How to make modern holiday pomanders

Hello beautiful people!

Now you may be thinking "what is she up to"?  Why is an aromatherapist blogging about how to make pomanders?  Pomanders were an early form of aromatherapy of course!  One of our most powerful senses we have is our sense of smell.  It is hardwired directly to the brain.  A message from your sense of smell will get to the brain before any other message received from our five senses.  Nothing cements feelings and emotions in our bodies like the smells associated with them.  And to me, nothings says "holiday happiness" like cinnamon, cloves and oranges.

Where does it come from?

Originally pomanders were little balls of perfume carried in viles, vases or perforated metal balls (much like a locket).  They were used, well, to smell good.  As they were used as far back as the 1500's you can well imagine there were plenty of bad smells around you would want to cover up.  They were also used to protect against infection.  Spices like clove and cinnamon are very anti-bacterial.  Apparently even Nostradamus had a famous (if not infamously elaborate) pomander recipe.  You can check it out here.

Traditional orange pomanders

So without further ado, let's look at the modern "traditional" version of the pomander.  There are all kinds of decorated balls out there.  That's how a modern pomander has come to be known.  Today we're looking at the orange/clove pomanders that would have traditionally been hung in the house during the winter months to freshen the air, kill germs and of course just look pretty and smell good.  Remember, our easy access to essential oils and even those horrid  $0.99 air fresheners are relatively new developments.  

So - You're going to need an orange and lots of cloves and, if so desired, lots of spices and some ribbon.

Making the pomander

This is easy and fun.  There are so many variations of this project that can be enjoyed by young and old alike.  The simplest method is to stick cloves in your orange.  Done!  Kids can do it and they love it!  Stick them all over, make great patterns, lines, designs etc.  If you like, then simply tie a ribbon around it to hand and voila!  This variation will last a week at best.

If you want to take it up a notch you'll need a knitting needle (or something equally pointy) and lots and lots of spices like cinnamon.

First poke holes where you want your cloves to go.  One clove per hole.  If you want your pomander to last a long time you'll need to cover it with cloves like in the picture.  You'll also need to make sure the holes don't touch each other.

Cover your orange by pushing a clove into each hole.  Don't leave exposed orange where you want the ribbon to go. It will get shriveled and nasty.  You'll have better results for your efforts if you cover the entire orange and tie the ribbon over the cloves.

Now if you want it to last even longer you need to cure it.  There are a couple of ways to do this.  The best (but most expensive) is to cover the orange with a ground spice mixture (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom) as you wish.  Leave it in there for two weeks, turning from time to time.

A less expensive way is to put at least a cup of spice mixture into a small paper bag.  Put in your orange and shake it around to cover the clove covered orange. Leave it in the bag with the bag closed and every day shake it to re-coat the orange.  Do this for about 2 weeks.  With this method I've seen pomanders last up to a year.

When it's cured.  Tie the ribbon around it and hang!  Breath deep and enjoy your DIY aromatherapy.  Do this every year, maybe with a group of friends to pass an evening and you'll be amazed at how the scent will fix beautiful memories of friendship and warmth in your body.  Memories of the time spent making them and the warm memories of smelling it in the mornings, warming the room.

Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Easy All Natural All Purpose Cleaner

Hello beautiful people!

It is that time of year again.  No not spring cleaning but fall feathering of the nest.  As the days get cooler I feel it's a good idea to clean things out and prepare my home for the extra time I'm going to spend cocooning in it over the winter months.  It's a time when all those little places that may get forgotten or missed during the business of summer get a once over and refreshed.

Essential oils and natural products are great for this.  As we close up our house for the winter, we'll want to be sure we're using natural cleansers and scents that will not only clean things but actually support out health.

Here is a really great all purpose, natural cleaner you can easily make at home.  I've been using it for years, for everything!  Don't forget that most essential oils are also anti-bacterial and have a profound affect on our emotional health as well.  Feel free to make your own blend.  In the recipe I've included my favorite but I'll suggest a few more as well.

The Recipe

What you need:

A clean spray bottle

2 tablespoons liquid soap (preferably natural castile soap like Soap Works or Dr. Bronners)

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 cups warm water

essential oils  (4 drops patchouli, 4 drops orange, 2 drops peppermint)

What you do:

Put all ingredients into your spray bottle, shake before use.  Spray on, wipe off.  Breath deep, it's all natural!

Other blends you might like:

A-5 drops eucalyptus or tea tree with 5 drops lemon

B-5 drops lavender 5 drops chamomile

C-4 drops orange, 3 drops tea tree, 3 drops cinnamon

Have you tried this recipe?  Let us know what you think.  Do you love mdm products?  Let us know by emailing your story to bonnie@mainsdemariposa (dot) com and as a thank you we'll enter you into the monthly draw for a great product gift pack!

Do they have to put borax in there?

The short answer? Yes.

Often people ask me "Why the borax? Isn't that what you use to clean things?" In a word, yes.

But, the reason borax cleans is because it is very alkaline (pH approx. 9). Borax is a natural mineral salt. It is found in places where lakes have formed seasonally because of heavy rains but then evaporated. After many years of this the salt accumulates and can be mined. Most borax (sodium borate) comes from Turkey, Chile, Tibet or from Boron, California. Though it is found naturally it can also be reproduced in the lab.

So why is it used in skin care products?

It is an emulsifier. It is generally found in creams where beeswax is used. Bees wax is not an emulsifier on it's own. When bees wax and borax are combined in the recipe, a reaction occurs similar to that of soap making and a true emulsifier is created. This is a very tricky process to master because it is not a guarantee as to how much emulsifier will be created with each reaction even if the amount of bees wax and borax remain constant.

It is a constant in all bath bomb recipes because without it they would not hold their shape and crumble. Trust me, without borax your bath bombs simply crumble into fizzing bath salts!

Now, I understand peoples' concern with see borax listed on the ingredients. I also caution people that just because something is natural doesn't necessarily mean it's safe. Borax can most certainly be toxic if enough of it is ingested. It definitely needs to be kept out of reach of children and pets. However, the amount found in your natural skin care products, when used as an emulsifier, in my humble opinion is more than safe.

Borax also has many other uses you may be interested in.

It is used as a food preservative in some countries to preserve caviar. It is banned in the United States (thankfully) and so they simply use a lot of salt! So, if you're a caviar fan, you might want to check into that!

You probably already know about the myriad of cleaning options such as mold killer, laundry booster, dishwasher powder and all purpose cleaner.

Use it to prevent fleas from hatching in carpets and other bedding.

Mice really don't like it so sprinkle it around where you suspect the devils to be and they probably won't want to come back to that area. (Apparently the don't like peppermint essential oil either!)

So the next time you see borax on the label, think for a moment of the small amount vs. the benefit it creates (without an emulsifier you cream would look like homemade salad dressing) vs. the natural product compared to the chemical emulsifiers in the nasty skin care products!

I say, bring on the borax!

And now you know.