Beeswax, Dried Herbs, & Herbal Oils

 Well I know I haven't posted anything lately and I am very sorry. I have been a little preoccupied lately, but now it seems things may be slowing down and I was so happy to have a few days to myself to get the house in some semblance of order and to get back to my herbs. I have been pretty busy with my herbs lately, since my summer was preoccupied with other things I haven't really had the time to try to keep my herbs garden up either. So to say the least it looks pretty poorly compared to what I would've liked for it to look like. But, I got most of the weeds cleaned out of it and now all I have to do is take the weed eater to the sides and clean out the side I couldn't reach because of all the weeds. Hopefully Dad can get the weed eater fixed so I can get that done by next weekend.

  I had a few orders come in on my website and so I have to fill those (I got my first overseas order...YAY!), so I decided I really needed to make some more oils, get some beeswax and put up my herbs that I had dried a few weeks earlier, so here are the results of the past few days spent on herbs. 

Cleaning the beeswax, it smells sooo good!

Getting ready to double drain the beeswax...boy is that a messy job.

This is not for tender hands...yes, it burns!

Clean beeswax sitting on top of the water.

Finished Product.
So Beautiful!

Preparing Plantain Oil

this almost looks like I am making oregano oil...but it's plantain I promise

Finished Product, now it's ready to go into
a salve, or balm.

Dried Yarrow...waiting to be stripped and
put into jars. One of God's best healing herbs.

Dried Lavender...it smelled oh so good!

The Lavender jar, hopefully I can get it
 filled by the end of the year.

Hope you enjoyed reading and looking at the pictures, I have really enjoyed being able to get back to my herbs ;)

What did you do this summer?

Two gals +One truck x Lots of Seedlings = Lots of Fun!

This past weekend I went shopping with my best friend Jess. Now, we shop a little differently from most girls our age. While others might be headed down the road in a honda, mustang, or some other cute or sporty car, listenin to pop music we were headed down the road in this:

Scottie

listenin to some good ole fashioned Country. And while other girls might be headed to the mall, clothing outlet or somewhere cool to hang out. We gals were headed off to hit up some nurseries:





The first place we went is an awesome little nursery called Farmer D's it has all USDA Organic plants. I found a few herbs and some cayenne peppers, I was a happy gardener...what a way to start off the day!





Yes we love shopping, OUR way!!!



Family Tree Nursery had a wonderful layout and had a lot more herbs than they did last year and they also had some heirloom tomatoes, so Jess and I both were pleased!!!

If you see a cart full of peppers like this, just know it's Jess...that girl LOVES her peppers!!!

Where are those sage plants???

To many to choose from and not enough money :'(



Vegetables!!!




look at my lovely variations of oregeno Jess!!!

 Although we didn't start off like normal 20 something year old gals would have started their Saturday, we did end up where most of the teenagers and 20 something year olds were (although I could have sworn it was a bunch of three year olds in daycare), at the Theatre. We met Mama Cathy (Jessica's Mom and one of my Best Friends) at the theatre and watched Soul Surfer, aside from all the bikini clad girls it was a wonderful movie (made us all cry), but I wouldn't let my guys see it that's for sure.

Here are some pictures of us working in her garden enjoying the plants, dirt and sunshine:




Such a wonderful nostalgic look,  plants in the bed of an old truck







Sooo, when do we get started?



Peakin over all the veggies and herbs



Peakin over the veggies and herbs




Mountain mint...I love this plant.




Mint Julep...smells so good!




Golden Thyme




Blessed Hands!!




Variegated Sage...it's a pretty plant.




Me and Mak workin in the garden




Jess making rows for seeds




Intensely workin in the Garden



 Monday I started planting my garden, I didn't finish but here are some pics:



MY




BEAUTIFUL



HERBS!!!!



over $150 for all this stuff!




I always figure out where I am going to put things by setting them up the way I want them planted...




then I will plant them.




But, it took me a good long while just to figure out where everything should go




I finally got it right...well at least I think I did.




I planted a lot of Rosemary and Sage (their good companions), I am actually planning on getting more Rosemary. I want it to be like a hedge of sorts for my garden, although that will take a few years...but I'm willing to wait.




Planting Echinacea




Resting for a minute...if you can tell there is some big Echinacea plants behind the little ones I just planted, they are the ones from last year that I planted from seed and they never bloomed (apparently Echinacea is a Biennial), but this year the blooms are coming in strong...Hallelujah!!!!



Planting the Rosemary and Sage was intense work, I had to get them all in a straight line you know.
Yes I'm a perfectionist...sorry, but it's me!

All in all I have had a wonderful weekend and a great beginning to this week, I can't wait to get my other plants in the ground tomorrow LORD willing and the Creek don't rise.



Farmers, Daughters of Vision, Future Wives & Mothers
BUT ALWAYS BEST FRIENDS!!!!



Herbal Recipe & Tips for a Great Complexion

Today I am going to give you my recipe for my facial cleansing oil and give you some great tips and pointers on how to keep your facial routine as natural as possible. Then I will be telling you about the herbs that go into the facial routine and why they are so great for your complexion.
  Usually cleansing oils are used for removing water-proof make-up,but not so with this oil. This oil is great for removing makeup, as well as cleaning out your pores, moisturizing your skin and helping to heal acne and acne scars.

What you will need:
- A Carrier Oil (I suggest Grapeseed or Almond Oil)
- Tea Tree Oil (this can usually be found at your local drug store in the vitamin department, it's around $8-9)
- Vitamin E Oil (this also can be found in the drug store, same department. Usually about $5)
- Peppermint Extract (Optional) - not to be confused with peppermint oil
- 4 oz bottle (these can be bought here, or you can probably find something about the same size at a thrift store)
- Funnel (make sure the funnel fits the mouth of the jar before getting started)
- rubbing alcohol

What to do:
To start out you want to use the rubbing alcohol to clean your bottle, funnel and any other utensil you will be using. This insures that everything is clean. Let the utensils sit for at least 10 min (or more) to dry (you don't want the alcohol to get into the mixture of oils). Fill bottle with Carrier Oil to the halfway point, then fill it with the following mixture: 1 teaspoon of Tea Tree Oil 1/2 teaspoon of Vitamin E Oil 1/8 teaspoon of Peppermint Extract (Optional) - not to be confused with peppermint oil After mixing these together in the bottle, add more Carrier Oil bottle is full. Label and store in a cool dark place.Shake before every use.


Finished Product


How to use this product and tips on how to have a natural and refreshing complexion:

Step One - Opening the Pores: Take a cloth and wet it in hot water, lay over your face breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, do this for about 10-15 seconds (or until cloth becomes cold). This process opens the pores as well as clears the nasal passages.


Step Two - Cleansing with Oil: Take a medium sized cotton ball (or pad) and add a little oil. Clean your face with the oil always using a light upward/outward motion, meaning always going up from the to the forehead and always going outward towards the hair line. The upward and outward motion keeps you from pulling your skin down, which means you could have less wrinkles later on in life by using this motion.


Step Three - Cleansing with Water : After you have removed all foreign matter from your face with the oil repeat step one. Wipe face with warm cloth to remove excess oil.


Step Four - Toning with Astringent: Wet a cotton ball with Witch Hazel*and use the same upward/outward motion until. Let face dry. *found in the drug store, usually next to the alcohol or you make your own.


Step Five - Moisturizing: Apply Aloe Gel* all over face, be careful not to get it in your eyes.


Step Six - Spot Treatment: For spot treat ment try my Cool Mint Balm or In 'Mint' Condition Salve, leave on overnight. Usually for small acne spots it can take up to 2-4 days for them to disappear, for larger spots 4-8 days...but on occasion they can disappear overnight.


Step Seven - Diet, Exercise & Sunning: The best thing you can do for your complexion is to eat lots of fruit and veggies, drink plenty of water, exercise at least three to five times a week, and get out in the sun for at least 10-20 minutes a day (just don't over do it), vitamin D is very good for acne and your complexion.


What Are These Things?

Tea Tree Oil - The leaves from this tree were once used by early colonials of Australia and New Zealand for tea, this is probably how it got it's name, Tea Tree. This oil is antiseptic, antibacterial, skin healing and also a decongestant.

Peppermint Extract - This plant is used all over the world for several medicinal reasons, our use of the extract is for it antiseptic properties and for it's great smell.

Witch Hazel - This plant is a natural astringent, and is great to use on both oily and dry skin. It's also great for other skin problems such as bug bites, cuts, poison ivy rash, and sunburn. You may be surprised at what this simple and natural astringent will do for you. If you'd rather use it without the alcohol content why not make your own? Just boil a cup of water and pour it over about 1/4 c. witch hazel, cover and let sit for about 20-30 minutes. Keeps in the fridge up to 4 weeks.

Aloe Gel - Although the gel is not as "good" as the fresh plant gel, the gel will do if you don't have a fresh plant. Aloe is a natural moisturizer, it has antibacterial properties as well as anti-inflammatory so you can see why it's good for your complexion. Aloe can reduce the swelling caused by acne and also over time reduce acne scarring.





Why is this better than store bought? Store bought items have harsh cleaners in them that most of us can't even pronounce, when you make your own products and use pure and naturally grown plants you know where they came from. Plus when using these kind of products you are being better to the planet and yorself by not using all these harsh chemicals. If you have any questions please leave a comment here, on my blog or on my contact page here.

If you have any questions please leave a comment or contact me here