Sweet Calming Chamomile....what to do with it?

My last post about lavender was so popular I thought I would share some Chamomile recipes and uses as well.


Cheerful Chamomile Tea
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried chamomile flowers
1/2 cup dried calendula petals
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1/4 cup dried peppermint
1 tablespoon whole cloves
honey to taste

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. To brew use 1 1/2 tsp. of tea with 1 cup (8 ounces) boiling water. Steep for 3-5 minutes. Strain and sweeten with honey to taste.

Winter Chamomile Tea
Makes 4 cups
Ingredients:
1 tsp. dried chamomile
1 tsp. dried mint
1 tsp. dried lavender
honey

Combine the herbs in your warmed tea pot and add 2 cups boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes and strain. Add 1 tsp. of honey to each cup of tea. Notes: I put together this simple mellow tea one winter afternoon. I like it with the honey, but lemon would be fine too. This makes 2 cups of tea, but it can easily be doubled and tripled.

Chamomile Shampoo
You will need:
2 tsp.. dried chamomile
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup baby shampoo (or another mild variety)

Pour the boiling water over the chamomile and steep for 30 minutes, strain, then mix into the shampoo and use as usual.

Chamomile Hair Conditioner
You will need:
1/3 cup chamomile flowers
1/3 cup olive, safflower or sunflower oil
Clean jar with lid

Combine the chamomile and oil in a jar with a lid. Place on a sunny windowsill and shake the jar at once a day. After two weeks, strain out the herbs. To apply, use about 2-4 teaspoons, depending on the length of your hair. Brush out your hair and apply to the hair ends, avoiding the scalp. Leave on about ten minutes, then shampoo out.

Chamomile Hair Rinse
You will need:
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp. chamomile flowers

Pour the water over the chamomile; steep until it cools to lukewarm. Strain out the flowers. This will soothe your scalp. To use pour over your hair as a rinse after shampooing.

Herbal Foot Soak
You will need:
2 ounces mixed fresh herbs-peppermint, rosemary, chamomile
4 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon borax
1 tablespoon Epsom salts

Roughly chop the herbs. Put in a bowl, pour in boiling water. Let stand 1 hour; strain. Place the "tea" water into a tub or bowl large enough to hold both feet and another 6-7 cups of warm water. Stir in borax and Epsom salts. Soak feet 15 to 20 minutes. Add hot water if needed to keep the temperature as warm as desired. Afterwards use a good lotion and place cotton socks on your feet for the evening!

I hope you enjoy these! Oh and don't forget to enter to win a free soap from me in the post below.

If you are reading this in a Facebook note, a reader or some other format then go to my blog at DeShawn's Blog to see the original post.

DeShawnMarie.com

In a Dreamy State of Mind.

Today I can't seem to keep my mind here in the apartment. Maybe it's the cold weather that is making me dream of far away places. Every time I start to cut soap, package it, etc. I find myself drifting to memories of a trip I took a little over a year ago. Alot of the herbs, flowers, etc. that I stand here making soaps with today were gathered from that trip. So I thought I would share a few photos and memories from that trip. Next time you have one of my soaps in your hands you can think ahhh I have lemons from Italy in here or Lavender from France in here. I spent 4 months gathering inspiration and ingredients in France, Switzerland and Italy to create my new soaps that I recently designed.

Sometimes it is just something simple that inspires me. Like this picture I took of a dandelion in a park outside of Paris.



Even my breakfast can inspire me to think of something new. Like this plate of pastries and croissants in Paris.



Hiking in the Italian and Swiss Alps was an unbelievable experience and I found much inspiration there. Here is a photo in which I am standing in Switzerland looking into Italy.


Although this flower is not a rose or a lilac it is what inspired me to make my Lilac Rose soap.

If you look at the Lilac Rose soap which is pictured below I'm sure you can see how that flower inspired me to create it.



These delicate little purple flowers inspired me to create my Lavender Rosemary soap which has delicate purple flowers on it.



Here is a photo of my Lavender Rosemary soap so you can see how those little flowers gave me the visual of this soap.



I thought I'd share this little photo journal of how I come up with ideas, inspiration and the moments it happens. Next entry I'll explain how I think of the ingredients to get the look in the soap I want to create. Well back to soap making...hopefully I can get my mind to stay here now :)