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They say that we shouldn’t put anything on our skin that we wouldn’t be happy to eat. Although I don’t suppose there are many (if any) of us that follow that, you could do worse than try these very quick beauty suggestions from the wild!

Collect some mint or pennyroyal, yarrow or camomile for example, and put them in a muslin bag to hang under the hot tap when running the bath. A handful of pine needles can be used the same way, or try soaking yourself in seaweed to really soften your skin. Pour boiling water on a large handful of elderflowers and let them steep overnight, strain and use the liquid as a skin splash. Milk and honey can be used with elderflowers in this way too, producing a gentle smoothing tonic that will cleanse your skin.

Aching feet can be refreshed by immersing them in a bowl of hot water that has nettles steeping in it (they won’t sting you, honestly). Hair can be lightened by infusions of camomile or mullein, reddened by alkanet root or darkened by using ivy berries, and you will get a great shine if you rinse with a jug or two of water that has had goosegrass, horsetail or watercress soaking in it.

Unfortunately there isn’t one single wild herb that will make us more beautiful instantly (damn it!) but using plants from the wild is far better for us than most of the shampoos, conditioners and cleansers that leave their chemicals on our bodies every single day.

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