Step By Step Homemade Herbal Health Spa

G'morning everyone....!

I am really excited (again) as today's post  is going to be super duper special.....

Have you ever wanted to go to a day spa, but the rediculously hight  prices took the need right out of the want?

Well read on my loyal followers, because today I am going to show you how to enjoy your homemade herbal health spa!!

So clear some time off your hectic schedule and  grab a babysitter, (well you probably don't want to "grab" her if you want her service lol) we are off to the spa!

~Peace~

How To Enjoy A Homemade Herbal Health Spa



Nothing dulls your complexion and your mood more than stress. If you've had a hard week at work or with the family, try to make some time for yourself on the weekend.

A couple of hours of pampering and you'll begin every week feeling radiant--inside and out!

Natural ingredients can be used for creating wondrous beauty treatments, as well as for improving your health. With a little herbal know-how, you can use kitchen cupboard staples, such as vegetable oils, herbs, and spices to create cleaners and moisturizers that will nourish your skin and hair.

You don't have to limit yourself to kitchen ingredients either---beauty treatments can also be found in the garden. Rose petals, lavender heads, and other flowers can all be used to make refreshing facial tonics.

Quick Herbal Beauty Tips

Dry Hair~Dry hair can be moisturized with oil or sesame oils. Massage a teaspoon of either oil thoroughly into your scalp, through to the ends of your hair.

Leave on hair for at least one hour for a brilliant conditioning treatment

A Dull Complexion~A dull complexion can benefit from a nourishing face mask made from chickpea (gram) flour, a pinch of salt and some honey.

Gram flour has amazing deep cleansing and nourishing properties, while the honey will soothe and moisturize you skin.

Tired Eyes~Tired eyes can be refreshed by covering each closed lid with a slice of cucumber.

Step By Step Herbal Spa

For your homemade health spa you will need the following ingredients

• Olive or Sesame Oil
• A pot of heavy cream
• An Avocado
• Fresh lavender flowers
• Ground Sea Salt

1.   While wearing a bathrobe, spread towels on the floor as some ingredients might drip. Then, massage a tsp. of olive/sesame oil through your hair and wrap it in a warm towel for one hour.

2. Mix a moisturizing face mask of cream with mashed avocado and apply thinly to your face.

Leave on for 15 minutes, then gently rinse off with lukewarm water.

3. Sweep rosewater toner(see recipe below) across your face with a cotton ball. It will wipe away any remaining traces of your face mask.

Then run a hot bath and sprinkle in the lavender flowers. Wait 10 minutes for the lavender to infuse into the water.

4. Mix a tbsp of  the oil with 4 tsp of sea salt while waiting for the lavender to infuse its fragrance. When the water temperature is comfortable, slip into the bath. Soak for a while, relaxing amid the fragrant scent. Massage a little of the salt mixture at a time onto your body using a wash mitt.

5. It should now be time to shampoo the oil out of your hair. shampoo and rinse your hair with your normal shampoo until it is squeaky clean. Then condition. Your hair will feel very soft.

Finish your spa treatment by showering away any residue from your sea salt scrub with warm, then cold,water to boost your circulation.

6. Now that your body is cleansed and exfoliated, massage in a moisturizer or

some sesame oil. After your own homemade spa, it should be time to put your feet up and relax with a glass of wine!

How To Make Your Own Flower Toners

You can make a refreshing floral face toner from many garden flowers, such as rose or lavender. To make a real old-fashioned, Victorian rosewater toner, follow the steps below:

1. Pick the petals from fresh roses that are in new bloom.

2. Put the petals in a bowl and cover them with boiling water.

3. Cover the bowl with a linen cloth and leave for a couple of days.

4. Pour into a bottle and refrigerate.

5. Apply across the face with a cotton ball after cleansing to soften your skin.

You can substitute the rose petals with lavender flowers

What a wonderful way to relax inexpensively!

Maybe you can invite your friends and have a spa night once a week..



Herbal Remedies For Children

Oh I am so excited about today's post....but please, before you give your children these remedies, please consult your pediatrician!

~Peace~

Herbal Remedies For Children

Learn how to choose gentle, mild herbs with soothing properties to ease many childhood ailments and hasten your child's recovery.

Babies get healing chemicals contained in herbal remedies via their mother's milk, along with protective natural antibodies. Once children stop breast feeding, however, their immature immune systems leave then susceptible to respiratory and other infections.

Luckily, herbs such as echinacea, elderberry and rosehip can give their immune response a boost.

This is not the only herbal benefit available to children; a chamomile infusion soothes a hyper-active child, while used as a compress or balm it is a natural antiseptic for cuts and scrapes. Many herbs ease growing pains, although you do have to be aware of special considerations when administering natural medicines to your little ones.

Special Considerations

Reduce the standard dosage of herbal remedies to suit the age of your child

Please always consult your pediatrician first

• 6 mos---1 year     5% of adult dose
• 1---3 years         10% of adult dose
• 3---5 years         20% of adult dose
• 5---10 years       50% of adult dose
• 10---15 years     80% of adult dose
• 15 years +          Full adult dose



Special Advice For Treating Babies

• Don't give herbs to babies under 6 months of age without professional consultation
• Infants can become ill rapidly. Seek Emergency attention for fever over 102 F, diarrhea, vomiting or breathing difficulties.
• Honey is an ideal way to administer herbs to children, but is not recommended for infants under one year. it can induce serious food poisoning in babies.

Herbs To Treat Children

The following herbs are mild to the taste and gentle on the body. 

Lemon Balm~This herb is rich in volatile oils, which calm the nervous system. An infusion of dried herb will soothe restless toddlers.

A compress soaked in lemon balm infusion cools feverish infections, including mumps and measles.

Fennel~This herb has a reputation for soothing colic in babies. The seeds contain 10% anethole, which relieves gas.

Give fennel as a weak infusion or decoction

Elderflower~A homemade cordial from the summer bloom of this tree dries up phlegmy conditions, including asthma and hay fever.

Elderflower strengthens the respiratory tract and a gargled infusion can help tonsillitis. A syrupy decoction of its berries is an expectorant for winter coughs and colds

Barley~A tonic for growing children, barley is easily digested. It relieves indigestion and is a remedy for an upset tummy. Barley water promotes appetite.

Chamomile~One of the safest and most popular herbs for infants, chamomile has traditionally been used to treat a wide range of ailments. A flower infusion soothes and aids sleep during teething and helps tummy upsets and colic.

A cream provides anti-inflammatory relief from diaper rash and eczema

Witchhazel~This herb has astringent, drying properties. Apply a dilute solution externally to stem bleeding and reduce inflammation

The bark of the witchhazel tree can be distilled or made into ointments

Echinacea~This herb strengthens a child's immunity. A tincture or decoction promotes respite from respiratory infection and asthma. Its polysaccharides inhibit viruses and its alkamides combat bacteria.

Ensure correct dilution as it can induce nausea in sensitive individuals.

Calendula~This herb soothes minor skin problems. The astringent antiseptic action is efective against diaper rash, cradle cap and ringworm

Tinctures made from calendula are gentle, mild and versatile

Spearmint~Sweet and mild, spearmint is the most suitable cultivar for children. An infusion makes a cooling drink for colds and chicken pox.

A compress from a spearmint infusion is refreshing, while a tea helps colic, coughs and stomachaches.

Lozenges reduce feelings of travel sickness

Blackcurrant Barley Water



For a healthy tonic, make this old-fashioned barley water to replace carbonated drinks.

You will need:

• 1 part Pearl Barley
• 9 parts Water
• Blackcurrant juice to taste

1. Gently simmer the barley in the water for 20 minutes in a large saucepan
2. Strain and retain the liquid
3. Add blackcurrant juice to taste
4. Store in a jug in the fridge or up to 3 days.

Other fruit juices, for example orange or cranberry, can be used instead of blackcurrant juice if preferred.



I know I have already said it a few times in this post, but I have to reiterate;

Please consult your pediatrician before starting any herbal remedies

Ok ..thanks for reading m'friends!

Herbal Remedies For Travel Sickness

G'morning all my faithful wonderful followers!

I would also like to extend a warm welcome to my new followers, you are all the reason I do this, to share knowledge of what this wonderful earth has for us. ( we really should be returning the favor)

Gaia (Mother Earth) has given us, I believe, all the tools to heal ourselves naturally.

Please though, as I have said in the past, please talk with your doctor or nurse practitioner before starting any herbal remedies, as prescribed medicine and health conditions can interact in a negative way.

~Peace~

Herbal Remedies For Travel Sickness

Any travel - by plane, car, boat or bus - can trigger sensations of dizziness, fatigue and nausea. In severe cases repeated vomiting may occur. Children are especially prone to sickness on long trips, but susceptibility usually decreases with age and experience of travel.

Tiredness and feelings of anxiety can also contribute to travel sickness, so try to rest and relax before traveling.

By taking herbal preparations or using acupressure techniques, motion sickness can be reduced to make traveling more pleasant. Many motion sickness drugs can cause drowsiness or a dry mouth, whereas herbs such as ginger or peppermint can be as effective but without the side effects.

Other herbs beneficial for travel include catnip, licorice, cayenne and black horehound.



Physiology Of Motion Sickness

Our senses are constantly updating our brain about our environment. Different parts of the body - our eyes, ears and skin - send separate signals to the brain about motion.

Travel sickness results when the brain receives conflicting messages.

Motion is detected by fluid changes in the semicircular canals of the inner ear, but if the eye and skin receptors don't experience this, the brain becomes confused. This confusion then triggers nausea.

Herbal remedies , such as ginger and peppermint, do not act on the brain to block these conflicting signals but rather act on the gastrointestinal tract to gently soothe and calm the stomach from these ill effects.

Herbs To Ease Travel Sickness

Ginger~The tuberous rhizome (rootstalk) of ginger contains gingerols, which calm and sooth the stomach. Ginger can be taken as an herbal decoction, tincture, or a sugar-coated pastille before and during a trip.

Oriental sailors have chewed fresh ginger root to combat seasickness for centuries. Its effectiveness has been confirmed through numerous clinical trials.

Valerian~This tall perennial herb often grows wild alongside river banks in Europe. Extracts of valerian root are rich in valepotriates, which sedate the nervous system.

It can reduce the fears of travel that trigger sickness. An infusion or tincture of fresh root is more potent than using dried root.

Catnip~Related to peppermint, catnip is a mild herb and is particularly suited to use for children. This active components are iridoids, tannins and volatile oils, which act to gently soothe and sedate the stomach and nerves. Catnip can taken as an infusion before long trips.

Peppermint~This familiar garden herb is an effective remedy for travel sickness. Its pungent peppery leaves have volatile oils to balance gastrointestinal activity and calm the stomach .

Create a dry inhalation for a trip by adding a few drops of peppermint essential oil to a hanky.

Black Horehound~This perennial herb with pretty flowers is believed to prevent nausea associated with travel sickness. It is related to peppermint and is rich in the active compounds diterpenoids, saponins and volatile oils, which help settle the nerves. Take it as a tincture or as an herbal infusion.

Licorice Root~Licorice root can be taken as an infusion, a tincture or a decoction. It has a potent anti-inflammatory effect, soothing the mucus membranes of the stomach and reducing the fatigue often associated with long trips.

You should avoid taking licorice if you are pregnant, diabetic or suffering from hypertension.

Chamomile~As well as easing the discomfort of a hangover, this herb can be used to counter the effects of travel sickness.

Chamomile's active ingredients include sesquiterpene lactones, flavinoids, coumarins and phenolic acid.

When making a chamomile infusion it is best to use the German variety of the herb's flower heads as opposed to the Roman variety; German chamomile has a milder flavor and lacks bitterness.

Ginger And Cayenne Tea

Include making an herbal remedy for motion sickness as part of your preparations before a long tip. The recipe below is easy to prepare and uses everyday ingredients you should find in your kitchen.

1. Grate 1 inch of fresh ginger root into a heat-resistant glass jug.
2. Add a dash of ground cayenne pepper
3. Pour on boiling water and steep for around five minutes.
4. Strain off the liquid and sip a cup half an hour before your trip. You can take the remaining liquid in a thermos.
5. The spicy remedy should taste quite palatable, but sweeten with honey if desired.

Thank you so much for checking out today's post, I hope you liked the information and find it useful next time you take a trip....