The home apothecary: cold spring apothecary's cookbook of hand-crafted remedies & recipes for the hair, skin, body, and home

162 Pages·2013·16.72 MB·English

by  Stacey Dugliss-Wesselman

The Home
Apothecary
The Home
Apothecary
Cold Spring Apothecary’s Cookbook of
Hand-Crafted Remedies & Recipes
for the Hair, Skin, Body, and Home
* Stacey Dugliss-Wesselman *
C
ONTENTS
Introduction ... 7
Part 1: Become a Home
Apothecary ... 8
Chapter 1: Meet the
Apothecaries ...11
A Brief History of the Apothecary’s
Craft ... 11
The Importance of Naturals ... 14
Chapter 2: Set Up an
Apothecary Pantry ...19
Essential Oils ... 19
Herbs (Dried or Fresh) ... 30
Butters and Carrier Oils ... 38
Other Useful Ingredients ... 43
Preservatives ... 48
Chapter 3: Master the
Apothecary Basics ...51
The Apothecary Toolbox ... 51
Preparation Techniques ... 53
Part 2: The Apothecary’s Remedies Toothpastes ... 122
and Recipes ... 64 Mouthwashes ... 123
Chapter 4: Skin Care Recipes ...67 Chapter 6: Hair Care Recipes ...125
Skin Care 101 ... 67 Hair Care 101 ... 126
Cleansers and Scrubs ... 72 Shampoos and Rinses ... 128
Toners and Astringents ... 84 Conditioners and Treatment Oils ... 131
Creams and Lotions ... 87
Treatment Oils and Gentle Cleansers ... 90 Chapter 7: Recipes for the Home ...135
Facial Treatments and Serums ... 92 Cleaning Supplies ... 137
Eye Treatments ... 94 Household Insect Deterrents ... 138
Lip Treatments ... 96
Natural Sun Protection ... 98 Chapter 8: Seasonal Recipes Inspired
Sun Relief Treatments ... 100 by Your Farmers’ Market ...141
Summer ... 142
Chapter 5: Body Care Recipes ...103 Autumn ... 144
Teas ... 104 Winter ... 145
Honey Blends ... 106 Spring ... 146
Tinctures ... 107
Syrups and Lozenges ... 108 Appendix ... 148
Salves (Ointments) ... 110 Quick Reference Charts ... 148
Poultices and Compresses ... 111 Glossary ... 150
Steam Inhalations ... 113 Resources ... 152
Bath Soaks ... 114 Acknowledgments ... 153
Body Butters and Scrubs ... 116 About the Author ... 154
Massage Oils ... 118 Index ... 155
Body Powders and Deodorants ... 120

I
NTRODUCTION
Today, naturals play a very important role in my life, but this wasn’t always the case.
Since as far back as I can remember, the natural world has always amazed me. I’d spend hours in
the wilderness foraging for plants, herbs, and just about anything that looked interesting, and then
equally as many hours looking through books to figure out what I had found. Back then I never knew
I could use these found treasures to make cosmetics or to heal ailments. It wasn’t until my teenage
years, when the closest store wasn’t so close at all, that I started mixing things in the kitchen to cre-
ate last-minute beauty fixes. Although not all my kitchen chemistry went as planned, I learned that
creating your own cosmetics was not only thrifty but also rewarding. The power to create something
natural with your hands to heal yourself was nothing short of magic to me.
While my teenaged years allowed for experimentation with naturals, my adult life proved far too
busy for kitchen healing and cosmetics. It was too easy to run to the store and grab a lotion from a
shelf filled with colorful bottles promising to make me beautiful.
My true love of naturals came out of necessity. While living in New York City, my skin went
from flawless to far from it. I started getting adult acne, and I tried product after product to no avail.
Frustrated and embarrassed, I started reading all I could about skin care. It was through this quest
for knowledge that I found my return to kitchen cosmetics. The healing power of herbs fascinated
me, and again I started experimenting with essential oils in my existing over-the-counter products. It
wasn’t until I started making my cosmetics completely from scratch that I saw a complete change in
my skin. What was in the over-the-counter products that I was using, and how were they affecting my
skin? My research only made me regret the years I’d spent slathering harmful chemicals all over my
skin and hair. It was around this same time that I began my career as a hairstylist and discovered that
most of my clientele had similar complaints and concerns about their daily skin care and hair care reg-
imens. I started mixing my concoctions for my clients, and after rave reviews, I quit my job, moved to
the Hudson Valley, and locked myself in a room for two years, learning and mixing all I could.
From this, Cold Spring Apothecary was born. What began with shampoo turned into a complete
hair care line, and it has continued to expand. My vision was to create a natural healthful base with
additional active naturals to create treatments for various ailments. I started off with what I knew
best, essential oils, but have since expanded to other active naturals and treatments. With so many
naturals on the market and with ingredients constantly evolving, there is always more to learn
and improve.
The focus of this book is much the same. I’ve laid the groundwork for your experiments with
naturals. You’ll soon find that not every recipe will work out for you the first time, but over time you
will easily master kitchen cosmetics, begin to create your own recipes, and find naturals that work for
you. All the recipes are starting points and can be altered to your needs. I encourage you to research
as much information as you can; there are so many great books and resources out there about naturals.
You’ll come across tons of similar base recipes and you, too, will be able to make them your own.
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part 1
Become a Home
Apothecary
*
“And thou shalt make it a perfume,
a confection after the art of the Apothecary,

tempered together, pure and holy.”
:
— Exodus 30 35
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