constantly seeking variety in food and life
Giving gifts to support natural health and beauty sets up New Year’s resolutions for success! Here are some gift ideas to consider for anxiety relief, glowing skin, energy, and more: https://botanicalalchemyandapothecary.com/health-and-beauty-stocking-stuffers
It’s easy to make your own body oils with the cleanest, greenest ingredients for the health of both your skin and your spirit. Here’s how: https://botanicalalchemyandapothecary.com/body-oils-diy
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Short on time but need a self care wellness ritual boost? These single ingredient facial masks can get you glowing in as little as five minutes. Link is here: https://botanicalalchemyandapothecary.com/one-ingredient-facial-masks
Thinking of switching to natural hair coloring? Here are some pros and cons and how-to: https://botanicalalchemyandapothecary.com/coloring-hair-with-herbs
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I’m so excited to have my first course go ‘live’. If you have ever wanted to know how to make your own custom perfume with natural ingredients such as essential oils, I’ve got it all covered in this course. From alcohol based to oil based to solid perfumes, you can learn how to create your own signature scents in whatever medium works best for you. And I’m not kidding when I say, that it’s so easy that once you know the proportions and the ingredients you can use, you will be able to do this the rest of your life without even needing a recipe. The link is below the promo:
https://botanical-alchemy-and-apothecary.teachable.com/
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Here’s the quick method to making an herbal oil. I used rose buds but you can use any dried herb in the same way. If you want to try the Folk Method instead, it’ll take longer but no artificial heat is needed so it’s a tad easier, especially if you are crafting with kids. Either way, herbal oils are fun to make and so useful~ you can use them just as you would any oil on your body, face, hair, or in a bath. You can use them to make salves, body butter, serums, body scrubs, perfumes, and more. Rose oil would make a lovely Mother’s Day gift and you have time to do the Folk Method if you prefer as long as you start soon. Happy Creating!
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This recipe is a fun one to do with kids because the process of whipping the cooled, melted liquid into a butter is quite magical to witness. And that’s just a start of the beauty alchemy because it also transforms dry patches, hands, feet, and elbows, into soft, silky, moisturized parts. Try putting a big scoopful on your feet before bed with socks, or on your hands, and see how different your hands and/or feet are in the morning.
Full recipe is here:
https://botanicalalchemyandapothecary.com/how-to-make-a-body-butter
Enjoy this last week of February! My kids have their first snow day of the year today so it seems winter is sticking around here. I hope you are getting some hints of spring wherever you are!
Toner is one of the easiest things to make for your green beauty routine. Follow this link for the quick how-to.
Hello everyone! I’ve been quiet here lately b/c I’ve been working on a new blog site which I can’t wait to share with you. I started Spice of Life Blog right after finishing grad school when I just wanted a place to write again in a way that wasn’t in the grad school genre and reclaim my personal voice. Now I’m ready to start putting more time into a blog and although I thought about just reworking this space a bit, it quickly became clear I needed a new look, new categories, new everything, and so instead of a remodel, I guess I’m moving houses. I so hope you’ll join me!
Much like this one, my new blog will be about herbs, food intolerances (both managing and healing them), essential oils, natural foods/products, and green beauty. In the future I hope to have links to other herbalists and wellness practitioners around the world as a kind of virtual healing center resource. I also intend to offer herbal classes and tutorials there as well, and perhaps even some products. This is just the beginning and I hope to see you there at my new site, Botanical Alchemy & Apothecary. Please subscribe and let me know what you think about the new look. I’m still in the setting up phase and welcome suggestions.
XOXO, Kristen
PS~ If you know anyone else who is interested in herbs, essential oils, food intolerances, natural foods and products, and green beauty, please share the address: www.botanicalalchemyandapothecary.com with them. I can’t wait to have a community of like-minded people sharing ideas and growing and learning together.
Happy October everyone!
You can make your own natural perfumes at home and avoid the chemicals found in other perfumes which can be hazardous to your health. Essential oils are not only good for your health and well-being, they are also good for the environment too. You can use other ingredients besides essential oils, such as olive oil infused with rose petals or lavender, a hydrosol such as rosemary or orange, or even vanilla extract. This video shows how to make a perfume with just essential oils and it’s so easy, you’ll never want to buy a bottle of perfume again. (But you can reuse the perfume bottles you do have!)
The biggest thing is, don’t get hung up on proportions. There are no hard and fast rules, just start with a high proof alcohol like vodka or a base oil like jojoba or sweet almond oil, then add 10 drops of essential oil per teaspoon of base (the vodka or oil.) Add more essential oils if it isn’t strong enough. It’s really that easy!
If you don’t know where to begin, I have gathered some essential oil combinations from different sources on my pinterest board called Essential Oils. Really though, you can just start with one essential oil that you know you love, and if you want, combine it, one drop at a time with another essential oil you like. Combining scents can be surprising in that the results are often far different than you imagined, and even oils that you may not have considered alike in any way can end up complementing each other beautifully.
You can read more about DIY perfumes and body oils here. To make your own body and room sprays, check out this post. Have a creative and lovely time!
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