Article: Lavender water made from lavender flowers won't smell as concentrated as lavender water made from essential oil. Essential oil is the distilled, concentrated essence of lavender made from the flowers. When you use the flowers themselves, the resulting water is very light, but still quite aromatic. Here's what you'll need: A bunch of lavender stems fresh or dried (for a total of 2 tablespoons of buds) 1/2 cup water Glass bowl Spray bottle Funnel Fine-mesh strainer Lavender flowers grow as little buds along straight stems. To make lavender water, you don't need the stems; the buds contain the floral scent. To remove them from the stems, hold a stem over the glass bowl. Gently pinch the stem at its base, and run your fingers from the base to the tip. The buds will fall off into the bowl. You can also buy dried lavender buds that have already been removed from their stems. Look in gourmet food stores or herb shops. This is a great way to use lavender plants that may be growing in your yard. Pour it into a small saucepan and place it over high heat. Heat the water until it comes to a full boil. Don't leave it unattended for too long, or the water will begin to evaporate. Carefully pour it over the buds so that the buds can begin steeping in the hot water. The heat will draw out the oils from the flower, and the water will become scented with lavender. Leave the buds to steep for a few hours or overnight. The process is similar to making tea. Let the buds continue steeping until the water cools. Set the fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour the water into the strainer to strain out the buds. Discard the buds; they won't have a scent now that their essence is gone. Place the funnel over the opening of the spray bottle. Pour the lavender water into the spray bottle. The water is now ready to use on your linens, as air freshener, or as a tool for aromatherapy. If you want the water to have a longer shelf life, you can mix in one ounce of either witch hazel or vodka. Shake the bottle well to distribute it throughout. You may also store it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Gather your supplies. Strip the lavender buds from their stems. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Pour the boiling water over the lavender buds. Cover the bowl and let the buds steep. Strain the buds from the water. Funnel the water into the spray bottle.
Article: Don't apply the olive oil mask right before an event such as a wedding or party. If you encounter problems removing all the olive oil, your hair can look limp or unwashed. This can lead to unappealing, greasy looking hair. Be sure to only apply olive oil treatments to your hair at least several days before any big event so you have plenty of time to deal with any unforeseen circumstances or accidents that may occur. Leaving your hair against your neck or forehead while applying and removing olive oil can cause breakouts on those areas. Place hair in a shower cap or towel to avoid any potential skin problems. Remember that hot olive oil can burn your skin. Warm it gently and be cautious when applying it to your hair. Before you initially apply the olive oil to your hair, take a bit of a precaution by diluting the olive oil with water. Dilute the olive oil in half by adding one part olive oil to two parts water. Taking this step will make the oil easier to get out of your hair once you are done with the application. This could save you a lot of trouble handling too-greasy hair later. Leaving olive oil in your hair for too long can be quite problematic and damaging to the skin on your scalp. It can cause the pores on the scalp to get clogged which can lead to blemishes and irritation. Additionally, it can make any flakes of skin (dandruff) stick to your head which can compound the problem. If one of the cleansing methods doesn't work, don't be disheartened. Keep washing your hair or trying other methods until your hair is back to normal.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Give yourself plenty of time. Avoid extended contact with your skin. Dilute the oil before use. Get it all out.
Article: Both baking soda and dish soap help grease dissolve in water. Combining both ingredients creates a non-toxic cleaning solution that quickly and effectively breaks down tough grease build-up. Adding the baking soda slowly, to cool water, will prevent it from fizzing up over the top of your pot. The hot water will help loosen the grease, allowing the cleaning solution to fully penetrate into the filter. Remove the water from the heat as soon as it starts to boil; too much agitation will create bubbles from the dish soap, which can spill over onto your stove. You can use this cleaning solution to remove grease from the exhaust hood and fan blades inside your unit. Extra solution can also be used to easily clean your stove-top and oven. Pour the solution slowly to prevent backsplash. Keep adding solution until the grease filter is completely submerged. Keep any extra solution warm, in case an additional soak is needed for a filter with particularly serious grease build-up. You can soak the filter in the same pot you heated the solution, as long as it is not a non-stick pot. The metal filter will scratch non-stick coating. Most pots are not big enough to completely cover a typical grease filter, so you may need to do half of the filter at a time in order to get the entire filter clean. As the filter soaks, the baking soda and dish soap will slowly dissolve the grease. The dirtier the filter, the longer you should let it soak. If you have not cleaned your filter in years, you may need to let it soak for up to an hour. Use a non-abrasive sponge or soft bristled brush to scrub away any remaining grease. The grease should come away easily. Avoid scrubbing aggressively to minimize the risk of damaging your filter. If some of the grease is stuck on the filter, repeat the soaking process with clean solution. Wash away as much grease and residue as possible. Grease will collect faster on areas of the filter that are still dirty. Starting with a perfectly clean filter will slow down future build-up. You do not want any moisture on your filter when you re-install it. Air-drying, instead of using a cloth or blow drying, will prevent the filter from being damaged. The filter should be completely dry after an hour or 2 of air-drying. The more you cook, the more often you should clean your grease filters. Regular cleaning will make your exhaust fan operate much more efficiently, and greatly decrease the health and safety risks that grease build-up presents.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Slowly add baking soda and dish soap into a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil. Set aside 1 cup (235 ml) of the finished cleaning solution. Carefully pour hot cleaning solution over the grease filter. Let the filter soak for 15-30 minutes. Scrub away the grease. Rinse the filter off with hot water. Air-dry your filter completely. Clean your grease filters regularly.