Ruby Grapefruit Exfoliating Paste
In the fall, skin tone becomes rough and uneven as dead skin cells are sloughed off from our summer tan. This stimulating body scrub is actually a salt glow made with coarse sea salt and invigorating essential oils. It will leave your skin feeling smooth and polished.

Glass bowl
4-ounce glass jar
1 ½ ounces almond oil
25 drops grapefruit essential oil
6 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops lime
14 drops tangerine essential oil
3 ounces coarse sea salt

Combine almond oil and essential oils in a glass jar and shake vigorously to disperse the oils. Pour mixture into a glass bowl and add the sea salts a little at a time, stirring until you have a thick paste; let sit for 1 hour. Pour into glass jar. This paste will last for up to 6 months if covered and stored in a dark glass container.

Special precautions:
This is a very stimulating treatment and should not be used by individuals with sensitive or inflamed skin. Do not use if skin lesions are present.

Photo  All rights reserved by BowlLicking

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Lemon Ginger Echinacea Elixer
Drink this brew 4 times a day at the first sign of infection for sore throats, colds, and flu.

2 quarts purified water
6 organic fresh lemons
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2/3 cup honey
20 drops Echinacea root tincture

In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Juice the lemons using a fork and discard the seeds. Add the lemon juice and pulp to the water. Fold in the peeled, grated ginger. Let boil gently for five minutes, then turn down the heat and add the honey. Cover and simmer for an additional minute. Remove from stove, pour into a cup, add 20 drops of echinacea, and stir. Enjoy hot or cold. 

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Almond Paste Body Scrub
This sweet, luscious almond bouquet is so intoxicating that you will be tempted to eat this scrub. Sweet almond oil is rich in essential fatty acids and therefore prized for its hydrating and emollient properties.

2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon aloe vera gel
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup ground almonds

Place the sweet almond and coconut oils, baking soda, aloe vera gel, and vanilla extract in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the almonds and blend on low speed for 60 seconds. While skin is damp, apply liberally to areas of dry, flaky skin. Let skin absorb almond paste for several minutes, and then rinse off with warm water.

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Ylang Ylang Calming Bath Oil
This rich, exotic bath oil helps when you are overtired or overstimulated and need to unwind at the end of a long day.

4-ounce glass bottle
4 ounces carrier oil (Sweet Almond Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Jojoba Oil)
6 drops ylang ylang essential oil
8 drops rose otto essential oil
12 drops benzoin essential oil
 
Fill the bottle halfway with carrier oil. Add essential oils and shake well. Top off with remaining carrier oil, cover, and agitate a second time. Add 2-3 capfuls to warm bath and soak in tub for 20-30 minutes to sedate and relax the body.

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Celebrate Meatless Mondays with this refreshing recipe: 

Healing Root Salad
Rich in vitamin C, iron and an abundance of other minerals, Burdock Root has a good reputation as a blood purifier and has strong diuretic properties, helping promote the elimination of toxins via the kidneys. Nourishing burdock root will provide optimum nutrition to the immune system to keep you healthy and strong during the cooler months. As an added bonus, burdock is prized as a valuable tonic for clear skin. This delicate salad has a crisp texture and lots of added zing from the fresh ginger. Makes 2 servings. 

½ burdock root (2 cups)
1 carrot (1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
½ cup vegetable soup stock (can be made from vegetable bouillon cubes)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons marin (Japanese rice vinegar)
1 tablespoon sake
Sesame seeds (optional)

Cut the burdock root, carrot, and ginger into thin matchstick slices and place in a pan with soup stock. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add the soy, marin, and sake and simmer for an additional minute. Remove from heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and let sit until cool. Serve at room temperature.

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Herbal Bath Bouquet

One of the most pleasant ways to enjoy the benefits of herbs is in the bath. Gather a bundle of herbs from your herbal remedy garden selected for their therapeutic and aromatic properties. Include chamomile, an herb with a long history as a nerve sedative and therefore fitting for a soothing restorative bath after a long day outdoors.

Gather Chamomile, Lavender, and Geranium or basil in a bundle and tie off with a length of cotton ribbon or string. Gently bruise or tear the leaves to release the aromatic oils. Make a loop with the excess ribbon and tie the bouquet underneath the faucet so that water flows over herbs and into the tub. Or, let the bouquet float around you as you relax in the tub.

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Clarifying Parsley Toner

This toner is excellent for skin that is hormone reactive or prone to breakouts and blemishes. Parsley is a clarifying herb and tea tree has strong antiseptic properties that help to clear up blemishes. Apple Cider Vinegar is also an important blemish fighter because it has a high acid content and the bacteria that cause blemishes cannot thrive in an acidic environment.

1 ounce fresh parsley leaves, bruised
1/2 cup distilled water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 drops tea tree oil
4-ounce bottle with spray atomizer

Place the parsley in a French press. In a small pan, bring distilled water to a rolling boil and pour over the parsley. Let steep for 10 minutes, plunge, and let cool. Pour apple cide vinegar and tea tree oil into bottle and top off with parsley infusion. Cap with spray atomizer and shake well.

Spritz face liberally. Keep in refrigerator for added soothing benefits.

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Avocado Honey Mask

This fruit is simply so rich in proteins, vitamins, lecithin, and essential fatty acids that it is like a well-balanced meal for the skin. This avocado mask will leave your skin smooth and soft. If you want to add extra moisture to the mask, include the coconut oil, which is high in saturated fats.

1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
1 egg
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process for 30 seconds. Apply immediately to clean skin and leave on for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Wellness Workout

Walking is a simple method of reaping all the benefits of exercise without joining a gym or occupying too much of your time. By walking vigorously for 45 minutes at least five times a week, you can stay in shape and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors.

Walking provides us with another opportunity to establish a sense of connection with ourselves and to sharpen our awareness skills with each step we take.

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Lavender Infusion Bath
Use your long Labor Day weekend to treat yourself to deep relaxation. Calm your body with this Lavender Infusion Bath before getting a full night’s sleep. Bathing in Lavender, well known for its sedative properties, is a perfect way to reduce stress at the end of a long day. Lavender’s sweet, subtle scent calms the overstimulated mind and will help you drift off to sleep.

First make an infusion by combining 1/2 cup of the fresh lavender blossoms with 4 cups of boiling water in a French press. Let steep for 20 minutes. Fill bathtub, pour the infusion into the bath, and disappear into the comfort of lavender.

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