I really don't know what to call this face tincture thing! All I know is people say it helps take away acne, bumps, pimples, poison ivy, mosquito bites, bee stings, and probably loads of other things as well. :D Here's how to make this wonderful stuff:
Step 1: Go outside and pick some plantain. Plantain grows literally everywhere! And when I say plantain, I don't meant the banana type thing that is absolutely delicious when cooked with honey, cinnamon, and raisins. I mean the astringent plant. They look a bit like a spinach leaf that is full of wonderful things that God has wonderfully created. Here are some pictures so you know what to look for. There are a couple of different types of plantain. Some characteristics of the plant are that they have purple around the bottom of the stem, in the summer another stem sticks out from the middle of the plant with seeds growing all up it like a brussel sprout stock, and if you crush any part of the plant, it smells kind of like pine nuts. It actually tastes a little bit like pine nuts, too! Chew it up and stick it on a bee sting and you'll be glad you did. This plant is an astringent which means it pulls poisons out of your skin. That's why we put it on our face. It pulls the toxins right out!
Step 2: Wash them off. You don't have to worry about picking every bit of straw/grass off of it, because you're going to strain it out later, but you do want to get off... uh... animal.... stuff... if you have animals. And it's just a good idea to wash it.
Step 3: Put a good amount on a cutting board and crush it with anything you've got around. You could also run it through a chopper. Get it as nice and bruised as you can.
Step 4: Pack it tightly into a jar, but don't put the lid on yet. Try to get as much plantain in there as possible!
Step 5: Fill the jar half way with apple cider vinegar. If you have apple cider vinegar with the mother in it, use that. It's a lot healthier, and your tincture will work better. :D
Step 6: Put the lid on and make sure you label it with what the contents are - i.e. tincture - and the date. Store in a cool dry place for two weeks. Putting the date on it is very helpful.
Step 7: In two weeks, strain out your plantain leaves and compost them. Pour the tincture back into the jar. Now you are done! Continue to store in a cool dry place. Put it on about twice a day for a week. Then you can put it on whenever you feel like it. Just rub it on your cheeks (or wherever you want to) with a cotton ball. Voila! Don't be surprised if instead of making your cheeks magically smooth after the first week, you start to get little/big bumps everywhere. That's just the toxins coming out of your skin. Rubbing coconut oil on your face after you're done with the tincture helps dissolve those little bumps somehow :D
Enjoy!
XOXO,
Kina