Spring Homes

H R Hodge, South Petherton

H R Hodge are now stocking a range of domestic appliances including the new energy-efficient heat pump tumble dryers, which could save you on average £120 per year compared to traditional vented and condenser dryers. Air Fryers and Slow Cookers, Fridge Freezers and washing machines are also available.

They are still your local TV and Audio specialists, offering a range of TV and Audio from Panasonic, Loewe, Mitchell & Brown, Sonos and Roberts radio. They also have one of the few remaining TV and Audio repair workshops in their store in South Petherton for all your repair needs.

They are with you every step of the way, from help and advice through to installation and after sales support. Give them a call or pop in store to see what they can offer.

Family Health with

“AND THE Spring arose on the garden fair, like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere; And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast, rose from the dreams of its wintry rest”, wrote Percy Bysshe Shelley in The Sensitive Plant. And as I write, it's a few degrees warmer and hopefully by the time you are reading this, Spring will have sprung! It's been a tough winter in many different ways and I know for many of us that the call to be back in nature, be that pottering in the garden or rambling through the countryside will be strong. So this month, with that in mind, I'm going to share a few recipes for homemade balms for our hard working bodies.

Before we dive in though, I want to mention a couple of important events this month.

Firstly Fairtrade Fortnight is running from 27th February to the 12th March. Look out for ways to support this cause with that all important purchasing power!

Also, from the 11th to the 25th March the Totally Locally Fiverfest is happening. This nationwide campaign is to encourage us all to use our local independent stores. Funnily enough I'm a big fan of this! Ceres will be supporting this event with some great £5 deals.

Now for our recipes. Let's start with a basic balm recipe. This can be adapted with different oils and essential oils for bruising, cuts, minor burns, bug bites (and repellent!), sore muscles, or as a nourishing hand salve. Use 1 part beeswax (or plant based alternative such as candelila or olive wax) to 4 parts oil. Good general oils include olive, hemp and sweet almond. An optional ½ measure of shea butter can be added to this mix – great for hand creams and body butters. These ingredients are simply melted together on a low heat. Simply left as it is, this can be a good general hand balm. When the mix is cool, but not yet set, it's time to add any essential oils. Depending on the essential oils used, a rough guideline is 1 drop per 2ml of base. Here are a few suggested variations -

For bruises – use comfrey oil in the base mix. Add essential oils of lavender, rosemary and helichrysum. For joint and muscle pain or injury – use comfrey, arnica and St. John's Wort as your base oils. Add essential oils such as black pepper, ginger, rosemary, marjoram, wintergreen and peppermint.

The last two will have a more cooling effect and the first two a more warming effect. See what your muscles prefer!

For cuts – The classic ‘hypercal’ combination of oils hypericum (St John's Wort) and calendula for the base oils. Small amounts of the super potent essential oils, thyme and oregano, could be added to prevent infection. Frankincense, myrrh, lavender and helichrysum are great wound healers too. For minor burns –Lavender is the number one choice. Aloe vera which can be bought as an oil, can be added to the balm base or simply use aloe gel on it's own or with lavender added. I like to keep mine in the fridge for extra cooling and soothing. For Bugs – There are lots of oils that may help deter bugs such as citronella, lemongrass, vanilla, rose geranium, cedarwood and peppermint. You could dilute these to use in a massage oil over your skin or as a pulse point roller. To treat bites lavender (yes again!), tea tree and neat apple cider vinegar can be great. I have always found the sooner you can get something applied the better.

I have used lavender and tea tree neat on insect bites and had them pretty much heal within a day or two – as long as they have been applied soon after the bite. If I have left it for a few hours the results haven't been nearly as dramatic.

Ceres has a pretty big selection of bases, oils, bottles, jars and emulsifiers, so do come and have a look if you feel inspired! I hope you have fun experimenting with your own hand made balms and I'd love to hear how you get on.

© Jenna Evans 2023.

•Jenna is a Holistic Health Coach and creator of bespoke beauty products. She can be found on Facebook at ‘Alchemical Beauty UK’. Jenna is also a multi-award winning Product Advisor at Ceres Natural Foods, Yeovil. To make an appointment, please pop in or call 01935 428791 for details. Always check with a health professional before making any dramatic changes to your diet and lifestyle or starting a new supplement, especially with any existing health conditions.