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Got Tired, Hot Feet? Give ‘Em A Refreshing Peppermint Treat . . . Ahhhh!
for Mother Earth News Folks, it doesn’t have to be summertime for you to experience dog-tired, hot, sweaty feet. Just ask anyone who routinely spends a lot of time on their feet . . . landscapers, brick masons, carpenters, massage therapists, sales clerks, waiters, parents of young children, runners, school teachers, hair stylists, exercise instructors, nurses, etc. Their poor tootsies take a beating all year long! Your feet are your foundation – ever think about that? They literally connect
Body Scrubs for Silky Summer Skin
All-natural body scrubs keep skin feeling smooth and supple in summer. Make your own with these recipes from skin care specialist Stephanie Tourles. In my work as a certified foot and hand reflexologist and licensed esthetician, my clients often ask me about what they can do to improve the texture of their skin. They wonder in particular about the skin on their arms, legs, hands, and feet, which tends to get dry, flaky, ashy, and scaly. These conditions are neither comfortable nor attractive in
Geranium Essential Oil: Your Rose-Scented Wellness Aid
written for mother earth living, 1/30/2020 2:25:00 PM This highly aromatic plant, long adored for the delicious complexity of its bouquet, has been much used by the perfume industry for hundreds of years. Seventeenth-century Europeans loved it so much that they developed hundreds of hybrids. Geranium leaves make a soothing rose-flavored tea and are prized for their use in making a fragrant body wash, hydrosol, natural deodorant, and effective insect repellent. They can also be used to promot
Helichrysum Essential Oil: A Potent Remedial With A Gentle Hand
Helichrysum essential oil is yellow-to-slightly reddish in color with a pungent, distinctive, earthy, warm, honey-like scent which some say reminds them of sweet curry spice. It is a relative newcomer to the essential oil market, but demand for it is high, given its undisputed ability to help heal damaged skin tissue and soothe achy, inflammatory conditions. Like lavender, helichrysum essential oil is a complete medicine chest in a bottle! A strongly aromatic, shrubby herb, helichrysum (Helichry
Vitamin C: Your Skin's Fountain of Youth
Howdy Everyone! In case you didn't know, I'm now a resident of Marble Falls, TX - having relocated from my beloved state of Maine many months ago to be closer to my aging parents who live in San Antonio. I probably don't need to tell you, but the weather down here is vastly different from coastal Maine - with it's comfortably cool, moist summer's and frigid, damp winter's. Texas is HOT and DRY, with humidity levels that range from semi-sticky to desert-like. My skin has been in shock since I
Grapefruit Essential Oil: A Fresh, Scent-sational Home Remedy
6/12/2019 6:11:00 PM Mother Earth Living Click here for entire article. Luscious, juicy, and pleasingly fragrant grapefruit shares the nutritional qualities of other citrus species, being high in vitamin C, plus delivering ample potassium, folic acid, beta-carotene (red fruits only), and capillary-strengthening flavonoids. It has a stabilizing effect on blood sugar, enhances digestion, acts as a mild diuretic, diminishes the appetite, and offers valuable protection against infectious illnesses
Myrrh Essential Oil: A Divinely Rich Essence
Mother Earth Living | Stephanie Tourles| 5/4/2020 Myrrh—an aromatic, rich, precious resin—was widely used in ancient times throughout the Middle East, but especially in Egypt, for incense, perfumery, medicine, and as a preservation ingredient in the embalming process. It was particularly prized as a remedial aid for infections of the respiratory tract, mouth, and skin and as a digestive stimulant. Myrrh was also one of the three gifts said to have been brought by the three wise men to the baby
These Natural Sprays, Oils and Plants *Actually* Help Repel Mosquitoes - Eating Well Article
Stephanie Tourles was interviewed for part of a natural mosquito repellent article that just came out in Eating Well magazine, August 20, 2020 The article promotes Naturally Bug-Free. Here is an excerpt from the article below. To read the article in it's entirety, click here. http://www.eatingwell.com/article/7834918/natural-mosquito-products-that-actually-work/ These Natural Sprays, Oils and Plants *Actually* Help Repel Mosquitoes Plus, the best tips and tricks to keep skeeters away naturally
Sweet Marjoram Essential Oil: A Powerful, Versatile Remedy
Reader Contribution By Stephanie Tourles for Mother Earth Living A close relative of sharply-pungent oregano, aromatic sweet marjoram — also known as knotted marjoram due to its production of small, tightly clustered, pale or dark pinkish-purple flowers, or “knots” — is a traditional culinary herb and folk remedy that was especially favored by the ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, who utilized it in their food, fragrances, medicines, and cosmetics. Introduced into Europe in the Middle Ages,
Make Homemade Comfrey Balm to Ease Soreness and Heal Wounds
Native to Europe and Asia, comfrey, often called the “miracle plant,” is a rather attractive perennial herb with hairy or prickly stems and lance-shaped leaves. Comfrey’s small bell-shaped flowers grow in various colors, typically cream, pinkish, or purplish (depending on the specific variety of the plant), and the plant has dark-hued roots that extend quite deep into the ground. Comfrey grows to approximately 3 feet tall. Its first reported medicinal use dates back to approximately 400 BCE. Lat
Natural Flea and Tick Powders for Dogs and Cats
Keep your furry companions pest-free with these natural alternatives to chemical flea and tick treatments. As an herbalist, I often hear from folks who are looking for safe, effective alternatives to the standard chemical arsenal available to fend off insects and pests on the body and in the home. I’ve made my own herb-based products for years, because I react poorly to a number of common pesticides and insecticides. My natural formulas keep my home relatively bug-free, plus they smell pleasant
Scotch Pine Essential Oil: A Refreshing, Comforting "Essence of the Forest"
Article for Mother Earth News I refer to pine trees as “feel-good trees” because they offer so many benefits. Many of the more than 100 species of pines have been used medicinally throughout the world by cultures ranging from the Greeks, Egyptians, and Arabians to the Native Americans, and Scandinavians. The needles have been burned to clear away respiratory infections and insects and stuffed into mattresses to repel lice and fleas and fend off rheumatism. The twigs were mixed with cedar and
Avocado & Buttermilk Mask for Dry, Dull Winter Skin
Find salvation for dehydrated, lackluster winter skin with a rich, restorative, make-at-home facial mask that calls for just two ingredients. Keeping your skin healthy and happy during the winter season is no easy task. Indoor heat from any source — forced hot air, radiators, wood stoves, fireplaces, or space heaters — plus exposure to outdoor cold and wind can literally suck the life out of your skin, leaving it both dehydrated (moisture-starved) and dry (lacking natural oil). Skin in winter,
Get Your Glow On: Stephanie’s Original All-Purpose Scrub Recipe
As a licensed esthetician (skin care specialist), my clients often ask me about what they can do to improve the texture and radiance of their skin. In addition to my customary sage advice that includes observing good lifestyle habits, drinking plenty of water and eating a whole foods diet, minimizing stress, living in joy, and avoiding excess sun exposure, I always ask if they use a gentle exfoliating facial scrub on a regular basis. Why? Well, allow me to impart a bit of educational “skinfor
Revitalize Your Complexion with Clay
Discover how playing in the dirt can lead you to clean and nourished skin. March/April 2019 Mother Earth Living I spent my adolescent years surrounded by hundreds of acres of undeveloped woodlands. My grandfather taught me the names of Georgia’s native trees and plants, and the uses and healing properties of different barks, roots, leaves, and flowers. At a young age, I already considered myself an herbalist, and those wild woods were my workshop, where I explored everything nature had to offer
Keep Outdoor Bugs from Coming In
Avoid insect invasion during the height of bug season with Stephanie Tourles’s simple tips for protecting your home — and your sanity! Summertime is bug season – no doubt about it! If you spend any time outdoors, you’re bound to encounter all manner of flying, buzzing, creeping, crawling, stinging, biting, chewing, and burrowing bugs — and not just ones that irritate you, but also those that get under your pets’ skin. Summertime is also when outdoor bugs like to weasel their way indoors. You’ll
Essential Oils: First Aid at Home
Pack your family’s pharmacy full of natural essential oils that are fit to treat any ailment. By Stephanie Tourles | July/August 2019 https://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/health-products/essential-oils-first-aid-zm0z19jazbut You’ve probably heard plenty about essential oils over the last few years. These intensely aromatic, highly concentrated, organic liquid compounds are derived primarily through the steam distillation of various plant parts, such as leaves, flowers, resins
Skin-Soothing Chamomile and Olive Oil Body Butter Recipe
MOTHER EARTH NEWS Reader Contribution By Stephanie Tourles Photo ©Michael Piazza Photography. Used with permission from Storey Publishing. Your skin “eats”. Did you know that? It sure does! It “eats” or absorbs up to 60 percent of what you apply to it (to what degree depends on age, condition and temperature of your skin, state of current health, and the molecular size of product ingredients). Now that you’re aware of this, doesn’t it make you want to use only those body oils, lotions, creams,
The Magic of Herbal Facial Oils
Facial oils are hot commodities in today’s skincare market, but formulas claiming to be “natural” can contain irritating chemical ingredients. Why not make your own? Herbal facial elixirs (also known as facial oils) provide a moisturizing alternative treatment for your face. They nourish skin on a cellular level, as well as restore, soften, balance, condition, and help repair damage. Photo © Michael Piazza Photography, excerpted from Pure Skin Care. The next time you’re at your local mall, take
Raw Juice Shots: Nature's Delicious Immunity Boosters!
written for Mother Earth Living, Reader Contribution By Stephanie Tourles | 4/2/2020 2:58:00 PM In these uber-chaotic times, when stressors of economic uncertainty, food insecurity, social distancing, the expanding global pandemic, and media bombardment of incessant doom & gloom abound, our immune system is being challenged. Why? When we’re stressed, the immune system’s ability to fight off foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and cancer cells is reduced. Our immunity shields