As a born-and-raised Oregonian, I tend to crave the summer sun. Skin has its limits, however, and after venturing out on or around water on a sunny day, I find that my largest organ needs as much R&R as I do! Like many folks, I’m a big fan of aloe vera gel, but it can get messy and goopy to use on its own. Fortunately, by combining the generous cooling benefits of aloe vera with wonderful witch hazel extract and skin-loving calendula hydrosol (a mild plant water created during the essential oil distilling process), you can create a non-goopy recipe that is physically refreshing, easy to use, and makes for a comforting end to a long day in the outdoors.

So you decided to get a tattoo—now what? Back in the day, care for a fresh tattoo was minimal at best. Many tattooists recommended air drying (i.e., using nothing), or they gave their clients a petroleum-based product to rub on the new ink. Thankfully, the Stone Age times of tattooing have passed, and with tattoos now being socially accepted and even embraced in many cultures, people are looking for updated tips and organic aftercare products for body art care. These days, there’s much more knowledge being shared about how to properly look out for your ink—and its canvas!

With each new trip around the sun, I find myself paying more attention to skincare tips from experts and other folks around me. Applying oil to the skin has been a common theme throughout the Ayurvedic classes I’ve been able to experience. As the Ayurvedic doctors would say: If you can take the time to change the oil in your car or condition your leather possessions, why neglect your own body?

The older I get, the more I realize that what my Dad really wants for Father’s Day is for me to show my love in ways that prove how much I know him as an individual and how much I want him to be happy and whole. The gifts that he most appreciates are also usually homemade, practical, and showcase the skills and knowledge I have acquired through the years.

Facial toners have come a long way since the 1990s, when the most common commercial varieties (often marketed to teenagers) used high concentrations of alcohol to help remove oil from the skin. Purported to reduce acne, they were purposely drying and too astringent for most skin types. Today’s facial toners with natural ingredients, on the other hand, provide benefits that can help to maintain the normal pH and hydration of our skin, both of which are essential to maintaining the moisture and elasticity that gives our complexions a smooth, healthy appearance. 

Here at Mountain Rose Herbs, we understand that the modern commercialization of Mother’s Day sometimes makes it easy to forget that this holiday is rooted in age-old celebrations from around the world. One of the most ancient “mother holidays” was a festival held by the Greeks in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods. At dawn, people made offerings of cakes, drinks, and flowers in her honor. Other celebrations, like the sixteenth century “Mothering Sunday,” evolved over the centuries to become a day in which grown children visited home and little ones picked flowers for their mothers. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

One of my first experiences with turmeric masks was at a relative’s wedding many years ago. It was the night before the big event, and the bride’s house was buzzing with excitement! There was chai on the stove, endless platters of food, aunties chatting, and a line of hands waiting for traditional bridal henna tattoos. Later in the evening, the bride sat in simple clothes while her family sat around her to perform a few wedding traditions; one of them was putting turmeric paste on her arms and face.

Working with essential oils can be exciting, inspiring, and confusing all at the same time. There's a good bit of non-intuitive math involved. We purchase in ounces or milliliters, but then often measure and blend in parts, teaspoons, or drops. Such discrepancies can quickly become VERY confusing, not to mention stressful—essential oils are precious and potent, after all, so correct measurements are important to achieving safe, consistent results.

Pure essential oils can be effective and efficient additions to your aromatherapy, home, and body care creations. However, these powerful plant extracts come with a great responsibility to exercise restraint. A single drop of essential oil contains an incredible concentration of herbal properties, so all this plant potential must be dispersed to levels that are safe for our bodies to process.

I like to keep my routine simple when it comes to skin care, and single body oils have always been my personal favorite for moisturizing in the morning or at night. Because we all have slightly different skin types and reactions, a little trial and error is necessary to determine which oils are best for each individual. By becoming familiar with the different properties of particular oils, you can save yourself a lot of time (and avoid having to experiment endlessly!). While argan oil or jojoba oil will always rank among my favorites, camellia seed oil is quickly surpassing them as my go-to moisturizer. 

Cosmetic clays have long been known to provide a variety of beneficial properties for all kinds of skin types. However, there are so many different kinds of cosmetic clays available today, it can be overwhelming trying to choose the one that is right for you.