Summer fun!

The height of Colorado wildflower season is blooming all around us and summer gardens are beginning to display the fruits of hard and thoughtful labor. Local Herbs Are In!!! Yay! We have received the first summer harvest including Lemon Balm, Spearmint, Nettles, Chamomile, Raspberry leaf, Motherwort, Alfalfa and more. Stay tuned to Facebook for further updates on your favorite local herbs.

Another way to enjoy and explore the abundance of local herbs is through our Mid-Summer Herb Walk. This class will take place on Sunday, July 20th from 10am-12pm, please stop by the shop to pre-register for this or any of our wonderful summer classes!

Please note that we will be closed for summer vacation during 4th of July weekend. Have a safe and happy holiday!

4th of July Holiday Hours
Closed Thursday, July 3rd
Closed Friday, July 4th
Closed Saturday, July 5th

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook for updates throughout the month.

New Products & Promotions

Awesome Baby Powder

Made with three simple, thoughtful and pure ingredients, our new Awesome Baby Powder is just that. Formulated to keep your baby dry and soft with the supportive sweetness of Chamomile and Calendula, we hope you love this beautiful, gentle powder as much as we do.

Tat Sat cards

Created and illustrated by a trio of local sisters, TAT SAT is an engaging game with beautiful cards that depict collections of gods and goddesses from Egypt to Asia, in addition to Celtic and Mayan deities, Archangels, and Mythical Beings. Using memory, strategy and a bit of luck, the goal is to complete the most collections while learning about them along the way and becoming the TAT SAT (The Amazing Totally Super Awesome Triumphant). A wonderful game for road trips, camping excursions or backyard barbeques, Tat Sat is fun for the whole family. We love our local artists and the talent in Boulder!

Artemisia Smudge Sticks

Display the bounty of summer's wildflower harvest with some of our favorite local, handmade Artemisia Colorado wildflower smudge sticks! Antiseptic and cleansing these beautiful smudge sticks offer a diverse blend of aromatic smoke to purify your space. Freshly made and just arrived!

Mason Jar Tumblers with Straws and Sleeves

Handmade, whimsical and festive! We are having so much fun these new mason jar tumbler sets. The tumbler set includes an acrylic, BPA free straw that fits into a 24 oz. mason jar with a sleeve. Mix and match the patterned sleeves and colored straws for a truly unique way to enjoy your favorite beverage.

On Sale

Grounding perfume

The most natural perfume you can find! Our perfume oils are a blend of first pressing golden organic Jojoba oil and 100% pure essential oils. Traditionally used for nervous tension, this centering blend can help slow and deepen breathing, and promote a feeling of peacefulness. Australian Sandalwood, Frankincense, Spikenard & Patchouli.

Staff Picks

Future Amber Essential Oil

By Amber, certified clinical herbalist

Our newest essential oil was created by a local artisan who specializes in distilling small batches of essential oil from wild crafted plants in the Four Corners area. The Future Amber essential oil is made from an essential oil of hand-harvested Pinion Pine needles which is then infused with the resin of a fallen Pinion Pine tree.

A true labor of love, this essential oil infusion showcases the unique beauty of Conifers. The Future Amber oil expresses a powerfully grounding and uplifting sense of awareness. Energetically, the distiller suggests smelling the oil to facilitate traveling through days past or days to come. Pinion pine has traditionally been used externally to help draw out infection, thorns, splinters, and stingers; the antiseptic properties also support this use. Personally, I look forward to the perfume blending possibilities with this oil.

Methods of Use
Diffuse throughout the home or workspace to kill germs, freshen the space and keep you alert. Dilute with carrier oil or clay to draw out infection, thorns, splinters, etc. Massage on bottom of feet or on painful areas to increase circulation and ease muscle or joint pain. Add to perfume roller bottle on its own or in combination with other essential oils for an exceptional scent.

Classes

Below is our class schedule, for full class descriptions please check our website at: http://www.rebeccasherbs.com/classes/. Your space in the class is reserved once payment is received. Payment for classes is made by cash or check payable to the instructor. Please be aware that classes fill up quickly, so sign up early. Pre-registration is required.

Mid-Summer Herb Walk

Sunday, July 20th, 2014, 10:00-12:00pm
Instructors: Tzuria Malpica, certified clinical herbalist and Amber Brisson, certified clinical herbalist
Cost: $30.00
In the prime of summer, join two Colorado natives for an easy hike to learn about local medicinal plants.

Lotions & Creams

Monday, July 21st, 6:30-8:30pm
Instructor, Faith Goguen Rodgers, certified clinical herbalist
Cost: $35.00
Learn to make decadent lotions & creams in your very own kitchen. This hands on class will give you simple techniques, tips and easy to follow recipes for making lotions & creams.

Making Body Butters

Monday, August 11th, 6:30-8:00pm
Instructor: Faith Goguen Rodgers, certified clinical herbalist
Cost: $35.00
Learn to make decadent and nourishing body butters in your own kitchen! This is a fun class where you will get to learn about different natural butters including shea, cocoa, and mango butter

Herbal Bar

Wednesday, August 20th, 6:30-8:00pm Participants must be 21 or over
Instructors, Liz Philbrick, certified clinical herbalist and nutritionist, Amber Brisson, certified clinical herbalist and nutritionist
Cost: $40.00
Have you ever wanted to learn how to make your own bitters or spice up your favorite cocktail? Come explore how to make all of the mixers and main ingredients needed to stock your very own herbal bar!

Herb of the Month

Homemade All-Natural Sunscreen

By Faith Goguen Rodgers, certified clinical herbalist

My kids love to be outside all day long in the summertime, so sunscreen is a daily ritual in our house. I prefer for them to be outside without sunscreen for the first 20 minutes so that they can soak up the sun and make lots of Vitamin D! But after that, I want to protect their sensitive skin. If I am going to be putting something on their skin daily, I want it to provide protection but also to be safe and nourishing. And so begins my experimentation! I have been concocting my own sunscreen for the past two summers and I am finally ready to share my results. The following recipe is by far my favorite blend.

Zinc oxide is a natural mineral that forms a protective physical barrier over the skin and stops harmful UV rays. It is particularly valuable because of its ability to filter UVA as well as UVB light, giving broad spectrum protection. Zinc oxide is also quite water repellent. I find that it provides longer lasting protection than using just straight carrier oils.

The chart below shows the potential SPF* properties of various oils, feel free to sub other oils into the recipe depending on what you have on hand. In preliminary studies, these oils are demonstrating some significant SPF power, but it is important to note that they have not been tested or regulated by the FDA. You can also add essential oils if you want to add a scent to your sunscreen. Be sure to avoid citrus oils as they can increase your sensitivity to the sun. My recipe is made with 25% Zinc oxide (by weight). Using the chart below, you can adjust the amount of Zinc in the recipe to suit your needs. Remember that everyone's skin is different!

When trying a new sunscreen oil, test it by staying in the sun for only short periods of time to see how your skin reacts. All of these lovely ingredients can be found right here at Rebecca's Herbal Apothecary. Have fun!

*SPF-Sun Protection Factor

Concentration of Zinc Oxide / SPF Protection
5%	Low (2-5 SPF)
10%	Moderate (6-11 SPF)
15%	High (12-19 SPF)
25%	Ultra High (>20 SPF)

Carrier Oils
Red Raspberry Seed Oil	30-50 SPF
Carrot Seed Oil	0-40 SPF
Coconut Oil	6-10 SPF
Shea Butter	6-10 SPF
Avocado Oil	4-10 SPF
Macadamia Nut Oil	6 SPF
Jojoba Oil	4 SPF
Sesame Oil	4 SPF
Grape Seed Oil	4 SPF

Ingredients

1 fl. oz Carrot Seed Oil*
1 fl. oz Raspberry Seed Oil
1 fl oz. Calendula Infused Olive Oil
1 oz net wt. Coconut Oil
4 oz net wt. Shea Butter
1 oz net wt. chopped Beeswax (or beeswax pearls)
3 oz net wt. Zinc Oxide
1 tsp Vitamin E
*Make sure you are purchasing the carrot seed carrier oil rather than the essential oil

Blending Instructions

• Weigh the Shea butter and add it to a large mixing bowl. Break it up a bit with a spoon. I like to blend the Shea butter into the cream rather than melting it with the other oils because Shea butter will get a gritty texture if heated for too long. It is an extra step but very worth it in terms of the consistency of your final product!
• Weigh the Zinc Oxide powder and add it into the bowl with the Shea butter
• Chop the beeswax, if necessary
• Measure/weigh the oils
• Add the chopped beeswax and oils (Raspberry seed, Carrot seed, Calendula infused olive and Coconut) to a mason jar or heat safe measuring cup. Place in a double boiler and warm gently until the beeswax is completely melted.
• Pour the oil/beeswax mixture into the mixing bowl with the Shea butter and Zinc oxide powder. Blend with a stick blender or hand blender until smooth and creamy.
• Add essential oils if desired and mix.
• Pour into clean jars. Allow the mixture to cool completely before placing the lid on the jar.

This recipe yields about 16 fluid ounces of sunscreen and has a shelf life of 1 year.