Herbalist Tips to Beat the Summer Heat
Many of us are ready for fall, but the truth remains that we are still in summer and it is hawt! With the heat and sun come sunburn, heat rash, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke. There are things we can do to prevent these from happening and natural remedies for when they do.
Why Do We Get Sunburn?
Sunburn is an acute inflammatory response by the skin in reaction to excessive exposure to sunlight. The harmful changes that occur in the skin cells’ cytoplasm (a gel-like substance that is between the cell membrane and nucleus) and the nucleus itself are cumulative over a lifespan and can lead to an increased incidence of skin cancer. Sunburn is common in this era of popular outside summer activities and clothing styles that leave more skin exposed to the sun’s damaging UVA and UVB rays. We’ve all had that burning sensation after being in the sun too long. While limiting sun exposure is the most reliable method of preventing sunburn, we do want to be able to bask in the sun, don’t we?
DIY Roll-On Lip Gloss for Summer
When I’m about to embark on a summer adventure, I always do the final check before walking out the door—keys, wallet, water, and lip balm. Being ill-equipped with any of these staples puts a real damper on my ability to take impromptu diversions on the roads less traveled.
I appreciate the ability to move with fluidity while on my outdoor excursions, but I don’t enjoy it when my lip balm embodies that sentiment, too—I needed a solution to prevent my beloved lip-assistant from melting in my car, backpack, or pocket. And further, I needed my non-melting lip balm to still work effectively! Then I had a light bulb moment; a roll top bottle would work wonderfully for this purpose!
Cookies and Cream Lip Balm Recipe
Each year around the holidays, I create a new lip balm recipe to share on both the Mountain Rose Herbs blog and with my friends and family. They make a great stocking stuffer and the people in my life enjoy seeing what I’ve come up with for the season. I love that lip balms can be made in bulk for sharing, and I love this fun and useful expression of my craft.
This hydrating lip balm calls in the emollient qualities of shea butter and pairs with the comforting scents of cocoa butter and benzoin resin for an intoxicating chocolate and vanilla aroma. When I have the time, I like to make this balm in two different colors and then marble them in the lip balm tube. This added dimension makes for a fun display of my skills and makes it feel more like cookies and cream. However, you can keep it simple if you prefer and skip the marbling effect. That is the beauty of DIY crafting—you can truly make it your own.
