Keeping dried herbs and other natural health/beauty ingredients fresh, clean, and dry is crucial when creating your own potent DIY products. I love using what nature has to offer to make my own beauty products as well as for healing and health promoting tonics. I previously wrote this article about some of my favorite herbal remedy books that I adore and have learned much of what I know about using herbs for beauty and health.
I buy 90% of my herbs and other natural ingredients in bulk online.
Mountain Rose Herbs is my #1 favorite source for herbs because of the quality, freshness, and the abundance of organic herbs and other natural ingredients that they offer. Most of my herbs and other natural ingredients actually comes from Mountain Rose Herbs. I also purchase some of my supplies from local organic grocery stores and specialty shops.
Mountain Rose Herbs as well as other bulk suppliers sell their products in plastic packaging. I always transfer my herbs into clean glass jars. We eat and cook with a lot of organic extra virgin coconut oil in my home, so I’ve gotten into the habit of saving these jars for my organic ingredients.
Soap, water, and some diligence helps me remove the coconut oil labels from the jars. I replace the coconut oil labels with same labels that each herbal product is shipped with, or I create my own labels. On the side of the Mountain Rose Herbs labels is always the date in which the herbs were packaged. These labels help with knowing how long your product will remain potent and fresh if stored properly.
Whole dried herbs and spices can last for up to 4 years, ground herbs for 2-3 years, and dried leafy herbs for 1-3 years.
I have a cabinet that has been designated especially for my herbs and natural health/beauty ingredients. It is important to keep these ingredients in a cool and dark place. I also find that keeping my herbs in glass jars keeps my cabinet tidy and makes things easy to find.
How do you store your herbs?
(Image by Dawn Michelle)
sandy says
August 20, 2013 at 2:46 pmThis organization is so pleasing to the eye…love this.
Dawn Michelle says
August 20, 2013 at 6:39 pmI feel the same way Sandy! Thanks! Enjoy your day <3
Kenisha says
August 20, 2013 at 6:35 pmThanks for this post. Can you please do a post on some of the ways in which you use your herbs. I have recently started using herbs as well for herbal infusions and would like to hear about how/when you use yours. Thanks!!
P.S. Love your blog!!!
Dawn Michelle says
August 20, 2013 at 6:42 pmThanks Kenisha! Many of the DIY beauty recipes on the site share how you can use herbs for hair and skin care. Please check the menu under DIY where you can look up different recipes for hair, skin, nails, etc. Hope this helps!
Daisy says
August 20, 2013 at 8:38 pmWow, that is a lot of herbs! I want an essential and carrier oils collection that looks like that. My goal is to slowly buy and accumulate enough that I don’t have to secretly steal my sister’s.
Anca says
August 26, 2013 at 7:35 amHi Dawn,
How do you store your clays or your henna powder?
Dawn Michelle says
August 26, 2013 at 4:55 pmHi Anca,
I store my clays and other powders like henna the same way. It really isn’t possible to read the labels of all the jars in the picture, but there are more jars behind the first row, and a few more stacked in the back.
Enjoy your day!
Sharice says
December 7, 2015 at 10:13 amDo you by chance have a list of all the herbs, clays etc you keep on hand? Thank you
Dawn Michelle says
December 8, 2015 at 3:42 pmHi Sharice,
Well in this photo these are the herbs I work with much of the time. I have streamlined some since then though. An updated list is a great idea though!