It’s mid-June and rainy, rainy, rainy! The frequent weather changes, from sun and high humidity to drizzle to heavy rains, gales and thunder, have been affecting my mood as well as my physical wellbeing immensely thus far. To improve matters, I have been rifling through my old recipes and my kitchen cupboard today, scrambling together some leftover chamomile buds that I usually use for tea infusions but which also come in handy for steam baths to exfoliate your skin. Combined with mint, this steam bath is not only good for opening your pores and thus cleansing your skin, but by inhaling and exhaling deeply you can clean your air passages. When I feel a cold coming, like I do now (quel nightmare!), I frequently do steam baths to help me get rid of a stuffy nose and chesty cough. A steam bath with chamomile can also help ridding your body of headaches by helping you to de-stress and relax. Now, off to a calming and soothing afternoon!
Ingredients:
For 1 steam bath
- 1 large handful of dried chamomile buds
- 1 small handful fresh mint or 1 tbsp. dried mint
- 1l boiled water
Instructions:
- Take a bowl, add chamomile buds and mint and pour the boiled water on top. Fill up the bowl with approximately 1 litre of water.
- Find a suitable spot to sit so that you can easily bend over the bowl with your head, e.g. at the kitchen table or on the floor.
- Take a large towel and cover your head and the bowl entirely so that the steam can’t escape. Make sure the steam is not so hot as to burn your face. In this case, wait a minute to do the steam bath. The water should keep hot enough to enjoy the steam for about 10-15 minutes.
- After the steam bath dab your face with a clean, dry towel and apply some moisturizer.
Author: Danica Utermohlen
Picture credits: Danica Utermohlen
Disclaimer: This article has been edited. It was first published on 10/06/2015 for GloTIME, http://glotime.tv/soothe-inside-and-out-diy-chamomile-and-mint-steam-bath/
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