When the first bathtub was installed in an American home in 1842, it was reserved for brief plunges in cold water to relieve illnesses ranging from congestion to cholera. The idea of relaxing in a hot tub was not just uncommon, it was discouraged.
Bathing to cleanse the body didn't become popular until the 20th century. Now, bath products are a booming industry. You can buy products at supermarkets, specialty retailers, and craft and farmers markets, or you can make your own using healing herbs and pretty flowers growing in your garden.
"The idea of growing things [to use in all-natural bath products] is about more than making great products that are nontoxic," says Kris Bordessa, author of Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living. "It's a fun thing to do to say you started growing these flowers and incorporated them into products."
Bordessa suggests using flowers that haven't been treated with synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, and forage in areas that haven't been sprayed or exposed to exhaust fumes on roadways.
If you want to grow the ingredients to use in bath and body products, add the following eight plants to your garden.
CALENDULA
The brightly colored flowers and long bloom times make calendula (Calendula officinalis) a popular garden annual. Different varieties of calendula, also known as pot marigold, produce single and double daisylike flowers in a range of hues from light yellow to deep orange.
Cultivated around the world for medicinal use, calendula is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. It's used to calm an upset stomach, alleviate heartburn and acid reflux, ease a sore throat and combat respiratory infections.
Denne historien er fra Healing Herbs - 2023-utgaven av Hobby Farms.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Healing Herbs - 2023-utgaven av Hobby Farms.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The RISE of Opportunist WEEDS
Be prepared to see increasing changes in weeds we fight, such as poison hemlock and poison ivy, and in the crops we grow.
LIVESTOCK Health
Prepare yourself for how to spot symptoms of illness in your farm animals so that you can get them help before it's too late.
CUT FLOWER Farming
If you're considering growing flowers for sale, brush up on these five key things to know before diving in.
WINTER Survival
Keep your land, animals and yourself in good shape this winter with this helpful advice.
COVERAGE CONCERNS
Avoid common insurance mistakes for rural and hobby farm businesses.
FARMER'S GUIDE Berries
Set the stage for tasty strawberries, blueberries and brambles with these soil-boosting garden tips.
Preconditioning CALVES
Follow our step-by-step guide to get more money for your calves.
Soil Conservation
Often, outside of having a specific problem that needs to be addressed, soil conservation isn't something every farmer readily thinks about. Yet conserving the soil should be at or near the top of every farmer owner or manager's list of concerns because absent the prevention of soil erosion, we have the opportunity for another dust bowl.
Year-Round Lettuce & Salad Mixes
It's easy to think of salad greens as just a spring- or fall-garden crop, but it's possible to enjoy freshly harvested lettuces, mustards and more from your own garden year-round.
Barn Improvements
Days are never long enough for a farmer. From dawn to well into the night, tasks arise that often require immediate action. Having to search for tools or equipment is an enormous time waster and incredibly frustrating when you can't find what you need, especially when you know you have it.