I adore spring.  The flowers, the sun, the baby birds, everything.

I do not adore the quadrillion things that are releasing pollen and giving me the most insane hives I have ever seen.

The other day I got a giant shot of corticosteroids in my arm to wipe out the hives.  I thought it was working for a while, but no dice.

What does work (at least for a few hours) is a nice long soak in an aloe and rosemary bath!

The home made spa recipe is a little more complicated than the Rosemary and Epsom Salt Bath, but it is totally worth it.  I promise.

First you gather your aloe and rosemary leaves.  Both of these plants are insanely easy to grow, indoors or out.  I highly recommend giving them both a chance in your home.

And don’t forget a sharp knife!

I like to get the rosemary leaves boiling on the stove while I run the hot bath water and cut up the aloe.

To cut the aloe first you cut off the sharp sides.  You can just drop those straight into the bath water.

Then you have two sides of your aloe leaf with the gell just waiting to be scraped out and enjoyed.

Use your sharp knife to scrap out all the gel (it looks like mucas)  You can drop that straight into the bath.  Or you can eat it.  Seriously, it is very good for you.

Once you have all of your aloe pieces scraped off and soaking in the bath, you pour your rosemary juice (with or without leaves, your choice) straight into the bath.  At this point you can leave the aloe leaves in the tub and hop in, or you can take them out, but keep them close, you will need them in a minute.

Soak in the delightful and healing bath for a good long time.  While you are soaking grab some of those used aloe leaves and rub them (cut-side down) on your skin.  The hot water and scraping will have released more of their juices.

Even if you don’t have hives, this bath will be a god-send for anyone with sun irritation, insect bites, or skin that is still suffering from the post-winter blues.

Happy Healing!