Sunkissed Truth :: Plant Medicine

Ever since reading this sentence in The Yoga of Herbs by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, I can't get it out of my head! It's so beautiful, full of so much (sometimes forgotten) truth, and also kind of goes hand in hand with my idea of "bottling up sunkissed ingredients" for my natural skin care line- which makes me REALLY happy. 

Amazingly gorgeous herb/flower mandala via The Chestnut School of Herbs

We all know that plants get food & energy from the sun...well that energy is then transferred to us when we "partake" in them- whether it's food, teas, seasonings, oils, face scrubs, lotions, tinctures...the list could go on.
So, plants are really a little love note from the sun, from the stars, from the Creator to us.
A message reminding us of where we've come from, what we should hold onto, and what will keep us healthy and balanced (physically and emotionally). Deep thoughts from me today...=)

Visit my Etsy shop and see what I've been honored to create with the power of plants!

Until next time, keep dreaming. xoxo

Sunkissed Infusions :: Herbal Teas for Health, Happiness & Energy

Herbal teas, or infusions, have wonderful healing powers. I've found a new love for tea since I started my journey to a more self-sustainable and natural lifestyle.
Drinking an infusion of specially selected herbs can be a great remedy for anything from a headache to a cold to menstrual cramps. You can drink them to promote general health and ward off colds and other sickness. Or you can simply make and drink them for their delightful and lovely look and taste. 

Here's 4 different infusions that I made recently for an Open House I hosted for my natural skin care business. Some were more popular than others (as far as taste).
I invite you to try these, or versions of these! I also invite you to research these herbs. I'd look into Mountain Rose Herbs, a well respected company that has in depth information and sells of all of these and A LOT more.
If you are pregnant, breast feeding or have a serious health issue,
be sure to contact your doctor before using any herbs. 

• ROSE (Rosa spp.) + HIBISCUS (Hibiscus sabdariffa) + LEMON BALM (Melissa officinalis) - This was a favorite!
  Lifts the spirit and promotes good health and positive energy
• YARROW (Achillea millefoleum) + RASPBERRY LEAF (Rubus idaeus) + GREEN TEA
   Energizes and boosts immunity
• NETTLE LEAF (Urtica dioica) + CALENDULA (Calendula officinalis) + PEPPERMINT (Mentha spp.)
  Helps relieve hay fever, congestion & colds
• LAVENDER (Lavendula spp.) + LEMON BALM (Melissa officinalis) + CHAMOMILE (Matriaca chamomilla) + BASIL (Ocimum basilicum)
  Helps relieve headaches and stress

For the above infusions, I prepared them like this:

•  one part each herb (totally about 6-8 tbsp dried herbs, 8-10 for fresh herbs)
• put herbs into a quart size (or larger) glass jar with a tight fitting lid
• fill the jar with boiling water (should completely cover the herbs)
• let sit for 20-30 minutes (the longer they sit, the stronger they will be, and their taste can change dramatically)
• strain herbs into a clean glass container, with a muslin cloth (best so you can squeeze out extra infusion) or a fine mesh strainer
• finally, enjoy a cup hot or iced- with honey, lemon, milk, agave, or all of these!
• You can pour the remaining infusion into a clean container and put in the refrigerator where it will keep for a couple of days

Another way to create a lovely and medicinal tea is to simply use a teapot with a filter in it, fill a reusable tea bag with your chosen herbs, or place the herbs right into the teapot if you like the way the beautiful herbs & flowers look floating around!
I usually use my glass teapot that I got on this page - or this one. 

Fill it with about an ounce of dried herbs (2 oz for fresh) and 12-16 oz water, bring to a gentle boil, let sit for 20 minutes, strain into your teacup, then enjoy!

If you don't have these herbs handy or can't get them at a store near you (check your local health food store), I'd suggest purchasing them here or here.

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HAPPY INFUSING!
Until next time, keep dreaming. xo

Sunkissed Beauty :: Aloe Vera aka Goddess Juice

ALOE VERA // aloe barbadensis miller
in latin :: true shining bitter substance

photo via firstmatephoto

I'm always trying new mixtures, herbs and concoctions on my face & body. There's so many wonderful earthly creations for your face and skin, I feel like I could use something different everyday for the rest of my life!
 Lately, my skin has not been very nice to me, so I had to switch up what I have been doing for the last couple months. I read an interview of Megan Cannon on livingprettynaturally.com, where she said she has been using aloe vera on her face, neck & chest as a moisturizer every morning for the past 10 years. I never really thought to use aloe as a moisturizer each day...brilliant! Here's why:

+ aloe is 99% water so it gives your skin a TON of moisture

+ it contains a plethora of vitamins (A, C & E), antioxidants, minerals and enzymes

+ helps fight inflammation

+ contains properties that increase collagen content, soften skin, binds moisture to the skin, and tightens pores --- anti-aging goldmine.

I started using it each morning after my cleanser and toner, and it feels great. Moisturizing but not greasy at all, which is especially great in summer time. I encourage you try it out if you're looking for something different and all together BETTER for your beautiful skin. Let your epidermis drink this goddess juice.

Be careful which brand you get, as with anything, some are way better quality than others. The brand I have (click here to get some), doesn't leave my face feeling sticky and is from organically grown aloe vera plants. I usually pour a small amount in a little jar to use for about a week then keep the rest in the fridge, so it stays good longer.

my big mama in the backyard

I also found this delicious cocktail recipe on hellonatural.co that calls for aloe, cucumber & mint leaves :: so good! The possibilities are endless with this "shining bitter substance". 

Until next time. xoxo

ps: much of the "scientific info" I have here came from this article.

Sunkissed DIY: Herbal Infusions with Olive Oil

The old saying goes, "good things come to those who wait," right? Well, that old proverb sure holds true when it comes to creating your own herbal infusions. I started about 7 new dried herbal infusions over the past couple days and already want to open them, smell them, and utilize their powerful properties! But, sadly I can't - yet. They just looked so beautiful, I had to take some photos. 

I'm making these for creams and salves, so I have them all infusing in organic, cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil. I plan on doing tinctures (alcohol based) & some vinegar based hair rinse infusions as well- but I ran out of jars - so those will have to wait until I make a trip to Walmart again. 

• The basic rule is 1 oz, by weight (I use a small digital scale), of freshly dried herb - to 4 oz carrier oil. 
• For "fluffier" or flowery herbs, you'll have to use a few more ounces of oil in order to fully immerse the herb. They will absorb some of the oil, so just make sure you have enough oil to fully cover the dried herbs in your container/jar. 
• Close your jar with a tight fitting lid, label it with contents & date, and let it sit for 3 to 6 weeks, shaking it everyday (or as often as you remember).
• Once they're ready, line a bowl with a muslin cloth (you can put a strainer under the cloth as well), pour the contents of the jar into the cloth and let the oil seep through. Squeeze the bottom of the cloth, trying to get out as much oil as you can. Note that you will lose a small percentage of the oil, since the herbs drank it up!

I chose olive oil because it is one of the most stable oils (long shelf life), and is very emollient & great for most skin types. Since these infused oils are going to have new plant material introduced to them and will be sitting on the shelf for 3-6 weeks, you want to make sure they will not go rancid! Other stable oils are safflower, sunflower & palm kernel. Always make sure any oils you're using are cold pressed (nutrients are not lost by high heat processing) and preferably organic. 

My infusions consist of:

Burdock Root

Calendula Flowers

Comfrey Root

Chamomile Flowers

Chamomile Powder

Rosehips

St. Johns Wort

I get most of my herbs from a local health store, but I highly recommend Mountain Rose Herbs or Starwest Botanicals if you're purchasing online. 

Can't wait to open these up in a few weeks! Happy infusing!

Until next time. xoxo

Sunkissed DIY: Macrame Herb or Plant Hanger

Apparently macrame is making a come back, or has been for a while and I just recently noticed it....

My parents used to have macrame hangers with fake plants in the living room when I was younger- yes back in the 80's. I never knew what they were called, and when I saw this diy on Pinterest a few months back, I immediately remembered those beaded hangers from when I was 4! 

Reading the instructions to make one, I was very confused and thought no way...then when I decided to try it and had all the supplies in front of me, it was actually so easy! I was doing them on my own after following the instructions just once.

I've been growing a lot of different herbs this spring and LOVE having them right there for when I need to add some to our meals or desserts! Fresh herbs are so much better than the dried ones you buy in the spice aisle at Safeway...obviously. Anyways, I figured this would be a fun way to show off the beauty of my herbs and add a little more of "me" to our rental house...plus we have a huge pile of sticks behind our shed that I thought could be put to good use.

|| SUPPLIES |

• Jersey knit fabric or a T-shirt of stretchy-ish material that you don't mind cutting up. (I didn't have an old shirt of this material, so I got some from a local fabric store. It was fun being able to pick out bright & cheery designs!) I got one yard each of three different fabrics.
• 3 Terracotta pots, like this, or any other smaller pot you'd like to use, I got mine for really cheap at Walmart.
• Strong twine or cotton rope- like the kind used for clotheslines- something not too flimsy! You could also use wire.
• A stick. Make sure it is thick enough to screw into and sturdy enough to hold up the weight of a few pots full of soil. You could also use a piece of thick scrap wood. My stick is about 3 feet long and an inch around.
• Screw eye hooks like these. You should get larger ones if you're using a larger piece of wood or bigger pots.
• Long screw driver of any kind
• Hammer & nails

Now you can get to work on your macrame! I followed this DIY on Brit + Co, but if you're up for it, you could make something fancier or more detailed. There's A TON of instructions for beautiful macrames on the web and Pinterest! I made all three of mine different lengths to add more dimension to my hanger.

Once you have your lovely fabric hangers complete, I'd suggest filling up your pots with soil and whatever plants or herbs you are going to fill them with first. Mine has basil, rosemary and dill...mmmm. I kept putting the macrame on the pot and taking it off to make sure it fit- but the great part is, since the fabric is stretchy, you can adjust it once it's on the pot- so just try and put it on once, when you're ready to adjust and hang them.

|| STICK TIME |

• You'll want to insert the first screw eye in the middle of the stick so you have a good starting point for the other two (unless you're only doing one or two pots).
• Grab a nail that is about the same width as the screw eye and hammer it in about 1/4" to 1/2" where you are going to insert the screw eye in the stick. This gives you a hole to start with in order to get the hook into the wood. Now pull the nail out and start screwing the hook into that same hole, you'll have to put a little muscle behind it! 
• Once I got my hook in far enough to stand on its own, I inserted a long screw driver sideways into the circular hook part and used it as a kind of lever to screw the hook all the way down. Just spin the screw driver (horizontally) around and around until the hook is nice and secure in your stick. 

• Do the same with the next two hooks, you want them spaced far enough apart that all the weight isn't in the middle of your stick and so the pots have space to breathe! I spaced mine about 9" apart, which left a nice amount of room at each end of my stick.
• Depending on where you are hanging this planter, you'll want to measure out your twine, rope, or wire for the length that you need it. I used twine and knotted it a few different times on all 3 attachments so I could change the hanging length if I needed to. Again, make sure it is strong enough to hold up your hanger, I wove my twine together a few times to make sure it wasn't going to rip!
  
• Now you'll want to set up the nails or hooks that you're using to hang the planter. Make sure you hammer them in at the same distance apart that your hooks are so you can easily hang the twine or rope.
• Once you have those in and your rope or twine attached, it's time to add your hanging plants! Place one in the middle on one side of the middle hook. The other two can be placed next to each of the other hooks, I put one on the inside and one on the outside. The stick is strong enough and if your hooks are spaced apart equally it shouldn't slope to one side or the other.
• Holding your stick in the middle, so the pots don't slide off, hang the middle rope first, then each side- if it's too heavy, ask someone to hold it while you hang it! Its kind of an awkward piece of decor to hold....:)

Voila! You're done! Now stand back and enjoy your creation! Looks great in a patio, living room or kitchen if you have enough space! Just make sure it is somewhere that gets a good amount of sunlight so your herbs can grow big and strong!

Until next time. xoxo