Used once a week, this will keep the summer lightness in blonde hair, or gradually lift mouse-to-fair hair.

INGREDIENTS

• 25g dried chamomile flowers
• 25g powdered dried rhubarb root
• 200ml boiling filtered mineral or rainwater
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

In a pstle and mortar or an electric herb grinder, grind the chamomile flowers to a fine powder.Combine them with the powdered rhubarb root in a bowl. Add the boiling water to create a paste, and then mix in the olive oil. Using clips or grips, section off your dry hair and smooth the paste from roots to tip of each section. Wrap your hair in clingfilm and allow the treatment 45 minutes to work. Rinse thoroughly with warm water, then shampoo and condition.

TIP

Although lemon juice isn’t great for hair condition, it’s fantastic for creating highlights. Don’t pour it all over: select some chunks or big strands, and work a cotton wool pad dunked in lemon juice through the tip. Be careful not to get lemon juice on your scalp, though, as it can burn in the sun.

If you use a mirror, you can work on the same streaks throughout your holiday and really create a sun-kissed effect.

CHAMOMILE  (ANTHEMIS NOBILIS)

Chamomile is one of the most useful herbs in the beauty world; its soothing, de-puffing and skin-strenghtening benefits can be experienced in creams, lotions, hair products and bath oils.

It’s the ultimate herb for wannabe-blondes to cultivate, because of its naturally hair-lightening effects. The name comes from the Greek kamai (ground) and melon (apple) – because if you tread in chamomile, it wafts a wonderfully appley fragrance which is said to be beneficial to the nervous system. We also call it “Roman chamomile” – despite the Greek name – because the Romans are said to have introdiced it to Britain; according to Culpeper, they used an oil from the flowers to anoint stiff joints, and poured a soothing infusion into their baths.

If you have space, it’s lovely to make a chamomile “lawn”: the mat-like growth quickly colonises, and in late summer, will be covered in blooms which are the plant’s true beauty bounty.

Chamomile is generally used for its anti-inflammatory and anti-irritating effects, but just occasionally, some individuals prove allergic to chamomile – so, as always, do a “patch test” before gaily slathering on your beauty creation. If you don’t grow and harvest your own, the dried herb – which is also the most widely used plant material in herbal medicine – retains its effectiveness very well. The bonus? A wonderfully sedative tea of dried chamomile flowers can be brewed to waft your sleep-wards.

Source: The ultimate natural beauty book by Josephine Fairley – Kyle Cathie Limited

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