Create your own Home Made Spa Treatments and Skin Care Products

Home made spa treatments and skin care products are the reason you’re here. There’s no doubting that home-made equals big savings, that’s why people do it.

Home spa and skin care products are no different, and can often be of a higher quality than expensive store-purchased treatments. The key is not to skimp on quality, but how can you be sure you are getting the very best ingredients?

Harvesting Herbs and Flowers for your Home Made Spa Treatments and Skin Care Products

It’s important to know how to properly harvest and dry the herbs and flowers you collect for your home spa and skin care. Many people collect herbs and flowers for drying so that they have a good quality source of product for use in their recipes.

However, many people perform the process incorrectly and are left with a collection that is often just wasted.

Humidity and water should be avoided during the collection of herbs and flowers, and that is sometimes easier said than done. The key is to never harvest too early in the morning when dew is still present. Also, humid days should be avoided altogether.

Avoid the Hot Weather

Another thing to avoid is harvesting during hot weather, you want to try and obtain your herbs and flowers just prior to the fullness of their bloom, when they are full of life. This way, you’ll be harvesting quality herbs and flowers that still are rich with aromatic oils and all the goodness that can be extracted into your recipes.

Remember to treat them delicately when you pick them, use a sharp knife or similar tool and cut them just above the node or a blade. And do remember to only take as much as you can hang or store immediately. Now you are half way to creating your own home made spa treatments and skin care products.

Hanging herbs and flowers

It is ideal to hang long-stemmed herbs and flowers in bunches. Herbs like Lavender, Mugwort, St. John’s wort, Peony, Baby’s Breath, and Borage- plus any flowering-top herbs- dry well if you hang them in bundles.

Remember to collect herbs and flowers in dry weather, but not too dry. The perfect time would be to wait for a few hours of morning sun, say about 9 to 11am, to dry away any early morning dew.

Gather your herbs in bundles that are about the thickness of your finger, then secure them together using a rubber band. Rubber bands tend to be better than pieces of string because the herbs you have collected for your home made spa treatments and skin care products will shrink slightly as they dry. However, if you prefer string then just be careful they don’t slip out during the drying process.

Use some string to tie to the rubber band and then hang your freshly cut herbs in a dark and well ventilated area. Ideal drying temperature is between 650F and 800F, so the best time to dry herbs and flowers is spring (depending on where you live, of course).

Drying Herbs and Flowers

Drying time for herbs and flowers can be anywhere from two or three days to several weeks. It is very important to store your herbs in dark, covered containers after they dry. Mould and moisture can easily ruin a harvest, so any sudden change in the humidity, like a thunderstorm, can suddenly mean all of your work was for nothing.

The aim is to keep your herbs and flowers dry and crisp, but don’t go so far as to make them brittle. Follow these guidelines and you have all you need to begin creating your own home made spa treatments and skin care products.