Valentines Day 2015: For The DIY Romantic In Us all

Valentines Day: the widely celebrated day of love.  Though well known for it's romanticism, it is difficult to say just where this holiday began. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three St. Valentines (or Valentinus) all of whom were martyred.

Some say Valentine was a priest during the 3rd century A.D in Rome. When Emperor Claudius ll
decided that soldiers were better at preforming their duties without a wife and family waiting for his return, he outlawed marriages for young men of "soldiering age".  It is said that this particular St. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the Emperors decision continued to marry young lovers in secret. When the Emperor found out what Valentine had been doing behind his royal back, he was tried for treason and sentenced to death.

The oldest known Valentine is a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans in 1415.  This poem was written to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.  So for 600 years Valentines Day, celebrated Feb. 14 has been a time for romance and sharing of love.

DIY VALENTINES ROMANCE:

Think of this: She (the lucky lady) comes home to a meal cooked by the one she loves. Flowers on the table and a candle burning low, places set for 2 (or more if you have children ;)

After dinner and the children are tucked into bed, you lead her up to the bathroom where a warm milk bath is already drawn.  She gets in and is greeted by another glass of wine, and strawberries dipped in chocolate, made by your hands.  This could be the start of a very special evening...

So now you say... how the heck can I make THIS happen??? Read on my friend!

Rose Milk Bath: DIY Romance

2 Cups Milk (liquid or powdered milk, both work equally as well)

2-3 Cups home made rose water: (simply steep rose petals like tea strain and add fragrant water to 

       bath.

1/2 Cup honey (helps cleanse the skin).

1/2 Cup Epsom Salts (to continue the relaxation and skin cleansing)

*add a few extra rose petals strait into the bath water for visual and romantic appeal

How Could You NOT Fall in Love All Over Again?

Hand Dipped Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

1 lb strawberries

16 oz dark chocolate

2 tbs shortening

piece of styrofoam and tooth picks

Directions:

-In a double broiler (or a container inside a large pot {pot 1/2 filled with water}) add the chocolate

and the shortening, allow these to melt together and stir

-place a tooth pick in the end of the strawberry with the green

-dip and swirl the strawberry into the melted chocolate and shortening

-place the tooth pick into the styrofoam (with the berry speared on top) to cool and dry

VIOLA~ 

From all of us at Recherch'e Organics

Enjoy this day of love!

Mango Butter: Your Skin is HUNGRY for it!

Mangifera indica

Native to South and Southeast Asia, the mango tree and it's delectable fruit has come to be cultivated almost world wide in frost free zones and known far beyond those reaches as an exotic and nutrient rich food. This long living tree has been known to reach ages of 300+ years and produce thousands of individual fruits each year of it's life!

Though the fruit is well know and well loved, the semi solid oil or "butter" cultivated from the mango seed is much less well known.   For hundreds if not thousands of years this butter has been used by the native people of the tropics.  It is prized for it's skin softening and soothing properties, the ability to rejuvenate sun and weather damaged skin as well as tackle skin issues such as rashes, eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis.  Yet this butter is so gentle in nature that it is also the perfect solution for babies skin. It remains semi- solid until about 95 degrees Fahrenheit, then becomes a liquid.

Unadulterated Mango Butter

What is it you ask, that makes this butter such a prize among plant based oils and butters?
It contains stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids (unsaturated omega 6 fatty acid), each of these acids are hungrily eaten up by our skin. And also contains vitamin A, copious amounts of vitamin E, C and D, multiple B vitamins, folic acid, calcium, iron and magnesium! It helps the dermal layers maintain hydration and reduces the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles while helping to restore elasticity and tensile strength of skin.

Science has shown us that vitamins A and C have a direct influence on the growth, strength, and structure of our hair.  As well as combating and reducing free radical effects and other daily toxins that come into contact with our skin.

Mango butter also is touted to have a natural SPF of about 4-6. Though not advised here to use as a replacement for sun screen it does have the ability to protect skin and hair from damaging UV rays and in the aftermath of sun burn soothes and nourishes the sensitive skin.

Traditional Extraction of Oil

Traditional harvesting begins with the collecting of the mango's in their peak of ripeness. Once collected the fruit is pealed away leaving only the "stone" or seed of the mango. These are washed with water and the seeds are left out to sun dry, reducing the moisture content to 12-15%. The dried seed stone is then roasted in a drum roaster and the hull is removed manually by beating with wooden clubs. The separated kernels are crushed into small pieces and placed in hot water so the fat's float to the top where they are scraped off and collected as "butter".  There are more modern practices also used today involving hexane and solvent extraction and mechanical instead of hand powered processes. 

 *It is always advised to know where your product comes from and decide for your self if solvent extraction oils are something that you want to use for your skin. 

DIY Hair Tonic: 

Take mango butter 1 time per month using a liberal amount coat your hair from scalp to the end of each strand. 

Brush through alleviating all the tangles and wrap in a warm moist towel for 20 minutes prior to showering

Rinse out and shampoo and condition as normal. 

Let us know HOW this works for you! Do you notice a difference? 

From us at Recherch'e Organics to you!

Enjoy