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8 forms of capital active hope adaptation agroecology agroforestry alder buckthorn Amazon anxiety apples arthritis autumn Autumn equinox back yard beans Bec Hellouin beech tree bees beneficial berries biochar biodigester biodiversity blackberries blackthorn book review brain brassica cage budget build building campesino capital card deck Celtic festivals change changes chemical-free chickens christmas circular clay pot cleansers cleansing milks climate change climate chaos climate collapse climate emergency climate grief climate solutions climbers climbing cob comfrey community Community Nature Network community projects compost compost teas connection consciousness conservation container cooking coppice coppicing cordial cosmology courgettes crafts crisis crop protection Cross Quarter Festival cultural emergence culture cut flowers cycles degraded design diary diversity DIY do it yourself dryland earth care earth's cycles Earth's energy earths cycles ecoculture economics ecopoetry ecosystem ecosystem restoration camps ecosystems edges edible edible flowers education efficiency elder elderflowers elements elixir energy equinox ethics face mask fair shares Fairtrade farming feedback feminine ferns figs film firewood floristry flower essence flower garden flowers food food forest food garden footbath forage foraging forest garden forest gardening forests fruit fruit leather fruit trees full moon funding fungi future future care gardening gardens garlic gift economy gin Give Nature a voice Glennie Kindred global poverty glut grapes green space greenhouse grief groundcover grow grow food grow your own growing guilds habitat habits handcream harvest harvests hawthorn hazel hazelnut healing shrubs healing trees health healthy soil heart health hedgerow hedging herbal herbal remedies herbal teas herbalist herbs holistic holistic planned grazing home homeless homemade wine homestead hope Hugelkultur humanure hummus hungry gap IBC tanks Imbolc incense increase yields Indigenous inexpensive influence inspiration International Womens Day jam keyline kingfisher kitchen garden lacto-fermentation Lammas land landscape landscapes life lifestyle limeflowers livelihood livestock living labs logs Looby Macnamara lotion low cost low-impact Lush Spring Prize macerations Manda Scott Mangwende Orphan Care Trust market garden market gardening marmalade marshmallow mass heater meadowsweet medicinal microbes microfarm Midwest Permaculture mimic mindset mitigation money moon phases Morag Gamble moringa Mother Earth movement mulch multifunctional mushrooms native plants natural natural building natural fertiliser natural skincare natural swimming pool nature nature connection nitrogen no dig no waste no-dig north-facing novel November nutrition nuts observe oca October off-grid oil cleansing orchard orchards organic organic flowers organic gardening outdoor shower oven oxymel oyster pallets pasture-fed patterns people people care peoplecare perennials permaculture permaculture design permaculture magazine award permaculture projects permaculutre permayouth pesto pests philippines pine tree pips pizza oven plant profile plants pollinators pollution polyculture polycultures positive change preserving principles propagating protection pruning prunings psycho-spiritual awareness psychospiritual transformation rainforest rainwater raspberries recipe recipes reduce reed beds regeneration regenerative regenerative agriculture relative location relative matter remedy renewable renewable energy resilient resources restoration reuse revolution rhythms rootstock rootstocks roundhouse roundwood runner beans Rupert Read sage salad salads salve Samhain schools Scotland scotts pine seasonal seasons seeds selfcare Sepp Holzer september septic tanks sewage treatment shade shamanism sheet mulching shrubs skincare sloes slugs small solutions small-scale smallholding social justice soil health solar solstice solutions sowing spiritual spring squash stacking functions stock-free straw straw bale summer support sustainable Sweet Bay syntropic systems temperate terraces thistles thrutopia timber timber framing tincture tonic toolkit tools transformation Transformative Adaptation trees upcycle urban urban gardening veg garden vegan veganic vermicomposting vinegar visionaries walnuts waste water water cleansing watering weeds wellbeing wetland wild edges wild food wild garlic wildflower wildlife wine recipes wings winter winter greens winter salads winter solstice wood stove woodburner woodland woodland management woodlands world is possible worms yarrow year round year-round food yield young people youth zai pits zone 00 zoning

Topics

8 forms of capital active hope adaptation agroecology agroforestry alder buckthorn Amazon anxiety apples arthritis autumn Autumn equinox back yard beans Bec Hellouin beech tree bees beneficial berries biochar biodigester biodiversity blackberries blackthorn book review brain brassica cage budget build building campesino capital card deck Celtic festivals change changes chemical-free chickens christmas circular clay pot cleansers cleansing milks climate change climate chaos climate collapse climate emergency climate grief climate solutions climbers climbing cob comfrey community Community Nature Network community projects compost compost teas connection consciousness conservation container cooking coppice coppicing cordial cosmology courgettes crafts crisis crop protection Cross Quarter Festival cultural emergence culture cut flowers cycles degraded design diary diversity DIY do it yourself dryland earth care earth's cycles Earth's energy earths cycles ecoculture economics ecopoetry ecosystem ecosystem restoration camps ecosystems edges edible edible flowers education efficiency elder elderflowers elements elixir energy equinox ethics face mask fair shares Fairtrade farming feedback feminine ferns figs film firewood floristry flower essence flower garden flowers food food forest food garden footbath forage foraging forest garden forest gardening forests fruit fruit leather fruit trees full moon funding fungi future future care gardening gardens garlic gift economy gin Give Nature a voice Glennie Kindred global poverty glut grapes green space greenhouse grief groundcover grow grow food grow your own growing guilds habitat habits handcream harvest harvests hawthorn hazel hazelnut healing shrubs healing trees health healthy soil heart health hedgerow hedging herbal herbal remedies herbal teas herbalist herbs holistic holistic planned grazing home homeless homemade wine homestead hope Hugelkultur humanure hummus hungry gap IBC tanks Imbolc incense increase yields Indigenous inexpensive influence inspiration International Womens Day jam keyline kingfisher kitchen garden lacto-fermentation Lammas land landscape landscapes life lifestyle limeflowers livelihood livestock living labs logs Looby Macnamara lotion low cost low-impact Lush Spring Prize macerations Manda Scott Mangwende Orphan Care Trust market garden market gardening marmalade marshmallow mass heater meadowsweet medicinal microbes microfarm Midwest Permaculture mimic mindset mitigation money moon phases Morag Gamble moringa Mother Earth movement mulch multifunctional mushrooms native plants natural natural building natural fertiliser natural skincare natural swimming pool nature nature connection nitrogen no dig no waste no-dig north-facing novel November nutrition nuts observe oca October off-grid oil cleansing orchard orchards organic organic flowers organic gardening outdoor shower oven oxymel oyster pallets pasture-fed patterns people people care peoplecare perennials permaculture permaculture design permaculture magazine award permaculture projects permaculutre permayouth pesto pests philippines pine tree pips pizza oven plant profile plants pollinators pollution polyculture polycultures positive change preserving principles propagating protection pruning prunings psycho-spiritual awareness psychospiritual transformation rainforest rainwater raspberries recipe recipes reduce reed beds regeneration regenerative regenerative agriculture relative location relative matter remedy renewable renewable energy resilient resources restoration reuse revolution rhythms rootstock rootstocks roundhouse roundwood runner beans Rupert Read sage salad salads salve Samhain schools Scotland scotts pine seasonal seasons seeds selfcare Sepp Holzer september septic tanks sewage treatment shade shamanism sheet mulching shrubs skincare sloes slugs small solutions small-scale smallholding social justice soil health solar solstice solutions sowing spiritual spring squash stacking functions stock-free straw straw bale summer support sustainable Sweet Bay syntropic systems temperate terraces thistles thrutopia timber timber framing tincture tonic toolkit tools transformation Transformative Adaptation trees upcycle urban urban gardening veg garden vegan veganic vermicomposting vinegar visionaries walnuts waste water water cleansing watering weeds wellbeing wetland wild edges wild food wild garlic wildflower wildlife wine recipes wings winter winter greens winter salads winter solstice wood stove woodburner woodland woodland management woodlands world is possible worms yarrow year round year-round food yield young people youth zai pits zone 00 zoning

Benefits of Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Learn how to use wildflower yarrow (Achillea millefolium), in your natural skincare routines.

One of the most common wild flowers, yarrow (Achillea millefolium) has many names, including herba militaris, the military herb, knights’ milfoil, bloodwort, staunchweed, soldier’s woundwort and carpenter’s weed and nosebleed, all drawing on its ability to staunch blood. The botanical name derives from the Greek hero Achilles who is said to have used it to heal his soldiers’ wounds during the Trojan war. While the common name derives from the Greek hiera, or holy herb, referencing its medicinal properties. Yarrow is a curious plant in that it will help other plants growing nearby to resist disease, and when added to skincare, it will increase the potency of other herbal ingredients. There is much folklore associated with yarrow; in Gloucestershire a sprig will be included in the bridal bouquet under the name ‘seven-year’s-love’. 

Benefits 

Yarrow is astringent, so great for greasy, oily or problem skin. Include it in facial steams, deep cleansing face packs and treatments for itchy scalps or oily hair. Use in creams and lotions for cleansing and use an infusion of yarrow with witch hazel as a toner. Yarrow can help darken grey hair and restore a youthful appearance. It will also help with wounds, nosebleeds and inflamed eyes. Kept in the bathroom, it can be a quick remedy to apply to shaving cuts. 

Parts to use  

Flowers, stems and leaves.

How to find, grow, harvest 

Yarrow is a fragile-looking delicate plant, with flat clusters of cream and yellow flowers held up on strong, slender stems. It flowers from early summer through to late autumn, and is best collected in August when it is in full flower. A common roadside plant, it has tough, creeping roots that allow it to spread steadily in most soils. But it doesn’t like shady areas and is at its best in open meadows. You might find its feathery, aromatic foliage in lawns, but it’s more identifiable when allowed to grow to its full height of about 60cm. Once established in your garden it should thrive and may even need to be kept in check. 

Special care 

Prolonged use of yarrow may cause allergic rashes and make the skin more sensitive to sunlight.

Facial steam for blackheads and oily skin 

2 handfuls of yarrow

Make: Put the yarrow into a bowl and cover with 2 pints (1.1 litre) of boiling water. Cover the head and bowl with a towel and allow to steam for 10 minutes to cleanse and soften the skin. Wipe your face and splash with cold water to close the pores. Can also add chamomile, nettle, limeflower or salad burnet. 

Yarrow lotion 

30g yarrow leaves

Make: Put the yarrow leaves in a bowl and pour over 2/3 cup (158ml) of boiling water. Leave to get quite cold, then strain and bottle. 

Use: Wipe on and off as a cleanser. 

This is an extract from Laura Pardoe’s Vital Skincare: Natural Healthy Skin in Just 5 Minutes a Day. Chapters include:

  • Why it is Vital to Look after your Skin
  • Blending Your Own
  • Three determinants that make your skin what it is
  • Cleansing
  • Toners
  • Exfoliating
  • Moisturising
  • Learn to Blend like a Pro 
  • Powerhouse Seed Oils
  • Flower Power 
  • Our Closest Herbs – through the seasons
  • Little Rituals – Reflecting on your Skincare

Further Resources

Watch

Make Your Own Natural Skincare

Books

Vital Skincare
by Laura Pardoe

The Medicinal Forest Garden Handbook
by Anne Stobart

Letting in the Wild Edges
by Glennie Kindred

Articles

Natural Skincare Recipes with Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

How to Make your own Natural Cleansers

Benefits of Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) – hand cream and face mask recipes

Vital Skincare

About the Author

Laura is a plantswoman and natural skincare formulator. Now living in the Cotswolds, her time is shared between family, hedgerows, garden, workshops, desk and lab as she blends traditional and modern approaches to bring the skincare benefits of temperate plants to all.