Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Pine & Calendula: Two Magical Herbal Oils for Beauty & Health

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by Stephanie Rogers · 05/19/10

I’m no Drew Barrymore – I don’t use the word ‘magical’ very often. But sometimes it applies, and I’m not talking about supernatural phenomena here. I mean magic of an earthly sort, those moments of amazing interaction between us and the natural world where everything seems to fit together – well – magically.

To me, a prime example is the way certain plants can ease our ills and make us feel beautiful without any kind of laboratory manipulation. Two of my absolute favorites – pine and calendula – might be growing in your area right now, just waiting to be plucked and infused and allowed to work their particular magic on your body. Making infused herbal oils is so easy, they smell fantastic and it’s comforting to know that what you’re putting on your skin is as pure as can be.
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Beauty, Herbal Remedies, herbs/homeopathics, Homemade Beauty, Plants

Beauty-Enhancing Herbs: Get Fresh, Glowing Skin & Healthy-Looking Hair

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by Stephanie Rogers · 03/12/09

Just as they spice and flavor our food, nourish our bodies and help us heal, herbs are a natural beauty ally that can give you shinier, healthier hair and glowing, moisturized skin. Long used in Ayurvedic and Chinese traditions for beauty applications, herbs like turmeric and evening primrose are a chemical-free, natural way to look your best.

Some of them might already be in your pantry while the others may be growing in your garden. You can also purchase them online at Mountain Rose Herbs. Here are a few of the top herbs for beauty and how you can use them, both topically and internally.

Turmeric for fresh, glowing skin: This spicy relative of ginger, with its vibrant yellow-orange color and mustardy smell, is very popular in India not just as an flavorful addition to cuisine but as an inexpensive beauty aid. Mix it with coconut oil and apply it to your face like a mask for radiant, soft skin. This application is also said to help arrest the growth of unwanted hair.

Rosemary to invigorate the scalp and promote hair growth: This highly fragrant, evergreen plant is a common sight in gardens and commonly used for cooking, but it can also give you a lush, full head of hair. Rosemary oil can be massaged into the scalp or added to your shampoo to stimulate your hair follicles, encouraging growth and preventing hair loss. Note that regular use of rosemary can make your hair darker.

Sage to deepen brunette shades of hair and tone skin: Sage is an astringent herb, making it ideal for use as a facial toner for oily skin. Just infuse the leaves in boiling water for 15 minutes, strain and mix with equal parts cider vinegar. It can also be used to deepen brunette hair. Place a few sage leaves in 2 cups of water and let it sit overnight, then use it as a leave-in rinse after shampooing.

Neem to treat blemishes, eczema and dandruff: Neem, a cornerstone of Ayurvedic tradition for ages, is a great skin treatment for acne, eczema, psoriasis, dandruff and other conditions of the skin because it’s antibacterial. Use the oil for dry skin, and the powder mixed with water for oily skin.

Evening Primrose to reduce skin inflammation and strengthen hair and nails: The beautiful blooms of Evening Primrose look great in your garden, and they can also give you clearer, more even skin tone and stronger, more resilient hair. Apply the oil directly to your skin, or take capsules internally for healthy hair and nails. Evening primrose is rich in Gamma Linoleic Acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties.

Photo credit: Flickr user Tina Keller

Eco Beauty, herbs/homeopathics

Attack Winter Chest Colds with These Herbs & Home Remedies

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by Stephanie Rogers · 01/15/09

Image courtesy of Flickr user Freeparking: “The Sick Child” by Munch

A couple weeks ago, upon returning from Christmas vacation and having caught a chest cold from a family member, I started to get that old familiar feeling: the onset of bronchitis. Ever since I first got it a few years ago, it has invaded my life every winter, leaving me with hacking coughs and sore, weak lungs. Since my last bout of bronchitis lasted 6 weeks and nearly landed me in the hospital, I was determined to do whatever I could go make it go away as soon as possible.

After doing all of the things listed below, I’m breathing easy and feeling much better, so I thought I’d pass these tips along to all of you. They’re no miracle treatment, but hopefully they’ll help you get through the winter cold season!

Tea and soup, tea and soup! Hot fluids act as a natural expectorant, thinning mucus so you can get it out, which should be your main goal. Ginger, honey and lemon make a tasty combination that will kill bacteria in your mouth and throat as well as soothing throat tissue irritated by coughing. Vegetable broth with lots of garlic and onion will do the same. And, as I previously recommended for treating colds, honeysuckle tea can work wonders and many herbalists swear by it.

Use a humidifier or vaporizer in your bedroom at night to help thin secretions. In the winter, the air in our homes tends to be pretty dry due to heating. If you can’t afford a humidifier or vaporizer, give yourself a steam treatment before bed by filling a sink with hot water and bending over it with a towel covering your head to hold in the steam. Breathe in deeply. You can add peppermint oil to the water for a cool, soothing feel.

Take an herbal lung complex, available at most health food stores, to help reduce symptoms and speed healing. Look for the following ingredients: mullein, wild cherry bark, elecampane, platycodon root and ophiopogon rhizome (I used Mullein Lung Complex by Planetary Herbals). As always, consult your care provider first if you’re currently taking prescription medication or if nursing or pregnant.

Of course, as with any illness, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water and eat whole, healthy, nutritious foods.  Vitamins, hydration and sleep are essential to healing.

If your symptoms don’t lessen within a week, see your health care provider. If at any point the mucus you cough up is green, brown, or reddish you may have an infection and should see a doctor as soon as possible. Bronchitis can develop into pneumonia if left unchecked.

Also check out my tips for nipping colds in the bud early with cheap, easy home remedies.

health, herbs/homeopathics

Fight Off Colds with These Natural Remedies & Preventative Strategies

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by Stephanie Rogers · 11/19/08

If you don’t have a cold yet, you probably will by the new year. It’s certainly hard to avoid the dreaded sniffles, sneezes, congestion and headaches that come along with the common cold during the holiday season when you’re constantly in contact with other people, in indoor areas with poor air circulation. But, never fear: if you feel even the slightest indication that you’re headed for a week or more of misery, use these natural remedies and get a head start on feeling like your fabulous self again.

Drink lots of honeysuckle and dandelion tea. Hot fluids help relieve nasal congestion, prevent dehydration and soothe those sore membranes in your nose and throat. When steeped in hot water, honeysuckle flowers produce a liquid that’s antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-infective. Dandelion – yes, the weed that grows in your yard – is a great immune system builder that increases the production of interferon, a protein that inhibits viral multiplication and activates T-cells. You can get both in the bulk section of your local health store, or just pick up a pack of ‘Detox’ by Yogi Tea, which contains both and is made with organic ingredients.

Take hot, steamy showers. You may not give yourself the luxury of a long hot shower very often since it uses so much energy and water, but treat yourself when you feel like you’re getting sick. The steam will moisturize your irritated nasal passages and help you relax. You could also take a soothing herbal bath and throw in some chamomile, rosemary, lavender or peppermint.

Speaking of relaxation – rest, rest, rest.  Now isn’t the time to push yourself at the gym, work overtime or take on a really stressful task. Your body is working hard to fight off infection, and it needs all the energy it can get. Take a day to get cozy under the covers and read, write letters or watch television. Lay back on a stack of pillows situated to create a gradual slope, which will help with drainage of the nasal passages.

Gargle and use a Neti Pot. A Neti Pot, if you’ve never used one, is used to irrigate the nasal passages, soothing them and rinsing away irritants. You fill the Neti Pot with warm saline solution, insert the spout into one nostril, tilt your head and let the solution flow up your nose and out the other nostril.  It’s a little strange getting used to, but it really works. To calm a sore throat, gargle with salt water or honey dissolved in some warm water with lemon.

health, Herbal Remedies, herbs/homeopathics

Amla – Ayurvedic Treatment for Glossy Hair and Smooth Skin

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by Stephanie Rogers · 08/18/08

Amla, known in America as Indian gooseberry, has long been used in India for a variety of health and beauty effects. It’s one of the best-kept secrets of Indian beauty, and it’s one of the ways women there keep their hair so shiny and strong (aside from fabulous genetics, of course).  It’s packed with vitamin C, so it also helps break up dead skin cells to reveal a smooth, bright complexion.

The Henna for Hair website, which recommends adding amla to your henna mixture if you want cooler-toned results, describes amla as a tan powder with an acidic astringent smell “like a combination of raw cranberries and oak tree bark”.  It’s available both as a powder, and dissolved in oil.

The fruit of this plant is believed to enhance hair growth by stimulating the scalp, so it’s often recommended for women suffering from thinning hair.  It’s also said to enhance wave and curl.   For use as a scalp massage oil or deep conditioner, mix powdered amla with coconut or sesame oil.  To add volume, mix the powder with enough water to make a paste the consistency of yogurt and let it sit for about 15 minutes to allow the powder to dissolve.  Apply it to your hair, let it soak in for a few minutes and then rinse.

For use as an exfoliating face scrub, simply mix some of the powder with enough hot water to form a paste and let it sit for 15 minutes.  Scrub your skin with the paste, let it sit for a minute and then rinse.

There are many amla hair oils available, but they usually have unnecessary additives like harsh fragrances added to mask the natural scent of the amla.  If you’d prefer oil to powder, FromNatureWithLove.com has a nice unscented version.

Ayurveda, Eco Beauty, herbs/homeopathics