My favorite herbal tea bath!

Here's a really nice and easy bath treat to make. I love bath teas as they really make you feel like you are bathing in nature. This is one of my favorite ones. You can substitute items to come up with your own special bath too.

2 tsp lavender flowers (dried)
2 tsp rose petals (dried)
1 tsp lemon balm (dried)
1 tsp rosemary (dried)
1 tsp spearmint (dried)
4 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops rose essential oil
1 drop patchouli essential oil

Mix all ingredients together and then place in small muslin bag. Tie tightly and place in hot running bath water.

You can scent it with any essential oils you would like, but this is my favorite combination for this tea. Have fun though, play around and come up with your own personal bath tea.

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

Lavender, lavender and more lavender! How to use it.

Lavender is one of the most popular aromatic herbs.


Everybody loves the aroma of lavender. It is one of the most used aromatherapy oils for relaxation. It is popular in aromatherapy candles and soap to help with relaxation. There are a lot of ways to use lavender. I thought I'd share a few ways with you today.

Lavender in the kitchen
Lavender Lemonade is one of the easiest ways to use lavender into the kitchen. Steep 2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers in 1 quart homemade or store bought lemonade for a couple of hours. Use room temperature, not cold lemonade. Strain before drinking.

Lavender powder for scenting linens
A simple lavender sachet placed in the linen closet will infuse the sheets (or sweaters) with the lovely, complex smell of the summer garden. Find muslin bags online or at craft stores. One of my favorite ways to use lavender is to finely grind and sprinkle it on clean sheets and pillows. Using an impeccably clean spice/coffee grinder, process the flowers until they are a fine powder. Mix 1 part flowers with 2 parts baking soda. It is nice to buy a powder container to store the powder, but simply storing in a small jar is sufficient. Sprinkle a small amount either on the mattress or over clean sheets. Also sprinkle on pillows before putting on a new pillowcase.

Lavender as medicine
Lavender is an effective remedy for nervous exhaustion, headaches and mild depression. To make a soothing tea, simply pour 1 cup of water over 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers, cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups per day. For a therapeutic lavender bath, make a decoction by adding 2 tablespoons lavender to 2 cups water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and steep for 10 minutes. Add this to the bath and relax!

Lavender infused oil
I am a big fan of infused oils because they are easy to make and can be used many ways. Lavender infused oil can be used on rashes, cuts, minor burns or as a moisturizing skin oil. Simply fill a small jar with dried lavender flowers and cover with a good quality oil, like almond, apricot kernel or extra virgin olive. Let sit in a warm place for 10-14 days, strain and this fragrant oil is ready to go.

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

Hotel soap, guest soap, handmade soap and more!

Soap I got when staying at a hotel in Napoli (Naples, IT)

I've always loved those cute little soaps you get when you stay in a hotel or a bed and breakfast.  I even collect them as my souvenir when I travel.  I've been making my own handmade soap for 12 years now, but still love all other soaps and toiletries.  I have several other blogs featuring my soap and other peoples soap, for instance I have a Handmade Lavender Soap blog that shows off handmade lavender soap from all around the world.  I also have 2 similar ones dedicated to Coconut Milk Soap and Handmade Rose Soap.  If you stop by those blogs you will see some of the soaps I love.  Today I wanted to show you a little of my travel soap collection.

Here are some of the soaps I've collected over the years.

Soap from Hotel Alba in Firenze (Florence,IT)


One from Hotel Saint-Honore in Paris


This one is from Agli Artista Hotel in Venezia (Venice, IT)


and one of my favorite experiences the night train from Venezia (Venice, IT) to Amsterdam.  I love this little logo they have on the soap.

I have a whole collection from many different places throughout the USA, Europe and the Caribbean.  I hope to make it to Asia this year to start a collection from there.  I've always just thought they were so adorable and such a great souvenir since most of them have the Hotel address and phone number on them some where.  It's also a great thing to bring home to kids as the soaps seem so exotic when they are from a foreign land.  I love to use them to show kids about other languages and cultures.  Since they are small, they are an easy thing to bring back and they look like little chocolates to kids which intrigues them.  Just make sure that they aren't so young that they try to eat them ;-) 

I'm curious what things my readers collect when traveling?  Would love to hear some of your stories.

If you are reading this in a reader or on facebook you can see the original blog post at Handcrafted Soap Blog

Technorati Tags: travel, guest, soap, handmade, handcrafted, italy, florence, paris, milan, naples, rose, lavender, coconut milk, deshawn marie, souvenir, soaps, hotel

DeShawnMarie.com

Do you have sore muscles? or a sore back?

I've played around with a few new recipes and these both seem to help sore muscles and sore backs. I thought I'd take a moment to share these recipes with my readers.


FOR SORE MUSCLES
1 cup grapeseed oil
12 drops Black Pepper essential oil
6 drops Juniper Berry essential oil
6 drops Ginger Root essential oil
6 drops Marjoram essential oil

FOR A SORE BACK
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
12 drops Lavender essential oil
6 drops Geranium essential oil
6 drops Rosemary essential oil
6 drops Wintergreen essential oil

It's best to mix the essential oils in a small amber or cobalt essential oil bottle and then add the grapeseed oil. Mix lightly and it's ready to use. Rub gently into sore spots. It's not a cure, but certainly gives some relief. Hope you have the chance to try them.

DeShawnMarie.com