About Face

I’ve mentioned before how extraordinarily lucky I was to spend three years outside, working in the garden to learn what would become the Earth Mama Angel Baby product line. Those three years were bliss. Each day I had nothing to focus on but which plants needed to be moved, pruned, nurtured or harvested. I learned how to make tinctures, oil infusions, soaps, healing herbal balms and flower essences. As I gleefully blended one thing into another I was, of course, gaining insight and knowledge about each herbs’ medicinal qualities, but I also began to fundamentally understand which were comforting, and how.

Each new formula that I created was to honor a request from one friend or another. I put together a spray for my neighbor to repel the flies that pestered her horses, a calming bath for a friend who couldn’t get her kids to sleep, and a healing tincture for a someone who had a compromised immune system. I also got a request to formulate a facial scrub for a woman who was struggling with pregnancy acne. I made her the most appropriately luxurious scrub I could mingle together, because she was blindsided by her skin’s response to her rambuncious hormones.

It was so pretty I stated using it myself. I shower each morning, but at the end of the day I rather ritualistically bathe, and I use this scrub to help wash away the stress of the day. I’m not expecting a baby, but I figured my sweet little face deserved it.

This weekend is Labor Day, and to honor every mama who has labored bearing, nurturing and raising their babies,  I wanted to share a well deserved, easy-as-pie, pampering starter facial scrub recipe. Time out, girls. You’ve earned the time to luxuriate.

This facial scrub is easy to make with whatever dried herbs with an affinity for your skin that you have at home  Of course, you can also buy bulk organic herbs at your local market to experiment. I am very deliberately not including amounts or specifics. That’s because you truly can’t do this wrong. Take some of one thing, add a bit of another. Whatever proportions of whichever herbs you have available, use what smells good and makes you feel comforted. This scrubby, sweet smelling blend can include any or all of the following:

Yarrow (antibacterial/antifungal)
Calendula (wound-healing)
Lavender (antibacterial/calming)
Rose buds  (just plain sweet smelling and good for older skin)
Chamomile (wound-healing and calming)
Peppermint (refreshing and cleansing)
Oatmeal  (moisturizing)
Thyme  (antifungal/antibacterial)
Raw almonds (exfoliant)

I have an old coffee grinder that I use to grind herbs. The trick is to very finely grind each herb individually so that the herb’s surface area is exposed and it can deliver its herbally goodness. Go for it. Your face will appreciate that you ground it to a fare-thee-well. Also that the mixture feels good and scrubby but not hurty on your face.

Mix your special blend of whatever you have together, dub it (Your Name Here)’s All-for-Me Mix, and put the blend in a pretty little bottle or Mason jar (like mine), and tie it up with an adorable little piece of leftover ribbon. You deserve the added special touch! Wouldn’t Martha be proud?

Tagged as: facial cleanser, herbal face wash, herbs, pregnancy, recipes