Herbal Vinegar is easily made and has many uses. From vinegar for salad dressings to cleaning your house but the use I want to talk about is the benefits for the skin. Now that we’re heading into summer, if you are not already growing these herbs, it’s an excellent time to grow them. If you don’t have a garden or hate growing stuff, you can easily buy them at your garden center.

The ingredients of my homemade Herbal Vinegar are simple and easy to find.

 

 

1. Apple Cider Vinegar, I like to use Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother. Apple Cider Vinegar can balance the skin’s pH when mixed with water. It is also perfect for toning the skin. The antibacterial properties of this vinegar are very good for acne sufferers, and the malic and lactic acid soften and exfoliate skin and can reduce red spots. Also, if you have sunburn, add a cup or two to your bath soak for 10 mins, and it will help regulate the pH of your skin and ease the sting.

 

 

2. Fresh Lavender, this herb not only smells fabulous but has many herbal uses, from stopping stomach pain if you have digestive problems like IBS or for stress-related headaches. It can promote sleep and is used widely in cooking, from salad dressing-infused vinegar to ice cream recipes for the skin. It is excellent if you have itchy skin; just get your herbal infused vinegar and spray it on the skin, or if you have acne as it has antimicrobial properties. Please do not use it on broken skin or near the eye area.

 

 

3. Fresh Rosemary, this herb is at the top of my herbal list. It has so many uses. It tastes amazing and smells divine, and I am never without it in my life. It is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and astringent. It helps with poor memory, so if you’re studying or have a big presentation to do, it’s a great herb to have in your bag. Just crush some of it in your hand and sniff it. For your skin, it’s perfect for increasing blood flow to the capillaries, which will bring lots of nutrients to the skin. It’s very good for people who are losing their hair, as it stimulates hair follicle activity on your head.

 

 

4. Rosewater contains antioxidants, it heals skin and is excellent for scarring of the skin as in acne, psoriasis, or eczema ( don’t use recipe if the skin is broken). It lifts your mood and reduces skin’s redness; it contains vitamin A, B, C, and E. Rosewater has been consumed, bathed in and used for thousands of years for its skin benefits.

 

 

Recipe:

3/4 cup of fresh organic lavender flowers
1/4 cup of fresh organic rosemary
2 cups of Braggs organic apple cider vinegar
1 sterilized jar with a plastic lid
A sterilized 50 ml spirits bottle
Some Distilled water ( you can get this at the pharmacy)

 

First, crush the herbs with a pestle and mortar to allow the phytochemicals to be released in vinegar—place in the jar. Pour in the vinegar. Tighten the lid. Please give it a good shake and place it in a dark, cool cupboard. Every day shake the bottle and after three weeks, decant the vinegar into a muslin cloth and discard the herbs.

Take one tablespoon of the Herbal Vinegar and add it to the spirits bottle. Add one tablespoon of Rosewater and fill the rest of the bottle with the distilled water. You now have a herbal vinegar toner.

Use the undiluted Herbal Vinegar for salad dressings. You can add the Rosewater to this about one tablespoon of Rosewater to 100ml of vinegar and 200ml of organic herbal infused oil ( recipe to follow in next blog). I crushed a clove of garlic and a stick of fresh turmeric, salt, and pepper. Leave in a cupboard for a week to infuse before getting the full benefits.

Make up a solution of half the juice of a lemon, 200ml of undiluted Herbal Vinegar, and a few drops of essential oils of your choice. Use this to clean your house. It is full of antibacterial and antimicrobial goodness and does not harm the environment.

 

Are you going to try this Herbal Vinegar Recipe?

 

Tell us below!