Lavender and chamomile are some of my favorite herbs. This multipurpose infusion can be drunk as a tasty tea or used in natural skincare. It is a very relaxing, calming blend.
Ingredients
½ to 1 teaspoon organic chamomile flowers
½ to 1 teaspoon organic lavender flowers
1 cup of water (use a little more than a cup to account for evaporation during boiling)
Instructions
Boil water. Take it off the stove. Add flowers, stir, cover, and let steep for 3 to 30 minutes. Strain and enjoy! Enjoy hot or iced. Refrigerate if there is any left over. Use within 2 to 3 days. Don’t forget to compost the spent herbs.
About proportions and steeping time:
I prefer using 1 teaspoon chamomile to ½ teaspoon lavender, but others may prefer equal amounts of the herbs, or more lavender than chamomile. Experiment and find the perfect blend for you! Many people prefer light infusions of tea for drinking (steep for only a few minutes) but for a more potent blend, try steeping the tea for longer periods (20 minutes or more). For skin care, infusions should also be steeped at least 20 minutes or longer.
Natural skin care uses:
This tea makes a fantastic toner, and may be used to hydrate and refresh the skin throughout the day. Also great for setting mineral makeup! Infusions can be used as the water phase when crafting creams or lotions (be sure to use a natural or synthetic preservative, or use your cream/lotion within a couple weeks. Refrigerate your cream/lotion to extend shelf life if you don’t add a preservative). Add this infusion to your favorite clay for a wonderful mask (make the mask fresh each time). Lavender chamomile infusion makes an excellent hair rinse after using a natural shampoo soap bar or liquid soap based shampoo. In addition, this would be great to use on sun exposed, irritated, sun burned, or itchy skin: very soothing. Be sure to store in the fridge.
Types of water to use:
If you are making this as a tea, try using filtered or spring water. If this infusion is being used in cosmetics, distilled water is best for lotion/creams, but any of the three types of waters (filtered, spring, or distilled) can be used for toning, misting, masks, hair rinses, etc.
Where to find herbs locally:
Try your supermarket’s tea, bulk, or spice sections. Every store will have chamomile, and a few will have lavender. Health food and gourmet food stores are more likely to have lavender than regular super markets. If you are lucky enough to have an herb or natural cosmetics shop in your area, sometimes they may sell lavender too (make sure it is organic and food grade). Your local gardener store, herb farm, plant nursery, greenhouse, or farmer’s market may also have a good selection of fresh or dried plants.
