There are lots of easy and safe ways to use herbs to help prevent and treat common colds and flu. But today, when we have so many herbal traditions and plant medicines to choose from, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to take, how to take it, and Read more…
In recent years there has been some debate over the effectiveness of commercial sunscreen, as well as concerns about the potential harm of some of the chemicals used in these products. As a result, many folks (including myself!) are looking for herbal alternatives. Since there is a lot of misinformation Read more…
Summer is on – how is your skin doing? This question never occurred to me until I reached my 40s, when I realized that all the years I’d spent sunbathing as a teenager and feverishly hiking and camping in my 20’s and 30’s was catching up with me. My fair Read more…
We all know that a home-cooked meal made with whole ingredients is far healthier than a package of processed food from the store. The same is true for skincare. Most of us are becoming increasingly thoughtful about what we put in on our skin, and a DIY approach can give Read more…
I have been making my own skin creams for over 10 years, and I’ll never go back to store bought! My skin is now accustomed to these fresh, nourishing creams, and I love being able to infuse my garden flowers like calendula and lavender right into my skin care. Also, Read more…
For many of us, salve making is our introductory experience into crafting our own herbal medicine. It?s our entry into the alchemy of turning living plants into a medicine we can use to heal our bodies. It happened to me ? when I infused calendula, plantain, and comfrey into olive Read more…
Lip balms are one of the easiest herbal preps to make – the recipe is flexible, you can easily customize it with your favorite oils and herbs, and you can even give them color and shimmer without using any synthetic ingredients.? You can make lip balms just for color, or Read more…
Are your herbs growing like crazy in the garden? What do you do with them all?? Here are some tips to help you successfully dry them for use all year round. Why Bother to Dry Herbs? Even if you just have a small patch of calendula, chamomile or mint, you Read more…
I started making my own skin care over ten years ago, and I’ve never gone back, because it is so easy, it feels so much better, and I want to avoid the chemicals that are so common in commercial products. A study by the Environmental Working Group showed that the Read more…
About 10 years ago, I was inspired to start making my own body care products.? It was pretty easy to make my own my lotions, creams, lipbalms, and with some more practice I figured out how to make my own bug repellent and sunscreen.? Since then I’ve taught hundreds of Read more…