PecanSpringsJournal

>>bathing beauties

There’s nothing nicer on a cold winter’s night (especially if you’ve been on a stakeout with China Bayles) than a long, luxurious bubble bath. Hi! I'm Ruby Wilcox. Usually, you'll find me at my shop, The Crystal Cave, which is right next door to Thyme & Seasons, in Pecan Springs.

But don't look for me there today. It's National Bubble Bath Day, and I'm celebrating. I'd invite you to join me, but my bathtub is too small for everybody. And besides, maybe we don't want to get quite that personal.

If you'd like to have your own personal bubble bath, you can find my favorite recipe in the January 8 entry in China's Book of Days. But maybe you'd prefer a different kind of herbal bath. Try one of these ideas:

• Bath tea. For an invigorating bath, brew a strong rosemary tea (4 sprigs fresh rosemary steeped for 15 minutes in a quart of boiling water). Add to your bath water. Eucalpytus leaves, bay leaves, and mint are also waker-uppers.
• Bath salts. For a skin-softening bath, mix 1 1/2 cup sea salt, 1 cup Epsom salts, 1/2 cup baking soda, and 1/2 cup finely ground herbs (lavender, rose petals, and chamomile are nice). Add a few drops of fragrance oil to strengthen the scent. Mix in your blender and store in a lidded jar. Add 2 tablespoons to a warm bath.
• Cinnamon Oatmeal Milk Bath. Mix 1 cup finely ground oatmeal (not instant), 1 cup milk powder, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cloves, and 1 teaspoon ginger. Whirl in your blender until very well mixed. Store tightly covered. Add 2 tablespoons to a warm bath. (And remember, cinnamon is said to be an aphrodisiac!)

Happy Bubble Bath Day!

>>Ruby's spa day

Ruby’s Spa Day at Thyme Cottage

Ruby, who enjoys things that are naturally beautiful and beautifying, is holding a Splendid Spa Day at Thyme Cottage this Saturday. We'll all get together for a day of making, playing with, and enjoying natural beauty products. Here is Ruby's plan for the day:

A Splendidly Healthy Breakfast (prepared and served by Cass Wilde): fruit, whole-grain cranberry muffins with homemade jam, juices, coffee, teas

Pretty Face Skincare Workshop: Fresh Strawberry Facial, Flower Power Steam, and Apricot Scrub

Coffee/tea/schmooze break (or go out in the garden and pick a few flower and herbs)

Soft and Shiny Haircare Workshop: Rosemary Jojoba Hair Conditioner, shampoos, rinses

A Splendidly Healthy Lunch (compliments of Cass, of course!): Thyme & Seasons Herb Quiche (from Indigo Dying, Chap. 14), garden salad, watermelon sorbet, iced tea

Pretty Body Bodycare Workshop: nail soak, bath oils, lotions, potions, and perfumes

Where: Thyme Cottage, behind Thyme & Seasons Herb Shop,  304 Crockett St. Pecan Springs TX
When: Saturday Sep. 16. 8-3
Cost: Free (because this is fictional, of course—some fun is free, after all!)
How to register: Just tell us to save a seat for you!

>>henna for beautiful bodies

Remember this scene? China and I had this discussion in Mistletoe Man. It's about me and my henna. As usual, China is telling the story. (Don't I ever get to tell?)

     The hair that showed under Ruby’s hat was such a vibrant copper that it looked as if she had put on her hat to snuff out a blazing fire.
      I opened the door and got out, blinking. “What have you done to your hair?”
     She jammed her hat down on her head. “Why? Is something wrong with it?”
     “It's very red." At the look on her face, I repented. “But on you, very red is very good. Gives you a little extra whoomf.” As if she needed it.
     “I henna-ed it last night,” she said. “With paprika and cinnamon.”
     I stood up on tiptoes to sniff. “You're right. Definitely cinnamon. You smell like apple pie.”
     Ruby smiled modestly. “Next time I'm going to try nutmeg and allspice.”

I'm not the first gal in the world to go gaga over henna. (Remember Lucille Ball? "My God, I'm outliving my henna!")

That's because this herb really works to enhance the hair tones of brunettes and redheads. And because it coats and smooths each strand, it tames unruly frizz (boy, do I know about that!) and protects the hair from damage. It is also said that henna helps to relieve tension around the eyes and forehead, as well as condition the scalp and reduce dandruff and oiliness. And it really is true that spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, as well as cloves, tea, and coffee can all affect the coloring process.

Want to henna your hair? Check out some great techniques, get the straight scoop on mixes and colors, and learn from the experts on the Henna For Hair pages. (Reliable information, too, on how to buy henna products.)

Henna (Lawsonia inermis) is a tropical shrub with ordinary-looking green leaves that, dried and powdered, work all that wonderful color magic. But hair isn't the only thing you can color with henna. Fingernails and toenails take to henna, too, but don't try this unless you're the sort of person who can live with orange nails for months. In India, women paint their hands and feet in traditional patterns in the art of Mehndi. In many Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures, the whole body was ritually painted--an art that is practiced today, as you can see in this gorgeous free calendar. Or you can read about it in the last chapter of Mistletoe Man, where China and Smart Cookie and our friends had a fabulous evening doing henna body art.

Henna was a valuable medicinal herb. In Algeria, henna leaves were placed in shoes to cool and sweeten feet. In the East, henna has been used to treat wounds, ease mild burns and stings, and heal acne. In Malaysia, a henna-leaf tea is gargled for sore throat and drunk for dysentery. Bedouins painted the soles of their feet to protect them from the desert heat, and women in Egypt used henna paste to preserve a smooth skin.

And speaking spiritually, henna is said to provide strong protection against evil influences, blessing the body and soul and keeping the wearer safe from harm.

Hey, we could all use a little of that.

Read more about henna's magic: Henna, from Head to Toe: Body Decorating, Hair Coloring, Medicinal Uses, by Norma Pasekoff Weinbert (lots of good designs, great photos, how-to)

Your turn. Have you ever used henna on your hair? What do you like/not like about it? Who's done henna body painting? What's fun about it? What's scary?

In the works. China's been busy helping the Merryweathers with their Passalong Plant Sale, and she and Molly McGregor (maybe you met Molly in "Bloom Where You're Planted," in An Unthymely Death or in Bleeding Hearts) are cooking up a big garden party to celebrate Beatrix Potter's 140th birthday. Molly owns the Hobbit House, the children's bookstore on the other side of China's herb shop, so Beatrix's birthday is a Big Event for her. Maybe we can get Molly to post something about Beatrix.

That's it for now. See you next week! (Oh, and if you have suggestions for future posts, let us know!)

>>Ruby's Fresh Strawberry Facial

For centuries, strawberries were an important beauty aid. Here's what Mrs. Grieve had to say about it, in her 1931 Modern Herbal: "The Strawberry is a useful dentifrice and cosmetic . . . A cut Strawberry rubbed over the face immediately after washing will whiten the skin and remove slight sunburn. For a badly sunburnt face it is recommended to rub the juice well into the skin, to leave it on for half an hour, and then wash off with warm water to which a few drops of simple tincture of benzoin have been added; no soap should be used." (When you drop in on Mrs. Grieve's page, be sure to read the recipe for boiling a turkey wrapped in strawberry leaves.)

Fresh Strawberry Facial

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, mashed
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon corn starch

Mix all together into a smooth paste. Spread on your face and neck and lie back and relax for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water and pat your face dry.

>>horsetail & dill nail soak

1 tbsp chopped horsetail (Equisetum)
1 tbsp dill seeds
1 cup boiling water
2 tbsp wheat germ oil

Pour water over herbs, steep for 1-2 hours. Add wheat germ oil. Strain, bottle, and refrigerate. To use: warm some of the solution, pour into a small bowl, soak nails for 10 minutes.

The links will take you to Mrs. Grieve's 1931 Modern Herbal. On the dill page, be sure and read her recipe for Dill and Collyflower Pickle.

>>rosemary jojoba hair conditioner

1 cup rose floral water (available in drugstores and on-line)
1 tablespoon jojoba oil
10 drops vitamin E oil
4-5 drops essential oil of rosemary

In a non-reactive pan, over low heat, warm the rose water. Add jojoba oil. Pour into a blender and add vitamin E oil and rosemary oil. Blend for 1-2 minutes.

To use: Before shampooing, wet your hair and pour the conditioner onto your hair and scalp. Massage it in. For extra conditioning, wrap your head in a warm, damp towel and leave it on for 20-30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and shampoo.