Ginger Garrett

Here are the top questions of the week:

1. Where can I find frankincense and myrrh?

Go to any health food store or Whole Foods Market and look the them in the essential oils section. Be sure and do a sniff-test! Because these are extracted from living trees, each bottle can differ in scent slightly. Make sure it smells good to you.

2. What is lemon balm and where can I find it?

Lemon balm, also called Melissa herb, is an herb often taken internally to relieve anxiety and stress. I like to use it, however, in essential oil form, and rub it on my wrists. The scent is a rich minty lemon scent. Lemon balm essential oils are sold in the essential oils section, and are generally around $10-$15 for a full bottle, which lasts quite a long time. A good summary of the research done on lemon balm is here:

http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=e0498803-7f62-4563-8d47-5fe33da65dd4&chunkiid=21798

3. What was that tingly foot bath recipe again?

Pour hot water into a foot bath and add one full size bottle of SeaBreeze facial astringent. Rest your feet until the water cools, and then pat them dry. You won’t believe how refreshed your feet feel–and they’ll smell fresh, too!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

The trail mix recipe isn’t on my downloads page–thanks to Katie for pointing this out to me!–so here’s the recipe below. Also, in the post just below this one, I have more recipes and bonus tips, so check that post out, too!

Beauty Secrets of the Bible Trail Mix

Mix equal parts: raisins, dried figs or dates, chopped (look for them in the baking section), walnuts, almonds and dark chocolate chips. The mix is packed with antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. It’s sure to be a blessing body and soul this Christmas!

Check out the Downloads page for plenty of free recipes for making Christmas gifts that are affordable, elegant and thoughtful. Here are some bonus tips and recipes:

For bags to place bath salts in, I bought mine at Wal-Mart in the craft section, and used the self-seal bags. I sealed them prior to tying a bow around the top, which makes the presentation pretty and the salts will stay put. A bag of 50 was around $3. If you want, you can substitute a few drops of your favorite perfume in place of essential oils, or use a baking extract that smells wonderful. Baking extracts are quite pure: they’re made by soaking spices in grain alcohol. They make a great, inexpensive alternative when essential oils are too pricey.

Below are two more recipes. These are great for kids to help with, too. (And if you’d like to give a signed copy of the Beauty Secrets book to someone on your list, I can personalize it however you’d like.)

Warm Cozies

Find fabric you love. Cut two rectangles in whatever size you’d like the pillow to be. Turn the pieces over, laying the patterned sides together and sew three of the edges.

Turn right side out and fill with:

Whole flax seed (I find it at Target near the flour and sugar.)

Dried herbs of your choice (Sold in bulk at craft stores in the soap making section, or you can use dried herbs meant for cooking.) I like lavender, chamomile, rosemary, or peppermint.

Sew the final edge closed. To use, microwave on high for 30 seconds, or until hot. Place anywhere you need stress relief: shoulders, sinuses, forehead, hands. This is an inexpensive, thoughtful gift for anyone who needs a heating pad but doesn’t want to be tethered to a cord. Think about making these for friends struggling with arthritis, migraines, sinus troubles, etc., or for those who spend a lot of time at the computer and get sore shoulders. 

Body Powder

½ cup baking soda

½ cup cornstarch

8 drops vanilla extract (or peppermint extract, or your favorite essential oil, such as lemon balm for stress relief)

Optional: body glitter dust (sold in soap making section of craft stores)

Mix well. Store in a shake-top container (found in the kitchen gadget section at Wal-Mart.) Look for the glass bottles that have holes in the top metal lid, usually used for spices, etc. Very pretty! 

Questions?

Just post them here and I’ll respond asap!

I like to answer read emails on Friday, so here’s a question we haven’t covered before.  

Geri asked, “Can you recommend a hair coloring product?”

Hair dyes have evolved from the early days of chemical processing, and coal tar ingredients, which have a strong link to cancer, were removed years ago.  In 2005, a major review of 79 studies found there was no strong relationship between hair dyes and cancer. (You can read a more detailed account at: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA358836  )

If you do color your hair, try to keep the dye off your skin and scalp. If you’d like to try a natural alternative, however, there are several new options on the market. Henna is the centuries-old favorite, and newer henna products give good coverage, even for gray hair. One to try: Surya Henna Brasil offers henna hair kits with no peroxide, ammonia, parabens, synthetic fragrances or mineral oils. It’s loaded with organic extracts, too.

Henna has been used for thousands of years, and is mentioned in the Bible in the ultra-romantic poem Song of Songs. Believed to have alluring mystical powers by some, henna acted as a great protective barrier between vineyards and wild animals. The flowers are white and fragrant, and teachers have often used it as a symbol of love and protection.

Hope that gives you some good options, Geri!

Often when a model or celebrity is going to appear on a magazine cover, the photo will be airbrushed to remove imperfections–and trick your brain. The eyes of the model will be digitally enlarged by about 10% or so. That’s called the Hollywood Eye Job.  

It won’t be obvious or fake looking, but will be just enough to trick you into staring at the photo longer, and then hopefully to buy the magazine. After all, we’ve been studying faces since we were infants. We know what the proportions should be and we know when something is off. That’s the reason we can spot bad plastic surgery so fast–and sometimes even the good work. When delicate proportions are off, we stare without meaning to. Our brains are simply intrigued by the puzzle.

So if you’re heading off to a holiday party, you can’t airbrush yourself but you can enlarge your eyes just enough to subtly catch someone’s attention. The secret is using false eyelashes. They’re inexpensive, easy to apply (many come with a free applicator) and will visually enlarge your eyes for the evening. Just apply them before your eye makeup, and then do your eyes as you normally would. For under $5, you get the Hollywood effect without the Hollywood price tag or a surgical risk. Look for them at Wal-Mart and Target near the nail care section and have fun!

I just got a sales flier from a mega-beauty store. They’re advertising a full set of makeup brushes, regularly $180, marked down for Christmas to “only” $84. A good makeup brush makes application easy with lovely results, but I don’t want to waste money if I can get great results for less. 

If you need makeup brushes and want the best (minus the price tag) head to your nearest discount artist supply. I recommend buying synthetic brushes. Today’s synthetic fibers perform as well as real hair brushes, which are usually made from camel, squirrel, or pony hair. I priced a powder brush for $4, and have seen this same style brush for $30 or more in the beauty stores. Happy saving!

Every month here at GingerGarrett.com we give away new products, books and other fun goodies! November’s winner was Jane S. of Missouri, and she won two full size MyChelle natural skin care creams.

For December, we’ll be giving away two luxury hand-made soaps from Auromere. The fragrances include Himalayan Rose, made from Damascus and Indian roses, and Lavender-Neem. Both use coconut oil as a base, with no chemicals, dyes or harsh ingredients. Perfect for winter-chapped skin that needs a little TLC!

To enter, just make sure you’ve signed up for our newsletter. Once you’ve registered, you’re eligible every month, so there’s no need to re-enter.

Merry Christmas!

I have an Advent calendar hanging by my front door. Every morning one of my kids gets to open a new pocket and receive a little Christmas treat. It’ never much (to me) but they dance around in delight with the simplest of treasures. Just getting the gift makes them deliriously happy.

I’m learning from them.

Jesus wants us to receive the gifts of God like a little child. But I’ve been too busy, and too suspicious, to receive well on most days. How often has my husband told me he thinks I’m lovely–and I just push him away? How often have I walked past a beautiful garden in bloom, too busy to stop and admire? Everywhere, I see and hear evidence of God’s love for me, and I don’t receive it.

So this Christmas season, just before I go to sleep at night, I’m making a mental list of everything I received during the day. I dwell on the Christmas lights I saw, how good my mom’s soup was, and how adorable my daughter was when she attempted to style our sheepdog’s hair. (Apparently sheepdogs look best with butterfly barrettes and glitter spray.) As I focus on receiving the good things in my life, I find my breathing slows, my tension dissolves, and my heart beats with contentment.

Life isn’t always good, but God is. Learning to slow down and fully receive His gifts has made this holiday season exquisitely beautiful, and my problems seem, indeed, far away.

Wishing you a beautiful Christmas!

“The Greeks, who worshipped the body, considered cleanliness a cardinal virtue, and the Romans considered hygeine so important, their public baths looked like temples…However, early Christians, who thought self-abnegation a cardinal virtue, considered bathing,  bathing, if not a vice, then a temptation. Who knows what impure thoughts might arise in a tub of warm water? With this danger in mind, St. Benedict declared, ‘To those who are well, and especially to the young, bathing shall seldom be permitted.’ St. Agnes took the injunction to heart and died without ever bathing.”

–from The Great Mortality, by John Kelly

While appearing on The Harvest Show Friday morning, we got an email from a viewer who wanted a good recommendation for an all natural deodorant. That’s a tricky question, and while I didn’t have time to go into the finer points of body odor (!) I wanted to make a few comments here in the blog. First, anti-perspirants are not the same as deodorants. Most all natural deodorants are exactly that–they offer some olfactory relief, but they won’t stop the sweat. Only an anti-perspirant can do that, and the most effective ones are indeed chemicals.  

So while the early Christians preferred to err on the stinky side, most modern believers feel more comfortable without any overpowering aromas.

So if you do use an antiperspirant, try applying it at night. This may be more effective than applying in the morning, and you’ll need less in the long run. You can use an all-natural deodorant in the morning if you like a bit of scent.

So to conclude: the Romans and Greeks tried to achieve spiritual enlightment by worshipping the body while rejecting the Creator, and some early Christians tried to worship the Creator by rejecting the body. I think there has to be a balance here between honoring God and caring for the body He designed for us, especially if we plan on raising our arms during worship.

You can catch me on FOX 28 Morning Show this Thursday morning in the South Bend area outside of Chicago, and on Friday morning I’ll be taping an appearance for The Harvest Show.

The Harvest Show is an international program so check your listings–you should be able to find it on one of your channels. The Harvest Show will be featuring Beauty Secrets of the Bible as part of their special 12 Days of Christmas giveaway–you won’t want to miss it!