Saturday, July 2, 2011

Natural Eye Cream

 Photo by H. Zell/Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Comfrey, Symphytum officinale, is an herbaceous perennial that is easy to grow in the garden and landscape. It is an attractive green plant with fuzzy leaves and pretty, drooping purple flowers. Comfrey is a useful herb for topical treatments for bruises, sore muscles, achy joints and broken bones. Grow it or get it from a grower, and use it as a natural treatment for aches and pains and bruises.

Make your own natural eye cream to treat dark under-eye circles. It's easy and effective, doesn't involve chemicals that you can't pronounce, and is cheaper than commercial eye creams. You'll need beeswax, oil of your choice, such as olive oil, sunflower oil or almond oil, and fresh comfrey. The best fresh comfrey comes from your own garden or landscape, but you can get it from herbal growers such as Zach Woods Herbs http://www.zackwoodsherbs.com/, or Healing Spirits Herb Farm http://www.healingspiritsherbfarm.com/.

Warm 1 1/2 cups of oil (do not boil) and add 1 cup of fresh comfrey leaves and shaved roots. Gently stir the combination over low to medium heat for an hour. Remove from heat, strain out herbs and set aside. Melt 3 cups of grated beeswax or beeswax beads over medium heat. When melted, remove from heat and add the herbal oil you made earlier. Mix the oil and melted beeswax with a few drops of 100 proof vodka and a few drops of essential oil by whipping them together in a food processor or with a frother until creamy and smooth. The vodka is a natural preservative and the essential oil lightly scents your natural eye cream. Orange, spearmint, lemon and almond essences all work well.

Store your freshly-made eye cream in small cosmetic tins and label them with the date and ingredients. Store the excess herbal oil in a glass bottle or jar and label it. Use it to rub on bruises, dry skin and sore muscles.  Double the recipe to make eye cream for gifts for friends and family.