Botanical Tools of the Trade

I took this picture for an Instagram post last month and love it so much because it captures some of the botanical products I make or aromatherapy ingredients/tools I use for Botanically Me. I thought I’d explain a little about each item.

We’ll start at the top left and move clockwise.

#1 is a one-0unce beautiful glass jar with shiny silver lid that I use for my Rose Facial Balm. It can be difficult to find pretty jars for my products, and I was so happy to find this one.
#2 is a green perfume atomizer I found at a discount store. I haven’t tried it out yet, but I will when I make an alcohol-based perfume.
#3 is a vintage glass bartender stirrer that I discovered at my favorite vintage store. Glass stirrers can be hard to find today, as so many of them are plastic. Glass is perfect for using with essential oils because the glass won’t absorb the oil. I use these all the time when I’m making my products.
#4 is a stunning glass perfume bottle that I found on my husband’s and my trip Kick Up Some Dust trip across the country last year. I got it at a discount price because one of the glass flower petals had fallen off and they had glued it back on. It’s barely discernible. I will have to make a very special perfume indeed to go in this special bottle.
#5 is one of my heart-shaped pure beeswax candles that I make for my Etsy shop.
#6 is a tin of my Love Blessings Beeswax perfume that I make for my Etsy shop. It’s prominent notes are rose and sandalwood.
#7 is a glass jar filled with dried rose petals. I just love working with rose petals and can’t stop myself from smelling them every five seconds. I use them in everything from sugar scrubs to bath teas to oil infusions.
#8 is a handy little tool I found that removes orifice reducers from essential oil bottles. These can be particularly hard to get off, and this tool makes it much easier. I just wipe it off with alcohol before using it on another bottle.
#9 is a set of my Blessings Beeswax Taper candles from my Etsy shop. These were very popular over the holidays.
#10 is a tin of my Baby’s First Salve product. This is perfect to use as a diaper cream or on other irritated skin of baby. It’s even safe for newborns because there isn’t any essential oil in it.
#11 is a tiny 2-ml glass bottle that I use when creating a custom perfume for a client. I like to use these to hold perfume samples.
And finally, #12 is a bottle of Angelica essential oil. Angelica is used in the perfume industry and is a herbaceous, earthy, spicy aroma. It is either a mid or top note, depending on what else it’s blended with. It also has therapeutic properties for the respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. It’s known as an aphrodisiac and antispasmodic and can be useful for a depressed state of mind.

Thanks for taking a peek into some of the tools I use and products I make in my business. If you have any questions, please just ask in the comment section.

Botanically me,

Beeswax for Health & Wellness

Our bees working away!

With it’s slightly sweet honeyed scent and glowing colors ranging from yellow to orange, it’s hard to resist natural beeswax.

Three years ago my husband and I took up the mantle of beekeepers, and while we have much to learn, we are fascinated by the day-to-day workings in a beehive and the goodness that the bees give to us. Besides pollinating about 70 percent of our food crops, honeybees produce honey, beeswax, royal jelly, pollen, and propolis.

Today I want to focus on beeswax.

Beeswax is produced by bees of the genus Apis and it’s actually comprised of over 300 components, including long-chain alkanes, acids, esters, polyesters, and hydroxy esters. What I find fascinating about botanicals including beeswax and essential oils, for example, is the very fact that we are using substances as God made them complete with all of their components within them.

The reason I point that out is because when we consider the fact that most pharmaceutical drugs are isolating a single compound in a plant, synthesizing it and then distributing it as a pharmaceutical, we can see why we are having the problem with bacteria and viruses being able to mutate and become stronger than a drug, rendering the drug useless or much weakened in power. When you isolate one substance from the others in its natural state, you are ignoring any possible interactions with the myriad other substances that are probably contributing to the efficacy of the isolated substance.

Beeswax Uses Past and Present

Now let’s look at how one of my favorite substances has been and can be used.

My rose facial balm

First of all, beeswax has been used for thousands of years in many different countries and cultures like Europe, Israel, Egypt and China. Applications included medicinal uses, beauty products, dietary supplements, and of course candles. Ancient writings even contain recipes of medicines and beauty products made with beeswax.

Today beeswax is used in numerous ways including candles, ornaments, encaustic art, crayons, lip balms, salves, creams, balms, furniture polish, and as a waterproofing agent, in soap making, and in candy—just to name a few things!

Benefits of Beeswax

Beeswax is an emulsifier and a thickener, which makes it so beneficial in natural cosmetics.
It has emollient properties and can help seal in moisture to your skin.
It is healing for your skin. A powerful trio of ingredients used together in many recipes are beeswax, honey, and olive oil.
It’s interesting to note that beeswax is also being studied for its antimicrobial properties (see link below to an article on this).

I use beeswax in many of my products. I love beeswax candles because they don’t have any added chemicals in them. When I am burning a candle in the house, I don’t want to be adding substances to the air that could possibly be irritating to the respiratory system. The natural, gentle sweet aroma of pure beeswax is just right.

I also favor beeswax for its ability to act as a natural thickener and healer in my products, such as salves and balms and solid perfumes. Since it appears that beeswax may have antimicrobial (antibacterial and antiviral) properties, I consider this an added bonus that can only benefit the user.

When looking for local beeswax for sale, try to buy from a beekeeper that does minimal processing. Beeswax should still retain its scent and color.

How to Break Apart a Block of Beeswax

Working with the big blocks of beeswax can be a bit tricky. I have found two ways to break off smaller amounts of beeswax from the one-pound blocks:

Take a clean screwdriver and hammer. Pound the screwdriver into the beeswax until you fracture off a piece of beeswax that is easier to work with.
Use a sharp serrated knife to saw away at the beeswax, which will give you smaller chips of beeswax. Take care that the knife doesn’t slip.

To clean beeswax off of your utensils or pans, I have found the easiest thing to do is to boil water in a kettle. As the water is steaming, hold the object to be cleaned in the stream of steam, constantly wiping off the melting wax with a paper towel until all the beeswax is removed. Be careful not to burn yourself!

Today I am sharing a video I made for my Etsy shop that highlights four of my products that contain beeswax including solid perfume.

Thanks for watching! Let me know of your experience with beeswax in the comment section below. Also see below for helpful (affiliate link) resources of books that I use for reference.

Beeswax: A minireview of its antimicrobial activity and its application in medicine This is an interesting article about the scientific study of beeswax.

Book source: Beeswax Alchemy: How to Make Your Own Soap, Candles, Balms, Creams, and Salves from the Hive

On a side note …

I’m very interested in those who are studying natural antibiotics and natural antivirals and their current and future role in the fight against bugs and superbugs. I’ve included two books that address this topic: Herbal Antivirals: Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections and Herbal Antibiotics, 2nd Edition: Natural Alternatives for Treating Drug-resistant Bacteria.

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day in a Botanical Way

For as long as I can remember, Valentine’s Day has been a time for exchanging heartfelt notes and gifts with our loved ones. It’s a day to celebrate love ♥ with your sweetheart and friends.

Botanical Ways To Celebrate Valentine’s Day

As I was thinking about how to celebrate Valentine’s Day, I wanted to focus particularly on botanical ideas that were both pampering and healthy. Enjoy!

Scent the Air

To start the day, let’s put everyone in a happy mood by diffusing some uplifting essential oils. Sweet orange or grapefruit are both excellent choices as citrus oils are uplifting and anti-anxiety. Almost everyone loves the aroma of these two happy oils.

Please keep in mind, though, NOT to use essential oils (in any way) on or around babies younger than six months. Babies have thinner skin and immature immune systems, so they can’t tolerate powerful essential oils.

However, from the age of six months to two, children can handle diffused child-safe essential oils for short amounts of time. In addition to sweet orange and grapefruit, lavender and lemon are also safe for this age group. For a long list of safe and unsafe essential oils for children, reference this post from clinical aromatherapist Lea Star Harris.

As you are diffusing the oils, I would recommend diffusing for about 15 minutes and then shutting off the diffusor for 90 minutes. Adults should diffuse in this on-again, off-again manner as well. It’s better than leaving the diffusor continuously running.

6 Months and Up Diffusor Recipe

2 drops of Lavender, Lemon, Sweet Orange OR Grapefruit (or other safe list EO)

Directions: Add a total of 2 drops to the water reservoir of a diffusor and run for 15 minutes. Shut off. Start with this low dilution rate as we don’t want to overwhelm baby’s sensitive system. If you don’t have babies or young children, you can add up to 10 drops of essential oils to the diffusor.

Pamper Your Baby or Child with an Herbal Bath

Herbs and hydrosols are much safer to use with infants and children than essential oils. The following herbs are all gentle and soothing for children: chamomile, lavender, calendula, and rose petals. My favorite is chamomile. German chamomile is a powerful anti-inflammatory, wonderful and soothing for the skin, as well as being calming to the mind.

Children’s Herbal Bath

One handful of herbs
One cotton bag or nylon sock

Directions: Before putting the baby in the bath, fill the bag with your chosen herbs and tie the bag to the bathtub nozzle. Run the water through the bag. Once the desired temperature and depth of water is reached, allow the bag to float in the tub while your little one soaks.

Celebrate with Your Sweetheart

For a massage oil that both men and women like, try using lavender oil. It’s a cross between sweet and spicy, so both sexes often enjoy it.

Lavender Body and Massage Oil

2 oz of carrier oil (almond, fractionated coconut oil, herbal oil, etc.)
30 drops of Lavender essential oil (This is a 2.5% dilution, a nice rate for massage)

Directions: Pour the carrier oil in a 2-oz. bottle and add the essential oil to the oil. Shake or roll gently and label.

Diffusor Recipe

To add a romantic spin to the diffusor recipe above, add a few drops of rose, jasmine, patchouli, or ylang ylang.

Cozy Up with Beeswax Candles

With their light honey scent, beeswax candles add a warm, lovely touch to Valentine’s Day. For a candlelit dinner, choose beeswax taper candles or a fun heart novelty candle. For an intimate setting, try tiny floating heart candles. They burn for about an hour and look beautiful in a bowl of water sprinkled with fresh flower petals. In the picture to the left, I used carnation petals.

Botanical Gift Ideas

Houseplants are a perfect idea for a “Galantine’s” (girls celebrating Valentine’s day with their girlfriends) gift—especially welcome if you live in a cold climate area of the country. At this point in the winter, we’re all ready for a bit of greenery. Succulent plants are easy to care for and extremely popular right now. I just purchased one myself.

Of course you can never go wrong with flowers. They don’t have to be expensive, either, if you’re on a tight budget. I just bought this beautiful bouquet of carnations at Walmart, and they were only about $4.50.

Finally, botanical beeswax perfumes are pampering gifts for Valentine’s Day any woman will appreciate.

However you celebrate this year, I pray it’s your best botanical holiday yet!

Happy Valentine’s Day,

*I just want to be clear that the gift links in this post are to my shop on Etsy.

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