lavandula spp. | aromatic, uplifting, antiseptic |
| Elder flowers | Sambucus nigra. S. canadensis | anti-inflammatory, astringent, emollient |
| Linden flowers & bracts | Tilia spp. | cooling, antiseptic, calming, anti-inflammatory, emollient, astringent |
| Violet & pansy flowers | Viola spp. | cooling & soothing, anti-inflammatory |
| Peppermint leaves | Mentha piperita | cooling, stimulant, antiseptic |
| Sage leaves | Salvia officinalis | antiseptic, antihydrotic, aromatic |
| Comfrey leaves & root | Symphytum officinale | regenerative, emollient, astringent, anti-inflammatory, vulnerary |
*The above information was taken from The Herbarium by the Herbal Academy, Herbs for Healthy Skin, Hair, & Nails by Brigitte Mars, Jeanne Rose’s Herbal Body Book by Jeanne Rose, and Rosemary Gladstar’s Family Herbal by Rosemary Gladstar.
DIY Floral Body Powder
As promised, it is easy to make your own floral body powder! Just follow the directions below choosing the herbs and powders that suit you.
A Basic Recipe For Floral Body Powder
2 cups powder base—choose from arrowroot powder, cornstarch, rice flour, and kaolin or French green clay. Use up to 1 cup of clay with 1 cup of another base if you wish!
½ to 1 cup powdered herbs of your choice!
3 Simple Recipes to Try
If you are looking for a recipe to try, these will get you started on creating your own homemade floral body powder at home!
Soothing Summertime Powder
This blend helps to ease inflammation and discomfort from summer heat soothing skin irritations.
1 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
½ cup French green clay
¼ cup each powdered comfrey root or leaf, chamomile flowers, and Calendula petals
- Grind up your herbs if needed. Please note that roots can be very hard and difficult to grind so use caution.
- Mix the powdered herbs and powder base in a bowl, whisking to break up any clumps.
- Pass the powdered herbs and base through a strainer and finish by bottling up!
If you love floral fragrances, this is a wonderful blend to try. It smells amazing and will help keep you dry and fresh feeling!
1 cups arrowroot powder or cornstarchRosy Lavender
1 cups kaolin clay
¾ cups powdered rose petals
¼ cup powdered lavender buds
Super Cooler Powder
When things get really hot, this blend is a dust of cooling relief!
1 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
1 cup kaolin clay
¼ cup powdered peppermint
¼ cup powdered linden
¼ cup powdered violets, pansies, or rose petals
Looking for other ways to beat the heat this summer? Take a spin around the Academy blog for plenty of great tips, including the following:
- Easy to Make Recipes for Summer Skin Care
- Remedies for Sunburn & Summer Heat
- Cool as a Cucumber – 5 Ayurvedic Tips for Summer
- An Herbal Deodorant That Works!
- First Aid Essential Oils for a Summer Travel Kit
- Cooling Down with Summer Rose
REFERENCES
American Cancer Society. (2016). Talcum Powder and Cancer. Retrieved on 6/20/17 from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/talcum-powder-and-cancer.html
Calendula Monograph. (n.d.). Retrieved on 6/15/17 from http://herbarium.herbalacademyofne.com/monographs/#ID=2025
Chamomile Monograph. (n.d.). Retrieved on 6/15/17 from https://herbarium.theherbalacademy.com/monographs/#/monograph/1
Comfrey Monograph. (n.d.). Retrieved on 6/16/17 from https://herbarium.theherbalacademy.com/monographs/#/monograph/3050
Gladstar, R. (2001). Rosemary Gladstar’s family herbal. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing.
Mars, B. (1998). Herbs for healthy skin, hair, & nails. New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing.
Rose, J. (1976). Jeanne Rose’s herbal body book. New York, NY: Putnam Publishing Group.
Violet Monograph. (n.d.). Retrieved on 6/15/17 from https://herbarium.theherbalacademy.com/monographs/#/monograph/2027
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