Arielle de Brabazon

Kobol@ccgnv.net

This Month’s Feature

SKIN SOFTENING WASH BAGS

Equipment:

something to grind with, preferably a food processor
measuring cups and spoons
a bowl
3x5 muslin drawstring bags

Possible Ingredients:

Nut or grain meal. Some good choices include: almonds, sunflower seeds, and oatmeal.

Powdered milk. Some good choices include: powdered cow or goat
milk and powdered buttermilk.
Dried herbs, stemmed and sifted. Suggestions: lavender, sage,
chamomile, peppermint, thyme, or lemon balm.

Ingredient Notes:

Ground meal and ground nuts have traditionally been used to
treat a variety of skin ailments. In combination with herbs they can afford relief to many troublesome skin conditions, including sunburn, leprosy, and eczema. As with all kinds of home remedies, it's common sense and a good idea to talk with a trained professional first before resorting to this kind of a treatment for a suspected or known conditioner problem. However, as a nice treat to the body and senses, I highly recommend this as the perfect way to spend some time in the bathtub.

Grinding Notes:

Making ground meal and ground nuts requires a little planning.
The raw measure does not equal the ground measure. That is, you
can't measure out 1.5 cups oatmeal and expect to get 1.5 cups
ground oatmeal. Here's a little guide for the ingredients I use
most often:

1 cup whole oatmeal = 1/2 cup ground oatmeal
3/4 cup sunflower seeds = 1/2 cup ground sunflower meal

50 large, whole almonds = 1/2 cup ground almond meal

I've found that you can sometime find these preground in bulk
at bulk food service stores (in Michigan, I would buy them at
Gordon's Food Service).

Preparation Notes and Suggested Starting Recipe:

Roughly 7-8 tablespoons of mixture will fit, depending on you
ingredient choices, into a 3x5 drawstring muslin bag. Using this
number, you can calculate the mixture you would like to use
in your bags, in quantity. Here is the mixture for one bag, which I made up in the last batch I created:

~ 3 tablespoons ground oatmeal (groats, not the quick-cooking kind)
~ 3 tablespoons ground sunflower seeds (raw, unsalted, unroasted)
~ 1 scant Tablespoon buttermilk powder (look in the baking aisle)
~ 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers

Play with the mixture a bit to see what you like best. The first mix of this I ever made contained simply 1/4 cup ground oatmeal and 1/4 cup ground sunflower seeds. For a simple, skin nurturing bath, this is still my favorite mixture. Store these in an airtight container until you're ready to use them (make sure it's waterproof or safely stored, too).

Usage Notes:

I wet these bags down and used them like a bar or soap when I'm
in the bathtub. It's a great treat after a tough day. It's also quite convenient for a nice little pick-me-up at a camping event. The slight roughness of the muslin acts as a nice exfoliating agent and the rest of the ingredients soothe your skin quite nicely. The bags I usually buy measure 3"x5" and hold a considerable amount of mixture. You can use these bags several time before they lose their "oomph", but beware of a few things. First, milk powder will often start to fester in the heat of the day. If you plan to make these for camping events, don't add any milk powder and expect to be able to use the bag again. Second, if my cats are any indication, felines REALLY like these little bags. Keep them out of reach of kitty and you'll be thankful. They make an awful mess when one of your cats decides to either suck on one or tear it apart to get inside (yes this is the voice of experience).

Submitted to herbalist@ansteorra.org listserve in 1998 by jasmine@infoengine.com