Mortar & Pestle

For my birthday Evan got me Rosemary Gladstar's book on herbalism and herbal recipes as well as my choice of a mortar and pestle. After doing my research I settled upon a Milton Brook 5.25 inch porcelain mortar and pestle. I really like the length of the pestle and the porcelain doesn't retain the flavor of whatever I last made in it. I decided to make my own adaptation of Gladstar's Miracle Cleansing Grains since I ran out of my face cleanser. I've used it for about a week now and it works at least as well, if not better, as my LUSH Herbalism, so I'd say this is a success!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup oats

1/8 cup raw almonds

1 heaping Tbsp. lavender 

1/2 cup bentonite clay 

quality honey

1. Grind the oats in the mortar and pestle until finely ground, but still with a bit of a texture (not as fine as pastry flour). Set aside. Repeat with the almonds (make sure there aren't any sharp pieces of almond) and lavender. 

2. In a bowl, stir the oats, almonds, lavender, and clay together with a whisk. Take out two heaping tablespoons of the mixture and put in a small jar (I just washed and reused my Herbalism container). Put the remaining dry mixture in a glass jar and keep somewhere cool. 

3. Add roughly a tablespoon of honey and a few drops of water to the small amount of mixture you've set aside. Stir together until the mixture makes a paste. Add more honey as necessary. 

To use, rinse face with water and then put a pea-size amount of the mixture on your palm. Rub onto face. It takes a little bit of massaging for the cleanser to melt a bit and evenly cover your face, but a little goes a long way. It can be left on your face for a few minutes as a mask or you can wash it off. The honey moisturizes, the grains and almonds gently exfoliate, and the clay heals and pulls toxins from the skin.