Beautified by tea...

chamomile and lavender

Besides my periodic addiction to good Earl Grey tea from Nectar Fine Teas in West Village, I generally stick with organic locally grown herbs from Judy at www.earthmedicine.ca which I steep into a tea. I find the loose dried herbs produce much better results both in their taste profile and as healing agents. Usually, the tea coming in a bag contains the lowest grade, poor quality dust from the bottom of the bin; not useful for true health enhancement. The same goes for black teas.

Herbal teas are an excellent choice as a hot drink, but they are also very tasty iced on a hot summer day.

Using herbal tea as a hydrating mist for your skin may not be so obvious but is worth a try as it often proves much more beneficial than many commercial toners.

Lavender;who does not love the smell of lavender? This lovely flower tastes the best mixed with other herbs like chamomile and rose.

lavender

On its own, the taste does not quite give its smell justice. As a face mist lavender is absolutely wonderful. Excellent for dry and aging skin, it will support skin cell regeneration and keep your skin nicely hydrated and your busy mind relaxed.
General directions for making a light herbal face mist: 

1 tsp. of lavender (or any other herb you are using)

1 cup of hot water

let it steep for 15min

strain

cool it down

transport into a spray bottle

place in the fridge

mist your face as needed

It will not keep for longer than a day or two (if stored in the fridge) so you have a couple of options: make enough for one day or make more and freeze it (ice cube trays do the trick) and take out as much as you need on a given day.

Chamomile is another great herb for beautifying skin. This one is particularly great for ladies with sensitive skin.

It is calming and soothing taken both internally and applied externally as a mist. In the summer you may want to drink it iced  with a slice of lemon; it is delish!

Burdock root is a serious skin helper. It is excellent for detoxification purposes so drink it if you are troubled by acne and blackheads. It will purify your blood and keep your skin nice and clean:))

burdock root

Burdock root can be taken as a tea 1/2 cup before your meals. Your skin will benefit greatly if washed with burdock tea 2x a day.

These are just simple suggestions on how you can use herbal teas, of course you can use them in many other ways. Add them to home made face masks or to your bath... They are beautiful, healing and definitely much needed in your daily life. Start playing!