Many teas and herbs you savor as beverages can transform your daily beauty routine into a refreshing interlude. Here are three blends made almost entirely from tea, kitchen herbs, and pantry spices. Each blend has a suggested essential oil that will intensify the fragrance.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 1 cup tea blend

　　1/4 cup Chinese green tea leaves

　　1/4 cup whole green cardamom pods

　　1/4 cup whole cloves

　　3 or 4 three-inch cinnamon sticks, coarsely chopped with a heavy-duty knife

　　(Essential oil complement: orange)

　　

Step 1

In a quart-sized plastic bag, place the tea, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Blow into the bag as if blowing up a balloon. Once inflated, hold the bag shut and shake until the herbs are combined. Store in an opaque glass or ceramic jar with a tight-fitting lid or cork. Give the jar a good shake to distribute the ingredients before removing any. For peak fragrance, using within six months.

　　

Aromatic Herbal Tea Blend:

Step 2

Follow the recipe for Green Chai Spa Tea Blend, using 1/3 cup dried lavender flowers, 1/3 cup dried peppermint leaves, and 1/3 cup dried peppermint leaves, and 1/3 cup dried rose petals. (Essential oil complement: rose.)

　　

Stimulating Herbal Tea Blend:

Step 3

Follow the recipe for Green Chai, using 1/3 cup dried eucalyptus leaves, 1/3 cup dried lemon balm leaves, and 1/3 cup dried rosemary leaves. (Essential oil complement: eucalyptus.)

　　From The Tea Deck: 50 Ways to Prepare, Serve, and Enjoy by Sara Perry. Text © 2008 by Sara Perry. Reprinted with permission by Chronicle Books