In our family, this is a season of babies, as
we welcomed two grandsons to the family this year. Gabriel, born in April, has
been somewhat of Grandma’s guinea pig, but he hasn’t minded too much. Lincoln arrived Thanksgiving morning, just
like his mother did 28 years ago!
My daughters used
to harass me endlessly about my enthusiasm for herbs and essential oils. I have to hide my smile every time one asks
if I can make this or that. It would
seem that my girls now prefer to see less ingredients listed as well, now that
they are experiencing motherhood. So
along with some other holiday ideas, I thought I’d share some of our favorite
recipes.
I love making this
baby powder both for the grands and myself, using herbal powders rather than
talc or corn starch. The recipe values
are in parts rather than straight out measurements. That way you can make as much or as little as
you want. (Just remember that if you use, for example 1 cup as 1 part, then ¼
of a part would be ¼ of a cup. But if
you use one part as one cup, you will end up with 4 ½ cups of powder!)
White Clay, or
Kaolin Clay, is a very fine, white, powdery clay. Because of its suitability to all skin types,
it is often found in cosmetics. The clay
has absorbing properties and is said to stimulate circulation.
Arrow Root comes
from the Maranta arundinacea
plant. The root is grated and used as a
starch in gluten-free cooking, rather than corn starch. Like corn starch used in body powders, Arrow
Root combats moisture. Though it has no
anti-fungal properties, it does help keep bottoms, feet, and other areas of the
body dry.
Slippery Elm Powder
is made from the bark of the slippery elm tree, Ulmus fulva. The powder
coats and sooths irritated skin and membranes.
Comfrey Root Powder,
of course comes from the Comfrey plant, or Symphytum
officinale. It is often used to
relieve tender or inflamed skin.
Rosemary Gladstar’s
Baby Powder:
2 parts white clay
2 parts Arrow Root Powder
¼ part Slippery Elm Powder
¼ part Comfrey Leaf Powder
In a large bowl, mix
the powders together. I actually ran
them through a food processor to make sure I had them mixed well, but this is
not necessary. Add a few drops of
lavender essential oil and/or chamomile, and mix well, assuring there are no
clumps in the powder. Place in clean,
dry containers with a tight lid.
(Note: a great container for this
is either a large parmesan cheese container, or simply save the lid from the
container to apply to a canning jar (or peanut butter container??) for an
attractive gift.
I love using this
powder myself, as it is silky smooth rather than scratchy like cornstarch. For the pampered adult, exchange the
essential oils suggested for sandalwood or patchouli or a favorite blend of
your own that is skin-safe.
(Please note, there are some who have some concerns about the use of comfrey in any form with babies. If you share these concernes, or if you have difficulty sourcing powdered Comfrey Leaf, just omit it.)
For the new mom
who is breast-feeding, it can be joyous experience that bonds mother and child
in a way like no other. It can also be a
challenging time for the new mom, dealing with chafing and cracking of an area
already dealing with major changes, especially if the baby doesn’t catch on
immediately to the concept of latching on.
We knew Gabriel would be arriving earlier than expected and anticipated
that this might be an issue. Thankfully,
even though he was 5 ½ weeks early, he had no issues with latching on. Non-the-less, we were prepared with a balm to
protect and sooth in between feedings.
My daughter loves this balm, and has not had any problems.
Marshmallow root comes from the perennial
herb Althaea officinalis L. It has been
known historically to sooth and coat tender skin and mucous membranes.
Soothing Balm for
Moms
In a double boiler, combine the following:
1 oz. extra virgin olive oil
1 oz shea butter
1 oz. calendula flower infused oil
1 tsp. marshmallow root
1 oz. beeswax
Melt shea butter
and combine to other oils. If you have a
small crockpot, transfer oils to crockpot on low setting, otherwise, apply lid
to double boiler and lower temperature to maintain warmth. Add marshmallow root and allow to steep in
oils (4-5 hours).
Strain herb from the oil and place oil back on burner on low
heat. Add beeswax and allow to
melt. Add lavender oil at 2% dilution. Pour into clean, dry 4 ounce container and
apply lid. For best results, provide mom with a
package of Popsicle sticks or other method to remove balm from jar in order to
prevent contamination, and advise mom that she should wash it off before
nursing.
We have found that
on the rare occasion that Gabriel does experience diaper rash, this balm comes
in handy.
1 comment:
Note: a reader asked about the safety of comfrey - and typo, that should be comfrey LEAF, not root. Comfrey has long been known to be a liver toxin if taken orally. However, evidence of liver toxicity after frequent topical application has been identified, even though it currently remains in topical preparations on the market. When I make the powder personally, I don't use comfrey or slippery elm in it., I enjoy the clay and arrow root on their own.
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