Homemade cough syrup

If you too are suffering from a tickly cough or a cold at the moment, then you might like to try this homemade cold and flu medicine. It’s easy to make, cheap and works brilliantly to soothe the throat, breakdown phlegm and prevent coughing.

First of all, squeeze the juice of a lemon into a bowl. Using a fork, try and scrape as much of the pulp out too as this is all good stuff in the fight against colds and coughs. Lemon dissolves phlegm which makes it the perfect base for a cold and fly medicine. Take 3 to 5 cloves of garlic, peel and grate into the lemon juice. Use as much garlic as you can handle. You will probably need to keep trying it to see what it tastes like. Garlic also dissolves phlegm, particularly in the chest and throat.

Add the same amount of honey as lemon juice into the mixture. Honey also helps break down phlegm and it provides a soothing coat for the throat which often become inflamed and sore from coughing excessively. Honey is a natural preservative and kills infections too. It is an all round excellent remedy for a host of illnesses.

Once the lemon, garlic and honey have been mixed together well, place in a glass jar with a lid and refrigerate. Keeping it cool will stop the garlic from being so potent and it will keep it fresh for longer.

One of the nice things about this recipe is that there are many other variations you can try. For example adding grated ginger will help battle a cold, or a dash of cayenne pepper might just do the trick too by giving it some kick! For something less dramatic, some dried or even fresh peppermint to the base mixture will help rid you of your cold and flu symptoms.

Have you any other homemade recipes or herbal remedies to share? Send in your comments below.

Homemade Cosmetics: Beeswax

Beeswax can be used in a variety of cosmetics, creams and other beauty products that you are making at home. It works wonderfully as a thickening agent and emulsifier and can be used in the creation of hand creams, lotions, moisturizers, lip balms, hair products and plenty more cosmetics besides. It has soothing and softening properties that when used on the skin can help it retain moisture. Historically beeswax has been used as an antiseptic and research shows it was used to help heal wounds in days gone by.

Here are some very simple recipes for making cosmetics at home:

Moisturing Vitamin E Cream

4 oz. sweet almond oil
1 oz. beeswax
2 oz. water
10 drops Vitamin E oil
10 drops lavender essential oil

• Melt the oil and the wax then remove from heat, add water and stir thoroughly.
• Add Vitamin E oil, essential oil and stir continuously until cool.
• Once cool, poor into a cosmetic jar.

That is it. It is excellent for rough or particularly dry skin and provides excellent nourishment.

Coconut Butter Body Moisturizer

2 tablespoons beeswax
2 teaspoons distilled water
4 oz. cocoa butter
4 tablespoons sweet almond
2 tablespoons coconut oil

• Melt the beeswax over a very low heat with the water.
• Gradually add the cocoa butter and stir well to blend thoroughly.
• Gradually blend in oils until mixed thoroughly and pour into a glass cosmetic jar.

The lotion will thicken as it cools so don’t worry if it is quite thin and runny at first. It is particularly soothing for wind chapped or sun burnt skin.

Hand Cream

2 ounces beeswax
1 cup sweet almond oil
1 cup water
10 drops essential oil (if desired, for fragrance)

• Heat the beeswax and sweet almond oil together until the wax melts.
• In another container, heat the water until warm. The mixtures must not get too hot - it should still be possible to touch them.
• Place the warm water in a food processor and whilst on high speed, slowly add the beeswax-oil mixture.
• When most of the oil has been added, the mixture should begin to thicken.
• At this point, add the essential oil. Continue to add oil and blend until the mixture is sufficiently thickened.
• Spoon the thick cream into cosmetic jars.

These are some really simple recipes that produce some wonderful products. If any of you know other recipes, send them in to us here at Baldwins.

Natural Ways to Treat Psoriasis

Psoriasis can vary in its severity, but causes serious discomfort and problems for those who suffer from it. The main symptoms are patches of raised skin with silvery white “scales”. It is thought that stress, smoking or even excessive drinking can be triggers which lead to the inflammation and over production of skin.

Tackling it can be troublesome. Research into the condition has shown that although there are many triggers, its underlying cause stems from the immune system. Over the counter medicines can therefore provide short term relief, but as they are designed to treat the outward symptoms only they do not always keep the condition at bay for very long.

The best chance you have for freeing yourself from psoriasis altogether is to tackle it from the inside out. That means strengthening your immune system first, and then dealing with the external symptoms.

The first step to treating psoriasis is therefore to build up your immune system by taking the following vitamin and mineral supplements:

Evening Primrose Oil - Improves dry and flaky skin conditions

Flax Seed Oil - Improves the condition of the skin and nails and reduces the inflammation of skin cells.

Borage Oil - Reduces dryness and scaliness and itchiness.

Zinc - Vital for healthy skin, hair and nails and promotes good growth.

The next step is to treat the outward symptoms and try and reduce the discomfort and appearance of the condition. It is important to apply creams with the following ingredients for this purpose:

Aloe Vera - Hydrates and rejuvenates the skin. It is also a good healing cream that helps reduce pain.

Calendula - Helps blood circulation and the regeneration of skin. It will also help strengthen the skin cells.

Thirdly, bathe in Dead Sea salts at least once per week. The healing properties of the Dead Sea are well known. The salt concentration is ten times higher than normal ocean water and there are rare minerals present that have shown to reduce inflammation and heal skin tissues.

Next you should give your diet an overhaul. Foods that allow toxins or even cause toxins to build up should be avoided. Therefore no spicy foods, alcohol, seafood or red meat but instead a diet of fruit, vegetables and nuts with a moderate amount of fish, chicken and eggs.

Finally you should examine your stress levels. Stress is one of the most well known underlying causes of psoriasis and a host of other illnesses too. By reducing stress in your life you will likely see a dramatic improvement on your psoriasis condition. Get plenty of sleep and exercise and practice proper relaxation to help you rid yourself of stress.

If anyone has any further suggestions on how to tackle psoriasis in a natural way, send in your comments below.

Massage Oils

Last week we had a look at how to make homemade massage oils using base oils and some drops of essential oils. I thought this week it would therefore be a good idea to provide some ideas of the types of blends you can make.

Because both the carriers and essential oils have different properties they all have unique advantages that can be used to target differing things. Dry skin, blemished skin, even cold and fly symptoms, choosing the right blend can really help.

Here is a quick guide to some of the best blends of oil that you can make in the home.

Lavender Massage Oil: Lavender is excellent for feeling calm and sending you off to sleep, so a lavender oil is perfect for use at the end of a long day. It has a lovely smell that is a great natural way to life you mood. If you have just the essential oil at home, a few drops in your bath (or your childrens’ bath) will help relax and calm you.

Eucalyptus Oil: This is ideal for treating the onset of cold and flu symptoms. It also relieves muscular aches and pains so it a good massage oil to be used after intense activity, or the day after when you are finding moving difficult! Children shouldn’t get too close to it however although it is good for clearing their stuffy noses. Simply place some oil on a tissue and let them sniff it or place a drop on their pillow before bed.

Oils for normal skin: The recipe for making an oil for normal skin (skin that is neither very greasy nor very dry) is 30ml Almond Oil + 20ml Thistle Oil + 38ml Jojoba Oil + 2ml Vitamin E. This blend will nourish and moisturize normal skin.

Baby Oil: Baby oil can me made at home quite simply. The following ingredients should be blended together. 38ml Avocado Oil + 40ml Shea Butter Oil + 20ml Thistle Oil + 2ml Vitamin E.

You can have a try at home and come up with your own recipes. Making massage oils and aromatherapy oils is a fun pass time. Have any of you got any other ideas for nice blends of oils? Send in your thoughts below.

How to make Massage Oil

You can make massage oil or aromatherapy oil at home quite easily. All you need are the essential oils of your choosing and a carrier oil, or base oil to blend it with.

There are a few different type of carrier oil, and each one has its own unique qualities. The first step is to choose the one you want. Some common base oils include:

Avocado Oil: This is a good source of vitamins A,B and D and is a medium weight oil. Those who have very greasy skin may want to choose a lighter oil, similarly those with very dry skin might want something stronger. It is particularly good for wrinkles.
Sweet Almond Oil: This is a heavy oil that is suitable for those with very dry skin. It is a good choice if you are wanting to massage your feet which tend to be have very dry skin. It is very rich in vitamins A, B1, B2 and B6.
Grapeseed Oil: This is is a lightweight oil so good for treating quite greasy skin. Grapeseed oil is a a good source of a variety of vitamins and minerals. It is excellent for light massages and is water-dispersible too.
Jojoba Oil: This is actually a wax, not an oil but it is one of the best carrier oils when making massage oils at home. It is very stable and will last a long time. It is a good base to choose if you are dealing with blemished skin or acne.

Once you’ve selected the carrier oil, choose one or two essential oils of your choosing and mix them together using the following quantities:

6 teaspoons of carrier oil + 8 drops of essential oil.

Essential oils are concentrated extracts and not at all appropriate to rub straight on to the skin. This can be dangerous. That is why carrier or base oils are used to dilute them first. The base oil is also important as it stops the essential oil from evaporating too.

Have any of you got any more tips for base oils? Send in your ideas below.