Instructions

Put fresh or dried leaves, flowers, crushed seeds, bark or roots in the teapot, Pour boiling water over and let it sit for five minutes. Use a teaspoon of dried herbs or a fresh bunch of 6-9 leaves per cup. Strain and serve.

Decoction

Crush the root, bark or seeds. Place them in cold water in a kettle with a lid. Get it boiling, and let it simmer until it’s down to a fourth of the original volume. Strain.

Tincture

Put 100 g (~3.5 oz) dried or 250 g (~8.8 oz) fresh herbs in a jar, add 5dl (~16.9 fl oz) of 60 % alcohol. Leave for to weeks. Strain.

Ointment

Melt 250 g (~8.8 oz) of Coconut butter or another firm fat, and add 30 g (~1.1 oz) dried or 90 g (~3.2 oz) fresh herbs. Simmer for to hours. Strain.

Bath salt

1 kg (~35.3 oz) of sea salt
Food coloring
2 tbsp of your favorite aroma oil

Place the salt in an enameled dish and drip the oil over it. Stir to mix thoroughly. Mix the color with water and add it. Stir well and spread on a newspaper to dry. You can also dry it in the oven on baking paper on a grid, in a temperature below 50 ^oC (122 F). The salt has to be completely dry before you put it in jars or bottles. Remember to seal the lid, so the air doesn’t get in. 4-5 tbsp is enough for one bath. A good gift idea maybe?

Bath extract

Boil 1 l (~33.8 fl oz) of water and pour over the herbs. Let it sit for 30 minutes and add it to the bathwater.

Herbal oil

The proportions are 3-5 tbsp of dried herbs to 3 dl (~10.1 fl oz) of oil. Use cold pressed plant oils.

Choose the herbs you want and pour oil over them. Boil the mixture over a water bath ½-2 hours, let it cool and strain. You need 1-2 tbsp of oil for one bath.

Another method is to mix herbs and oil in a dark glass bottle so the herbs are covered by the oil. Put the mixture in a warm place for a couple of weeks and shake the bottle every day. Strain.

Massage oil

Avocado oil is good for dry skin. Olive-, Almond-, soy-, sunflower- and grape seed oil are other good base oils. Wheat germ oil is expensive, but doesn’t turn rancid as fast as the others.

Base recipe:
5 tbsp base oil
15 drops of aroma oil

Don’t mix more than this because it turns rancid pretty quickly.

Skin cream

Heat oil, lanolin or wax (fat) in a water bath and stir until the mixture has melted. Remove it from the heat and add herbal extract or plant juice slowly. Add any preservatives and/or aroma. Stir continuously until the mixture is cool and pour into jars. Keep in the refrigerator.

Strong face-lotion

2 tbsp of herbs
1 dl (~3.4 fl oz) of water

Boil the water, pour it over the herbs and let it sit for a minimum of 15-30 minutes. Strain the cool liquid through thin fabric or a coffee filter, pour on bottles and refrigerate for a week at the most.

Normal Face-lotion

1 tbsp of herbs
1 dl (~3.4 fl oz) of water

Boil the water, pour it over the herbs and let it sit for a minimum of 15-30 minutes. Strain the cool liquid through thin fabric or a coffee filter, pour it on bottles and store in the refrigerator for a week at the most.

Mild face-lotion

½ tbsp of herbs
1 dl (~3.4 fl oz) of water

Boil the water, pour it over the herbs and let it sit for a minimum of 15-30 minutes. Strain the cool liquid through thin fabric or a coffee filter, pour it on bottles and store in the refrigerator for a week at the most.

Herbal steam bath

2-3 dl (~6.8-10.1 fl oz) of herbs
A big bowl or dish
Boiling water
A towel

Pour the water over the herbs. Place the towel over your head and the dish like a tent. Sit like this for about 5 minutes.

Eye compress

You need clean cotton and sterile compresses, herbs and distillled water. Pour 2 dl (~6.8 fl oz) of boiling water over the herbs and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Strain and let it get cool sufficiently. Wet the compresses in the fluid (You’ve washed your hands, haven’t you?). Lie down and relax with the compresses on your eyelids for 10-15 minutes. Takes away the fatigue.

How to deep cleanse

Wet your face. Take a handful of the mixture and mix it with water to a good consistency. Massage it on your face and rub areas with blackheads and impurities. Rinse with slightly cooler water.

Basic program for a beauty treatment

• Cleansing
• Steam bath
• Mask
• Face-lotion
• Moisturizing cream/nourishing cream

Where can I find it?

• Wax can be found at the drugstore or pharmacy
• Borax can be found at the drugstore or pharmacy
• Lanolin can be found at the drugstore or pharmacy
• Distilled water can be found at the drugstore or pharmacy
• Sea salt can be found in regular shops and natural health shops
• Base oils can be found at the drugstore or pharmacy, in natural health shops, natural cosmetics shops and in food stores
• Aroma therapy oil can be found at the drugstore or pharmacy, in natural cosmetics shops and can be bought via mail order
• Herbs can be found at the drugstore or pharmacy, outside in the wild and in natural health shops
• Alcohol, well you probably know as well as I do, where you can find this.