I was going to write about my nature collecting article today as I just posted about it on Instagram and loved writing it and seeing it being published so much. Commissioned by Countryfile magazine, it’s a feature about collecting and arranging treasures from nature as a form of mindfulness – 100 ideas to collect over the seasons as it were.
However, it’s too dull a day to write about that so I’m saving it for a hopefully sunnier tomorrow and instead going back to my first more weather appropriate thoughts this morning… and writing about facials.
Basically I went for an early run even though it was drizzling because out of the blue I had crazy cabin fever and in fact have spent all day trying to break down a steadily growing psychotic feeling (Half term madness? Saturn squaring with Uranus? Energy rising from the lightening days while still not able to go out? Or all three?). I say drizzling, but actually once I was out, it was not really raining at all and was a relief to be under a wider sky afforded to us locals by Wanstead Flats.
By the time I’d done a commendable 3km by circumnavigating the still soggy playing fields (sure there’s now permafrost under there) I felt temporarily ready for the world and so took off my hat and let the breeze blow my hair off my face while the misting rain gave me the said facial.
I then spent the rest of my run/walk home thinking about facials and how lovely they are and when was the last time I had one (about 2013 I think!) and oh, but what about a DIY facial steam – that’s possible!
It’s then taken me all day to consult some of the facial recipes in my The Heritage Herbal (basically because I keep forgeting what I’m doing from one minute to the next – a come-and-go. creep-up-on-you-when-you-need-it-least, impossible-to-multi-task winner of a Lockdown/Perimenopausal affliction, the full suite of which I shall now refer to LPA) to come up with some little bath-time treats I could give myself later.
Herewith a recipe for an Basil Head-Easing Steam, a Hyssop Ritual Bath, a lovely Marjoram Muscle Relief Massage Oil and a Sage Hot Flush Tincture thrown in! Enjoy. Thanks, I will (another LPA: talking to yourself).
PS If you want to go screen free while you steam, bathe, massage or even flush – highly recommended for all four – The Heritage Herbal books available from my A Botanical World store >
BASIL HEAD-EASING STEAM
Harness basil’s anti-inflammatory properties to help get rid of tension headaches, best administered via a relaxing steam inhalation. Or for relief on the go, try chewing on a few fresh basil leaves.
Makes 1 inhalation
500ml (2 cups) hot water
1 tbsp dried basil leaf
1 Pour the water into a large bowl and add the basil – you can use shop bought basil or dehydrate your own by hanging bundles of 15cm (6in) stems upside down in a dark, warm, dry place, or by drying single leaves on a low setting in a dehydrator.
2 Place a towel over your head and the bowl. Then carefully inhale the steam for 10–15 minutes until your headache begins to subside.
HYSSOP RITUAL BATH
It may or may not be the holy hyssop mentioned in the Bible but the herb’s cleansing and restorative powers are perfect for an energy-aligning, fragrant ritual bath.
Makes 1 bath bag
1 muslin drawstring sachet bag
6 tbsp dried hyssop leaves and flowers 500g (2½ cups) Epsom salts
3 tbsp sweet almond oil
2 drops hyssop essential oil
2 drops lemongrass essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
Candles and healing crystals (optional)
1 Fill a muslin sachet bag with the hyssop leaves and flowers. pull drawstring to close.
2 Place the Epsom salts in a 500ml
(17½fl oz) lidded glass jar, followed by the almond oil and essential oils. Seal and shake gently to combine.
3 Run a warm bath. Place the hyssop bath sachet under the running tap.
4 Add a cupful of the aromatic bath salts, stirring with hands until dissolved.
5 Place healing crystals such as quartz or amethyst in the bath and light the candles.
6 Soak for at least 20 minutes, breathing deeply to inhale the infused steam, and use the bag to wash and soothe skin.
MUSCLE RELIEF MASSAGE OIL
Combine the sweet scent and warming, muscle-relaxant properties of sweet marjoram essential oil with nourishing sweet almond oil to create a deeply therapeutic massage oil for tired bodies, aching joints or poor circulation. Add a few drops of lavender essential oil for deeper relaxation and rosemary essential oil for extra pain relief.
Makes 1 x 50ml (1¾fl oz) bottle
3 tbsp sweet almond oil
10 drops sweet marjoram essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
7 drops rosemary essential oil
1 Almost-fill a 50ml (1¾fl oz) brown- or blue-tinted and capped bottle with the sweet almond carrier oil.
2 Add the essential oils using a dropper.
3 Close the bottle with a lid and shake gently to mix.
4 Massage oil into areas of muscle or joint pain, or use for a therapeutic full body treatment – perfect after a warm shower or bath.
SAGE HOT-FLUSH TINCTURE
Sage extract or tincture has been used for centuries as a folk remedy for reducing fever and perspiration. It is thought to lessen the effects of menopause-related hot flushes and night sweats.
Fills up to 5 x 100ml (3½fl oz) dropper bottles
1 large bunch of fresh sage
500ml (2 cups) 80–90 per cent proof vodka
1 Remove the sage leaves from the stalks. Discard the stalks. Wash the leaves and lay out on a cloth to dry overnight.
2 Chop the leaves and place in a sterilized 500ml (17½fl oz) glass lidded jar. Cover the herbs entirely with the vodka almost to the top.
3 Seal with a lid and leave in a cool, dark place for 4–6 weeks. Shake the jar every 2–3 days. Ensure the herbs stay covered.
4 Strain the tincture through muslin into a glass bowl. Cover and leave to stand overnight. Strain again.
5 Use a funnel to decant the tincture into sterilised 100ml (3½fl oz) amber-coloured glass dropper bottles. Label and store in a dark place.
6 Adult doses are 30–60 drops (1–5ml or 1/5–1 tsp) tincture in a little water, twice a day.