Natural Body Care Week! Wahoozle gazoozles! Lots of posts coming up this week and be sure to get your copy of the new tutorial when it is available on Wednesday. The first 25 people to purchase the Natural Body Care program on Wednesday will receive a sweet package of goodies. Be quick! Fun times! And not too late to sign up for Tuesday’s webinar on Immune Health and Food Sensitivities
It’s a little bit funny that I am so enthusiastic about natural body care when, in reality, I take low maintenance to a whole new level. This is great for me, not so great for the man in my life. Ah well. Win some, loose some. So when I went to go about making a toner for my natural body care workshop, I took it upon myself to learn the difference between a toner and an astringent as I haven’t really used either all that regularly.
As it turns out, the two words are used pretty interchangeably though some argue the difference is that astringents have alcohol and toners do not. My question, of course is why on earth would you want to put alcohol on your face? I would so much rather put the alcohol into my face than on it, and even then its not ideal for my health.
Either way, I made a deliciously simple astringent/toner using a method very similar to tincture making except instead of using alcohol, I used apple cider vinegar and instead of using just one herb, I used a variety of skin healthy edible herbs for my face to absorb and delight in.
Bonus! You could also use this mix as a delicious salad dressing.
I hope that once you get your natural body caring hands on the brand shiny new tutorial on Wednesday that you will pick your own herbs of choice for your skin type (and share the blend!)
Here is the down-low on the main herbs I used in my toner:
- Lemon Balm:Effective in creams and toners for mildly oily skin, cleanses and closes open pores, has an astringent and soothing effect when used as a face toner or facial steam for tired, sensitive skin.
- Chamomile: From flowers. Chamomile herbs have well known sedative and relaxing properties. Used in skin and hair care for its cleansing and soothing benefit. Good for sensitive and irritated skin. Good also for scalp irritations.
- Rose Petals: Rose oil, rose water, and an infusion made from rose petals are used in skin care products for tender, dry, sensitive skin and have a cleansing, astringent, toning, moisture retaining, stimulating and soothing effect. When rose is included in a cream or lotion, it stimulates and protects the skin while moisturizing and hydrating it. It gives a boost to all skin types, and is particularly beneficial to dry, mature and sensitive skin.
- Calendula: Used for its healing and tissue-regenerating properties for all types of skin. Calendula is good to use in all cases where cell regeneration is required, such as in cases of sunburn and sores where the skin is red and irritated. Also good as a regular wash for spots and boils.
I used a few others too and also dropped in some lavender essential oil at the end of the brewing. Where do you get these herbs? Ever check the bulk herb/tea aisle of your local health food store? That would be a great place to start. You can also search herbal dispensary in google and you may find shops in your city or online order options. Easy to get!
Here is a similar recipe from my brand shiny new Natural Body Care Tutorial coming out on Wednesday.
Queen of Hungaryʼs Astringent Water
(claim to fame as the very first herbal beauty recipe)
This recipe can be used diluted as a facial astringent/toner and also works wonderfully as a hair rinse
6 parts lemon balm
4 parts chamomile
4 parts roses
3 parts calendula
3 parts comfrey leaf
1 part lemon peel
1 part rosemary
1 part sage
Vinegar to cover (apple cider or white wine vinegar)
Rose water or witch hazel
Essential oil of lavender (optional)
- Place the herbs in a wide-mouth jar.
- Fill the jar with enough vinegar so that it rises an inch or two above the mixture.
- Cover tightly and let it sit in a warm spot for 2-3 weeks
- Strain out the herbs. To each cup of herbal vinegar add, add 2/3 cup of rose water or witch hazel.
- Add a drop or two of essential oil, if desired.
- Re-bottle
- This does not need to be refrigerated and will keep indefinitely. This one is also nice if kept in a glass spray bottle and used as a refreshing spray after cleansing.
Check back later today for my favourite game Guess The Ingredient List: Body Care Style prizes to be won!
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I’m really interested in making my own body products, but I have no idea where to find any of those herbs except the last 3.
Where does a person find such ingredients?
Amended the post with the info- Where do you get these herbs? Ever check the bulk herb/tea aisle of your local health food store? That would be a great place to start. You can also search herbal dispensary in google and you may find shops in your city or online order options. Easy to get!
I love making my own skin products! I’ve used apple cider vinegar as astringent in the past, smells yuck, but works beautifully!
I also wanted to mention, I looooove Yes products! Yes to Cucumbers body cream got rid of my psoriasis! And I tried every natural remedy in the book! Whooo!
Mountain Rose Herbs is a fabulous place to obtain herbs and just about everything else you need for making skin care and other herbal products. I believe they ship just about anywhere in the world. Happy Herbal-ing!
Love the new song at the start and end of the vid!
Thank you so much for sharing Meghan! I too am not a big user of astringents and toners and such but I would love to have a natural (home made!) product ready in case I’m in the mood! You are awesome…such a natural on video!
this sounds so interesting! this is the first make your own toner “recipe” i’ve seen… bookmarking this
What type of skin do you have?? Oily or dry? sensitive?
[...] true. Once again, like the salad dressing/facial toner recipe, most of the ingredients in this awesomely delicious banana coconut bread recipe, would make [...]
This is exactly what I needed, thank you Meghan!
I’ve been fighting with my skin for a long time, and I think it’s time to try the homemade route…
thank you for making it a much more approachable alternative!
This is probably a different question but is there a difference between lemon peel and lemon zest?
Lemon peel is usually purchased dried from the store, and is sold in a bottle usually from the baking section, and lemon zest you grate from the “skin” of a fresh lemon.
[...] true. Once again, like the salad dressing/facial toner recipe, most of the ingredients in this awesomely delicious banana coconut bread recipe, would make [...]