Rosemary Infused Olive Oil

Olive oil is used in MANY things. From deep conditioning treatments, to body scrubs, to soaps. Rosemary is not only aromatic but it also helps your skin and hair. Rosemary can help to stimulate hair growth and increase blood circulation in your skin. So why not infuse your olive oil with rosemary and use THAT in your products?

Rosemary infused olive oil is actually very easy to make. All you need is:
- Olive oil
- Rosemary
- Pot
- Glass bottle/jar for storage
- Spoon
- (You may also want a funnel if you're using a bottle for storage)

Step 1 -- heat your oil. Do NOT make it very hot. You aren't trying to make deep fat fried rosemary here! Just warm enough so that you can touch it but if you left your finger in too long then it would start to burn. Probably about 105 - 110 F is good.

Step 2 -- chop your rosemary. Don't chop it TOO fine because then you'll get little rosemary chunks in your oil that are hard to remove.

Step 3 - add your rosemary to the oil and stir it well. Let it sit on the heat for a minute or two and then move it from the heat.

Step 4 - after about 5 minutes of steeping, add the oil AND the rosemary to your container. You could use it right away but it's better if you let it infuse for a day or two.

Use it in your soaps, on your hair, and on your skin!
Enjoy! :-)

Rosemary and Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse

I LOVE doing vinegar rinses on my hair. They make my hair feel clean but not stripped as well as soft and smooth. Of course you shouldn't overdo them, but if you skip shampoo every few days and need to get rid of excess oil and whatnot then this can be a great thing to use. I also use it after using my coconut oil deep conditioner.

This particular rinse has rosemary and apple cider vinegar. Rosemary has been known to help promote healthy hair growth and even prevent hair loss. Apple cider vinegar is overall amazing for your health. Drink it, put it on your hair, make it one of your top 5 MUST have natural beauty ingredients. If it's RAW and UNFILTERED then it's best. That's when it has all the wonderful nutrients. Otherwise it really isn't THAT much better than other vinegars. Sometimes you will also see "with the mother" as well as/instead of 'raw.'

Look for this sediment in the bottom. That's how you know it's legit raw ACV.

Here's my recipe!

2 - 3 sprigs of rosemary (preferably fresh, but dried is alright)
1 cup of filtered/distilled water
1 cup of RAW and unfiltered apple cider vinegar (from here out called ACV)
1 tbsp Borax (sounds weird but it's just a mineral and really nice to your hair!)

*NOTE: Usually Borax comes in large boxes, far larger than you'll need for this recipe. But don't let that shy you away!! You can use Borax for a TON of other awesome things, and it's usually under $5 a box anyway. It's worth buying!

This is the ACV I got just because it was cheaper. I usually prefer Bragg's but it was about $6 whereas this one was $2.50. I'm a little cheap sometimes... :-(

Aaaand here's Borax:

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Step 1 -- Making your rosemary infusion
Put your cup of distilled water in a pan on the stove and set to high heat. Add your rosemary sprigs and bring to a simmer. Cook on low heat for about 3 - 4 minutes and then take off the heat. Let it 'steep' for another 5 - 10 minutes.

Step 2 -- Add your ACV and Borax
After the infusion has set, you can move it to another container. I usually leave at least one sprig os rosemary so any left over essence can infuse with the final mixutre, but that's up to you. Add your ACV and Borax and stir well. I usually put mine in a spray bottle for easier application but go with whatever works for you!

Step 3 -- Applying the vinegar rinse
Some people prefer to do their rinse and then immediately rinse with water. However I recommend letting the rinse sit in your hair for 3 - 5 minutes. Massage it into your scalp and make sure it has reached your roots. That's the place that needs it most! Afterwards just rinse out. You can shampoo and condition over it if you want or you can just rinse super well and let that be your hair wash.

Note: it WILL make your hair smell kind of like a pickle, so if you don't follow it with something else then maybe do one of two things: add some kind of strong but nice smelling essential oil or extract to the rinse to quell the acidic vinegar smell, or have a perfume/cologne/body spray to put on after you shower.

Enjoy! :-)