I noticed a lot of people saying they want to use leafy herbs in there hair washes.If you want to have the medicinal properties of the herb you are using you must extract the oils contained within the herb.You do this by simply making an infused oil or tea.Adding the leaves to your rinses is pretty much useless without any extraction happening.To extract the medicinal oils from herbs there are a few easy at home methods.One is extraction by using a carrier oil, like, olive oil, hemp oil, almond oil etc or my preference grape-seed oil.You grab a glass jar with a lid, mason jars are super for this, and so are old relish jars because you can get them in smaller sizes. (do not use plastic it changes the molecular structures of the oils by leeching into your mixture)You just stuff the jar full of your herb(s) (roots, or petals also depending on your mix) , rosemary, thyme or lavender etc and then pour your carrier oil over them and fasten the lid on tightly.Store your infusion in a dark dry cupboard and turn it and shake it daily or every few days for at least two weeks.Strain your infused oil by using a cheese cloth or linen cloth that is clean, to catch the herbs and separate them from your infusion.Do it over a bowl and squeeze out all the oil from the plant and then return your oil to its container and discard your herbs.Then use your infused oil as needed.Second method is a water infusion aka tea which is of less strength than oil extraction but still beneficial.You use plenty of fresh or dried (dried is better for this method) herb and then pour boiling water over it and place a lid over your canister/pot and let it steep for 20-30 minutes.Some people boil the herb but the steep method is much gentler preserving more of the medicine contained within the plant.Remove the herbs and use the water.Viola! You have medicine.*****A note on rosemary, it is great for bronchial infections and colds or asthma as it stimulates the air ways to open assisting in breathing and loosens phlem enabling it to leave your body.You can make a strong steam by adding a few drops of rosemary oil to water thats been boiled and inhale deeply or boil it into the atmosphere of your house.You can also rub some of the oil into your palms and cup your hands over your mouth and inhale the vapors.It is also a local analgesic which numbs the skin so if you have a sore, cut or rash etc gently rub some rosemary oil onto it and it eases the pain and itch.There are many more properties to rosemary oil but I'll leave it at that I love Rosemary oil, it's my favorite!Anyways, happy concocting to you!
updated by @island-mamma: 02/14/15 04:36:47AM