If you’re an herbie, then chances are you love tea. Any herbalista does! (Click here for our favorite iced tea recipes.) But did you know that your herbs also enjoy tea? Just like people consuming tea, garden herbs and weeds provide nourishment and nutrients for growing plants. Although many gardeners can never brew a batch of compost tea and still be successful with their gardens, there are times when crafting a liquid fertilizer can really improve the quality of your soil. Such as …

• when plants are showing little to know sign of growth and showing obvious signs of stress or disease.

• when plants appear to need an extra boost.

• when you have only a small amount of compost and widespread poor soil conditions. (Compost tea makes the benefits of compost go farther.)

Compost tea is made almost exactly how it sounds—steeping compost in water. You can apply compost tea to your lawn and/or garden using a pump sprayer, hose-end sprayer or a watering can. First, choose which herb to use in your compost concoction. Athough it's best to use an herb found most common in your garden, not every herb has the nutritional content your lawn needs. Try these herbs, which have a variety of nutritional content:

Russian Comfrey
Photo by Barry Cornelius/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barrycornelius/

• Comfrey: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, C and other trace materials.
• Nettle: vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, phosphorus, potassium, boron, bromine, copper, iron, selenium and zinc.
• Parsley: vitamins A and C, iron, copper and manganese.
• Dandelion: vitamins A and C, calcium and potassium.
• Stinging Nettle: magnesium, sulphur and iron. (You Grow Girl)
• Horsetail: silica. (You Grow Girl)

(Click here to read more about why plants need tea.)

To create your herb tea fertilizer, fill a 5-gallon bucket with your pruned herb of choice and pack it in tightly. (Using a heavy object such as a brick or a stone may help keep the herbs tightly packed.) Next, pour in water until it reaches the top of your container and let the mix sit for a day or two until the leaves break down. Place in direct sunlight and remember to stir every now and then. Strain the mixture and start composting.

(Read The Complete Compost Gardening Guide.)

Have you ever used a liquid tea fertilizer? What herb do you like to use for your herbal concoction? Drop me a comment and let me know!

My doctor is always telling me to drink more water for its health benefits. However, I think water tastes boring; I prefer unhealthy soda. So instead, he suggested I pour some lemon juice in my water to give it that sweeter taste I desire.

According to LifeMojo, there are tons of health benefits from lemon juice. Simply squeeze fresh lemon into a glass of water, tea, or even your food and you’re on your way to an array of health benefits. Lemon juice can help prevent cancer, cleanses the liver, is packed with antioxidants, soothes cuts and burns, is a great source of vitamin C, and boosts the immune system. Also, if you switch from soda to lemon water, it can be used as an added treatment toward weight loss or diabetes management.

A problem a lot of people run into (including me) is keeping your lemons fresh. Within the last year or two I have discovered this awesome product called True Lemon Crystallized Lemon Substitute. As opposed to bottled lemon juice, this product contains no artificial sweeteners or preservatives and, in my opinion, tastes better. I add it to my water everyday and it helps me drink a lot more water.

It may seem a little pricey at your local market, but it is cheaper to buy in bulk online on their True Lemon website. The website offers recipes that use True Lemon as an ingredient, free samples and includes more information about their other products True Lime, True Orange and True Lemon Naturally Sweet.

I recommend you try the True Lemon Herb Salmon, True Lemon Mint Couscous or Friendship Tea.

www.organixhair.com

I was intrigued with Organix’s Revitalizing Pomegranate Green Tea Shampoo and Conditioner from the moment I opened the shampoo bottle to catch a whiff – these products smell amazing. They emit a very powerful, fruity and delicious fragrance and, at the super reasonable price of only $6.99 for each 13-ounce bottle, I found myself wanting to know more about Organix.

Despite its four beauty awards from WWD Beauty Biz, Self Magazine, All You Magazine and Lifetime, I haven’t noticed any phenomenal change in my hair after testing it for over a month. I have, however, enjoyed its enticing smell. The formula is a blend of antioxidant-rich pomegranate and green tea extracts and is targeted towards dry and brittle hair. The use of tea in a hair care treatment is something I’ve read before (Body & Soul: Wake Up Skin and Hair with Refreshing Tea), so I was excited to see this herbal option on the market.

What’s green about this product? Aside from its name, Organix products contain organic active ingredients; sulfate-free formulas; its bottles are manufactured from recycled post-consumer resin; and its compostable labels are printed with eco-friendly inks. However, its use of methylochloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone concerned me. According to the Environmental Working Group, methylochloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone are preservatives that pose as moderate hazards and are linked as immune skin toxicants.

For its reasonable price, however, I would like to look into their other tantalizing scents: Coconut Milk, Mandarin Olive Oil, Tea Tree Mint, Shea Butter, Vanilla Silk, White Tea Grapeseed, Mocha Espresso, Cucumber Yogurt, Lavender Soymilk, Grapefruit Mango Butter and Passionfruit Guava. 

What about you, fellow herbies? What do you think about Organix products? Green enough? Herbal enough? How do you like these hair care reviews? I have one more left and then I’m moving on to bigger and better things.