Botanical Night Balm: In the kitchen, warming the cold, hugging the cold. Not with heavy butters but with living souls, with life.
Don't judge me by my light texture.
I am Rosemary
I am Rose
I am Nettle
I am Chamomile
I am Lavender
I am Rosehip
I am Calendula
I am Rosemary: I chose "cold" as my challenge. Send me to the coldest climates, I said. I came and danced with the cold, laughed with the cold, cried with the cold, evolved through the cold until I mastered it without giving up. I stand tall against the cold, gracefully smelling beautiful. Because I know what cold is, my desire is to warm anybody who comes my way. If you let me in, I warm you by stimulating your nerves and blood vessels in your divine body, opening up positive blood flow, decreasing cold sensation, facial muscle stiffness, and inflammation due to oxygen deprivation. The life in your blood, oxygen, and other nutrients then bring life into your skin.
I am Rosehip: Wait until after the first frost to harvest my fruit. I turn that extreme cold into sweetness in my fruit. I am filled with ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), your body's most important antioxidant and flavonoids, which increases the effectiveness of vitamin C. I increase the synthesis of collagen and photoprotection. Photoprotection allows the skin to correct the previous photodamage, resulting in depigmenting flat spots on the face. The sweet sugar in me interacts with vitamin C to generate this antioxidant effect. Wait patiently until I dance with the cold.
I am Chamomile: Skin lives an emotional life. I see you when you are in fear because you are pale; I see you when you are embarrassed because you blush; I see you when you are happy because you glow. I am in this recipe to turn your fear into peace, to turn your pale into glow, to turn your blush into acceptance. I have an antioxidant in my little body called apigenin, which binds to specific receptors in the brain to decrease anxiety and initiate sleep. I soothe your reactive, inflamed, acne-prone skin. I reduce your redness, itching, and irritation.
I am Nettle: I am the most nutrient-dense plant on this side of the planet. I, too, chose the cold as my challenge. Throughout winter, in my little body, I alchemise the deep, dark energy of the cold into a nutrient-dense, vibrant source of energy, ready to harvest in early spring. I cure through nourishment. I am in this recipe to feed your microbiome with everything that I am = Protein, calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium, zinc, potassium, boron, vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K, bioflavonoids, antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and chlorophyll. My leaves are natural astringent, tighten and firm the skin, regulate natural sebum production, treat acne, and promote flawless skin. As the saying goes, When in doubt, use Nettles...
I am Calendula: My flowers follow the sun, opening when it rises and closing as it sets. Just as the sun warms everything that it touches, I move stagnant lymph and blood by warming and urging the skin toward healthy circulation. The life circulating in you then heals compromised, vulnerable, sensitive skin.
I Rose: I am the symbol of love. I am the personification of passion. But when I enter your divine body, I turn down the excitement in the limbic centres of the brain, which regulates passion. I am in this recipe to give your skin and mind a little love - a calming one, the real love. I calm your redness, rosacea and similar skin conditions caused by autoimmune heat and excitation. I am also rich in antioxidants and mildly astringent. I tighten your pores, gently tone your skin, strengthen skin cells, and regenerate your skin tissue.
I am Lavender: I am an anti-inflammatory. I am in this recipe to give you relief from acne and rosacea symptoms. I reduce your redness, irritation, and swelling. I am a relaxant. I relax your autonomic nervous system, which is influenced by all the unconscious behaviours and beliefs you have, grasping the physical body tightly during the day.
When you need extra moisture in the cold, I am here to hug you; I am here to warm you.
I chose the night when you finally disconnect from "what you see", the illusion making you feel separate from everyone and everything. I wait till you let go of your hands and enter into the realm of oneness to return home where you are one with everything. I enter, feed and warm your divine body not with heavy butters but with alive souls, with life - your beautiful temple, helping you navigate this plane of existence with ease with grace.
Surrender
Let me in
with all my love Ezgi