Garden Salt Glow
You can create this simple spa-style product at home. It combines exfoliation, moisturization, and light massage for the ultimate skin-pampering experience. Coarse salt, mixed together with natural oils and herbs and rubbed all over the body, makes your skin soft and glowing.
Makes 2 cups
- 2 cups sea salt
- 1 cup sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
- 1 to 2 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
- 1 tablespoon dried herbs (rosemary, mint, and lavender combination)
- Mix together the salt, oil, vitamin E, essential oil (if desired), and herbs and stir well.
- Spoon into a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid. While standing in the tub or shower, gently massage a handful of the mixture into your skin, starting with your feet (be careful, as the oil will make them very slippery).
- Massage the salt all over your body, then rinse off with warm water and pat your skin dry. Do not use soap or other cleansers as this can remove the oil and spoil the moisturizing effect.
Leftover salt glow keeps for several weeks and does not need refrigeration.
Cucumber After-Bath Splash
This splash has a cool scent that will lift your spirits and tone your skin. Cucumber juice, a natural astringent, is best stored in the refrigerator, as it spoils easily. The splash is perfect for all skin types.
Makes 1 cup
- 1 medium-sized cucumber
- 1/4 cup witch hazel
- 1/4 cup distilled water
- 1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
- Using a blender, process the fresh cucumber (unpeeled) into a smooth puree and strain off the pale green juice (or use a juice machine).
- Mix together all the ingredients and pour into a clean spray bottle or bottle with a lid.
- Splash or spray onto clean skin after bathing or whenever your skin could use a boost.
- Refrigerate and use for a couple of weeks.
Lavender Bath
This bath recipe contains the relaxing aroma of lavender, along with oatmeal and baking soda, which are soothing to the skin. Packaged inside a pretty bottle, it makes a wonderful gift from the garden.
Makes 31/2 cups, enough for seven baths
- 1 cup dried lavender flowers
- 2 cups oatmeal
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- Place the ingredients inside a food processor or blender.
- Grind to a smooth, fine powder. The powder should have the consistency of whole-grain flour.
- Pour into a clean, airtight container or resealable plastic bag.
- To use, pour 1/2 cup into your bath as you fill the tub for a soothing end-of-the-day treat.
Rosemary Hair Conditioner
This is an enriching treatment for dark hair. It’s a perfect hair-repair conditioner for damage caused by the sun, water, and wind. Rosemary is superb for putting the luster and life back into your locks.
Makes 1 treatment
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (Substitute almond or sunflower oil if avocado oil is not available.)
- 1 tablespoon castor oil
- 2 teaspoons strong rosemary tea
- 2 eggs
- Mix all of the ingredients together until the mixture is light and airy.
- Then, using your fingertips, massage the conditioner evenly through the hair and into the scalp.
- Wrap your hair in a towel and leave on for 20 minutes.
- Shampoo and rinse in the normal way. Make a fresh batch each time.
Mother’s Day gift tip: Unusual jars and bottles found at craft and antique stores make great packaging for some of these recipes. Tie one with a bow or strip of fabric as a gift. Attach a card indicating your sentiment and instructions for using your herbal creation.
Pineapple Sage Facial Mask
Sage is a well-known hair rinse, but it also makes a wonderful facial mask, perfect for all skin types. Any type of sage will work in this recipe.
Makes 1 treatment
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 tablespoon fresh pineapple sage leaves
- 3 tablespoons oatmeal
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 egg white
- Pour the water over the sage leaves and allow to cool completely.
- Strain and add the sage liquid to the oatmeal, honey, and egg white.
- Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Spread the mixture on clean skin and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Rinse well with warm water and pat your skin dry.
Click here for the main article, Your Garden’s Gift To You.
Janice Cox is a frequent contributor to The Herb Companion and author of Natural Beauty from the Garden (Henry Holt and Company, 1999), available in bookstores nationwide or on her website, www.JaniceCox.com.