Feel-Good Room Fragrance
If you are suffering from anxiety, a touch of the blues or you've simply had a rough day, try the following burner blend. Use it in your sitting room to soothe frayed nerves, relax your mind and gently uplift the spirits.
2 drops pure clary sage oil
2 drops pure chamomile oil
2 drops pure bergamot oil
1 drop pure patchouli oil
Fill the dish of the burner with water, then add the essential oils before lighting the candle below.
Clary Sage Bath Milk
This is a euphoric, pampering bath soak for the end of the day. Complement the experience by lighting some candle or putting a few drops of the Feel-Good Room Fragrance blend in an oil burner.
2 tbsp ground almonds
1 tbsp clear honey
200ml organic milk
3 drops pure clary sage oil
4 drops pure lavender oil
2 drops pure mandarin oil
1 drop pure vetivert oil
Blend the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Run a bath, then pour in the bath milk. Soak for 20 minutes. When you get out of the bath, just pat the skin dry so that the essential oils remain on the skin to lull you to sleep as the are gradually absorbed.
Nourishing Night Treatment
This luxurious blend will revitalise and nourish your skin, particularly if it has been neglected, or is suffering from over-exposure to the sun. All the essential oils in this blend are intensely fragrant so only very small quantities are required.
10ml sweet almond oil
5ml rose-hip seed oil
5 ml borage oil
1 drop pure neroli oil
1 drop pure rose otto oil
1 drop clary sage oil
Mix the carrier oils in a small dark glass jar, then add the essential oils and shake well until thoroughly mixed. Apply a small amount at night after cleansing the skin. Smooth upwards and outwards, covering the face and neck but avoiding the delicate eye area.
Cleansing Mask for Acne
This combination of green clay and clary sage has a deep cleansing, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect on the skin, and is perfect for oily or troublesome complexions. Use it at least once a week, paying special attention to infected areas. If the skin appears to be getting dry, however, change the base to white clay, which is a little less drying.
2 tbsp very fine green clay
2-3 tbsp bottled water
1 drop pure clary sage
Put the clay powder into a glass dish and add the bottled water. Leave without stirring for at least 30 minutes. The, carefully stir the clay and water together to make a smooth paste, add the pure clary sage essential oil just before applying to the skin. Using the tips of your fingers, smooth over your face and throat, avoiding the delicate eye area. Leave the mask on the skin until it begins to feel tight then remove gently with either a cotton pad soaked in bottled water, or a herbal skin tonic. Follow with a suitable facial oil or moisturiser.
Grow your own Clary Sage
Clary sage is a statuesque plant, which makes a lovely addition to any garden. The plants are relatively easy to grow and maintain, and they flourish in dry, sandy soil. As a biennial, it dies after the second summer, and is easy to grow from seed. Sow the seeds in pots in the early spring and leave them outside. When the seeds have grown into strong, young plants, transplant them into their final position in the border. They will flower the following year. Clary sage plants often self seed once they are established.
Dried Clary Sage Arrangement
The subtle colours of the clary sage flowers - silvery-blue, mauve, cream and pink - are set off beautifully when arranged in a silver vase.
You will need:
Stems of clary sage flowers
String or raffia
Silver spray paint
Florist's foam
Silver coloured vase
- Pick the whole stems of clary sage when in flower. Tie a piece of string or raffia to the end of each stem and suspend upside down in a warm, airy place, out of direct light, until paper-dry to the touch.
- Lay the dried stems on newspaper and spray with silver paint. Leave for a few hours (or overnight) to dry.
- Arrange the stems in a silver coloured vase, pushing them into the florist's foam to keep them in place.