Skincare Herbalism Experiments and a Winter Oil Recipe

So FABULOUS news: I have apparently cured my black thumb! For the first time in my life, I have successfully (started to) grown a plant from seed. Check out my adorable calendula sprouts!

These lil cuties will most likely end up in skincare products because that's what they're really good at. They're also good for yeast and diaper rash and my best friend Alayna just had a tiny baby. So! Once we got the petals (which I am honestly terrified of harvesting because I don't want to be ungrateful toward the calendula), we are going to get Alayna a salve as well as some skin solutions for myself and others.

I also ended up at a local maker's market recently where I engaged in conversation with a herbalist who had amazing lotions. We started talking and she suggested that at this time of year, what you really want is an oil if you can get it to combat dry skin.

This led to me combining this puppy:

That's 4ml of jojoba oil from Starwest Botanicals mixed in with some organic sunflower oil as well as an additional 4 ml of castor oil. I added plantain for general skincare, rosehips for vitamin c, and fresh aloe vera for cooling from my happy plant of two years.

Usually I don't use fresh aloe in skincare products because it quickly expires and turns to mold. Not fun! But in this case the oil will preserve the aloe. I mixed it and the other two herbs in the oil using a fork and will shake the jar almost daily for 6 weeks. I'll at least have oil for all of February and will update on the results then!

Skincare is relatively easy to get into in the beginning of herbalism hence having fun in this category. But I have some experiments in the works for nervous system support--including a saffron tincture-glyceride hybrid, a passionflower glyceride, and a California poppy tincture--which I hope to turn to as a primary interest in the coming years. Gods know a bunch of us will need it.

Anyways, thanks for partaking in my joy with me about my plants and herb friends!