Health Spa Treatments: Using Lavender Herbs from Your Own Herb Garden

by Mary Hanna

Health spa treatments can be costly. Have you ever considered creating your own home spa by using lavender and other herbs from your own herb garden? After all of the hours you spent planting and tending to your herb plants, reap another benefit by using your herbs to make herbal cosmetics, herbal teas or herbal medicines and by all means as ingredients for a home spa. Some people have spaghetti herb gardens, or salad gardens even headache gardens, consider this your own Spa Herb Garden!

For very soft touchable skin use Lavender or Calendula leaves and petals. Bruise the leaves and petals and put them into a glass jar. Pour enough olive oil into the jar to cover the herbs. Set the jar on a sunny window and shake everyday for two to three weeks.

Strain the oil through cheese cloth pressing on the solids to remove all essential oils. Reseal the jar and place in a dark place. The herbal oil should last up to one year. This soothing Lavender oil can be applied directly to the skin or used in a bath.

Put lavender flowers and leaves into a warm bath and soak. Or put them in a muslin bag which you will hook over the running water while filling the tub. The Lavender will fill your bathroom with a wonderful scent. Since Lavender is known for its calming effect, what better way to relax after a day of gardening than a long soothing bath filled with Lavender?

Lavender is a natural anti depressant so place bowls of dried lavender around the house. Or since Lavender is known for its calming effect, boil a large pot of water, throw in the lavender, and place a towel over your head as you bend down over the pot. Inhale in the delightful smell and feel its soothing properties from the steam on your skin.

Another lovely way to use Lavender is to sew them into little bags and put them between your pillow and pillow case. The beautiful calming scent will help you sleep.

Calendulas may also be used in the bath. An even better way to use this herb is as an antiseptic. Again, bruise the leaves and flowers and add them to olive oil. It will relieve stings, chapped lips, cuts and burns.

To make you're own spa loofahs plant Luffa aegyptiaea. For a home spa tool grow the plant in full sun in a place where the plant can climb. When you harvest it, soak it in water to soften the brown skin, peel and set out in the sun to dry. Save the seeds for your next years Spa Herb Garden.

Now let's make some refreshing teas using herbs from your herbal garden for use in your mini home spa. Most people look at roses as just beautiful blooms, but rose hips have more vitamin C than oranges. The little round balls in the center of the rose is the hips. Gather them and grind them in a coffee grinder. Steep them in very hot water, not boiling, for about ten minutes and enjoy your fruity tea.

For a calming tea try Chamomile or for a refreshing tea try Lemon balm. All of these herbs can be grown in your own yard and will create a wonderful home health spa experience.