Fresh-Picked Beauty

Soak your tuckered out feet in this cooling peppermint foot soak. Baking soda removes odors!

Are your feet ready for Summer and sandals? Get a head start with my Cooling Peppermint Foot soak made with all natural pink Himalayan salt, Epsom salt, baking soda and a touch of cooling peppermint essential oil. Use about 1/2 cup of the soak per gallon of water. I added a touch of powdered milk so the essential oil would emulsify easier in the water. If you are vegan, you may use powdered coconut milk as a substitute.

Peppermint essential oil is steam distilled from the peppermint herb. Did you know it takes about 100 kg to produce just 1 kg of essential oil? Spearmint is a good substitute if you can't find peppermint. Lately, it is becoming common for cheaper brands and shady companies to label their product as "Peppermint Essential Oil" however it is actually cornmint (Menthe arvensis). You can purchase genuine peppermint essential oil from Mountain Rose Herbs.

photo credit: Mountain Rose Herbs. Pink Himalayan Salt.

You can also find the Pink Himalayan Salt at Mountain Rose Herbs. According to their website, "The Himalayan Pink Salt offered by Mountain Rose Herbs is “Gourmet Food Grade,” the highest quality of Himalayan salt available. It is used by holistic chefs, spas, health professionals, and individuals for its range of nutritional and therapeutic properties. Use Himalayan Pink salt in bath salt recipes, body scrubs, aromatherapy, homemade soap, and all types of culinary and spa applications. Himalayan Pink salt was originally formed from marine fossil deposits over 250 million years ago during the Jurassic era. Harvested from ancient sea beds, this rare and extraordinary salt has been a valuable commodity for centuries." Click HERE to purchase from Mountain Rose Herbs. 

DIY Cooling Peppermint Foot Soak
Makes enough for 8 soaks

1 cup Mountain Pink Himalayan Salt
1 cup Mountain Rose Herbs Epsom Salt
2 cups Baking Soda
1/4 cup dry powered milk
20 drops peppermint essential oil

Combine the salts and baking soda in a large bowl. Mix well. Sprinkle in the powdered milk and peppermint essential oil. Stir all ingredients well to combine. Transfer to a glass jar with a tight fitting  lid. Use 1/2 cup per gallon of warm water. Soak your feet for 30 minutes and then rinse under warm and pat dry. Follow up with a moisturizer and socks.

This information is for educational purposes only, it is not intended to treat, cure, prevent or, diagnose any disease or condition. Nor is it intended to prescribe in any way. This information is for educational purposes only and may not be complete, nor may its data be accurate. As with all herbs,  Do not take internally unless working with a qualified and expert practitioner. Keep away from children.  I am an affiliate with Mountain Rose Herbs,please review my disclosure page for details.. Avoid use  unless discussed with your physician. This information is for educational purposes only.  This information has not been evaluated b

This recipe is for a lightweight, fast-absorbing facial lotion that will sink quickly into your skin to nourish, smooth, and moisturize. It has an amazing and uplifting citrus aroma from the lemon verbena hydrosol and the small amount of lemon essential oil. Apply it first thing in the morning for a fresh citrus burst to help wake up your senses.

photo credit: Mountain Rose Herbs

You can find every single ingredient over at Mountain Rose Herbs. Click HERE to shop.

Purchase organic lemon essential oil from Mountain Rose Herbs. Click HERE.

Lemon essential oil comes from the rind of Citrus limonum. Most of the essential oil is physically separated from the cold-pressing of the fruit rind, but you can source steam distilled essential oil which is great for avoiding the phytotoxicity of the steam distilled oil. It is a wonderful essential oil to use in blends meant for oily skin types or those prone to blemishes. It can tone enlarged pores and sooth blemishes. This particular oil can be irritating to the skin when used in large amounts. I used a very small amount of just 10 drops in four ounces of lotion. Believe it or not, there is a lot of lemon essential oil on the market that has been adulterated with other citrus oils, synthetic compounds or preservatives to keep the oil from oxidizing too quickly, it is best to purchase form a source you can trust. I highly recommend getting it from Mountain Rose Herbs. I also like to buy from Simplers Botanicals and  Snow Lotus.

Light & Lemony Face Lotion
makes about 4 ounces

2 1/2 teaspoons jojoba oil
2 1/2 teaspoons grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
1/2 teaspoon stearic acid
2 heaping teaspoons emulsifying wax NF
1/3 cup lemon verbena hydrosol
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil
10 drops lemon essential oil

Measure the jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable glycerin, stearic acid and emulsifying wax into  a glass measuring cup and sit this in a saucepan containing a few inches of simmering water. Stirring occasionally, until everything has melted and the temperature reaches about 160 degrees F.

Measure the lemon verbena hydrosol into another glass measuring cup, sit this in a saucepan of simmering water, and heat to a temperature of about 160 degrees F.

Carefully remove both measuring cups from the simmering water. Pour the oil and wax mixture carefully into a heatproof mixing bowl and mix with a hand-held mixer set on medium speed. Carefully add the hydrosol and mix for a further 5 minutes. Add in the vitamin E and lemon essential oil and mix for a few more minutes.

Pour your lotion into a sanitized container and allow to cool completely and thicken. Store the lotion in the refrigerator and use within 30 days. This does not contain a preservative and needs to be kept refrigerated for best results. **You can use this all over your body too!

Guys love this light lotion too! It has a very uplifting aroma and does not leave the skin feeling oily. Make a batch for your favorite man so he can have super smooth skin!

This information is for educational purposes only, it is not intended to treat, cure, prevent or, diagnose any disease or condition. Nor is it intended to prescribe in any way. This information is for educational purposes only and may not be complete, nor may its data be accurate. As with all herbs,  Do not take internally unless working with a qualified and expert practitioner. Keep away from children.  I am an affiliate with Mountain Rose Herbs,please review my disclosure page for details.. Avoid use  unless discussed with your physician. This information is for educational purposes only.  This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease. Green Blessings!!!

A few days ago I reposted my recipe for my All-Natural Bug Repellent which works wonders at keeping those pesky bugs and mosquitoes away, but chances are you will still end up with a bite here and there.  So, here is a recipe for a fantastic bug bite relief stick.  You want to carry this around with you while hiking, camping, swimming or just hanging out in your back yard this summer!

The tube on the left is a 0.15 oz container and the tube on the right is a 0.5 oz container

This recipe will make enough to fill two large 0.5 oz lip balm containers.  You can also fill up about 6 of the small 0.15 oz containers if you like.

You will need the following ingredients:

1 heaping teaspoon of Mountain Rose Herbs Beeswax (Buy it HERE)

3 teaspoons of Mountain Rose Herbs Carnauba Wax (Buy it HERE). I like to add some carnauba wax to this formula because it makes it a little bit harder and helps it not to melt as easily as a pure beeswax formula does. Chances are you will be carrying this in your pocket while playing outdoors and you don't want it to melt!

3 1/2 teaspoons calendula infused carrier oil.  I have a wonderful tutorial on how to make your own HERE. I really LOVE calendula infused oil because it makes an excellent base for salves.  It is gentle, cooling and soothing.  It helps with skin inflammation.  If you don't have time to make it yourself, you can head on over to Mountain Rose Herbs and buy a 4 ounce bottle of their Calendula Healing Oil which is made from Certified organic Calendula flowers and Certified organic olive oil.  Click HERE to be taken to Mountain Rose Herbs.

1 1/2 teaspoons castor oil. I like to add in castor oil because it is very soothing to the skin when it is part of a formula.  It is also a hard oil that adds a layer of protection to your skin.


1 teaspoon of Mountain Rose Herbs Vitamin E Oil (Buy it HERE).  I add in the Vitamin E Oil for two reasons.  It helps prevent rancidity of the oils in this formula and it is a great antioxidant for the skin.

You need the following essential oils: Mountain Rose Herbs is a great place to get high-quality essential oils. I used the essential oils at a 5% of the formula.  This is a potent recipe that is meant to be applied to small areas of the body at a time.  I normally use about 2.5% essential oil blend when I formulate for general uses.

15 drops Lavender essential oil (buy it here)
10 drops German Chamomile essential oil (buy it here)
10 drops Tea Tree essential oil (buy it here)
5 drops Vetiver essential oil (buy it here)
3 drops Peppermint essential oil (buy it here)

German Chamomile is very useful in skin care meant for inflammations, rashes and wounds.  It is also antiseptic.  Lavender is antiseptic, helps stop bleeding, insect repellent, anti-inflammatory and is good for cleaning wounds and bites. I added a bit of Vetiver because it smells amazing and is a good antiseptic and an immune stimulant.  The peppermint is in this blend because it is very cooling to the areas that have been bitten and Tea Tree helps to keep the area clean and acts as a potent antiseptic.


Bring a small pan with a few inches of water to a simmer.  Add your beeswax and carnauba wax to a small glass measuring cup and sit it in the hot water to melt.  Add in your calendula oil and castor oil.  Stir to melt.  Turn off the heat but keep the glass measuring cup sitting in the hot water.  Stir in the Vitamin E oil and the essential oils.  Carefully pour the melted mixture into the containers to the very top.  Add the caps and allow to cool to room temp.

This is what it will look like once all the ingredients and essential oils are added in.  I wish I could describe how wonderful this smells.  The earthy vetiver mixes so well with the herbaceous and fresh lavender which mixes so well with the cooling aroma of the chamomile and the other essential oils.

Fill your tubes up to the very top! Careful not to spill any of the hot liquid on your skin!

To use: Simply apply over bug bites!