Willow Wildcrafting & an Herbal Apprenticeship

I’m excited to announce that I just began a 4-month apprenticeship with the wonderful Suzanne Tabert of Cedar Mountain Herb School. I’m literally vibrating with excitement over all I’ll learn in the coming months.

Making an Herbal Tincture

Next to tisanes (aka herbal teas), tinctures are probably the most commonly used therapeutic herbal preparation. They’re a convenient way to incorporate herbs into your daily routine — effective, portable and easy to dose since you typically only take a few drops at a time diluted in water.

“All the Lipids” Facial Oil with Sea Buckthorn

Awhile back, I was given a sample of Skin Active’s Every Lipid Serum to try out and really liked it. So of course, I immediately set out to make my own version. It started out as a pretty solid dupe, but true to form, I ended up going a bit rogue. (*squirrel!* *shiny ball!* *herbs!*)

Alcohol Intermediary Herb-infused Oils (& why understanding phytochemical solubility matters)​

Are you ready to kick your oil infusion skills up a notch? An alcohol intermediary oil infusion harnessing the solvent powers of alcohol might sound a bit intimidating, but it’s surprisingly simple to do. Before we get to the hows of making an alcohol intermediary oil infusion, let’s take a quick look into the whys.

Herbal Water Infusions

One of the oldest, simplest, and some would argue, most effective ways to incorporate herbs into your daily life is in a water infusion, also known as tea. Or, if you’re fancy and drink your tea with your pinky out, a tisane.

Marshmallow Root & Green Tea Makeup Finishing Spray

jump to the recipe The more *ahem* mature I get, the more I’m realizing that setting powders, a longtime beloved makeup staple, are no longer my friend. Powder can highlight fine lines and appear cake-y on drier skin… and it boy howdy, it can really catch you off guard when glimpsed under the evil, unforgiving […]

Making Herbal Oil Infusions

Infused oils are a foundational cornerstone of herbal-powered wellness products such as salves, creams, lotions, serums and other topical formulations. Oil acts as a solvent (aka menstruum) to capture oil-soluble plant constituents such as alkaloids, gums, resins, volatile oils, and certain oil-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), allowing the plant’s therapeutic compounds to be delivered to the skin.

Balm of Gilead Salve with Tallow & Infused Honey

Cottonwood buds are bursting with a wonderful, sticky red resin that many herbalists refer to as an “herbal band-aid.” Its anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain relieving) properties make it a top-notch first-aid salve that deserves a place in every herbalist’s medicine cabinet (and perhaps a place in their daily skincare routine!)

Gentle Yucca Root Shaving Gel

Move over marshmallow root, I have a new herbal obsession. Meet the yucca root. It’s an herbal surfactant. How cool is that? The possibilities of projects with this stuff – from facial cleansers to scrubs to household cleaning products – are endless!

Soothing Repair Gel with Marshmallow Root & Chamomile

Continuing my love affair with the miraculous, mucila-GENIUS marshmallow root, here’s a recipe for a lovely, soothing facial gel with chamomile. Thanks to marshmallow root’s healing polysaccharides and chamomile’s soothing, anti-inflammatory properties, it also works well on sunburns and exceptionally dry, chapped skin.