HERB - Projects

[DianaFiona@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/9/99 9:25:41 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
gwalli at infoengine.com writes:

 Raisya asked:
 >Diana, could you give more details on preparing the aftershave?  Do you 
grind
 >the frankincense and myrrh, or use essential oils, or...?
 
 Diana will best be able to answer what she did, but I thought I'd let you
 know how I did mine. When I made my husband aftershave, I used the
 rosins ground fine in my coffee grinder. Along with the fresh and dried
 herbs, I would soak these rosins in an alcohol-water mix in the cupboard
 (a warm one under my sink, next to my vinegar experiment).>>>

    (Grin) What she said........ Actually, I used oils, since I had them when 
I was first concocting this. I have the resins at the moment, so I would 
probably dissolve them in the alcohol as mentioned above--if I don't change 
to a different scent this year. I didn't measure the oils, BTW, just went on 
smell as I added.
 
 >Also, would you
 >mind describing more about the rice/herb bags, they sound fascinating.
 
 When I made mine, I found that there were several tips that made life
 much easier. They are:
 
 (1) Be very choosy about your herbs, if you use them at all. I ended
 up not using them because I wasn't pleased with the smell they made
 after being heated in the microwave even for a short period of time.
 Keep in mind people's allergies. Chamomile is nearly always a bad
 choice.>>>

    My problem was more the combination of the herbs with the hot rice--not 
everything works well with that scent. I ended up using either rosemary or 
lavender. I think I may try citrus peels if I make any more, or lemon-scented 
herbs (Or a combo)
 
>>> (2) Consider using small peas or lentils instead of rice. Rice has a
 tendency to break down over time because the grains are repeatedly
 rubbing up against each other. As they break down, they produce
 a rice flour of sorts with has a tendency to get gummy or sticky or
 otherwise annoying. Peas and lentils have the same heat-holding
 qualities and last much much longer.>>>

    True---but they smell *awful* to me when heated dry! Well, I haven't 
tried peas, but the other legumes were nasty. Plus, I was doing quite a few 
of these at once, so the cheapness of the rice was attractive. And I haven't 
had problems with the rice breaking down so far, nor has my mom, who uses her 
bags constantly. Different type of rice, perhaps? *shrug*
 
 >>(3) Use a two-cover system to make your bags. This is especially
 helpful if you choose to use rice. Sew one bag completely, rice or
 peas inside. Then sew another, barely larger bag, and this time make
 it possible for it to be removed. Baby clothes zippers, small snaps,
 or even velcro are possible closures. This removeable bag can then
 be washed and replaced as necessary whenever it gets soiled. And
 it will get soiled. Think: hot bag, cold skin, sweat.>>>

    An excellent idea! I was doing too many at once, on too tight a schedule, 
to think of it, myself. As an interesting note, though, my mother recently 
decided to wash one of her bags---rice and all! (Yes, I fussed at her to take 
the rice out first, but she was busy and didn't want to bother) Amazingly, it 
came through the washing machine and dryer just fine. Go figure....... :-)

                Ldy Diana
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