Tag Archives: Essential oils

About Me – 2026 update

Posted in About by

What The Scented Abode is now

I’m in my fifties. My relationship with my skin, my scent, my routines — all of it has changed, and keeps changing.

Menopause does things to your skin that nobody really prepared me for. Cataract surgery made me rethink my entire cleansing routine. And the beauty industry, which has historically talked almost exclusively to women in their twenties and thirties, is only slowly catching up with what women over 50 actually need.

So I write about that honestly. What works for skin that’s changing. What the beauty industry gets right and wrong about ageing. The Asian skincare philosophy I grew up with, handed down from my mother — and now, because Asian beauty is everywhere, my daughters can experience it too. We share our discoveries, and that is a joy of new shared experience I didn’t expect.

The fragrances that smell different at 55 than they did at 25 — and why that’s not a problem, it’s a blessing. Scents I’ve loved transport me to a particular time. New scents mark a new era.

This is not a site about fighting age. It’s a site about navigating it with as much knowledge, pleasure and good scent as possible.

What you’ll find here

Fragrance — reviews, recommendations, gift guides, and the occasional meditation on why a particular scent matters.

Skincare for women over 50 — honest reviews, ingredient deep-dives, and the things I’ve actually learned from my own skin’s changing needs — including the products I discovered during cataract surgery recovery that I now use every day.

Asian beauty wisdom — I’m Taiwanese-British, and I grew up with handed-down wisdom from my mother. I’ve spent years seeking out Japanese skincare, researching the premium brands she preferred, and exploring Asian beauty philosophy before finally embracing it fully. It was worth the wait.

Longevity and wellbeing — my mother and father have both passed on, and losing them made me realise how much I had taken my health for granted.

That loss gave me a quiet determination to live as fully as I can — with mindfulness of body, mind and spirit. Not in a relentless self-optimisation way. In a “this is what’s actually making me feel better at this age” way.

Life at home — food, the garden, the cats, the things that make ordinary days feel considered and good.

A note on why I write

I write because I couldn’t find what I was looking for.

When I was recovering from cataract surgery, I searched for beauty advice written by someone who’d actually been through it. I found almost nothing. When I was navigating menopausal skin changes, I wanted someone who understood both the science and the pleasure of skincare — not just a list of products. When I wanted to understand Asian beauty philosophy from the inside rather than as a trend, I had to piece it together myself.

So I write it. For myself, and for anyone else who’s looking for the same thing and can’t quite find it.

If that’s you — welcome. Pull up a chair. There’s a lot to talk about.

Find me here too

📌 Pinterest: pinterest.com/thescentedabode 📸 Instagram: @thescentedabode ✉️ Get in touch: hello@ravenintegrated.com 🌐 ravenintegrated.com — where I write about marketing and AI

Home » Essential oils

Refreshing herb tea foot soak

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, In the garden, lifestyle, Skin Care, Wellbeing by

This is the easiest recipe to make at home which will revive and refresh tired aching feet. I had all the ingredients in my garden. Better still, the only cost involved was just the use of the pre-made little tea bag pouches which I got online. One hundred of these little pouches ready to fill with tea leaves, herbs or anything which you want to infuse or soak in hot water.

For this refreshing herb tea foot soak, I simply picked a small bunch of mint leaves, a few sprigs of rosemary and some lavender buds which were still flowering in the last days of summer.

A dash of Dead Sea salt, which I already had in my cupboard and a few drops of Peppermint and Lemon Essential Oils, and Orange Blossom Water all mixed roughly together in the tea bag pouch.

Soak in a bowl of boiling water for as long as you want and pour into a warm bowl of clean water. Ready to soak tired weary feet.

I know this seems like quite a bit of effort, but after a long day at work, I like the idea and ritual of preparing something a little indulgent, a little bit of me time to indulge in. The scent is uplifting and has this magical way of transforming the  room into a scented retreat.

Feet are now soaked and feeling light and refreshed. Hmm now for that pedicure, a colourful treat for my toes.

Dead Sea Bath Soak ingredient for DIY Foot Soak
Peppermint, Lemon and Carshalton Lavender Essential Oil
Easy to make Rosemary, mint and lavender foot soak

Because everything will be coming up roses – Rosewater Facial Wash

Posted in beauty, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

Rosewater Facial Wash

I love the sent of roses.

Yesterday I finally got around to planting the two rose bushes purchased a couple of weeks ago. I hadn’t got round to putting them into the garden as the previous weekends had been busy and the weather had been, well pretty unfriendly.

So when I looked out of the window in the morning, there was no more excuses. I dug the soil, as it had been wet, the ground was soft and much easier to dig. With some bonemeal to sprinkle into the earth around the rose bush, I patterned down the earth around the two rose bushes.

I can hardly wait for the first rose buds to appear. The rose bushes cost just the same as a bunch of ready cut roses from the Supermarket, but hopefully, they will yield a lot more blooms throughout early summer and Autumn. I chose fragrant varieties in deep pink and white.

Rosewater Facial Cleanser

Meantime, in the bathroom, I’d run out of face wash. I prefer to wash the day’s make-up off with soapy cleanser, somehow the foaminess feels so much more refreshing than just the Rosewater toner/cleanser that I use afterwards.

Since I have a bottle of Doctor Bonner’s Castille Soap (baby wash version) waiting to find a use in my cabinet, I’m using this for the first time to make a batch of facial cleanser. As it is supposed to be non-scented, it will make a good base for a natural facial wash, though it still has the scent of Castille soap.

I’ve combined this with Rosewater along with Jojoba Oil and the scent of rose along with Jasmine makes the facial wash a floral sensation.

Here’s the ingredients:

1/4 cup Doctor Bonner’s baby non-scented Castille Soap (you can use solid or liquid)

1/4 cup Rosewater

1 teaspoon Jojoba oil, 1/2 teaspoon Rosehip Oil*

4-8 drops of your chosen blend of essential oil (I’ve chosen to use a 10% dilution of Jasmine Absolute and Rose Geranium)

Making the facial wash could not be easier, just combine all the ingredients in a bottle shake vigorously to combine and put a cap on.

I use this at night to remove make-up and afterwards use the Rosewater and Witch Hazel Toner. Just wash face until all trace of make-up has gone. It is quite watery, though if you use a muslin, simply squirt a bit on a damp muslin and rinse until clear.

That’s it, and best of all it’s all natural and can be customised to suit your skin

*I have chose Jojoba Oil and Rosehip oil as these have great anti-aging properties. You can use Coconut or Sweet Almond or any other natural oil best suited to your skin instead. Experiment until you get the right consistency you prefer

Rosewater Facial Wash

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Spa Feature – Anti Aging Eye Serum

Posted in beauty, eye care, Skin Care, Skincare, Sunday Spa Feature, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

It started to snow today, little fluffy flakes which made the air feel very cold. While I love snow, my face, particularly my eyes don’t.

This homemade Anti-aging eye serum is more like a gel than a serum. That’s because it’s full of the goodness of Rosehip oil.

Rosehip Oil is packed full of antioxidants, is super moisturising and is considered a “dry oil” meaning that it’s quickly absorbed by the skin. It heals scars, is great for pigmented skin and is a great all-round moisturiser for your skin.

Combine this with the calming benefits of Chamomile and the delicate scent of Jasmine, with the antioxidants from Green Tea to prevent dark circles, this nightly eye serum has kept my delicate under eye area nourished, and in spite of the cold weather, the area under my eyes feel soft and replenished.

To make this eye gel is very simple.

In a pan, put a jug in simmering hot water.

(makes 30ml)

Add your ingredients:

3 ml of Bees Wax

20ml of Rosehip Oil

7ml of Shea Butter

Wait until melted.

Now add some Green Tea (I’ve used a Green Tea bag and simply sprinkled this into the mixture to infuse the green tea into the oil.

Add one drop of Chamomile and Jasmine to the mixture

Leave to simmer for 5 minutes and then strain the mixture  through a fine sieve into a small container or jar.

Leave to cool.

The beeswax should emulsify and hold the Rosehip and Shea butter together in a gel-like consistency.

I tend to use this at night just before bed so that all the goodness of the rich serum works overnight. Just tap a very small amount onto the skin under your eye, being careful not to get any into your eyes.

Handmade Christmas Gifts – Peppermint and Cedarwood Foot Salve

Posted in beauty, Christmas, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Projects, Uncategorized by

 

Every year, I look for gifts to give friends and family that are unique, thoughtful and show that their tastes or what they like have been considered and reflected in the gift.

On most occasions, their gifts to me have out done me in every respect, so this year to show my appreciation, the gifts I’ve made are uniquely personalised. Even better, I’ve not spent any time walking around shops trying to find something special, because the ingredients are already in the cuboard ready to be made into something special and take very little time or effort to prepare and make.

If you have ever tried the Shea Butter Hand and foot cream from L’Occitane or from Burt’s Bees, these are lovely little gifts to give and receive. The only thing is that there’s a possibility that someone else has had the same idea and purchased the very same. They smell wonderful, with a range of delicate scents and I must admit are lovely gifts to receive.

To make these Foot and hand Salves is very simple, easier than baking a cake in fact. All you need to do is measure out the ingredients, gently melt them in a jug in a pan of simmering water, add the essential oils and once melted, pour into your chosen containers. Personalising the scents makes these gifts unique, especially if you know what scents they enjoy the most.

Ingredients for the footsalve:

1 tablespoons of Argan Oil

2 tablespoons of Coconut Oil

1 tablespoon beeswax

4 tablespoons of unrefined Shea Butter

1/4 tsb of essential oils – a combination of Peppermint and Cedarwood (for the boys) or Peppermint and Lavender (for the girls)

To make the Hand Salve variant, you can change the oil and use Jojoba or Rosehip Oil, whichever you think their hands (or your own) will appreciate the most and add your choice of essential oils to add scent. Beeswax and the Shea Butter will emulsify and give the salve it’s lovely thick creamy texture.

Better still, if you want to make the Handsalve to treat age spots (after all, most beauty mags will tell you it’s your hands that show the first signs of aging) select the essential oils for their skin therapeutic benefits.

That’s it. All there is to it for making scented rich moisturising salves. Perfect as a gift or an indulgent luxurious treat. Hmm I think I’m going to find a bit of me time for a Manicure and try some of the handsalve I made.

 

Christmas Gift making – Sweet Orange, Cinnamon and Ginger Beeswax Candles

Posted in Christmas, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Projects, Scent, spa treatment, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

 

Last weekend, I decided to make some lovely Christmas gifts to give to friends and family. After a Sunday spent making these lovely gifts, I found myself succumbing to a cold which I have only just shaken off. It meant that I didn’t get round to writing this post until now.

If like me, you like scented candles, receiving one as a Christmas gift would be lovely. I love the gentle glow of candle light, it seems to calm and soothe the senses. I have a small collection of candles from L’Occitane in little metal tins, which gave me the inspiration for this little hand made version.

Making your own filled candles is so easy that I’m now addicted to making them, all you need is to find some containers, flame proof of course and some candle wicks for lighting the candles.

The wicks can be simple pieces of string tied to a stick so that it can dangle down to the bottom of the container (I’ve tried this using chopsticks and a metal Skewer) but it turned out that the cotton string I used didn’t stay alight.

After a bit of research, I found a company that makes ready-made wicks (already inserted into stablisers). They are actually called sustainers. Choose the ones that are pre-waxed and are labeled with the diameter (You need to make sure that the pool of the melted wax goes to the edge of your container) that matches the diameter of your container.

To keep the sustainers from moving, place a small amount of melted wax on the bottom, or if this is a bit fiddly, use Glue Dots – these won’t show as they are transparent.

Once the beeswax has melted in a jug over simmering hot water, add your choice of fragrance to the wax just before you are going to pour them into the containers. Personally, I prefer using essential oils.

I’ve chosen Cinnamon Bark, Sweet Orange and Ginger to fragrance these little candles.  Just add 10 drops of each essential oil into the wax which is based on the dilution amounts in aromatherapy – 30 drops for every 100ml of carrier oil (The quantity I’ve put into the tins is approx 100ml in each tin. I’ve made two tins with cotton wicks and two with Cotton Wicks.)

If you’d like to make the candles as gifts, there’s just enough time to order the materials from Amazon in time to make up a batch.

Heres what you need:

You can get the beeswax from Amazon *in the UK here:  or if you are in the US you can find it here.*

I also tried them with these wooden wicks* from Amazon, they crackle and sound like the crackling of an open fire. Perfect to sit and enjoy with a hot cup of coco at night. If your in the US, you can get these here:*

Metal Tins* can be found here in the UK.

You can get them also from Amazon in the US here*.

As these are little, they will make perfect little stocking filler treats.

*Contains affiliate links

Jasmine and Citrus, Hand blended Perfume for Christmas

Posted in Christmas, Health & Wellness, Perfume, Projects, Scent, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

 

 

Making your own perfume is relatively straightforward.

This year, I’m making a few Christmas Gifts, as a way of making Christmas feel just a little bit more home spun and personal.

Having looked on several sites and researched the types of ingredients that goes into perfume making, there are just a few ingredients most of which you will find easily either in your cupboard or online.

To make the Perfume all you need to do is the following:

  1. Decide on the strength of the perfume:

    This is determined by the amount of scent to alcohol. An Eau de toilette is around 10 percent. An Eau de parfum is around 15-20 percent and the strongest called Parfum is around 30 percent.

  2. Decide on how you want to use the perfume:

    Solid (such as in a oil based waxy balm) or Rollerball (oil based) or in a Spray. The main ingredient in the perfume is the carrier, which can be alcohol or oil based. With Alcohol, the oils in the fragrance can be dispersed from a spray and is how most of the famous brands market their perfumes. Very high quality fragrance houses such as Chanel will offer the perfume in stronger variants, for instance Chanel No5 is available as a Parfum in a very tiny but exquisite bottle. The higher the alcohol content (proof) you can find the better in terms of dispersing the scent. You can of course go for perfumers alcohol, but since there’s likely to be chemicals, which is sometimes called Alcohol Denat – this means it’s been treated so you can’t drink it. Personally, I think it’s better if you can drink it, as it means, if it’s ok to drink, it’s going to be suitable to put onto your skin. I’m choosing Vodka as this has no scent and is as pure a form of alcohol as you can get easily. Smirnoff or Grey Goose will do.

  3. Decide on the fragrance or Scent:

    Perfumes tend to be made up of top notes, the scent you can smell immediately. The middle note, the heart of the fragrance and the base note which is the final scent that lingers long after the others have dissipated, all three notes combine give the perfume the harmonics that make defines it’s unique character which when mixed with the chemicals that make up your skin, makes the experience of the perfume unique.

I love experimenting and mixing scents together. It makes the process so much fun and it also means it’s one of a kind, unique as no one else will have the scent that you’ve made.

Since Jasmine is my favourite scent of all time, I’m going to use this as the “middle note” for the heart and distinctive character of the perfume. And as I prefer things to be as natural as possible, all the oils I have chosen to make this perfume are essential oils.

Jasmine Officinale or Jasmine Absolute is known as the King of flowers. It has a very sweet floral scent. The scent has been central in perfumes for centuries, in China it represents the sweetness of women, in Persia it was known as the perfume of love.

It is also amongst the most expensive pure fragrances, the version I am using is 10% diluted in Jojoba oil. Since the fragrance is very strong, a little goes a long way.

I’m combining this with citrus notes of Sweet Orange and Bergamot essential oils.

Finally, for the base note, just a hint of Cedar wood essential oil, which not only has therapeutic benefits, is also a “fixative” which will slow down the evaporation of the perfume and slows down the overall scent of the perfume from fading. It is sweet and woody at the same time and combines well with both the citrus notes as well as the floral scent of Jasmine.

To make the perfume couldn’t be easier. In a small bottle which should be as opaque as possible to prevent sunlight from affecting the oils, I have combined the following:

Ingredients for hand blended Perfume:

50ml Vodka

20 drops of the Jasmine Absolute in Jojoba oil

10 drops of Sweet Orange

10 drops of Bergamot

2 drops of Cedar Wood essential oils.

With the spray stopper in place, shake the bottle until all the essential oils have been mixed together into the Vodka.

It will take about a week for the oils to come together to form the perfume. You can of course mix the oils first in a small mixing jar until you get the desired scent you prefer.

You can find more information about the different types of scents at Aromaweb’s section on Aromatic blending.

All that’s left is to find a pretty box and gift wrap to make this little personalised gift ready to give for Christmas.

Sunday Spa Feature – Rosehip, Argan, Jojoba, Sweet Almond facial oil

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Scent, Skin Care, Skincare, Uncategorized by

Facial Oil Serum with Rosehip, Argan, Jojoba and Sweet Almond OilThis is such a great facial oil for anyone of any age and would make a great Christmas gift if you are looking to find a gift that’s easy to make.

Rosehip Oil has been in the beauty news having been cited as the wonder oil used by celebrities such as Miranda Kerr. It is a natural source of Vitamin E which you’ll find in many skin care creams, used for it’s antioxidant properties to calm, hydrate dry and sensitive skin.

The oil is also rich in fatty acids such as linoleic acid (or omega 6) as well as linolenic acid (or omega 3). High in Vitamin C, it will help to speed up the healing process for skin damaged by burns, scars or age spots as well as hydrate and add moisture.

I’ve chosen this as it’s the dry oil, it does not leave any feeling of grease and absorbs very quickly into the skin.

With the properties that feel more like a serum than an oil, when I found it online, it gave me an idea for creating a nighttime facial oil that would help rejuvenate and revitalise skin.

With this oil, I have combined it with 3 other oils:

Jojoba oil, which also non-greasy and has a similar consistency to sebum. A liquid wax, found in the seeds/nuts of jojoba plant, it has anti-microbial properties and contains iodine which prevents bacteria from forming and is, therefore, good for skin that is prone to blemishes

Sweet Almond oil, not only does this oil contain plenty of vitamin E, it has lots of minerals such as Calcium, potassium, magnesium as well as vitamin D. Good for dark circles under the eyes, blemishes, fine lines, wrinkles and helps to firm skin.

Argan Oil, high in fatty acids it helps to restore skin’s elasticity and leaves skin feeling plumper and softer.

To give this luxury facial oil some fragrance, I have combined this with three essential oils, which also have skin rejuvenating properties.

Ylang Ylang  Essential Oil- I’ve written about this oil in a lovely home made bath-soak. It has an uplifting effect and can give you feelings of joy and hope. It has a rich floral fragrance which should be used sparingly particularly for skincare purposes.  As it helps to control oil production, minimises breakouts and helps regenerate skin cells, I’ve included this in the facial oil

Jasmine Officinale – is my favourite scent, reminds me of my early childhood, it is used in so many ways, I love its scent in green tea as well as in perfumes such as the Jo Malone’s Jasmine and Mint cologne spray. It tones dry, greasy, irritated skin and helps to fade scars and restore elasticity to the skin.

Lavender Essential Oil – there are so many uses for lavender, that it is one of the oils which I take everywhere and use it in so many ways. In a bath soak, foot scrub it’s lovely scent is relaxing and calming. It is also a good antiseptic so I like to use it as a room and linen spray. It helps to reduce age spots, fine lines and wrinkles by boosting the flow and supply of oxygen and nutrients, helping to boost the skin’s renewal process.

To make this facial oil, which I’ve called the Fourtifying Facial Oil, just mix the following together:

15ml of Sweet Almond Oil

15ml of Argan Oil

15 ml of Rosehip Oil

15 ml of Jojoba Oil

1-2 drops of Ylang Ylang essential oil along with 1-2 drops Jasmine and 1-2 drops of Lavender.

Shake the bottle thoroughly to combine. I’ve used a blue glass bottle with a dropper to make the experience the same as if the facial oil is one of those high-end beauty serums. You can of course just use a bottle with a stopper or small opening.

To use, only 1-2 drops of the facial oil is needed, add the oil to the tips of your fingers and smooth over your skin, underneath your usual night cream.

That’s all there is to it, now I’m looking forward to bed-time and waking up to soft glowing skin!

 

Home detox

Posted in At home, Bathroom, Clean Home, Kitchen by

Home made all purpose cleaning sprayCleaning the house is not something I enjoy. I try to avoid it until it becomes unavoidable.

It takes up so much of precious time at weekends that I am left grumpy at the thought that the endless cycle of cleaning has eaten away at the precious time I’d like to spend doing other things with the family.

In an effort to find ways to cut down, simplify and find short cuts, I’ve been looking at a number of blogs.

There are so many hints and tips to help you get through the household chores and I’m beginning to learn by doing.

I came across a number of blogs that recommend using Vinegar and Bicarbonate of Soda and adding essential oils for their antiviral and antibacterial properties and also to remove the smell of the vinegar.

home detox (2)We’ve been using this distilled vinegar from a Chinese Supermarket. It was in the local Chinese Supermarket in Mitcham that we sometimes go to stock up on Chinese ingredients.

The place caters for both those in the catering business as well as for people who are looking for Chinese specialist food and ingredients.

I love the smell of the supermarket and walking round, there are so many interesting things to look at, most of which I have no idea what they are or how to cook with them.

Compared to other distilled vinegar you can get, it is a little different and as it was the one white vinegar we had in the cupboard, I decided to use it, rather than go and buy another one, which I think would defeat the purpose of trying to simplify and cut down on the number of cleaning products around the house.

We bought it to remove limescale from our kettle, and it works really well at this job. I am sure that there are Thai recipes, with lovely sauces to try with this Vinegar, so will look them up for another time.

Since reading a the blogs about how to clean and organise a home, I decided to try making the bathroom all-purpose cleaner from Clean Mamas post – you can read it here. It seemed simple enough, water, vinegar and alcohol. I wasn’t sure though whether it would work without some kind of soap in the mix.

home detox (3)Since I had some fragrance free washing up liquid that had been under the sink, I thought this could be a good option to try. I hadn’t liked it for dishes because I like the smell of citrus when washing dishes, It was pretty good at cleaning though, I just prefer ones with a lemony scent.

With the washing up liquid and the distilled vinegar, I made up the following mix:

1/4 cup of distilled vinegar

1/4 cup of vodka

1/4 cup of washing up liquid

3/4 cup of water

Lemon , Tea Tree and Mitcham Peppermint essential oil

Lemon, Tea Tree and Mitcham Peppermint essential oil

(If you want to make more than this just use the same proportions as above in larger quantity, or follow Clean Mama’s recipe)

As the blog post recommended adding essential oils, I chose lemon for its lovely citrus fragrance. It has antibacterial properties and has an uplifting scent.

Tea Tree Oil is sold in most pharmacies for its anti bacterial qualities.

Since I like the smell of Mitcham Peppermint essential oil, known for it’s antiviral properties, I used this as well.

A cleaning detox that means no more harsh chemicals around the house and a simpler way to clean.

I put equal amounts : 10 drops of lemon, 10 drops of Tea Tree and 10 drops of Peppermint oil in with the vinegar, water and alcohol.

As I’ve just finished an Ecover multi purpose cleaner in a spray bottle, I decided to recycle it for this home-made cleaner.

I rinsed it out with some water, put some bicarbonate of soda in and left it over night, rinsed it out to remove as much of the chemicals as possible. With all the ingredients added into the bottle, I put the top on and shook it up to make sure all the essential oils were combined into the other ingredients.

I’ve been using this home-made cleaner for about a month, it’s good on kitchen counters, sinks, baths and the loo.

Because the spray is homemade, I’ve not thought of cleaning so much of a chore now. In fact as I clean, I look and inspect to see whether the spray is cleaning as well as the shop bought cleaners available.

I think it does a better job. The sink and bath are shiny and there isn’t any streaking on the shiny chrome surfaces.

home detox

The air doesn’t have the heavy artificial fragrance of commercially bought cleaner and now that all the scents have had a chance to combine, I can smell the sweet uplifting scent of Peppermint and lemons. The bathrooms just seems fresher and the surfaces of the ceramic sinks look just as shiny.

Using the spray with a little Biocarb gets the grime lifted away far better than the commercial cleaners I’ve tried, so that’s reduced the number of cleaner products I use around the house and saved on storage and my wallet – Brilliant!

Do let me know if you have a cleaning tip / idea to try.

Sunday Spa Feature – Deep Exfoliating Facial Wash with Poppy Seeds

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, Skin Care, Skincare, Wellbeing by

Poppy Seed Exfoliating face wash

For this deep exfoliating facial wash, I have chosen to use Poppy Seeds as they are full of minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron.

In food they are commonly used to add flavour to cereal and salads. I like to include them in cakes to add texture and a bit of crunch.

In herbal remedies, the milk extract of poppy seeds mixed with some sugar is a great way to help you to sleep. Try crushing them with brown sugar and adding them into a warm milky drink before bedtime.

Poppy Seeds are known to be a natural skin remedy for skin infections like dry itch and skin rashes, as they contain anti-inflamatory compounds.

For this deep exfoliating facial wash, I have found an effective way to give my skin a powerful deep clean, polish away dead skin and improve the texture of my skin.

As I have a mild Castille Soap, I can use this as the base for the wash and add to this the exfoliating effect of the crushed poppy seeds.

Simply mix a teaspoon of Baby Castille Soap (I am Using Doctor Bonner’s fragrance free Baby Castille Soap) with half a teaspoon of crushed Poppy Seeds. You can of course use your normal face wash and simply add the crushed poppy seeds to your facewash to give your face wash the exfoliating properties of the poppy seeds.

By crushing the poppy seeds slightly,(I have used a pestle and mortar for this) this releases their healing properties (they are high in linolenic acid) which are known to help sooth skin irritations as well as benefitting from the exfoliating nature of the small tiny seeds.

I have added 1 drop of Lavender Essential Oil as well the oil is well-known for its effectiveness as a treatment for skin that is prone to breakouts.

Along with lavender I have added 1 drop of Lemon Essential Oil, a good remedy for treating skin pigmentation, to help even out my skin tone.  It is also astringent and detoxifying in nature.

I love the fragrance combination, which will add scent to the facial wash with the lovely aroma of lavender and lemons.

Once combined, I have dampened my face with warm water and gently rub the exfoliating mix onto my skin in small circular motion. This will also stimulate and massage the skin at the same time.

Rinse off with warm water and pat dry.

As this will give skin an extremely deep cleanse, I am using a gentle toner to complete the cleansing routine, using a blend of Rosewater and Glycerine.

This has left my skin glowing, hmmmm lovely.

Poppy Seeds
Crushed Poppy Seeds
Crushed Poppy Seeds with Castille Liquid Soap
Lemon and Lavender Essential Oil
Castille Soap with Crushed Poppy Seeds
Rosewater & Glycerine toner