We love using fresh herbs in our cooking and especially in our home made natural beauty treatments! And what better way to use herbs, than plucked freshly from your very own herb garden? We’re all for an all natural approach to beauty, so it makes perfect sense, right? Absolutely! So here is our guide to help you grow your own little beauty herb garden- let us know how you get on!
Which herbs?
Different herbs do different jobs, so our list is going to be in no way exhaustive or inclusive of all. But we’ve put together a list of a few that we believe are essential for your beauty regime and ones that you can grow at home. Now, I know that it’s autumn, and fast approaching winter. And winter isn’t usually the time where we all pull on our gardening gloves and get out there planting. And when it comes to herbs, they tend to naturally die down in autumn, and ‘spring’ back to life once the weather warms up.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t use herbs in your beauty regime during autumn and winter, but it does mean that you can’t always grow them outside. However, you can grow some of them inside! Hoorah! So we’re looking at herbs you can grow inside all year round, that will make your beauty routine sparkle. Here they are…
Rosemary
Rosemary is fantastic for the treatment of bruises, sprains and blisters. It’s also wonderful in helping the healing of wounds and because it has stimulating and invigorating properties, it’s perfect for soothing and uplifting the scalp too. So a great herb to grow at home right now!
You can start with a cutting, and make sure that you keep it in a moist, soilless mix until the roots appear. If you can, place your rosemary in a south facing window and as it grows you will notice the pungent scent will fill the room. A natural air freshener- perfect!
Make a Rosemary and Mint treatment oil for the scalp
you need
- Two tablespoons of coconut oil
- One handful of chopped fresh rosemary
- One handful of fresh or dried mint
To make the treatment, simply fill a clean container with the herbs and cover with coconut oil. Seal completely, then leave the whole jar in a warm spot for one week. During this week, you can shake the jar every now and then to release essential oil from the herbs. Then strain them out, and apply liberally to the scalp and hair.
Basil
Basil is a wonderful addition to your beauty regime too, because it has such a wonderful combination of super powers! Basil is known to be effective at settling nerves, and works to stimulate the brain. It’s fantastic used in a massage oil too, and it’s even been said to have aphrodisiac properties too!
You can start this herb from seed, and place the pots in a south facing window so that it gets plenty of warmth and light.
Make a Basil and Rose body butter
You need:
- Half a cup of coconut oil
- Six tablespoons of shea butter
- Six tablespoons of cocoa butter
- Three tablespoons of almond oil
- Ten drops of rose essential oil
- One handful of fresh chopped basil leaves
To make the body butter, you need a double boiler to warm the coconut oil and butters until softened. Then place them in a medium sized bowl so that you can add the almond and rose essential oilm then the fresh basil. Stir everything together and then pop into the fridge until the oils are soft and thick.
Then when the mixture is firm (not hard!) you can take it out from the fridge and whip it up using a mixer, until you have a soft and fluffy consistency. Store the body butter in a mason jar until ready to use.
Thyme
This is a power herb if ever we saw one! thyme is so effective at clearing acne than conventional, store-bought products and it has such potent anti-bacterial properties too, so helps to defend against annoying blemishes.
You can grow this herb indoors by planting a soft tip that’s been cut from the plant, or you can dig up and re-pot a whole outdoor plant. Keep it in an east or west facing window.
Make a Thyme and Honey mask to soothe blemishes
You need:
- One teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
- Half a teaspoon of French green clay
- Half to 1 teaspoon of raw honey
- A quarter of a teaspoon of tamanu oil
To make the mask, simply grind the thyme leaves and then sift through a mesh strainer. You should get about a half teaspoon of thyme powder. Stir this into the clay in a small bowl, and then add the honey and oil. You can always skip the oil if your skin is already oily, and instead add more honey. You need a thick paste consistency. Use your fingers to spread the mixture over your face evenly, and leave for five to ten minutes. Then rinse with warm water and pat dry.
