Tips on Creating Powdered Lavender
Working with different dried herbs in face masks and cleansing powders has taught me that some herbs are far trickier to transform into a 'proper' powder than others.
Take lavender.
I love lavender to pieces, but at the same time, it can drive me absolutely batty. Buying it in powdered form hasn't brought me much joy – regardless of supplier.
It's entirely possible that I'm overly picky, but in my book, a face cleansing powder should not contain annoying bits that keep sticking to the skin after everything else has willingly rinsed away.
Today's challenge: Turning dried lavender into a powder that rinses away without leaving bits sticking to your face.
Lavender Powder? In Your Dreams!
About a year ago, I decided to get serious about making lavender powder and invested in a rather large bag of dried whole buds so I could do a bit of experimentation with different 'powderizing' techniques.Spoiler: I'm not quite there yet, but have gotten pretty close.
I'll spare you the numerous failed attempts and concentrate on the method that has shown the most promise.
The Grind
Above: my preferred herb-pulverizing apparatus. Most of the time, this handy coffee bean grinder does a bang-up job.But no matter how long you grind dried lavender buds, they only become something that looks like a powder.
Try sifting lavender that has been in a grinder and you'll see what I mean. It's almost like the dried buds are too lightweight to be properly ground to a powder.
Since the main goal was to use the lavender in a powdered face cleanser, and my powdered face cleansers include clay, it occurred to me that it might be possible to 'weigh down the lavender' by adding some clay during grinding.
And gosh darned if it didn't help – a whole lot.
Here are the results of a few different clays mixed with lavender and run through the grinder.
The winner is hopefully evident in the picture above. Rhassoul (also called ghassoul) seems to have the necessary weight to 'hold down' the lavender while it's being ground. It's also the heaviest of all the clays I tried.
The photo above was taken prior to passing the ground mixture through a sieve.
Sifting helped remove most of the remaining unwanted 'fluffy bits'.
Pictured at the top of this post is some of the final discarded bits – artfully arranged for your viewing pleasure.
Comments
Marie with Humble bee gave a little trick with the coffee grinders that’s ive found helpful. Place a small piece of “Saran wrap” or plastic film
Over the top of the grinder, then replace the lid. It helps the flowers stick closer to the actual blades, helping the herbs to be of a finer consistency. Works well in my experience.
@Kim - I am now on my way to check out Vitamix - thanks for the tip!
@AngMay - I def n eed to check out the Black and Decker product. This sounds promising! Thanks!
@Kris Boggs - Thanks for sharing the tip from Marie at Humblebee. I looked at my own grinder and this wouldn't have helped much on my present model, but perhaps it is a great tip for others.