How to Dye Hair Red Naturally with Henna Powder

Dying hair with henna is easy to do. I will explain the steps to dye your hair with henna in this blog post. We like using henna as a hair dye because it conditioning to the hair. Regular chemical hair dyes damage the hair cuticle. Henna is also is very compatible with our shampoo bars and diluted vinegar rinses. As hair dye, henna works best on lighter colored hair. Aquarian Bath is now offering powdered red Henna for hair dying, which is what I used to dye Tessa's hair (above).

How to Dye Hair with Henna

Preliminary precautions: Some people are allergic to henna. If you have never used henna before, then it is best to do a patch test on your skin. Make a patch test on the inside of your wrist with a little bit of henna mixed with water. Wait 24 hours to see if your skin has a reaction. If there is no reaction then you can begin the process below for dying your hair.  

Hair Prep: For best results, start out with clean dry hair that has been brushed and divided into smaller sections with clips. It is a messy job, so try to get help from a friend if you can. Wear your old work clothes, or black to avoid staining good fabrics.

8 oz of red henna powder now available at Aquarian Bath

Ingredients: The first step is to put your henna powder in a bowl with the juice of one half of a lemon and 1 tablespoon of oil such as Extra Virgin olive oil or grape seed oil. If you do not have lemon juice you could use vinegar instead. The lemon juice or vinegar helps the henna color stay in the hair for a long time. For short or thin hair you may only need a couple ounces of henna. For longer or thicker hair you will need more henna. Eight ounces works for my shoulder length thick hair. You can start out with a moderate amount of henna add more to the bowl if it looks like there is not enough. 

Form a Paste: Mix the henna, lemon juice and 1 T of oil with enough hot or boiling water to form a paste with the consistency of a creamy soup. At this point you need to decide if you have enough henna paste in your bowl to completely saturate your dry hair. If you think there may not be enough henna paste to completely cover your dry hair, then add more henna powder and water. Let the paste sit for around 30 minutes to allow the lemon juice to react with the henna powder.

Coat the hair evenly and wait: Next apply the henna paste to your hair completely covering each strand down to the roots. Avoid applying the paste to the forehead and around the ears and neck, because the henna paste will also stain the skin temporarily.  Leave the henna paste on your hair for 30 minutes to 2 hours. The longer you leave the paste on your hair the stronger the final hair color will be. You can freeze any leftover paste in a jar for future use.

 Rinse clean: Here is Tessa's hair after approximately 30 minutes of dying.

Wash as usual: Here is her hair after a couple of washes.  You can see that the bright orange fades out to a more natural looking color.  

How to Upcycle Used Envelopes into Non Toxic Desiccant Packs

A while back I was looking for a non-toxic desiccant to pack in my soap storage bins. After a bit of research I found that I already had all the materials that I needed in order to make them myself.  If you live in a very humid environment like I do and need to store moisture sensitive items, you might find this to be a useful project.

Here is what you need to make them 1) a used Tyvek USPS Priority Mail envelope.  These are a soft water resistant plastic envelope that feels more like a silky smooth fabric.  Often soft items like clothing are shipped in them.  These are fairly common to receive in the mail if you do much online purchasing, but it you don't have any, you can easily ask for some on freecycle.  Using new envelopes would be a breaking federal law.  2) non toxic glue and 3) Bentonite Clay which I always have in stock.

First I made a non toxic glue using a modified recipe from Pure Pixie. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
2 T corn syrup
1 t white vinegar
2 T cornstarch 

Mix together water, corn syrup and vinegar until boiling and stir while boiling.  Slowly whisk in the corn starch and boil for 1 minute.  Add to 4 oz jar and let stand overnight.  This makes a thick paste that is spreadable with a pain brush.  

The next step is to cut out squares for your desiccant packs.  It is best to make them big enough so that you can easily fit a spoon into the opening.  1.5 inch or 2 inch square is perfect.  Then glue together 3 sides.  Set the packs aside to dry for a few hours.  Then add about a teaspoon of clay to each pack.   

Nexd add glue along the open edge of the pack with a paint brush.  Be careful to not get Bentonite clay onto the glue area, or you will not get a clean seal.  Let the packs dry out over a few hours.  As soon as they are dry they are ready to use.  

Into the soap storage bins they go...

10 Tricks for Growing Basil Indoors

Basil is a marvellous herb, and one which can easily be grown both outdoors and indoors. Basil is a well-known herb, known for its fragrant and tasty leaves which can be used for raw salad, or cooked with tomatoes to make tomato and basil sauce. There are, of course many other uses for the herb, classed as an essential by culinary experts worldwide. To grow basil indoors one should become familiar with these 10 tricks which will have anyone on their way to growing indoor basil within no time.

First ensure that its soil has adequate drainage at the base of the pot. This will allow the roots to develop properly and the plant will benefit from it as the excess water will be able to exit into a dish or saucer.

Second, know the pH level of your soil. Basil grows best in soil which is between 6 and 7.5 on the pH scale.

Place a few seeds in each pot. Sow them thinly, and the plants will have the right amount of space to germinate properly. This should happen around a week after sowing.

Once the plants have grown two proper leaves, you should remove the two weaker plants and leave the strongest in the pot.

Monitor the pH level of your soil every 4-6 weeks, and change it if needed using half-strength organic fertilizer. You should add a small amount of fertilizer every month or so to give the basil the nutrients it needs.

Make sure that the plant pots get enough light from the sun (about 6-8 hours a day). This can easily be achieved by placing the pots on a window sill where the sun will provide the basil with the energy it needs to grow and mature.

Water your basil at the base of the plant – do not shower the leaves and stems.

Water about once a week for the best effects.

Remove any flowers as they appear, as this will keep the basil’s flavour, and promote its growth even further.

The beauty of basil is that it can be grown all year round. Lastly, do not harvest a complete plant, but to take a few leaves off of each, starting from the top of the plants. That way further basil can be harvested as and when needed.

This guest was provided by Danny Ashton who talks about Growing Basil at his blog.

How to Grow and Harvest Amaranth

Amaranth is a healthy vegetable that can be grown for it's leaves or seeds (grain). I have grown it for both purposes. When growing Amaranth for leafy greens, direct sow seeds 4-6 inches apart in a moderately sunny area. When the plant starts getting leafy you can pinch off about 8 leaves at a time when they get to be about 7 inches long. Then you will be able to make one or two more harvests over the next couple weeks.



If you are growing Amaranth for grain harvest the plants need more space. The will thrive in a full sun area. The plants pictured here were grown in full sun facing south. Ideally the seeds can be direct sown in rich soil with 12 inch spacing. These plants were so tall, almost 7 feet and fell over under their own weight. Supports can be helpful.

Whether you are growing Amaranth for seed or leaves, it can be helpful to plant Amaranth on the outskirts of your garden. Amaranth is quite attractive to pests. These outlying plants can provide food for pests making less pressure on your cultivated vegetables. Usually there will be some bugs eating the leaves of your older Amaranth plants if you are growing them for seed. Usually this doesn't not significantly impact seed production. You can however use a diluted spray neem oil and castile soap in water to deter pests.



After your Amaranth turns red with flowers you can start checking to see if the seed is ready for harvest. Rub a bit of the red flowering area between your fingers. If you hear a popping noise when you do this all over the flowering tops, then they are ready for grain harvest. Cut the tops one a dry sunny day and rub the seed and chaff out onto a clean sheet. Remove large pieces of stem and leaf. The next step is winnowing and should be done when there is a nice breeze. Winnowing separates the seeds from the chaft. All you have to do is gently take handfuls of the seed and chaff mixture and drop it from a height over the sheet while the wind is blowing. In the end you will be left with your Amaranth grains like these.



Visit my Etsy shop if you would like to pick up some Amaranth Seeds today.

Tips for Basil Cultivation

I have had some growing questions from Etsy customers about cultivating various plants from my Free Seeds with Purchase section.  So I will do my best to give you all the tips you need for growing successfully as needed, starting here with the Basils.  I have 4 types of Basil in my Etsy shop presently: Thai Basil (pictured above), Holy Basil (Rama & Vana varieties), and Genovese.  The directions apply to all the basils.  I am a Central Florida gardener so I planting times I will leave out, except to say that I am lucky enough to grow it year round here (I just cover the plants with a sheet when a freeze is coming).  If you live in a more temperate area, then wait until after the last frost to plant outside.  

The first step for growing basil is a rich soil and a large pot.  For seeds that I haven't grown before I like to start them in large plastic or glazed ceramic pots.  Orange clay pots are too drying for basil in general and other seedlings.  I fill the pots with homemade or store bought organic potting soil or top soil.  Fill the pots to the top with this soil.  The next step is optional, but sometimes I like to soak my seeds in water before planting; rain or well water is best.  If you want to soak your basil seed just a few hours is sufficient.  I sprinkle the basil seeds evenly over a container and then gently shake a handful of soil just barely covering the seed.  Put the pot in full or partial sun and keep watered daily.  You can put a catch pan of water underneath the pot to keep the soil moist.  When the plants start to come up you may want to thin them in case some of them come up right next to each other.  Next the plants will start getting tall and leafy.  When there are about six leaves I pinch off the top two leaves so they can bush out.  From this point on you will be in harvesting mode for a while.  If they over grow their pot you may have to divide them and put them into the ground or more pots.  Keep collecting the nice fresh big leaves and flowers to use.  You will want to keep the plants well watered during this time.  You can add small amounts of coffee grounds or composted manure at the edge of the pot during this time too (once or twice during the harvesting period).  The harvesting period can go on for months depending on your growing zone, and you can continue to pinch them back to encourage growth and bushiness.  It is very important that you keep picking off the flowers during the harvesting phase.  Once the flowers go to seed then the plant dies back.  Eventually though the plants will start to get more woody rather than tender stems, and the leaves will become smaller and smaller.  At this stage, I let the plants flower and go to seed.   Snip off the long stalk when the seed pods turn completely brown.  Rub the pods gently to get the seeds out.  Put the seeds in envelopes to save them with the date and store them in a dry place for next year.  

Good luck with your basil plants!

When and How To Harvest Your Luffa Gourds

Here is a Luffa cylindra 'sponge' AKA Loofa that I harvested and peeled recently. The first time I grew luffa many years ago I was told I should wait until the outside of the Luffa turned dark brown before harvested them. That worked for me the first time I grew them, but not with last years crop. Some of the Luffa gourds from last year that I was waiting on to turn brown actually kind of disintegrated inside from the excessive Florida summer humidity. This year I have been harvesting the gourds just when they turn this beautiful ripened yellow color. The peel comes off easily by hand at this stage. The 'sponge' is kind of soft coming out of the peel. If you let it dry out and harden for a couple of days, then you can get the seeds out by hitting it on a hard surface and shaking the seeds out. Some people suggest to wash out the gourds right after harvest, but they are very clean coming right out of the peel. I haven't cleaned them out that way, because I wanted the seeds to dry in good condition for seed saving.

These are the really big long gourds that I have been waiting on for making soap with. I'm very excited to collect them. It think they will be ready to pick today or Saturday at Fair Share.

Would you like some seeds for yourself? I have Luffa seed free with purchase in my etsy shop.

Herbal How to: Making Herb Infused Oils

This is a copy of instructions for making herbal infused oils for beginners. I use it for teaching demonstrations in the community. If you are a beginner, then I hope you find this useful in your craft making adventures. If you are a more experienced herbalist and you would like to use it or modify it for use for your teaching, then you are welcome to use it as well. If you use this material please give attribution according to the terms of the GNU Free Documentations license. Enjoy!

Copyright 2008 Cory Trusty aquarianbath.com. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html

Introduction: What are Infused Oils?

A herb infused oil is a base oil such as Extra Virgin Olive oil or Coconut oil that has been steeped with freshly wilted or dried herbs. Herb infused oils are fun to make and can be used for many purposes including culinary, for anointing, as body massage oils, for general skin care, or as a base for natural salve, lotion & balm remedies. Infused herbal oils are similar to essential oils in that they contain volatile oils from the herbs used to make the infusion, however the concentration of the volatile oils within an infused oil is significantly lower compared to essential oils. For this reason herb infused oils have a number of advantages for the average person compared to working with pure essential oils. First herb-infused oils are very safe, whereas working with essential oils is relatively dangerous and requires extreme care in regard to storage and dilution. There are many recipes in books and online for using essential oils, which are not particularly safe. Second, herbal infused oils can be made easily in the home with abundant herbs which can be harvested ethically, respectfully and sustainably in your local bioregion. For example, in Central Florida common plants like Southern Plantain, Elderflower, Pine, Camphor, or Mulberry leaves are a great choice for a making herb infused oils. Plants that are harvested lovingly and respectfully will generously share their healing magic. This is not something that is quantifiable, though many successful herbalists will tell you that the harvester's intention and interactive relationship with the plants is paramount in medicine making. While the energy of infused oils may appear subtle, the healing plant spirit shines through in herbal infusions in a way that is not quite comparable with essential oils, though preparations made with organic and wild harvested essential oils do have their purpose in providing stronger medicine for more stubborn conditions.

There are a variety of methods for making herb infused oils, and each has its own advantage. They each have in common that fresh wilted or dried herbs are used to make the oil. Generally leaves, flowers, twigs or resins are used. The first method for preparing infused oils is the 'cold' method in which chopped herbs are added to a clean glass jar, filled with oil and left to steep in for a number of days. This method has it's advantage in that no external energy is required to make the oil, however with this method the chance of spoilage increases when using fresh herbs due to the residual water content in the plant material. Also infused oils cannot be made effectively using resins with this method. A second method is the crock pot method. This method is very convenient in that it is self contained, however much care must be taken to ensure that herbs are not overheated and burned. The third method, which I will present here, is the water bath (Bain Marie) or double boiler method. This is the method gives me the best results. Using a water bath herbs are heated slowly in a glass or ceramic container which sits within a larger container of hot water. This method is fast and convenient, there is little chance to overheat the herbs, and there is low likelihood of having residual water in the finished oil. It is important that the oil remains water free, because water-containing preparations are susceptible to bacterial growth.

Materials for Making Infused Oils by the Water Bath Method

• Electric or gas burner
  
• Freshly wilted wild harvested or home grown herbs OR dried wild harvested or organic herbs
• Stable base oil (preferably organic) appropriate for either culinary or external use depending on your choice of herbs and your plan for the finished oil: Extra Virgin Olive oil, Coconut oil, Fractionated Coconut oil, Jojoba Wax, Sesame oil, Lard. Fractionated Coconut oil and Jojoba wax have an unlimited shelf life. When making body oils, persons with sensitive skin may wish to avoid coconut oil or use it at not more than 50% of your total oil solution. Please do not use palm oil for the sake of rain forests in Indonesia.
  
• Double boiler which can be made with a small pot and a Pyrex glass container, a mason jar, or other heat resistant glass or ceramic container. Use a glass container than you don't mind recycling if you are working with a resin.
  
• Very clean utensils including: spoon or chopstick, knife, funnel, glass storage jar for finished oil, small plate, and cutting board for working with fresh plants.
  
• Cheese cloth
  
• Sharpie pen or sticker label & regular pen
• Optional for lightening the thickness of the oil: Safflower, Grapeseed oil, Soy, Apricot kernel, Canola. These oils are lighter and have a shorter shelf life compared to the other base oils listed above. Use not more than 25% of your total oil.
• Optional: Vitamin E
• Pipette

Method

1. Clean and clear your workspace. Gather all necessary utensils and containers. Clean containers and utensils thoroughly in a dish washing machine or by hand with hot soapy water and a small amount of borax. You may also chose to sterilize utensils in the same way that one would do for canning. Another option is to wipe down utensils with high proof alcohol. Let containers and utensils air dry. Oil containers and utensils must remain free from water throughout the infusion making process.
   
2. Gather your herbs. If you are working with dry herbs, then organic or wild harvested are the best choice. Mountain Rose herbs is a good source for dry herbs. For fresh herbs, respectfully gather plant material from properly identified specimens that are free from blemish and are at least 8 feet away from any roads. The best time to collect herbs is late morning when there is no dew or rainwater on the plant. Collect not more than 10 percent of a wild population of plants. Depending on your belief system you may wish to ask permission from the plant, explain your intentions, and leave an offering for the plant such as a stone, tobacco, or one of your hairs. Especially for making oils for medicinal purposes it is believed that your oils and medicine will be more potent if you have a good relationship with spirit of the particular plants that you harvest from. Chop herbs coarsely and let them wilt in the shade for a few hours. Wilting herbs decreases the water content of the herbs.
   
3. Fill your clean jar or glass or ceramic container with herbs, then cover with the base oil of your choice. Coconut oil and Extra Virgin Olive oil are my personal favorites. I also use Sesame oil very often. Place your herb-oil container in your water bath and turn on heat to medium-high. Ideally you can cover your herb & oil container partially but not completely with a lid. Next let the herbs infuse in the oil for approximately 1-2 hours. The oil should get warm, but not so warm to burn the skin. You will need to monitor the oil and adjust the temperature. To check the temperature of the oil use your clean spoon or chopstick to drip oil onto your wrist. The oil should feel warmer than your body temperature but not so warm to burn the skin. After testing the temperature place your oily spoon on your clean plate. Be cautious throughout this step not to let water from your boiler to splash up into your herb and oil container. You will know when your oil is becoming ready when it has taken on the color & scent of the herbs. If you have used fresh herbs then you will want to steam off any excess water remaining in the oil before decanting. There are two good ways to check for lingering water in the infused oil when working with fresh herbs. First check the herbs with your spoon, they should have a crisp feel about them. Second, use your lid to completely cover the oil for a minute or two, then look under the lid for condensation. If there is condensation, then continue to infuse the oils with the lid partially covered so that water can steam out of the container. Check again until you are satisfied that the oil is water-free.
   
4. Next turn off the heat and remove the oil container from the water bath. Carefully dry the outside of the container and prepare to decant the oil. Place the clean funnel in your clean dry glass storage jar, and line the funnel with a couple of layers of cheese cloth. Pour the oil and spent herbs into the funnel and let strain. When the oil is strained completely, you can squeeze or press the cheesecloth to maximize your oil yield.
5. If you would like to make a double or triple infused oil then you can repeat steps 3 and 4 with this freshly infused batch of oil.
6. Double check your infused oil for water if you used fresh herbs. Let the jar of infused oil stand over night. Check the bottom of the jar for water droplets. If there is any water at the bottom of the jar, then you will want to pour the oil into a fresh jar, or pipette out the water droplets.
   
7. Storage and shelf life: Now you should have a fresh batch of infused oil that is clear with no remaining leaf or flower pieces. Oils, including infused oils go bad after a time because of oxidation. Rancid oils are oxidized and will have an off scent. To maximize the shelf life of your oils, put it in a container with a small amount of air overhead, keep it cool and dark. If you wish you may add Vitamin E to extend the shelf life of your infused oil: a small amount of Vitamin E. I suggest this step particularly if you are diluting the primary base oils with lighter oils with shorter shelf life e.g. Grapeseed or Safflower. It is less critical if you are using 100% Extra Virgin Olive oil, which has a very long shelf life of a year or more. Fractionated Coconut Oil & Jojoba are exceptions, and do not go rancid.
   

Suggestions for Herb Infused Oils
Culinary: Oregano, Rosemary, Basil, Mint
General Skin Care: Calendula flowers, Mulberry (Morus alba) leaves, Elderflowers, Plantain leaves
Invigorating Massage oil: Mugwort leaves, Camphor resin, leaves or twigs, Lemongrass, Goldenrod flowers
Congested Chest Massage oil: Camphor resin, leaves or twigs, Lemongrass, Pine twigs & needles, Mint leaves
Anointing oil: Frankincense resin, Myrrh resin, White Sage leaves
Extra strength: double or triple infuse your herbal infused oil
Locally grown: What is growing in your back yard or neighborhood in abundance? Check out a field guide from your local library. There are many medicinal wild weeds, trees, and ornamental plants with culinary or medicinal value that would be great to experiment with.