HERBALIST'S JOURNAL

Earth Day Vows

Happy Earth Day! In honor of this special holiday, let's all take a moment to renew our vows to the planet. As living beings, we each have a role to play in treading lightly and tending to the earth ~ and by choosing what we consume and cultivating a conscious lifestyle, our actions have a ripple effect on the world at large.

So whatever eco-minded habits we already have, let's take one step further and adopt new rituals that can become part of our daily lives. The following are my personal practices and life hacks for living a low impact life, in a list that has evolved and expanded over the years.

Tags: earth day Eco Friendly Eco Life Hacks Green Living Sustainability Sustainable Habits Sustainable Living

Taking Care When Under the Weather

These days, it seems like cold season is upon us all year round. While it all feels very overwhelming, understanding how to protect ourselves and how to take care of our bodies when illness strikes is the best way to preserve our health. This advice is largely applicable regardless of your particular malady, whether you are in the midst of a seasonal cold, recovering from a prolonged illness, exposed to someone who's sick, stuck with a bout of digestive distress, in the throws of a bad hangover, or otherwise exhausted, overworked, stressed and just not feeling your best.

First Aid Basics: Wound Care

'Always be prepared.' I grew up with the Scout motto, thanks to my dad. And from this deeply instilled idea, I've developed several formulations that fit right into a well-stocked First Aid kit.

When it comes to cuts, scrapes and gashes, proper wound care is crucial to help prevent infection and ensure our skin heals well. For minor wounds that don't require further medical attention, I've shared First Aid medical guidelines infused with my approach to wound care using Indigo Elixirs.

Tags: First Aid Basics S.O.S. Spray Sangre de Drago Liquid Bandage Solve All Salve Wound Care

5 Ways to Spot Body Care That Doesn't Care

When I first began experimenting with botanical body care over a decade ago, it was in pursuit of products that not only worked well but that I could adorn knowing that they were healthy. While we normally think of the skin as an intact barrier between us and the world around us, the reality is that this ‘barrier’ is in fact very permeable — much more like a screen than a door. Most of what we apply on our skin gets absorbed, which is why we need to give as much consideration to what we wear topically as to what we consume internally. I've compiled the following clues to help spot body care that doesn't care about your body.

Tags: harmful body care healthy body care

Interview with the Founder

I recently had an interview with Laarni Gedo of Farm Link Hawai'i, as part of a feature to welcome Indigo Elixirs onto their platform. Farm Link is an online marketplace where O'ahu residents can buy local produce directly from Hawaii's farmers. You can see the featured blog post here and read the full original interview with me ~ Deanna Rose, the founder of IE ~ on our Journal.

Tags: Founder Interview Indigo Elixirs

My Top Tips for Healthy Travels

Airline travel opens up the world for us, but getting from point A to point B while staying healthy can be a daunting task within itself. A little extra preparation (and a few of my favorite elixirs) can go a long way in helping you feel your best when you arrive at your destination.

The following list incorporates my best advice for staying well while traveling by air, along with essential the products I never fly without. You can find all five of the elixirs mentioned in my new Voyager Set.

Caring for Overwashed Hands

If your hands are more dry than they've ever been, you are not alone. The current season has us all fully focused on hand hygiene to help keep ourselves and those around us healthy. From washing like crazy to heavily relying on hand sanitizer, all that soap and water and alcohol can certainly dry out the skin. And because our skin serves as a crucial component of our physical immune system, we want to keep it in intact ~ which means taking good care of it in between all that washing and sanitizing.

How to Eat for Optimal Health

Our diet provides all of the nutrients to fuel our entire body ~ every metabolic process, every movement, every thought is powered by the foods & drinks that we consume. When we find ourselves outside of an optimal state of health, we often need to reevaluate our dietary habits if we want to see improvements in the way we feel. From frequently catching colds to chronic exhaustion, eating well can dramatically improve the state of our health and, in turn, our immunity. We are only as resilient as our diets allow us to be.

Tags: Dietary Wellness Digestive Wellness Optimal Health

DIY Hand Sanitizer (+ All the Facts)

What's the best way to keep your hands clean when you can't wash them? Hand sanitizer. In the wake of COVID-19, these simple antiseptics are all the rage (and out of stock). Here you'll find everything you didn't even know you needed to know about hand sanitizer, what you don't want in yours, and how to use them to make sure they are effective. I also share detailed instructions on how to make your own with ingredients you already have at home, including which essential oils are most likely to fight 2020's trending virus.

How to Stay Well through Cold Season

There’s a reason the winter is known as ‘cold season’ — changing seasons and harsh temperatures can make us more vulnerable to catching seasonal colds and flus. Once you’re in the throes of illness, your symptoms generally need to run their course before you’ll feel reprieve. That’s why the best way to stay well throughout the winter is to avoid getting sick in the first place! Traditional wisdom offers no shortage of advice on how to support our body’s optimal state of being, and with a few simple life hacks you can keep your immune system at peak performance.

Citrus Bliss

Check out this citrus bliss! The abundance of bumpy limes in the box means that more Citrus Cream is on its way back into the shop. This dreamy lime-scented concoction is a traditional recipe from Thailand, and can replace both your shampoo and conditioner (or one or the other) while leaving your hair super smooth and scalp ultra refreshed as it cleanses and hydrates your mane. In addition to being my new-found all-time favorite hair elixir, possibly the coolest part is that the formula consists entirely of local Makrut Limes from @lokoea, Butterfly Pea Flowers from @petalmetal and water. ⁠ ⁠

Tags: Citrus Bliss Citrus Cream Farm Link Hawaii Lokoea Farm Makrut Limes Petal to the Mettle Support Local Farmers Thai Limes

Butterfly Pea in Bloom

Currently in the final stages of brewing Citrus Cream, which means I get to work with this beautiful bloom! Known commonly as Butterfly Pea Flower and scientifically as Clitoria ternatea, those brilliant violet petals impart a deep shade of indigo when infused into water. This blue hue is due to the presence of anthocyanins, a water-soluble antioxidant that lends rich color and healing benefits to blue, purple and red botanicals. ⁠ ⁠

Tags: Butterfly Pea Flower Citrus Cream hawaiian beauty Seasonal Batch