Two of my favorite herbs.

I think I’ve finally settled on a basic everyday routine:

1. Tea tree essential oil in castille soap

2. Chamomile & Lavender infused oil^* (with a couple of added drops of chamomile & lavender essential oil if desired.)

3. Body cream at night or salve in the colder months. (Have not completely settled on the salve yet.)

^{*really thought it would be calendula infused oil (which is still great), but I fell in love with the chamomile & lavender combination.}

Today’s mask might just be a bit of a keeper: powdered rose petals (I threw some rose petals in the spice grinder), rose hip tea, activated charcoal, aloe vera gel, & bentonite clay.

It may sound luxurious, and it is, but cost-prohibitive it is not.

1/4 lb of organic red rose petals is less than $20. 1/2 lb of organic rose hips, $9. Activated Charcoal, $12. And all of these things have 100 different uses.

I use rose petals for: rose infused oil, which can be used for the body or used to make a salve or lip balm, for tea, to make rose water, in baths, and now for masks. You can also make a rose vinegar, use them for baking, in jams, etc. Eventually I want to make a vegan rose ice cream.

Rose hips can be used in similar ways as rose petals. I use them as a tea mainly, but you can make jellies, jams, & syrups.

Activated charcoal also has quite a few uses. I use it to whiten my teeth (works better than any whitening toothpaste I’ve used), as a detox drink, in my mask, and it’s also a good first aid item to have in the house.

Aloe vera gel I use in my mask, as a conditioner (along with coconut oil), in the body cream I use, occasionally as a supplement, and also as an excellent first aid item.

All of these different ways to use these wonderful things, not only is it cheaper, but I don’t get the stuff that I don’t want (additives, preservatives, dyes, parabens, “fragrance”) for the most part (depending on who you get your aloe vera gel from).

If you wanted to get started with herbs today (I’m no expert, this is just my opinion), I would say start small, and start with the basics. See where you can incorporate them into your life, and where you want to incorporate them into your life before buying a whole bunch of different herbs and accessories.

I’d say start with these 4 herbs:

Calendula: The general skin herb. (Suggested uses: oil, salve, tea) (4oz = $9.50, can also be grown)

Lavender: Therapeutic, an all around wonderful herb, smells delightful (Suggested uses: oil, salve, bath, tea (sparingly)) (1/2 lb. = $21, can also be grown)

Chamomile: Relaxing, Calming (Suggested uses: infusion) (4oz = $12.25, can also be grown)

Nettle: Vitamins & Minerals (Suggested uses: infusion) (4oz = $8.25, can also be grown and/or foraged)

I picked these 4 herbs because they are all all around wonderful herbs and gentle (which does not mean weak or that they don’t work). And while not every herb works for everyone, these 4 seem to work well for most. They also have so many uses and can address so many different issues.

To use them you just need one thing you already have: water. And if you want to take things a bit further, some oil. And even further then possibly a vinegar, and if you want to make a tincture, alcohol.

For example today while doing my normal routine, I did my normal things, and I made my mask with the items I mentioned above while drinking my rose hip tea, then once everything was complete for the day, I had lunch: a smoothie made with some leftover nettle infusion & marshmallow root infusion. Most things if not everything can go from my personal products to the kitchen and vice versa. Last week my mask included nettle & marshmallow root.

To make things a little extra nice add some essential oils to your getting started kit. My recommendations (again not an expert, just an opinion):

Lavender essential oil (yes even with the lavender herb, both of them are extremely useful in different ways) (Suggested uses: smell good, wounds, cuts, pain, beauty, relaxation) (10ml = $8)

Lemon essential oil (Suggested uses: digestion, skin, detox, cleaning (disinfectant), immune system, allergies) (10ml = $8.99)

Tea Tree essential oil (Suggested uses: bacteria, viral, fungal infections, skin, hair, cleaning, oral health, insect repellant, deodorant, kill mold) (10ml = $7.99)

Also I would say get one more oil where you really enjoy the smell.

So your entire getting started kit will cost you: $75.98 not including your menstruums or the smell good essential oil you choose. If you add a bottle of organic olive oil to that to make your infused oils you’re at $87.98, still under $100 to take care of your infused body oils, your tea, your floral baths, your infused vinegars (for cleaning or salad dressing), your vitamin C, your teeth whitener, your detox needs, poisoning remedy, your digestion issues, your wounds, scars, and cuts, your eczema, your acne, your general skin issues, your immune boosting needs, your relaxation needs, your insomnia needs, needed minerals, your household cleaning, your allergies, your bacterial, viral, fungal infections, your hair needs, your oral health, your insect repellant, and your deodorant, and possibly more that I’ve not touched on.

All this from 4 herbs, 4 essential oils, water, an oil, & a vinegar.

^{*Prices are taken from stores I’ve shopped: Mountain Rose Herbs, Plant Therapy, Bulk Herb Store}

Mask was the bomb today. A little bit of activated charcoal, a little bit of bentonite clay, aloe vera, nettle infusion, marshmallow root infusion, lavender essential oil, & German chamomile essential oil. Very nice.

I’m also becoming a fan of schisandra berries, they have a really interesting (& delicious to me) taste. And a cup of schisandra berry tea was really relaxing for me.

Becoming a fan of marshmallow root. It definitely adds moisture (I drank a little too much and could definitely tell the difference the next day) and it’s soothing. I also think it’s delicious. Trying it externally next (infused in oil).