Self Care Sunday - April's Bliss Sugar Scrub Glow

This is a series devoted to easy to make body care recipes for self care! I hope you enjoy!

~April's Bliss Sugar Scrub Glow~

1 c. organic raw sugar
1 c. powdered organic rose petals
1 tsp. organic vanilla extract
2-4 tbsp. organic carrier oil (olive/almond/avocado/jojoba)

Combine all ingredients and mix well with a fork. Store in a glass jar with a lid and let sit overnight to let the vanilla infuse into the dried mixture..

When your ready to mix up an application in a separate dish, you can add  2-4 Tbsp. of oil to 1/2 cup of salt per application. (You can basically play with the consistency..) You want it to be thick enough to scoop up with your hand or a spoon.

To use; scoop or spoon some into the palm of your hand and rub generously over elbows, knees, arms, legs, feet & hands and rinse well. Your skin will be silky soft! If you want to make the scrub extra aromatic you could add a few drops of rose otto and/ chamomile essential oil  or infuse the carrier oil with a vanilla bean. Mmmmm!!!

Mine are adorned with some whole roses just for prettyness sake.. If you choose to do this, just scoop these out of your bath/shower so they don't clog up the drain!

Herbal Allies- Part 2

So I have finally chosen my plant allies for the coming year. I am starting with 3 but may add more. So these are the 3 plants I want to get to know on a deeper level. It took me awhile to choose these and they may change as I go. Who knows!?! I tried to pick plants that are safe to use while nursing as well.

Over the next year I will study, use and sit with these plants and try to learn as much as I can about them on a physical as well as energetic level. I think the 3 will keep me very busy learning and discovering new things! I am excited to have finally chosen them after much contemplation. Or did they choose me?

I will also be writing my own sort of of monographs of my own on each and adding to it on a regular basis for each one here on my blog. I hope to be able too include a lot of new experiences and observations in the coming year while I am learning about these 3 new plant allies!


1-Rose~ I think I wrote in an earlier post I have used rose a lot for bodycare but not much at all for medicine so I would like to explore the healing aspects deeper. I also would just like to use rose more in my daily life. I feel drawn to it as of lately and crave it's presence. I plan to use it in food, medicine and bodycare/aromatherapy. I find it uplifting, sensuous and gently healing. Like an old familiar friend. I want to learn her secrets and revel in her beauty.

2- Blue Vervain~Feeling called to work with this plant. I'm not entirely sure why but the reasons will become clear eventually I am sure! I very much like the fact that it is a galactagogue since I will be a nursing mom soon. I have not used blue vervain much at all so it's a new plant for me to learn about!

3-Elder~ I am having a love affair with elder. Shhh, don't tell anyone! Though I know i am not the only one. lol. This plant is pretty elusive to someone coming from the southwest, so I am absolutely thrilled they grow here in New England. Other than using elderberry syrup I don't have all that much experience using this plant but I have been extremely drawn to it since discovering it! My mission this coming year is to find as many as I can growing in the wild and use it generously! I am very drawn to learning about the many uses of elder. I feel like it is calling me to soak up all of it's healing energies and wisdom.

I am trying hard not to include more plants with my "ally" list as I am trying to keep things low key right now for simplicity's sake! If it were up to me I'd easily have 10!