Hi friend,

Ever feel like summer’s sun and hustle leave your skin—and spirit—begging for a break? Let’s hit reset together with a soothing herbal ritual, a gentle journaling session, and a moment to breathe deeply.

Nourish Your Spirit

This Week’s Podcast: Reducing Inflammation Naturally
Discover how calendula, comfrey, and oats can calm summer-stressed skin. I’m sharing a 5-minute face mask recipe you can whip up from your pantry—perfect for redness or irritation.

🎧 Listen here on Substack

​Listen here on YouTube​

​Listen here on Spotify

Nourish Your Skin

Ayurvedic Soothing Body Scrub Powder

Your skin deserves a tender reset after summer’s heat and chaos. This Ayurvedic-inspired scrub is like a hug from nature—calming, restorative, and oh-so-simple to make. Why It Works:

• Oats: Soothe irritation and soften skin.

• Calendula: Reduces redness and inflammation.

• Comfrey: Repairs tired, stressed skin.

• Sandalwood: Cools and adds an earthy glow.

• Rice Flour: Polishes gently for a smooth finish.

You’ll Need:

• ½ cup finely ground oats (calming and softening)

• ¼ cup calendula petals, dried and ground (soothing + anti-inflammatory)

• ¼ cup comfrey leaf, dried and ground (restorative for tired skin)

• 2 tablespoons sandalwood powder (cooling + gently aromatic)

• 1 tablespoon rice flour (for a smooth, polished feel)

To Make: Blend into a fine powder using a coffee grinder. Store in a glass jar.
To Use: Mix 1–2 tbsp with warm water, milk, or rose water to form a paste. Massage gently onto damp skin in small circles, then rinse.
Pro Tip: Warm your rose water for a luxurious, blooming scent. This dry scrub keeps for months, making it your go-to for a quick, skin-loving reset.

Unlock More Rituals

Ready to deepen your self-care? My Course Library is your cozy space for herbal skincare workshops, seasonal self-care guides, and creative journaling lessons. Find your next favorite ritual—whether you have five minutes or an afternoon.

Whether you have five minutes or an afternoon, you’ll find something to inspire your own gentle renewal.

➡️ Join The Course Library today and start exploring. Your next favorite ritual is waiting for you.

Nourish Your Soul

Ink & Wildflowers: Reset

Our Word Garden this week centers around reset — that quiet, intentional pause that lets us start fresh. It’s not about rushing or reinventing; it’s about returning to the things that bring life, joy, and peace.

Some weeks feel like they carry too much weight, don’t they? That’s when I remind myself: it’s okay to press “pause.” To reset. To begin again, even if it’s 2:37 in the afternoon on a Tuesday.

A Word Garden is like a little bouquet of language — words and phrases you collect, plant on the page, and tend to in your journal. They’re not there to “do” anything. They just bloom quietly and remind you what matters.

Word Garden:
reset · renew · restore · refresh · breathe · begin again · clear space · soften

Scripture:
“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” – Psalm 23:3 Just as God restores our souls, this week’s rituals restore our skin and spirit. Pause, breathe, and let’s start fresh.

Quote:
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis

Creative Invitation:

• Make a Reset Ritual page in your journal — draw or paste images that make you feel renewed.

• Write about a time you gave yourself permission to start fresh.

• Create a “Reset in Five Minutes” list for yourself — tiny actions that help you feel clear and calm when life feels noisy.

• Make a two-column journal page: On the left, write down what you want to releasee. On the right, write what you want to welcome in.
  Decorate the page with colors or images that feel fresh and calming to you.

Reply & Share: What’s one word in your Word Garden this week? I’d love to hear!

Radiant Things I’m Loving

Your Self-Care Menu

Your gentle reset plan — pick one or two each day:

🌸 Morning Reset: Stretch by an open window and take three slow breaths.
💧 Skin Reset: Use the Ayurvedic scrub above or a simple oatmeal soak.
📔 Mind Reset: Write one page of unfiltered thoughts (morning pages).
☕ Rhythm Reset: Swap one cup of coffee for an herbal infusion.
🕯 Evening Reset: Light a calming candle and read before bed.
🚶 Nature Reset: Take a 10-minute walk and notice five beautiful things.

Sharing your light keeps this community growing! Reply with what’s bringing you joy this week—I read every note.

Free Gift: Subscribe to my newsletter here, and I’ll send you my course Ageless Glow: Formulating Herbal Cleansers, Toners, and Moisturizers for Mature Skin Care.

With gentleness and herbal hugs,
Carrie
Carrie’s Handmade Essentials

P.S.: Loved this newsletter? Share it with a friend or leave a podc ast review—it helps other women discover natural, faith-filled self-care.