New Year’s Revive Tea - Tea Blend of the Month

A Detoxifying Herbal Brew

Rejuvenate with a tea that aids digestion and boosts energy. Starting with antioxidant green tea, this blend will protect the body and boost brain function, aiding weight loss, and improving cardiovascular health. Sweetness is added with peppermint to soothe upset stomach and protect against bacterial infections.  Peppermint and Lemon balm will boost the mood and relieve anxiety associated with depression. Ginger is a workhorse in this blend that can strengthen the immune system as well as reduce inflammation, nausea and even improve blood sugar levels.

New Year’s Revive Tea

• 1 part green tea
• 1 part lemon balm
• ½ part peppermint
• ½ part ginger. 

Blend ingredients together and store in a jar with a tight fitting lid.  Use 1 to 2 teaspoons per cup of hot water just off the boil for for 3–5 minutes. Enjoy daily as you recover from holiday excesses.

Bath or Shower Ball - Bath Blend of the Month

This quick blend is a nice combination of sweet scents for relaxation as well as soothing herbs for skin.  Use it in a tea ball or muslin bag and enjoy as a soak in the bath or as a rub in the shower.

Bath Tea Ball

1/3 cup rosemary

1/3 cup rose petals

1/3 cup lavender buds

Combine dry herbs into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well. Scoop 1 to 2 Tablespoons in a tea ball for the bath or in a cotton muslin bag for the shower.

TO USE: Add 1 to 2 Tbls to a tea ball and hang under the tap while filling the bathtub.  Or add 1 to 2 Tbls to a muslin bag and hang from the shower head while letting water warm.  Then use the bag to scrub skin while showering to enrich skin with the herbal benefits.

Quick Lip or Cuticle Balm - Bath Blend of the Month

This quick and easy balm can be used on lips or cuticles and is simple to make with three ingredients and a microwave.  It is a perfect last minute gift or a way to pamper yourself in this hectic season.

Lip or Cuticle Balm

5 Tble coconut oil

3 Tbls beeswax, grated

12 drops essential oil your choice of scent

Place coconut oil and beeswax in a glass bowl and microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring in between.  Add essential oil to melted mixture and stir well. Pour liquid into a two ounce tin and allow to cool.

To USE: spread by finger on lips or cuticles to avoid and repair dryness.

 

Rose and Lemon Verbena Bathroom Potpourri - Bath Blend of the Month

As we get into the entertaining season we may want to bolster the scents in the bathroom with something refreshing and yet not cloying.  This blend of herbs and flowers with seasonal spices will give off a pleasant scent.  You can place it in a quart jar with a string of lights or just place in a lidded jar with openings to let the scent cloak the room in fresh herbal smells.

Rose and Lemon Verbena Jar Potpourri

3 broken cinnamon sticks

1/4 cup statice flowers

1/4 cup rose petals

1/4 cup lemon verbena leaves

1/4 cup whole cloves

1/4 cup orchid flowers (optional or substitute lavender buds)

5 to 10 drop rose geranium or rose absolute oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Pour into a quart canning jar allowing lots of air space.  If you want added fun place a string of white lights in the jar first and pour the potpourri around it.  Plug the lights in and this will accelerate the release of scent.  Or just place an open lid on the jar or a circle of fabric at the top and allow to infuse with the air naturally. Place on the back of the toilet or on a shelf in the bathroom for colorful scented decor.

Pumpkin and Spice Sugar Scrub - Bath Blend of the Month

This month's blend caters to the Pumpkin Spice Lover. It is a combination of pumpkin and the spices that love it to make a facial scrub with all the special properties of pumpkin for skin soothing and repairing.

Pumpkin is very good for the skin. Since pumpkin is 94% water content it can keep skin moisturized and supple. It also contains vitamins B and E, which help maintain the skin's natural moisture balance. And is a good source of minerals like copper and zinc, which can help fade brown spots from acne and sun damage. There are natural enzymes and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) in pumpkin which increase cell turnover, which can soften, brighten, and smooth the skin. They can also help remove dead skin, reducing the appearance of dark spots, hyperpigmentation, and sun damage. So all-in-all making a facial scrub with some pumpkin is a great idea.

Pumpkin and Spice Sugar Scrub

• 2 Tbls canned pumpkin Puree
• 2 Tbls brown Sugar
• 2 Tbls coconut oil
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg

Mix all items together and place in a quarter pint mason jar.  

To Use: place small amount of scrub on finger tips and use on hands, arms, or face.  Rince with cool water and use a moisturizer to complete the treatment.

Lemon Spice Tea - Tea Blend of the Month

Lemon Balm needs to be harvested again and if you grow it in is often hard to find different ways to use it, but I have many, so check out this link to a search of all the recipes I have posted using Lemon Balm. But for now try thisd great tea blend with lemon flavors and a hint of clove for a seasonal twist.

Lemon Spice Tea

• 1 cup lemon balm
• 1/2 cup lemn grass, chopped
• 1/2 cup peppermint
• 1/4 cup whole cloves
• 3 teaspoons slivered lemon peel

Combine herbs and lemon peel in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well.  Enjoy 1 tsp per cup of hot water and steep 5 to 7 minutes.  Color will be light.

If using fresh herbs chop the herbs evenly to a uniform size and use 1 Tablespoon per cup of hot water. Steeping 5 to 7 minutes.  Don't make this as a sun tea, but it is good cold.

Rose and Herb Bath Tablets - Bath Blend of the Month

Time for another Bath Blend of the Month.  This recipe also makes a great gift.  You can choose any herbs you want to make the recipe, but I suggest roses or a combination with roses because these help soften and and soothe skin, especially if you have been outside in fall or winter wind.

Honey, the main ingredient in these tablets is a humectant meaning it brings moisture to the skin. So enjoy a calming and relaxing bath and rejuvenate your skin as well. 

Honey Bath Tablets

1/2 cups fine grain see salt

1 Tbls white clay

1/2 Tbls dried herb (I suggest either dried rose petals, or a combination of roses, rosemary and lavender)

1/2 cup pure honey

Combine class, herbs and sea salt in a bowl.  Warm honey to 300 degrees use a thermometer to be sure. Pour hot honey over mixture in bowl and stir to combine. Spoon into candy molds, pressing down with back of spoon. Cool completely. Unmold onto plastic wrap.  Individually wrap the tables and store in an air tight container. (makes 6 to 8 Tablets.)

TO USE: Place one tablet in your bath as you are filling to tub and allow to dissolve.  Slip in and unjoy with a cup of tea sweetened with honey.