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Botanical Skin Care Course Review (Plus A Vanilla Whipped Body Butter Recipe)

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September 18, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 4 Comments

This post is sponsored by The Herbal Academy. All opinions are my own.

Expand your knowledge of herbal skin care and discover the relation between nutrition and your skin with the Botanical Skin Care Course from The Herbal Academy. Keep reading to learn why I recommend this in depth course, plus how to make a vanilla whipped body butter recipe for dry skin.

When we think of back to school, our thoughts instantly go to school buses, packed lunches and hopefully a little bit of peace and quiet. That’s not always the case however. I have several acquaintances, also in their forties, who have gone back to school recently in order to start new careers. While my sister-in-law recently finished her teaching degree and just started teaching pre-k students in low income areas – something she’s always wanted to do.

Unfortunately, not all of us have the luxury or the means to head back to college later in life. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to further our education. In fact, I love learning! It’s one of the reasons I became a blogger. Being a blogger encourages me to research new ingredients on a regular basis and explore new techniques in my field. While the internet offers a wealth of information online through an unguided quest, not everything is readily available with a keystroke. So how do I gather further insight and the knowledge I need to go further my craft? The answer is an easy one. It’s The Herbal Academy.

Botanical Skin Care Course Review

I didn’t realize how much more there was to learn about natural skin care and whole body wellness until I enrolled in The Herbal Academy’s Botanical Skin Care Course. This online course offered so much more than I expected. I can honestly say that I learned way more than I’d expected. As it was thoughtfully and well presented, I found myself wanting to learn even more after I completed the course. The Botanical Skin Care Course not only offered in depth information on the natural ingredients used in skin care, it also taught me the biology behind our skin and how its makeup relates to herbal skin care.

Why I Love (& Recommend) The Botanical Skin Care Course

There are number of things I really loved about this course.

For those new to The Herbal Academy, a video tutorial was available to make the process of navigating the course even easier.
There were notable facts about the history of cosmetics and skin care that were especially intriguing and found throughout the course lessons.
As this course offered in depth information on skin biology and whole body health, I felt this was definitely a college level course.
The information was broken up into different lessons and sections, so it was easy to stop at any time and pick it back up later.
There was no endless reading. The informational sections of each lesson were broken up with instructional videos and recipes, as well as graphics and herbal knowledge.
All of the information provided can be printed or viewed as a PDF. So everything is printable including the lessons, graphics and charts.
The Herbal Academy also provides printable pdf transcripts of video lessons to refer back to later.
The course is much more affordable than taking a college course and can be completed at your own pace.
Once you start the course, you have full access to that course for a full year from the day you begin.
There’s a private facebook group for additional help as well as to share tips and recipes. (I checked it out and signed up. It’s pretty awesome – plus zero drama.)
The course offers a brief overview of terminology on how to share the benefits of herbal skin care products without making medical claims.
If you want to further expand your knowledge on a topic covered in the Botanical Skin Care Course, there are additional resources provided at the end of each lesson.

Some of My Favorite Information from The Course

There’s so much information to soak up through the Botanical Skin Care Course. Therefore, it’s really hard to share a full overview of everything it entails. However, some of my favorite things were learning how to use herbal allies to care for skin – as well as how skin care connects to whole body wellness. (ie. Gut-Brain-Skin Axis.) I also like that this course covers herbs that address acute and chronic skin ailments with special consideration for anti-aging skin care. And there aren’t just skin care recipes to accompany the lessons. There are also herbal remedies AND food recipes that offer nutritional support for skin. You’ll also love their chart on skin-friendly dietary guidelines!

I loved learning about the basic energetic categories of Western herbalism—hot, cold, damp, and dry—to provide a more nuanced view of skin health. It was highly enlightening as were the sections on Ayurveda skin care and skin care in Chinese medicine. One of the more important lessons, however, covered the commercial ingredients we should be avoiding and why they are harmful. I was most surprised to learn that retinol, which is practically a staple in anti-aging skin care products, should be avoided due to its numerous negative side effects.

In contrast, the Botanical Skin Care Course from The Herbal Academy, also educates you on the carrier oils and butters that you SHOULD be using in your natural skin care products. Fatty acid content, comedogenic ratings, properties, shelf life and absorption rate are covered for each ingredient. There’s also a printable chart so you can keep this information handy when referring back to it later. Additionally there is information on salts, waxes and emulsifiers, clays and natural skin safe pigments, humectants, natural preservatives and essential oils.

For those of you just getting started with essential oils, you’ll find the chart for essential oil dilution guidelines especially helpful along with the properties and aroma of common essential oils used in skin care. I also learned the right way to make herbal vinegars, while expanding my knowledge on hydrosols, salves and oil infusions. There are a number of great recipes in the lesson on making botanical body care products. This section also offers video tutorials, troubleshooting information, additional graphics and printable charts as well as information on storing your products.

Botanical Body Care Recipes Within the Course

In fact, you’ll discover video instruction, printable property charts, troubleshooting tips, preservatives needed and recipes for making a number of botanical skin care products. These herbal skin care recipes include:

Natural bath care product recipes.
Recipes for creams, lotions & body butters.
Instructions for crafting herbal gels.
How to make herbal soaps with recipes.
Hair care recipes.
Cosmetic recipes.
Recipes for herbal vinegars.
Information on making herbal hydrosols.
Herbal salves and balm recipes.
How to make oil infusions & recipes.

The sheer volume of information provided throughout this course is priceless. I know that I will personally be referring back to this course throughout the year.

Botanical Skin Care Recipe Book

You also have the option to add on the Botanical Skin Care Recipe Book with this course. It’s filled with 194 favorite tried and true herbal skin care recipes. Inside are recipes for pretty much everything you can imagine – eye shadows, toners, face masks, deodorant, foot scrubs and baths, body butters, facial serums, homemade soaps and more. (You can also purchase this book separately here.) I really love this book and would definitely recommend it as an addition to your collection.

Now that you’ve decided to sign up for the Botanical Skin Care Course, be sure to also check out the recipe for making a daily moisturizer for acne prone skin. You can find this natural skin care recipe both within unit 4 of the course (for support for chronic conditions) as well as inside the Botanical Skin Care Recipe Book.

Vanilla Whipped Body Butter Recipe

The great thing about body butters is that they don’t contain any water-based ingredients. This means there’s less potential for microbial contamination (such as bacteria) which gives body butters a longer shelf life than lotions and creams. Because the ingredients used can be damaged by exposure to air, light or excess heat – causing the oils to go rancid, vitamin E or rosemary extract can be used to help prevent oxidation.

This vanilla whipped body butter recipe is adapted from Plant-Powered Beauty by Amy Galper and Christina Daigneault. The finished whipped body butter is both fluffy and decadent with a fragrance reminiscent of an orange creamsicle.

Ingredients:

¼ cup (2 fl oz) coconut oil
¼ cup shea butter
¼ cup cocoa butter
¼ cup (2 fl oz) jojoba oil infused with vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) bean
35 drops sweet orange (Citrus x sinensis) essential oil and 5 drops ylang ylang (Cananga odorata) essential oil (optional)

Instructions:

Make the vanilla-infused jojoba oil using the instructions in the herb-infused oil tutorial (found in the Botanical Skin Care Course) using ¼ vanilla bean and ¼ cup jojoba oil. Note that ¼ cup is the amount of finished herbal oil to include in the recipe—you may need to start with more oil when making the herb-infused oil, as the herbs will soak up some of the oil (if you forget to do this, just top off with some plain oil as needed for this recipe).

Gently heat coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter in a double boiler over low heat (or a glass or ceramic bowl or canning jar over a small saucepan of simmering water) until melted.

Add the vanilla-infused jojoba oil, stir until mixture is melted and consistent, and turn off the heat.

Let cool for approximately 10 minutes, and once it is still warm, but not hot to the touch, cover and transfer to the refrigerator for approximately 1 hour, or until there is no longer a semi-liquid center.

Using an immersion blender or electric mixer, whip the mixture on high for 5 minutes or until it changes color and looks fluffy. You may need to periodically scrape the mixture from the sides of the bowl.

Add essential oil, if desired, and mix.

Label, and store in a cool, dark place. This vanilla whipped body butter recipe will keep for up to 1 year.

Not quite ready to commit to the Botanical Skin Care Course? Then be sure to pin this post for later! Otherwise, you can sign up for the Botanical Skin Care Course here.

For more botanical skin care recipes like the vanilla whipped body butter recipe from the Botanical Skin Care Course, be sure to follow my boards on pinterest. You can also find and follow me on your favorite social media platforms, including Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up to receive my newsletter to stay in the loop.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: bath and beauty, bath and body, body butter, body butter recipe, botanicals, health and wellness, herbal infusion, herbal skin care, herbalism, herbs, homemade soap, natural beauty, natural living, natural remedy, natural skin care, non-toxic, online course, review, salves, skin care recipes, whipped body butter

Botanical Skin Care (200+ Herbal Beauty Recipes & More)

June 18, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 2 Comments

Take your hobby to new levels through an exploration of botanical skin care. Discover 200+ herbal beauty recipes through an instructional course that will teach you basic skills for designing, producing and using homemade herbal skin care products.

Crafting Natural Skin Care Recipes

If you’re a regular reader of Soap Deli News, then you’re likely already a fan of making your own skin care and beauty products. Compared to my first soapmaking adventure, a lot has changed. These days it can seem like there are unlimited resources to help you on your journey. Everything from group forums and YouTube videos to free botanical skin care recipes on blogs. The challenge can be, however, finding reliable sources for those recipes. As well as help when you need it.

Perhaps you want to take your journey a step further. You may want to formulate your own unique skin care recipes. To do this however, you sometimes need more information than what’s readily available online or at the library.

It’s an awful feeling to invest your hard earned money into natural skin care ingredients and then have a recipe go bust. For some of us, it can sour the experience of creating moving forward. And that experience may prevent us from from otherwise falling in love with a craft we know we’d enjoy.

The very first time I ~~made~~ attempted to make cold process soap, it was a complete failure. I spent my last bit of money on a jug of olive oil from the grocery store and a container of lye. There were no YouTube videos then. And blogs were still in their infancy. In fact, I’m mostly certain MySpace was still a thing. Still, I used a basic soap recipe on a blog with no photos and incomplete directions. I made the recipe as directed and it failed. All because one vital note was missing from the recipe – you need to WEIGH out the ingredients.

I later purchased a soapmaking book that clarified the soapmaking process. However, it took some time before I was ready to dive back into my second attempt. I was very much an introvert at that stage in my life, so that didn’t do me any favors. If you’re a dabbler, like I was – and pretty much still am as I’m always learning and experimenting – then you may be seeking something more to help you move onto that next step. Whatever that next step may be for you.

This is where The Herbal Academy comes in.

New Botanical Skin Care Course

Enrollment just opened on The Herbal Academy’s new Botanical Skin Care Course. I’ve seen a preview of this course, and as with their other online courses, I’m super impressed.

Here’s an overview of the course so you know what to expect.

Described as a makers quest, this potentially life changing exploration of botanical skin care teaches you the many ways that herbs can benefit the skin both inside and out. This educational course will empower you to create your own botanical skin care recipes using natural herbs and other safe, nourishing non-toxic ingredients. With over 200 herbal recipes in the course, you’ll learn how to stock your herbal cupboard with an array of customized herbal preparations for skin so it looks healthier and more radiant.

This informative botanical skin care course also covers the internal use of herbs in teas, tinctures and foods, using an inside-out approach to skin care. You’ll also learn how to craft topical herbal skin care products for glowing skin through the exploration of skin on both a cellular and functional level. This includes valuable information on anatomy and function, as well as nutrition and lifestyle tips will help you better understand the practices that influence the health of your skin. While also giving you a robust foundation in skin health that you can expand on.

You will learn basic skills for designing, producing and using homemade herbal skin and body care products. Detailed video and written tutorials guide you as you make botanical body care products, ranging from infused oils, salves, and creams to deodorant, soap, hair care products, and even some cosmetics, plus so much more. The Botanical Skin Care Course also provides plenty of recipes to inspire your skin care journey, as well as suggestions for their use. (Sign up here now!)

Course Overview

Following is an outline of the Botanical Skin Care Course. It has me pretty excited, and I’m sure it’s easy to see why!

UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE SKIN

Course Introduction; Anatomy of the Skin; Functions of the Skin

Take a trip down memory lane with a fascinating timeline of the history of skin care. You will then zoom in on the skin and discuss basic anatomy and structure, with an emphasis on the many functions of the skin.

UNIT 2: SKIN CARE FROM THE INSIDE

The Skin as an Eliminatory Organ; Nutrition for Healthy Skin; Digestive Health and the Skin; Skin Care in Ayurveda; Skin Care in Chinese Medicine

Discover the connections between the skin and other organ systems with a focus on supporting the skin through dietary and lifestyle interventions. You will gain an understanding of the fundamental importance of considering the individual as a whole and using an “inside-out” approach when addressing chronic skin conditions.

UNIT 3: MAKING HERBAL BODY CARE PRODUCTS

Choosing Ingredients; Making Vinegars, Hydrosol, Oils, and Salves; Bath Products; Creams and Lotions; Herbal Gels; Herbal Soaps; Hair Care and Cosmetics

Build an understanding of the basic preparation methods you’ll need to create a range of herbal skin care products. You’ll be guided by both text and video tutorials and gain confidence in creating bath products, herb-infused vinegars and oils, salves, hydrosols, creams and other emulsions, gels, hair care products, and herbal soap.

UNIT 4: SKIN CARE FROM THE OUTSIDE

Foundations of Skin Support; Skin and Sun; Beyond Oily and Dry: Choosing Individual Herbs; Support for Chronic Conditions; External Care for Acute Skin Conditions; Conclusion

Dive deep into the fundamental concepts and specific herbal approaches for maintaining skin health and supporting acute skin conditions. You will receive plenty of recipes that apply the basic techniques from Unit 3, allowing you to create a range of products for different skin types and specific skin concerns. We’ll also cover herbal energetics as applied to skin conditions, and inspire you with ideas for your herbal first aid kit!

In addition to the course and materials available, you’ll also be able to discuss the materials and ask questions with fellow students and teachers in the student-only online community group.

Ready to get started? Early enrollment is open now. Visit The Herbal Academy to sign up for their Botanical Skin Care Course now. Early registration means big discounts, so don’t delay! The course officially opens on July 1st. Learn more now.

Interested in learning more? Explore The Herbal Academy’s other online herbalism courses here.

For more botanical recipes and ideas, follow me across your favorite social media platforms. You can follow me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter, pinterest and instagram. Or sign up to receive my semi-weekly newsletter to stay in the loop.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: bath and beauty, bath and body, beauty diy, beauty recipes, botanicals, education, healthy living, herbalism, herbs, natural beauty, natural skin care, online course, skin care, skin care recipes

How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally (Using Food Ingredients As Natural Dyes)

March 19, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon Leave a Comment

Learn how to dye Easter eggs naturally using food ingredients as natural, plant-based dyes. Plus unique Easter egg design ideas using foraged botanicals or store bought herbs.

When I was a little girl I would dye Easter eggs with my mother every spring. My mom would hard boil eggs and buy my brother and I an Easter egg decorating kit she’d picked up from the grocery store. We’d dye our Easter eggs a rainbow of colors and patterns. Using things like stickers,rubber bands and white crayons to create our own Easter egg designs. The one thing we never did, however, was dye our Easter eggs using natural dye.

As it turns out, it’s rather easy to learn how to dye Easter eggs naturally. You can still achieve a rainbow of colors based on the foods you choose. Or experiment with natural plant dyes such as indigo powder or turmeric. Just because you aren’t using commercial food dyes, doesn’t mean you can’t create a multitude of Easter egg designs and patterns. You can still do all the same things you did with traditional dyes. Methods such as wax resist or using stickers to create shapes work beautifully with natural Easter egg dyes too!

For the purpose of this tutorial however, I’ll teach you how to use plants, leaves and other foraged botanicals or herbs to create beautiful Easter egg designs. While also using common foods and herbs from the grocery store to create a rainbow of Easter egg colors. If you’re a soapmaker, like me, then I also encourage you to pull out your stash of all the natural dyes you’ve hoarded – er, collected – for naturally coloring cold process soap.

Ready to get your craft on? Keep reading to learn how to dye Easter eggs naturally using common vegetables and plant materials.

How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally

Choose and prepare your eggs.

When buying your eggs, you should choose white eggs for bright colors. Or give brown eggs a go for more muted tones. Once you have your eggs in hand, hard boil them prior to dyeing. Alternately, you can also blow out the eggs for decorative home decor you can use through the entirety of spring. Or keep your eggs in storage to reuse the following year.

Decide on the colors you’d like to use.

I used onion skins and red cabbage to naturally dye my Easter eggs. Yellow onion peels impart an orange hue on eggs while red cabbage will turn your eggs blue. You can also use coffee for brown colored eggs. Or try one of these other color ideas:

Blueberries = Blue-Gray
Red Onion Skins = Green
Red Cabbage = Blue
Yellow Onion Skins = Orange
Coffee Grounds = Brown
Paprika = Light Red-Orange
Dill Seed = Brown-Gold
Grape Juice = Lavender
Violet Flowers = Green
Lavender Flowers = Blue Green & Brown
Beets = Light Pink
Beet Root Powder = Red
Spirulina Powder = Green
Turmeric = Yellow (Beware. This will stain everything!)
Hibiscus Tea = Black
Spinach = Yellow-Green

Make your natural Easter egg dye.

You should follow these guidelines for the amount of plant material to use when making your natural Easter egg dye. Adjust the recipe as needed to accommodate the number of eggs you’ll be making.

For spices and powders, use two Tablespoons per 1 1/2 cups water.
When using dried flowers or other botanicals, use four Tablespoons per 1 1/2 cups of water.
Combine one cup of cut fruits or vegetables with 1 1/2 cups of water.

Dye your Easter eggs.

Once you’ve prepared and measured out the plant material for your egg dye, you’ll need to combine the dye material with 1 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Then remove from heat.

Allow the natural dye to cool. Then strain out the plant material. Add dye to a bowl or a large mason. For every cup of water left (after the process) add one Tablespoon of white distilled vinegar to the dye.

Now add your eggs to the container of dye. Leave the eggs in the dye until they’ve reached the desired color. For deeper colors, place the container of eggs in the dye in your refrigerator and leave overnight.

Once the dyeing process is complete, remove the eggs from the dye. Place on a cooling rack or paper towel to dry. Then rub with olive oil, if desired, to add shine.

How to add designs to naturally dyed Easter eggs.

Leaf & flower prints.

It’s easy to use leaves or flowers, like parsley or four leaf clovers, to create leaf or flower shaped designs on your Easter eggs. To do this, simply place the plant matter onto your egg. Then wrap the egg tightly in either pantyhose or cheesecloth to hold the leaf or flower in place. Next, simply follow the above tutorial on how to dye Easter eggs naturally. Your final eggs with come away with a beautiful design. If desired, you can go back and dye your eggs again with an alternate color.

Wax resist method.

Simply use a wax crayon or beeswax to draw a design onto your eggs. Then dye your eggs per the above instructions. (Be sure your dye is cool so as not to melt off the wax.) Once you’ve dyed and dried you naturally dyed Easter eggs, simply rub off the wax with a soft cloth.

Rubber bands.

Rubber bands are an easy way to add random stripes to your Easter eggs. Just wrap rubber bands around your eggs, then dye as usual. Once the eggs are dry, remove the rubber bands to reveal your unique Easter egg designs.

For more Easter egg design ideas, be sure to check out my Easter board on Pinterest. Or learn how to make glitter Easter egg bath bombs for a non-food Easter basket treat.

Also be sure to follow me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram so you never miss a post. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter.

Filed Under: DIY Craft Project, Holiday DIY Tagged With: botanicals, craft tutorial, crafts, diy, Easter, Easter basket, Easter egg dye, Easter eggs, easy, herbs, holidays, natural

Treat Yourself This Valentine’s Day

February 8, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 3 Comments

Four unexpected yet easy ways to treat yourself this Valentine’s Day! (Because not every love affair needs to be about someone else.)

I’m not the biggest fan of winter. Granted, snow is fun – to a point. But we’ve just not had enough snow to hoot and holler this winter. And that polar vortex that dipped super south this year? It left me huddled inside feeling the full force of those winter blues. While Valentine’s Day is on the horizon, it’s not really a day I’m looking forward to with any sort of zeal. To be truthful, I’d rather stay inside where it’s warm and cozy until spring. So in addition to – or perhaps just instead of – celebrating Valentine’s (or Galentine’s Day) why not simply treat yourself with one of these easy self care ideas?

4 Ways Treat Yourself for Valentine’s Day

#1 Treat yourself with a gift on your wish list.

When was the last time you spent money on you? As women, I think we’re conditioned to look out for the needs of others first. So instead of buying something for someone else, why not treat yourself? Buy something that sparks your creativity. Or splurge on that new pair of shoes or that eyeshadow pallet you’ve been dying to buy, but simply can’t justify. (I’m thinking about buying this linocut printmaking kit right now.)

#2 Treat yourself by making more time for the things you love.

You can also invest more time in your passions, by skipping those last minute trips to the store. Whenever we even get the threat of snow here in Southwestern Virginia, everyone freaks out. This makes going to the grocery store for a regularly planned trip to pick up toilet paper feel like you wandered into a madhouse. Everyone else is cleaning out the milk, eggs and bread. And all you want is few extra rolls of toilet paper because you’ve been using yours as tissues for the past week. Why torture yourself?

Sign up for Grove and get your everyday products delivered monthly right to your door – all when you need them! I love that I also have the option of receiving the things I need early – or simply skipping a month – depending on what I may need or my financial situation. Plus, right now, Grove is sending out some pretty incredible freebies for new customers. Things like treeless toilet paper and paper towels as well as dish and hand soap and scrubber sponges. Practical items – all shipped free with your first order of $20 or more. (I like to throw in holistic immunity boosters this time of year as well.) So you can take back that hour of chaos and bank that time to do something you actually enjoy. Check it out!

#3 Treat yourself with the gift of knowledge.

If you have a love of learning, then there’s no better gift of give yourself than the gift of knowledge. The Herbal Academy just introduced their revised and expanded their herbalism courses for the new year. Not only are they coinciding this with an awesome spring sale, there are some super sweet freebies that come with select programs. They also now offer PRINTED course guides! (For those of us who are constantly mourning the loss of paper books.) You can take advantage of sale pricing at The Herbal Academy through February 20th. New students will receive a $25 discount off registration through February 20th. Plus you’ll receive a free herbal goodie bag ($70 value) with any textbook package order! Sign up here.

#4 Treat yourself by supporting your ECS.

Last year I learned that our bodies have an entire system that supports everything from pain sensation and pregnancy to fertility, mood and appetite. It’s call the endocannabinoid system (ECS.) Voluntary exercise naturally boosts our ECS which can lead to exercise induced euphoria. (Source.) With winter here, however, staying active can be a challenge. But with the legalization of CBD oil across the country (with some restrictions) we are now able to turn to healthier options for chronic pain like arthritis and fibromyalgia in addition to our overall health and emotional well being. Don’t like the taste of CBD oil tinctures? You can now support your body’s endocannabinoid system with natural CBD oil infused treats!

For more lifestyle and wellness ideas, as well as natural beauty recipes, sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter so you never miss a post. You can also follow me on Pinterest, facebook and instagram.

Filed Under: Handmade Home, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: emotional health, health and wellness, healthy homemaking, healthy living, herbs, learning, life tips and tricks, lifestyle, self care, Valentine's Day

The Must Have Stress Support Supplement for Women Over 40

July 5, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

So many changes happen to our bodies as we age. As women, our forties can be especially daunting. To help handle the stress of both the physical and emotional changes to my body, I turn to a natural stress support supplement. This stress support supplement is a must for women over 40.

Not only does it tame the physical and emotional changes your body experiences during perimenopause, but it helps improve your body’s response to stress and boosts immunity for overall wellness.

I’m Too Young to Be Going Through Menopause.

A few years ago, just before I turned forty, I started having hot flashes. They usually occurred in the evenings when I’d have a cocktail or enjoy a glass of wine. Then they’d start in the middle of the day at work, for no apparent reason. My face felt like it was on fire. My body temperature would rise. And my upper chest, neck and face would turn a bright, very unattractive red. I chalked it up to stress or anxiety. Because at the time, I didn’t realize they were hot flashes.

Thank goodness for female friends. Because without our occasional complaints, gossip and chatter, I would have continued to suffer. The hot flashes became more frequent.

At first I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something I’d eaten. Perhaps something I’d drank. An allergy to elderberry perhaps. Or quinine? I kept cutting out possible allergens from my diet without success.

But luckily I have a friend who was going through the same thing. She told me that I was not having an allergic reaction. I was actually having hot flashes. She too would turn bright red with every hot flash. A red like that embarrassed blush I used to get when I got called on in class as a teenager.

Somewhat dubious that at forty I was having hot flashes, I reluctantly tried evening primrose to tackle the issue. And it worked. Being at least a decade too young to be experiencing menopause, I googled my heart out to figure out what was causing my hot flashes. This led to my discovery of perimenopause.

What I kept wondering though, was how the heck had I made it to my forties without a single doctor or GYN mentioning perimenopause?

What the Heck Is Perimenopause Anyway?

Perimenopause is basically a transition phase before menopause begins. While it typically starts for women in their forties, from time to time women in their 30’s and even their 20’s may experience perimenopause.

During perimenopause our ovaries slowly start producing less estrogen. Typically a woman will experience, on average, symptoms of perimenopause for about four years. However, for some women, symptoms continue for up to ten years.

During the last one or two years of perimenopause, the production of estrogen drops significantly. This is then followed by menopause in which the ovaries stop producing eggs.

The symptoms of perimenopause are a lot like premenstrual syndrome – only in overdrive. Not only does perimenopause cause worsened premenstrual syndrome, it also causes hot flashes. In addition there is also breast tenderness, a lowered sex drive, fatique, irregular periods, vaginal dryness, urine leakage, moods swings and trouble sleeping. So basically, it sucks.

And oh, yeah. You can still get pregnant during perimenopause. It may just be more difficult if you are trying to conceive later in life due to the drop in fertility.

Some women find relief from perimenopausal symptoms by taking birth control. I have an IUD and found that it did not help with hot flashes. So if you’re like me and are still experiencing hot flashes, either with or without birth control, there are other options. I delve more into those options further down. Along with a great stress support supplement to also help tackle those mood swings.

How Do I Know If I’m Experiencing Perimenopause?

Basically if you want to murder your ex whereas before you only wished he suffered considerably, you may have perimenopause. Ok, I jest. But not so ordinary mood swings – like those that take you from a super high all the way down to super low – are a sure sign of perimenopause. Especially if you know you’re not bipolar despite what your ex says. Insane mood changes, well. Welcome to my life.

Hot flashes are another tell tell sign. Hot flashes are basically a sudden rush of heat out of the blue. Some women experience flushing and sweating with hot flashes, while others may not. A hot flash that is coupled with redness in your face and neck, like I get, are called a hot flush. They can also cause rapid heart rate or chills.

If you experience hot flashes at night while sleeping, then they’re referred to as night sweats. So not only are you likely having trouble sleeping anyway, night sweats can compound the issue.

There are a lucky 20% of women who never experience hot flashes. (Can I bottle that magic?) However, if you’re in the other 80%, you can count on having them for about the next seven years. (Or eleven years if your genetics just hate you.)

Some of other sure signs of perimenopause include changes in your period, heavy bleeding, forgetfulness, bone loss, and as previously mentioned, vaginal dryness.

How to Ease Those Hot Flashes.

There are a number of things that commonly trigger a hot flash. These include stress, caffeine, alcohol, heat, cigarette smoke, tight clothing and spicy foods. By reducing these, you may experience fewer hot flashes.

If you aren’t ready to give up Thai food or wine, there are other options such as daily exercise and foods rich in plant estrogen. B-complex vitamins and vitamin E are also common supplements for women experiencing hot flashes due to perimenopause. Or you can tackle hot flashes as they happen through other natural options such as aromatherapy or cooling sprays.

However, through my quest to find alternative natural remedies for my fibromyalgia, I discovered a better supplement. This natural stress support supplement not only helps me body handle stress better, it also helps significantly with hot flashes. Especially when used in combination with a B-complex vitamin and evening primrose.

The Must Have Stress Support Supplement for Perimenopause.

A few months back I started taking an herbal stress support supplement called ashwagandha root for stress, anxiety and perimenopause. Ashwagandha is a powerful adaptogen that’s 50% more effective at treating anxiety than psychotherapy or a placebo according to a 2009 study.

As an adaptogen, ashwagandha not only aids with healthy stress response, it also helps to maintain a healthy hormone balance. So not only has it helped wrangle the worst of my mood changes, it’s stopped the majority of my hot flashes as well. (Especially when used in combination with the evening primrose oil.) If you need to minimize those overly emotional responses due to your body’s hormone changes, then ashwagandha root may be the right stress support supplement for you.

Ashwagandha root is considered safe for most people. However, if you have an autoimmune disease, are pregnant or nursing, or you have Type 1 diabetes, this herb should be avoided. Ashwagandha root can also stabilize hypothyroidism, though it’s recommended you have your doctor monitor your condition if you are using supplements to maintain a healthy thyroid. The recommended dose of ashwagandha root is 450–500 mg once or twice daily.

When I first began taking ashwagandha root, I was purchasing it as a single supplement. However, for the past two months I’ve been getting my daily dose through HempFusion’s Stress Phytocomplex. This supplement blend further aids my stress response and calms anxiety. It also helps to calm some of the symptoms of my fibromyalgia. (This stuff got me through two interviews without breaking a sweat. Seriously.) I not only love that it counteracts many of the symptoms of my perimenopause, but that it also gives me extra energy without the need for caffeine.

The Hemp Fusion capsules contain a unique full-spectrum phytocomplex oil extracted from nutritional hemp, black pepper fruit, and clove oil. This fusion of unique plant extracts includes valuable phytocompounds and terpenes naturally occurring in nutritional hemp and other botanicals and is perfect for occasional stress support in addition to daily Endocannabinoid System support.

I’m currently purchasing this product from ThriveMarket as it allows me to save up to 50% off my favorite brands of herbal supplements everyday. And I earn cashback toward more of my favorite health and wellness products as well as organic pantry staples. Everyone needs to save a little money, right?

If this sounds like something you may be interested in (it’s like a wholesale club for organic health and wellness products) then I encourage you to give them a try. They offer a free trial (that you can easily cancel prior to being billed for a yearly membership) and you get 25% off your first order. I save well over $1500 with them annually.

In addition to taking ashwagandha root for hot flashes and healthy stress support, I also highly recommend a B-complex vitamin and evening primrose oil. I am currently using (and loving!) Thrive Market’s own brand of Food Cultured Vitamin B-Complex with Ginseng along with Jarrow Formula’s Cold Pressed Evening Primrose Oil. I take these three stress support supplements specifically to tackle my own perimenopause with my first meal of each day.

Share Your Experiences.

Do you have experience with perimenopause? Do you have another go to stress support supplement that you take or recommend? I’d love to hear your story on how you tackle your body’s changes! So please feel free to share your personal experience in the comments.

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This article is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment or medical advice and is provided for informational purposes only. Information on products mentioned are based on my own personal experience and have not been evaluated by the FDA. Please consult a physician prior to making any changes that may impact your health.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: ashwagandha root, emotional health, health and wellness, healthy, herbal supplements, herbs, lifestyle, natural alternative, natural remedy, perimenopause