Cosmetic Apothecary Part two

IMPORTANT: I recommend a patch test beforehand to make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients. Apply a little to an inconspicuous place, such as the inside elbow, and leave for 24 hours. If there is reddening, itching or other adverse effects, do not use. None of the recipes on this page are intended for internal use.

DISCLAIMER: The information on this page is provided for personal interest only; any individual who uses these recipes does so of his or her free will, and I will not be held responsible for the effects of these recipes on other people. I myself have used most of these with great success, but what works for me may not work for you.

[FONT=&quot]HAIR CARE[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Herbal Shampoo
For this I generally use castile soap. This is a very pure and mild liquid soap made from olive and coconut oils and is very good for the hair and skin. Unfortunately any shampoo made by this method will be very runny; I haven't yet worked out a way to thicken the shampoo satisfactorily. I keep mine in a plastic bottle; when I have to use it I squeeze some shampoo into the lid and pour it onto the top of my head.

Basic Castile Shampoo
Mix 1 part liquid castile soap to 2 parts herbal infusion. Add 1 tsp glycerine per 200 ml shampoo, if desired; it facilitates mixing.
Shampoo for Blondes: use camomile or calendula marigold infusion
Shampoo for Brunettes: use rosemary or sage infusion
For Oily Hair: use yarrow, lemon balm, thyme or lemongrass infusion.
For Dry Hair: use camomile, red clover, comfrey or camomile infusion.
For all hair types: parsley, linden (lime flower), rosemary or nettle.
Essential oils can also be added to shampoos, both for scent and for their herbal properties. Some to try are: rosemary, basil, marjoram, lemongrass, lemon and lavender.

Conditioners
Apple Cider Vinegar Conditioner
The best conditioner you can use after a gentle herbal shampoo is a weak vinegar rinse. Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a litre of water and use this as the final rinse. It works even better if you can catch the run-off in a bowl and use the vinegar water several times. It restores the PH balance of the hair and leaves all hair types soft and shining. Use the following herbal vinegar recipe to add the properties of herbs to your rinse.

Herbal Vinegar for Hair
Fill a jar or bottle about half full with a combination of some or all of the following herbs: rosemary, sage, camomile, catnip, yarrow, lemon peel, orange peel, basil, lavender. Fill the bottle or jar to the top with vinegar - use a good quality apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. Seal and shake every day for a few weeks. Strain and use a tablespoonful in your final rinsing water.

Essential Oil Conditioner
After towel drying the hair, put a few drops of rosemary oil in the palm of your hand. Coat your brush or comb with the oil by rubbing it in your palm, and comb the hair with it. Rosemary oil is very good for the hair, and the strong green scent fades as the hair dries. As it is a volatile oil, it does not leave the hair oily. You can mix the rosemary oil with either lavender or basil oil.

Hot Oil Treatment for Damaged Hair
This is to be used before shampooing, once a week. Simply warm a little olive or coconut oil and apply to the scalp; work well through the hair to the tips. Wrap head in a warm damp towel (dip it in hot water and wring out) and then in a large shower cap to prevent loss of heat. If the towel cools down, reheat it. Leave on for 20 minutes and then shampoo well.

Yogurt Conditioner for Dry and Flyaway Hair
Whisk together 4 tablespoons of natural, unflavoured yogurt and 1 egg. Apply after shampoo and massage thoroughly into the hair, leaving on at least 5 minutes. Rinse out thoroughly with plenty of lukewarm water (not too hot, or you'll end up with cooked egg in your hair!)

Herbal Rinses Hair can be kept soft and shiny with herbal rinses. Pour the infusion over the hair after washing it and rinsing thoroughly. It's even better to use a bowl to catch the infusion in as it runs off the hair, and to pour it over the hair several times. Regular use of some of these infusions will add tints and highlights to the hair.

For Brunette Hair: Use an infusion of rosemary, sage, parsley or catnip. Rinsing with a pot of black tea will darken the hair if used over a period of time, and a tablespoonful of lemon juice in the final rinse will eventually add highlights.

For Blonde Hair: Use an infusion of camomile or marigold. A tablespoonful of lemon juice in the final rinse will help lighten the hair over time, but also tends to be drying.

For all hair colours and types: Yarrow, catnip, nettle and parsley make excellent rinses to improve shine and condition.

Beautifying Baths

Herbal Baths
Make a small drawstring bag from unbleached calico or another natural, loose-weave fabric. Fill with the bath ingredients, draw closed and hang the bag over the tap where the bathwater will run through it. Or else just toss the bag into the bath, let the water run over it, and swoosh it around.
Astringent: lemon grass, sage, yarrow, nettle, comfrey root.
Oily skin cleansing bath: lemongrass, geranium leaves, yarrow.
Another oily skin bath: lemon grass, mint, yarrow, witch hazel.
Or: rosemary, lemon verbena, geranium leaves, lemon grass, lovage.

Moisturising bath: equal parts camomile and rose petals.
Skin softening bath: linden (lime flowers), rose petals, elder flowers, honeysuckle flowers.
Skin toning bath: lavender, yarrow, mint, thyme.
Jeanne Rose's Aphrodisiac Bath for Girls: equal quantities rose buds, acacia flowers, orange buds, jasmine flowers, bay leaf, rosemary, myrtle, thyme.
Other great ingredients for bath bags are: ground oatmeal, orris root powder, ground almonds, dried milk powder. All will soften and smooth the skin.
You can make your own bath formula from herbs available to you in the following categories:
For oily skin: rosemary, yarrow, lemon verbena, white willow bark, lemon grass, geranium leaves, strawberry leaves, mint, orange leaves, lemon leaves, pennyroyal, patchouli, lavender, eucalyptus leaves, comfrey root, thyme, witch hazel leaves (or decoction).
For dry skin: camomile, rose petals, rose leaves, orange flowers, elder flowers, clover flowers, fennel, honeysuckle, linden (lime flowers).

Soap Balls (Washing Balls)
The advantage of these little balls is that you can make them to suit your own skin and purposes, and they can be made out of all the little soap scraps that end up in the bottom of the soap dish. I keep my soap scraps in an empty ice-cream container till I have enough, or if I can't wait I grate up a cake of pure unscented soap to add to the scraps.

Oatmeal and Honey Soap
Put a cupful of grated soap scraps into a saucepan, add enough cold water to cover, and let stand for 24 hours. Add about a tablespoon of honey and simmer gently, stirring now and then, until the soap has melted. The mixture should be just a little thicker than thickened cream. Take off the heat and stir in a tablespoon of glycerine and about 1/4 cup of finely ground oatmeal, mixing well. Add a few drops of any essential oil; I like orange or vanilla. The mixture should be malleable enough to work into balls. Cover your hands with ground oatmeal and shape. Put aside for about a month in a dry place before using. It's best to wrap the balls in unbleached calico or cheesecloth until they're hardened.

Oatmeal and Camomile Soap
Make the recipe called for above, but use camomile infusion instead of water. Dry the camomile flowers used in the infusion and pulverise. When you add the oatmeal, include the pulverised camomile as part of the 1/4 cup.

Herb Soap
Pulverise finely 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb. Put a cupful of grated soap scraps into a china basin and set the basin in a pan of boiling water. Add a little boiling water to help the melting process and let the pan of water simmer until the soap has become a gel. Add the dried herb gradually and mix well. Let cool enough to handle and form into balls, or pour into a mould (cut-down milk cartons are good). Let it harden for a few weeks before using; the scent of the herb will improve and increase with age. You can add a few drops of essential oil to the mixture.
Suitable herbs to add to this soap:
Camomile
Lime flower (linden)
Rose petals (and use rosewater instead of plain water to soften)
Mint (eau-de-cologne mint is lovely)
Thyme
Orris root powder
You can also add dried milk powder, powdered meals such as oatmeal and almond meal, or resins such as powdered benzoin. Just be sure everything is finely powdered with no sharp twigs, leaves, etc.

Bath Salts
You can make your own bath salts simply and economically, and formulate your own scents from essential oils for therapeutic or beautifying purposes. Here are four basic recipes to which you can add essential oils (or perfume) and food colouring. Be sure to add the colouring drop by drop and to stir well after every drop! It takes only one or two drops to colour a cupful of salts.

Bath Salts 1
Mix 2/3 cup sea salt (ground to even sized crystals) with 1/3 cup Epsom salts. Add 1/2 tsp glycerine.

Bath Salts 2
Mix kitchen salt and bicarbonate of soda in equal quantities.

Bath Salts 3
Mix 1 cup Epsom salts, 4 drops glycerine.

Bath Salts 4
Grind washing soda crystals to small, evenly sized crystals.

Bubbling Bath Salts
Combine several drops essential oil with 1/2 cup cornstarch. Add 1/2 cup citric acid and 1 cup bicarbonate of soda. This mixture will froth and bubble when added to water.

Where to Get the Ingredients
Distilled Water: at your chemist (I believe they're called drugstores in the USA)
Quinces: A very old-fashioned fruit and quite hard to find, especially since they don't taste that great. I can sometimes get them at larger supermarkets during autumn and winter. If you live in the country you might be lucky enough to know someone with a quince tree - they're still used for making yummy jam.
Tincture of Benzoin: Supposed to be available at chemists' shops, but I've never found any there. If you do manage to find it at the chemist's, it's important to ask for simple tincture of benzoin. Places that stock ingredients for natural cosmetics (if you can find one) generally have it. I get mine from a Pagan supply shop.
Rosewater: Chemist, or an Asian food supply store.
Glycerine: Chemist, although I get mine at the supermarket (in the medicinal section next to calamine lotion)
Lanolin: Should be available at the chemist. Try to get anhydrous lanolin, unscented, as the commercial creams often contain very powerful artificial perfumes. They don't work though... nothing can hide the sheepy smell of lanolin!
Macadamia oil: I don't know whether it's available in the US (except Hawaii). You can try aromatherapy places but I buy mine at the supermarket, it's a lot cheaper.
Beeswax: Many health food stores will have some beeswax around; beekepers also often sell it.
Bicarbonate of soda: Is also known as baking soda. Get a big box from the supermarket.
Washing soda: Supermarket, right next to the stain removers and/or general household cleaners
Epsom salts: Should be available at the chemists' shop.
Citric acid: I get mine at the supermarket, in the herbs and spices section. However, quite a few Americans have told me they can't find it there; maybe it's in the flour section?

Toiletries Library - this is the homepage of the Toiletries listserv, and it's absolutely packed with recipes for all sorts of things.
Bibliography
This is a selection of the many books on natural cosmetics and skincare I've read over the years. Some of my recipes are adapted from recipes in these books. (When you don't have all the ingredients, you have to adapt!)
Francke, Elizabeth: The Make-Your-Own Cosmetic & Fragrance Book for Australians.
Guyton, Anita: The Woman's Book of Natural Beauty.
Horrocks, Lorna: Natural Beauty.
Lust, John: The Herb Book.
McLeod, Judyth A.: Natural Health and Beauty from Australian Plants.
Purchon, Nerys: Aromatherapy.
Rose, Jeanne: Herbs and Things.
Rose, Jeanne: The Herbal Body Book.
Rutledge, Deborah: Natural Beauty Secrets.
Sanderson, Liz: How To Make Your Own Herbal Cosme


found on http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/amethystbt/herbscosmeticapothecary.html[/FONT]