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Aloe Vera and Marigold Frozen Gel Cubes for Burns

Aloe vera is without doubt the ultimate instant skin soother. You can simply snap off one of its squidgy gel-packed leaves, which work like living first-aid sachets, and apply it directly to the skin – no fuss necessary. But nature can be improved upon. These ice-cold aloe and marigold gel cubes are especially cooling for sunburned skin, helping to prevent scarring, inflammation and infection and to promote healing – though they can be used on any kind of burn.

 2 mature fresh aloe vera leaves

 4 fresh marigold flower heads (Calendula officinalis)

 16 drops lavender essential oil (1 drop per ice cube)

1 Peel the fresh aloe leaves (see Tip) to give you a gooey mass of gel.

2 Put into a blender with the marigold flowers and whizz until smooth.

3 Pour the gel into ice-cube trays, adding a drop of lavender essential oil into each individual cube. Freeze until solid.

USE Apply a cube directly to the affected area as needed. The ice cubes melt quickly to produce masses of fragrant soothing gel. Don’t forget to have a paper towel or cloth handy to mop up the melted gel; the goo has a habit of going everywhere!

STORAGE Will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.

james’s tip To peel an aloe leaf: cut a mature leaf from the outside of the plant, as close to the base as you can (you can store these leaves in the refrigerator for 2 weeks; amazingly, they ‘seal’ themselves at the cut edges). Slice off the ends, trimming the spikes off the sides with a sharp knife. Then place the aloe flat on the chopping board and run the knife inside the skin, slicing it off as you would skin a fish – be careful, the gel is very slippery and your knife can slide all over the place. Turn and repeat, taking off the skin on the other side. You’re left with a gooey mass of slippery gel, and you can pop this straight into the blender.

A Simple Cream

This is an incredibly simple recipe for a basic cream. Once you have mastered this, and trust me it isn’t rocket science, you can adapt it to your own needs by mixing and matching it with other ingredients.

 250ml warm water (you could swap this for any herbal decoction or infusion you like)

 2 tsp beeswax

 6 tsp emulsifying wax

 40ml sunflower oil (you can experiment with other oils such as almond, olive, etc, or even use oils infused with herbs)

 2 tsp vitamin C powder (optional)

 6–12 drops whichever essential oil takes your fancy (optional)

1 Combine the beeswax, emulsifying wax and oil together in a pan and heat very gently until the waxes fully dissolve.

2 Pour the warm water in a thin stream into the oil and wax mixture, whisking vigorously all the time. You should see an instant colour change as the mix turns creamy white. Don’t panic however if it looks a little thin textured, this will thicken significantly as it cools. Although very simple to get right, this is the single most important stage of making a cream. If you simply bung in all the water in one go, or don’t whisk the mixture well enough as you are adding it, the two liquids will not combine to form the smooth emulsion you are looking for. Slow pouring and vigorous whisking are key.

3 Stir in the vitamin C powder (which acts as a natural preservative) and essential oils if desired, and bottle up in clean screw-top jars.

USE Apply the cream liberally wherever you feel the need.

STORAGE Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

james’s tip I always liken making creams to the ordering a drink at high-street coffee chains, where you can have your latte non-fat, with an extra shot of espresso, a dash of hazelnut syrup, despite us all knowing it’s basically just coffee. Well in the same way you could add a couple of drops of whichever essential oil you fancy to adapt its smell, infuse either the water or oil component (or both) with herbs to give it an extra kick, and even try out different base oils – the sky is the limit!

Elder and Neem Insect Repellent Gel

This all-natural mozzy repellent conveniently doubles up as a cooling, anti-inflammatory ‘aftersun’ gel. Sweet and spicy, the combination of savoury neem and lemony citronella makes it smell miles better than anything you can get over the counter. Glycerine is available in most pharmacies, and can usually be found among the cough syrups. Neem oil and citronella essential oil can both be bought from health food shops.

 8 heaped tbsp fresh elder leaves and buds

 about 100ml glycerine

 50ml neem oil

 4ml citronella essential oil

 100g aloe vera gel

1 Rinse the elder leaves and buds in running water. Pat dry with a paper towel, then bruise with a pestle and mortar or rolling pin. Place in a clean, sealable glass jar, then pour on enough glycerine to cover the plant material and close the jar. Leave for 2 weeks, shaking occasionally. Strain through muslin. The resultant liquid is known as a glycerite (basically an infused glycerine), and is one of the easiest ways to extract the best out of a whole range of herbs.

2 In another bowl, add the neem oil to the citronella essential oil and stir. Pour in 50ml of the elder leaf glycerite and whisk together thoroughly to make a gel. Finally, stir in the aloe vera gel and pour into a 300ml bottle.

USE Massage the gel into the skin, especially exposed areas like ankles, wrists and neck, avoiding the eyes. Cover the whole body and remember to re-apply after washing or bathing in the evening or at night. A little goes a long way since it’s quite strong.

CAUTION If any irritation occurs, wash off at once.

STORAGE Will keep for up to 1 year in a cool, dark place.

Aloe and Slippery Elm Antiseptic Poultice

This is an indispensable item of the homemade first-aid kit – an antiseptic ‘drawing’ poultice to help treat infected cuts, skin ulcers, boils, bites and stings. Its team of botanical ingredients can help draw out poisons, reduce inflammation and pain, and accelerate healing.

 10g slippery elm powder

 20g manuka honey

 18ml aloe vera juice

 4ml lavender essential oil

Mix all the ingredients together in a clean screw-top jar.

USE Clean and dry the affected area, apply the paste, then cover with a plaster and/or bandages. Change the dressing every 12 hours.

STORAGE Keeps for up to 1 year in an airtight jar.

Manuka Honey Wound Healer

The antiseptic powers of manuka honey have been used for centuries by the Maori people in its native New Zealand to draw out infections. By teaming it with lavender, another potent antiseptic, you get a simple and effective salve to aid the healing of wounds, from infected cuts to ulcers.

 1 jar manuka honey

 2 drops lavender essential oil

 sterile wound dressing

USE Clean and dry the wound, ensuring no foreign objects are present. Mix the honey and essential oil together and apply the fragrant mix directly to the wound. Dress the wound with a sterile dressing.

Change the dressing daily, twice daily if necessary. When changing the dressing, it is important that you wash the wound with sterile water (or boiled and cooled water) or saline solution. Reapply the honey mix before redressing.

Herb Robert Cream

Herb Robert is a dainty wild geranium that grows freely in gardens and the countryside, often as a common weed. It was traditionally used as a cure-all and this gentle cream can help soothe a variety of skin conditions, including bruises, thread veins and chilblains. It’s also worth trying for varicose veins. Compound benzoin tincture is also known, rather exotically, as friar’s balsam. See here.

To make the plant juice:

 4–5 handfuls fresh herb Robert (about 6–8 whole plants)

 2–6 sprigs fresh rosemary, each about 15–20cm long

 8 tsp manuka honey

To make the cream:

 16g beeswax

 8g emulsifying wax

 80ml olive oil

 6 drops benzoin or compound benzoin tincture

1 Place the herb Robert and rosemary in a large mortar with the manuka honey, and pound to a paste. Allow to sit for 10 minutes while the sugar in the honey draws the active ingredients out of the plants. Place the sweet paste in clean muslin and squeeze out the juice into a small bowl.

2 Take 1½ tablespoons of the sweetened juice and put into a small pan. Heat quickly until it steams but doesn’t boil, then turn off the heat immediately. This process greatly increases its shelf life.

3 Melt the waxes in the olive oil in a glass heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water, then remove from the heat. Pour the warmed plant juice into the bowl with the melted waxes and oil, then add the compound benzoin tincture and whisk together. Continue whisking while it cools slightly to stop ingredients separating, then put in a wide-mouthed jar and refrigerate.

USE Apply to affected area 3–4 times a day as needed.

STORAGE Will keep for up to 3 months in the refrigerator.

Oat and Chamomile Bath Bag for Eczema

A soothing bath treat that will help soften and moisturize all skin types, though it’s particularly useful for dermatitis, eczema and other irritated, itchy skin conditions.

 8 tbsp oats

 3g dried chamomile flowers

Cut a 25–30cm square of muslin and lay flat. In a bowl, mix the oats and chamomile flowers together. Tip into the middle of the muslin. Gather the corners of the muslin and secure into a ball with string.

USE Run a full bath, climb in, and soak the bag in the water for a few minutes. Then rub the bag directly on your skin as a gentle exfoliator – avoid damaged skin if using for eczema. Once finished, drop the ball into the bath and squeeze (the water will look a little milky). Remain in the bath for a further 10 minutes. Use twice weekly to treat eczema.

Lemongrass Insect Repellent

Fresh lemongrass is easier to find than fresh citronella grass (which you can buy only from specialist nurseries). It works in a similar way as a potent natural insect repellent, with the added benefit of antibacterial and antifungal properties. Here, I’ve mixed it with a couple of other aromatic insecticidal plants for a modern take on a traditional South-East Asian bug-repellent oil, with a sweet spicy fragrance that smells wonderful to anyone but insects.

 10 lemongrass sticks

 4 tsp scented pelargonium ‘Citronella’ leaves (about 15 leaves)

 4 tsp whole cloves

 400ml sunflower oil, to cover