Some of our favourite simple recipes for you to try this spring.
If there’s one little thing that we can all do to be a bit more eco-conscious, it’s to reduce our consumption of single-use plastics. A simple way to do this is to cut out our use of cleaning products that come in plastic bottles with plastic trigger sprays – some of which are still not recyclable. A planet friendly alternative which also looks pretty in your kitchen is investing in an amber glass spray bottle, available from many online retailers for a few £s and will last years. Then you can make this cleaning spray recipe and re-fil your bottle each time you need to…
Simple Multi-use Cleaner Recipe
50ml white/clear vinegar.
50ml of water.
10-15 drops of essential oil.
The Essential Oils you choose to use are up to you, but we recommend those that have natural antibacterial qualities to make a great household cleanser. Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Peppermint and Orange Essential oils naturally possess these qualities and can be used alone or blended. You could also try our Prevention Blend which is specially formulated to help defend and protect naturally, containing notes of Tea Tree, Ravensara, Niaouli and more. Using these Essential Oils is very cost-effective too as you only need a few drops for each recipe, and the spray will also double as an air freshener! We love that you can use this recipe with the peace of mind that it’s leaving no chemical nasties on your work surfaces or in the atmosphere.
How to Look-after and Refresh your Home Textiles
It’s easy to forget that our homes can harbour odours and bacteria in soft surfaces too, we love using this easy to make soft furnishing spray to refresh curtains, sofas, cushions, and beds! You can use any essential oils you like; we love matching ours to the seasons – we’ll use more warming scents such a Cinnamon Leaf and Clove Bud in the colder months and fresher ones when it’s warmer outside like Citruses and Rose Absolute Essential Oil. Our Daybreak blend is a lovely awakening scent that will leave your surroundings beautifully fresh! This quick recipe can be stored and used again and again in a spray pump bottle… (we recommend an amber glass one, so the sunlight doesn’t reduce the life of the mixture).
Fabric Refresher Recipe
30ml Witch Hazel.
30ml distilled water.
20 drops Essential Oil.
60ml (or bigger) amber glass spray bottle.
Just give the mixture a little shake prior to each use to make sure the ingredients are combined and spray away! You may want to freshen up your underwear drawers by putting a few drops of Essential Oil onto a cotton-wool pad or tissue and placing it carefully inside so every time you open the drawer, a lovely fragrance will waft your way! You can use the same idea in linen drawers, wardrobes, and cupboards too by placing the fragranced cotton-wool pads strategically according to the available space. A blend of Bergamot, Lime and Lavender Essential Oils smells lovely and fresh, or if you prefer a more woody aroma try a mix of Frankincense, Cedarwood and May Chang essential oils.
To freshen the smell of your clothing you can also use Hydrosols in your steam iron to fragrance your clothes whilst you are experiencing the mundanity of ironing! Hydrosol water is the condensed water that remains after the essential oil has been extracted from the raw material by distillation. This water captures the aromatic and calming properties that are present in the plant or leaf, making it a wonderful spritzer for skin, face, or hair, but you can also use it for your clothes too! Add about a tablespoon of Rose or Organic Orange Blossom Hydrosol to your water before pouring it into your iron, and your clothing will gently diffuse its aroma. In fact, there’s almost no end of uses for Hydrosols once you get used to using them, a spritz onto dust cloths is great too because it helps trap dust and leaves behind it a fresh aroma.
Spring Clean and rejuvenate your skin!
After all that cleaning and homecare, your hands may be feeling a bit worse for wear. The repetitive act of cleaning and hand washing can actually strip the proteins from the top layer of the skin (epidermis) and could compromise the skin’s natural protection barrier. Washing removes some of your natural protective oils from the skin barrier, so it’s a good idea to replace this moisture. The recipe in the adjacent photo creates an amazing balm to replenish those lost oils.
To create your hand-saving balm, simply melt the Coconut Oil with the Shea and Cocoa Butters gently over a bains-marie/double boiler until liquified. Remove from the heat to cool a little (but not solidify), and add the Vitamin E, Sweet Almond Oil and the Essential Oils and combine. Before the mixture cools completely, transfer to jars or pots and leave uncovered somewhere cool until it’s totally set, then it’s ready to use! Moisturising your hands after washing up or before going to bed should be a part of a regular hand-care routine.
Most importantly, remember to enjoy the bank holidays and take some time to look after yourself too. That hand balm use could turn into a quick self-massage: Apply it directly to the backs of your hands and begin using gentle circular massage movements all the way up to your wrists until the oil has all been absorbed. Pay special attention to the spaces between your fingers where skin can crack due to dryness, and then work your way right up to the tips of each finger. While you are at it, spend some time massaging the blend into your nails as they may need a little TLC too…And relax…
