My dd14 was reading a new book on herbs that I recently bought, Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. I got this because it had so many recipes and seemed user friendly, and so far I’m very pleased with it (though naturally it arrived immediately after I finished making all of my glycerites). Yesterday she asked me about several herbs that were in a recipe she was interested in preparing, for an herbal facial steam.
We didn’t have all the ingredients, but I told her she was welcome to use anything I had on hand. She used the following, which is a mixture for normal to oily skin:
- 3 parts comfrey
- 1 part raspberry leaves
- 1 part sage
- 1/4 part rosemary
It also called for 2 parts calendula, but I didn’t have any. She mixed up a batch and put it in a glass canning jar to store it and tonight prepared some for a relaxing facial steam. What that means is that you throw a handful of the mixed herbs into a pot that contains 2 – 3 quarts of boiling water, then cover it and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Then she took the pot to the dining room table, sat down and leaned over the pot, and covered her head and the pot with a bath towel to create a mini steam tent. (You can periodically lift the towel a bit if it gets too hot for you.)
She steamed for six minutes and then emerged invigorated, with her face dripping from sweat. I figured while the pot was hot I’d try it, too! That was a very pleasant experience, and as I breathed in the herbal vapors, they felt very soothing and healing internally, too.
Right after I finished I rinsed my face with cold water and then my mom came by. I suggested she try it, too! She did, and I gave her a neck massage for a couple of minutes while she steamed. Then ds16 tried it (the pot stayed hot for a while!). A short while after he finished he came to ask me if I noticed a difference in my skin, and I told him I hadn’t paid any attention. He said his skin was visibly clearer and blackheads were gone. (Dd9 popped out of bed when she heard my mom come by and she tried it, too, not wanting to be left out – but I don’t think she thought much of it one way or the other.)
This was a relaxing, fun, and frugal way to treat myself to some nurturing self-care right in the comfort of home!
Avivah
