Lavender is lovely! It has a beautiful fragrance, and many healing properties. It is known to be a great nerve tonic, easing depression and anxiety and relieving stress. It is calming and can help induce sleep in insomniacs. It even has pain killing properties and can ease the agony of a migraine headache!
It is also widely used in natural skin care products. Lavender is antifungal and antiseptic so it is an effective acne treatment. It helps sooth sunburn, and speed healing of cuts and abrasions.
Below you will find a few recipes for lavender bath products that will baby your skin and help you unwind after a hard day. Why not give them a try?
Homemade Lavender Bath Cookies
2 cups finely ground sea salt
½ cup baking soda
½ cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons light oil
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
2 eggs
25 drops of lavender oil
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together all the ingredients.
Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.
For an extra nice touch, decorate the dough with dove pieces or rose buds.
Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
Be careful not to over bake them. Cool completely.
To use: Drop 1 or 2 cookies into a warm bath and allow to dissolve.
Relaxation Herbal Bath Tea
1 cup rosemary
2 cups lavender
2 cups rose petals
1 cup mint
Mix these dry ingredients together and keep in a sealed, dry jar. Use about ½ cup for each bath.
To use: Pour 1-2 cups boiling water over the herbs and steep for 15-20 minutes. Add to your bath water.
Lavender Herbal Milk Bath
2 cups cornstarch
2 cups dry milk powder
2 tablespoons of dried lavender, crumbled
Mix these dry ingredients together. Store them for future use in an airtight container.
For your bath, put about ½ cup of the mix into cheesecloth or a muslin bag. Be sure to tie it tightly. Add to your bath. You can tie kitchen string to the bag and float the bag in your bath as the water runs.
Homemade Lavender Bath Salts
1 cup Epsom salts
5 or more drops of lavender essential oil
Mix them together and keep in a covered jar. Allow the salts to sit for a few hours or overnight.
Add about ½ cup to running bath water.
To make it extra soothing to your skin, add 1 cup baking soda.
For a moisturizing effect, add 2-3 tsp. of honey.
Homemade Body Butter
4 TBSP. shea butter (found at any natural foods store)
1 to 2 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. Vitamin E oil
5 drops lavender essential oil
3 drops geranium essential oil
2 drops rose essential oil
Place the shea butter and olive oil in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave 90 seconds (or until the shea butter is completely dissolved).
Allow the mixture to set for 30 minutes.
After it has cooled, add the Vitamin E and essential oils.
Stir well and let the mixture set for 12 hours.
Stir again after 12 hours and pour into a decorative container.
Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making.
Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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