14 Perennial Herbs for Skin Care You can Grow in Zone 4

Plant these 14 hardy perennial herbs in your garden for an unlimited supply of herbs for skin care and skin healing.  These are the herbs you need not just for salves and ointments but also for moisturizers, eye serums, lotions, tattoo salve, and facial masks.  

Since earliest history, people have used garden herbs for skin care, perfume, and healing. Biblical references to spikenard (lavender), as an ointment and perfume, as well as the Latin roots of the botanical names of many of our medicinal herbs testify to their long history of use.  These herbs are still used today for skin care.  Plant some of these in your skin care garden bed for an unlimited supply.

Your skin is your largest organ. While it will absorb many of the things it comes in contact with, it also serves to protect your body from dangers. Skin on your face and hands reflects age faster, due to being exposed to the sun and drying air more.  Taking good care of your skin helps your overall health, beauty, and wellness.  The skin is a mirror of your overall health.

Traditionally, herbal ointments were used to treat muscle and join inflammation, and other under-skin issues. However, the botanicals we use for skin care must do more for us than just reduce inflammation.  Our most frequent injuries are abrasions, bruises, and cuts to our skin.  These herbs for skin care can help you rejuvenate, repair, and care for your skin, improving elasticity, increasing cell regeneration, and removing the damage caused by sun exposure.

 

Bee Balm and Monarda (Mondarda didyma; Monarda fistulosa)

Monarda or bee balm are easy to grow members of the mint family.  Once you get them started you’ll have trouble free harvests for years.

Monarda or Beebalm flowers come in red, mauve, and pink as well as shades in between.  They are loved by bumble bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Monarda is a great companion plant in the perennial border.  With a long blooming season, it fills in when other perennial flowers have faded.  Hardy to zone 3, it will continue to bloom till frost.

How to grow it:

Monarda and Bee Balm grow best in full sun. They attract native bee species, butterflies, and other native pollinators. Start indoors and transplant out after the first frost for blooms this year, or direct seed this easy to grow mint family plant for flowers in the second season.  The plant will fill in the space you plant it, so it’s better in the perennial border rather than among your vegetables.  If you have monarda growing close by, these plants are easy to get started with root divisions.  So ask your gardening friends if they any they can share.  You’ll get your perennial border started much faster with root divisions than with seed.

When to harvest it:

Harvest Monarda when the flowers begin to open. This is when the fragrance is strongest and the plants are highest in antioxidants.  Both leaves and flowers can be used for skin care.  While traditionally used as a tea with a flavor similar to Earl Grey, Monarda is also a great addition to your skin care apothecary.

Skin care benefits:

This gorgeous flower is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, antiseptic, anti-oxidant, soothing to burns and scrapes, cooling.

How to use it for skin care:

Infuse the dried flowers in a carrier oil and then use this to make a salve or ointment.  Infuse the dried flowers in witch hazel and use it to make an astringent.  Use it in the same way you would use lavender to ease inflammation, abrasions, and burns.  Monarda is also a fragrant bath herb and can be dried and used in bath tea or bath bombs to soothe dry skin.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

This easy to grow perennial is hardy to zone 2 and is a favorite of bumble bees.  It grows well in the shade,  in partial sun, or in full sun.  It need no fertilization.

Comfrey spreads from rhizomes, and is a good plant for the areas nothing else wants to grow in.  It can also be grown in large pots.  Bumble bees love comfrey, and it is a good companion plant to encourage native pollinators. Comfrey is traditionally used in the topical treatment of broken bones and fractures.

How to grow it:

Comfrey tends to spread easily and wild varieties will self seed which can be problematic if you don’t want to spend your garden time controlling volunteers.  Choose a clone of Bocking 14 or Bocking 4.  These are specially selected hybrids that won’t produce viable seed.  You may be able to get a start from a neighbor.  These selected varieties make a large amount of leafy matter for garden mulch, fertilizer, or livestock feed.

Comfrey seed can be direct sown at any time, spring is recommended. It can grow in full sun to partial shade, and likes consistent watering. However, it can survive dryer conditions. The plant is a good border plant and will easily spread to fill available space. Comfrey is tall, so plant near the back of your perennial bed or in the corner of your skin care garden. Learn more about using comfrey on the homestead here.

Skin care benefits:

The allantoin in comfrey leaves is a proven skin healer that encourages cell proliferation.  Comfrey is anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antifungal, and contains a high amount of soothing mucilage for calming broken, red, or inflamed skin.

When to harvest it:

Harvest comfrey leaves any time during the growing season. Comfrey is a prolific grower and will regrow when cut back during the growing season. Harvest comfrey roots in the fall, near the time of the first frost.

How to use it for skin care:

Infuse olive oil with dried comfrey leaves.  Use this as a massage oil, or use the oil as a base for salves and ointments.  Comfrey is useful for bruises, strains, sprains, and bone bruises, as well as skin imperfections, redness, and dryness.

Cautions: Avoid the internal use of comfrey.  The plant contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which can cause liver damage if taken in excess or over long time periods.

Elder (Sambucus nigra)

Elder bushes love direct sun and well drained soil. Frequently dying back in colder winters, they are hardy in Zone 3, but prefer Zone 4 or higher. If you are zone three, look for a bush type that will fruit on first year branches, some of the zone-four hardy varieties need to have second year branches for fruiting.

How to grow it:

Seeds should be started in pots in February.  The plants should be grown out to 3 or 4 inches tall before being planted outdoors. Plants can be planted outdoors any time after your last frost date.  You can also start elderberry from cuttings taken during the dormant period. Treat the cut end with cinnamon powder and push into prepared soil.  Cover to protect the cutting from drying out.  The elder cutting will root in about 6 weeks, in optimal conditions.  Transplant to its permanent location in mid summer.

When to harvest it:

Harvest the white, umbrella flower heads when the flowers are just fully open. Dry for teas, or to infuse in oil. Leave some flower heads to produce fruit, which can also be harvested and dried for later use. Both the flowers and berries of the elder are used for herbal medicines.

Skin care benefits:

The flowers are anti-aging, reduces wrinkles, anti-oxidant

How to use it for skin care:

Infuse as a serum for use around the eyes.

Helichrysum (Helichrysum  italicum)

Also known as an “everlasting,” or “immotelle” the yellow flowers are preferred for skincare.  Helichrysum is an exceptional herb for skin healing.  Very high in antioxidants, just a few drops of the essential oil in a moisturizer or eye serum will benefit the skin, increasing collagen and elasticity, and promoting healthy cell proliferation.  Helichrysum is one of the herbs recommended for after tattoo care.

How to grow it:

This species prefers sandy to dry soils, and direct sun.  It’s a good candidate for the xeriscape garden. It thrives from zone 4 to 8. It is  not very attractive to deer, making it a good choice for more open spaces, wild meadows, and butterfly gardens.

When to harvest it:

Harvest the flowers at any time after they have opened, and before the center dries out. The outer flower petals are naturally dry and they can last indefinitely as a dry flower for decoration or craft projects.

Skin care benefits:

This plant has antibacterial and antioxidant properties.  It is used to reduce the appearance of stretch marks, scars, and fine lines.

How to use it for skin care:

Infused in oil for salves, or in topical teas or poultices.  Add the essential oil to anti-aging serums and creams.

Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis)

Lady’s Mantle is a pretty dark green ground cover, with yellow flowers. It will fill in space areas of light shade, but does need some time of direct sun for best growth.

How to grow it:

Lady’s Mantle can be direct sown, or propagated from cuttings and root division. It will self seed, if not dead-headed before the seeds are mature. It prefers afternoon shade, in hot climates, and well drained soil. Due to leaf mass, the plant can get sun scorched easily. After the first blossoms have faded, you can cut the plant back to encourage new growth and flowers for a second harvest.

When to harvest it:

This plant blossoms from June to September, and the flowers can be harvested as soon as the blossoms open. Dry for use in infused oils.

Skin care benefits:

This plant is anti-inflammatory, and astingent.  It is useful for bleeding problems, swelling, and puffiness.

How to use it for skin care:

Infuse dry blossoms in oil for anti-inflammatory salves, use leaves as a poultice for inflamed skin.

Lavender Lavandula sp.(zone 4 to 10)

Lavender is an easy to grow perennial herb that thrives on neglect.  Put it in a spot where it won’t be overwatered from spinklers or add a few pebbles to the bottom of the planting hole to promote good drainage. There are dozens of lavender varieties with varying colors of flowers, and foliage, but all with the same range of benefits, but for colder gardens these varieties will have the best chance of surviving a test winter.

How to grow it:

Lavender grows easily from seed.  But plants started from seed will not bloom reliable until the second year after planting.  Planting transplants will give you blooms the first year.  Plant in full sun, in an area that won’t be over-watered. Lavender thrives with a once or twice a year pruning, usually early spring to get rid of the dead twigs from winter, and late summer when the unharvested blossoms begin to fade are the best times to prune.

If you decide to grow lavender from seed, start it indoors in January or February and plant outdoors after the last frost date. Lavender is hardy to zone 4, but requires mulching for winter protection. Lavender is ideal for rocky borders and gardens, and for dryer climates.

Propagate lavender by cuttings if you already have an established plant that does well in your growing zone.

When to harvest it:

Harvest lavender when the flower spike is fully grown but before the tiny top buds on the flower stock fully open. This gives the sweetest and longest lasting fragrance. Dry lavender upside down in bunches for future use.

Skin care benefits:

Soothing, lavender helps regenerate damaged skin from burns.  It is pain relieving, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and cooling. Lavender flowers will stop the pain of a burn or the pain of a bee sting equally effectively.  Use if for sunburn, chaffing, and redness, too.  Lavender is calming and uplifts the mood.

How to use it for skin care:

Infuse dry lavender blossoms in oil for use in salves or ointments.  Infuse in witch hazel to use as a cooling astringent.

 

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

Lemon balm is a mint family plant that is fragrant and attractive to bees and butterflies.  It’s hardy in zone 4.  Lemon balm is a well behaved mint family plant so no need to contain its roots.  The leaves and flowers have a light lemon flavor and scent.

How to grow it:

Direct seed lemon balm in full sun where you want it to grow.   This hardy perennial will flower the second year after planting and will continue to grow and spread out over the seasons, filling in the perennial bed.

When to harvest it:

Harvest full stocks for drying when they are about a foot high. Clip the stalk above a leaf bracket and the plant will branch at the cut, allowing several harvests during the growing season.  Dry the stalks by hanging them to dry in an well ventilated spot protected from light.  Once the plants are crispy-dry, remove the leaves from the stalks and package in glass jars.  Store in a cool dry spot, protected from light and heat.

Skin care benefits:

Lemon balm is antimicrobial, anti-fungal, antiviral,  and high in antioxidants.   Lemon Balm is a first rate herb to use against herpes virus, cold sores, and other viral skin eruptions.  It is calming and anti-inflammatory for skin eruptions and abrasions.

How to use it for skin care:

Infuse dried lemon balm leaves in olive oil and use for a massage oil, a salve, or lip balm for cold sore treatment.  Infuse the dried leaves in witch hazel for an astringent.

Ox Eye Daisy ( Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)

This common flower, often seen as a weed in areas it has naturalized, is a beautiful though plain member of the sunflower family. Attractive to native pollinators, it has a long bloom season.

How to grow it:

Scatter seeds on prepared ground in early spring. It thrives in poor soil, and is a good choice for a wild flower meadow. Ox eye daisy blossoms as early as June, and continues into August. It handles frost well.

When to harvest it:

Harvest flowers when the plants are 50% open, before the flowers have been pollinated by bees.  The plants will continue to send up new flowers as long as the plant is dead headed regularly.   Dry the flowers as immediately. Leaves can also be harvested for salads, they have a flavor reminiscent of anise and licorice.

Skin care benefits:

Similar to chamomile, ox-eye daisy is soothing for the skin, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.  Daisies were traditionally used to fade age spots on hands and face.

How to use it for skin care:

Infuse dry blossoms in oil for use in salves, or add the flowers to bath-tea. Make an astringent by infusing witch hazel with dried daisy flowers and dab on age spots to fade over time.

Plantain (Plantago major, P. lanceolata)

Often found in damp areas in the wild, plantain is a valuable asset to address stings, splinters, acne, skin eruptions, and insect bites. You can wild craft plantain, or collect seed and plant it into your garden. When it is in your garden, among your arsenal of herbs for skin care, you have more control than if you have to wild craft it every time.

How to grow it:

Direct seed, or transplant where you desire plantain to grow. Plantain likes direct sun in a well watered area. In the wild, it is often found near streams or in low spots. Largely a flat plant, except for the blossoming stems, the leaves flourish in rich soil.

When to harvest it:

Harvest the leaves throughout the season. Dry slightly before using in tincture or infusions.

Skin care benefits:

Plantain is drawing, vulnerary, and astringent.  Useful for bee stings, snake bites, and infections.

How to use it for skin care:

Fresh leaves can be crushed and used as a poultice.  Dried leaves are infused in oil and the oil is used for salves and ointments.  A strong tea can be used for a skin wash or a wound wash.

Rose (sp.)

Roses are an amazing choice among all the herbs for skin care, for herbal use the wild rose,  the rugosa roses or the apothecary rose are often preferred varieties, although any organically grown, fragrant rose can be used for skin care.

How to grow it:

Roses can be propagated from cuttings, or sometimes started from seed. Most people prefer to purchase plants of known provenance. If you already have roses, you can propagate your own with air layering, or by rooting a cut stem.

When to harvest it:

Harvest rose petals just after the blossom has opened. You can infuse rose oil immediately from the petals, or dry the petals for later use in tea or infused oils. Rose hips are also beneficial and can be harvested as soon as they reach a uniform orange tone.

Skin care benefits:

Roses are astringent, tonic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and their scent is antidepressant.  Rose hip seed oil is especially useful as an anti-aging oil, rich in polyphenols and carotenoids to nourish the skin.  Although it’s difficult to make rose hip seed oil at home, most DIYers infuse the dried petals in a carrier oil to capture some of the rose benefits for skin care.  I use rose hip seed oil extensively in my facial serums and anti-aging eye serums.  Rosehip seed oil is quickly absorbed into the skin without feeling greasy.

How to use it for skin care:

Use oil infused with lightly dryed rose petals as part of your skin care lotions and creams. Rose infused oil is also amazing as a massage oil.  Rich in antioxidants it is one of the best plants for antiaging skin care.

Sage (Salvia officinalis, Salvia sp.)

A well known culinary herb, sage is a sweet herb to add to your garden. The low growing bushes thrive in rocky and dry soils. It can be grown as a short lived perennial in zone 4, and a longer lived perennial in warmer zones.

How to grow it:

Start seed indoors at least 8 weeks before last frost date. Alternatively, you can direct sow the seed as soon as the ground can be worked. The plants will emerge when the soil reaches 70F. Thin seedlings to 6 inches apart.

When to harvest it:

Harvest the leaves individually at any time during the growing season. Plant can be cut back in the fall, or when flowers start to form, for a larger harvest. Sage dries well.

Skin care benefits:

This herb is antimicrobial, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, and astringent.  Sage is often used as a skin wash to prevent infection and restore skin integrity.

How to use it for skin care:

Use sage in infused oil, or as part of a bath-tea blend.  Sage is especially beneficial when you are feeling run down and need its detoxing, antifungal, antibacterial benefits.

Violet (Viola sororia):

There are several species of violet indigenous to North America. This includes common violet also known as wood violet, as well as yellow stream violets, and white violet. The naturalized species can also be wild crafted, or seeded into your garden, as part of your collection of herbs for skin care.

How to grow it:

Start indoors and transplant out when the seedlings are large enough to handle, about 2 inches tall. Violets like dappled shade and damp soil. Violet is a low growing perennial, and will also self-seed. It is good companion plant in the garden.  Plant violets in the rose garden as a companion plant.  Violets encourage roses to grow better.

When to harvest it:

Violet’s bloom in the spring, and you can harvest flowers as soon as they open. Leaves can be harvested throughout the growing season for poultices.

Skin care benefits:

Violets are rich in mucilage, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic.  Many varieties also contain high amounts of salicin, a natural compound that smells of winter green and is related to aspirin.  Violet poultices are often used to soothe eczema and other skin eruptions.

How to use it for skin care: 

Use leaves and flowers as a poultice on inflamed areas.

Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)

Witch hazel is a deciduous shrub native to North America. Allow lots of space for a witch hazel bush.  It will grow to 15 feet high in zone 4 with a 15 to 20 foot spread. If you chose to grow Witch Hazel, it will be a valuable addition to your collection of herbs for skin care.

How to grow it:

This shrub prefers full sun, with well drained soil. It can grow well in partial shade, but blossoms best with consistent full sun. Witch hazel flowers in October, after frost. It can be propagated with cuttings.

When to harvest it:

Harvest the bark in early spring when the sap has just begun to run.  Harvest the leaves any time during the growing season.

Skin care benefits:

Witch Hazel is an astringent, tonic, antioxidant, and anti inflammatory.  Witch hazel washes are used as an astringent to tighten pores and tonify skin.   To use homegrown witch hazel bark and leaves make a decoction with filtered water.  Let it steep for 15 minutes before straining.  The decoction should be made fresh daily.  It is not shelf stable.

How to use it for skin care:

Witch Hazel is frequently used as tincture for topical application. It is more astringent than some of the other herbs for skin care, and is recommended for oily skin and acne.

Yarrow (Achillea sp.)

Yarrow thrives in dryer circumstances, and poor soil. If planted in soil that is too rich or too wet, the plants will fall over while blooming. Yarrow varieties can be grown together, the most common one used as an herb is Achillea millefolium, but all yarrow species have the similar properties. It is frequently used as a cut flower.

How to grow it:

Yarrow can be direct seeded in spring, before the last frost date, and will produce flowers the second year after planting in zone 4. It is a good choice for a meadow garden, or for dry borders and rock gardens where there will be low watering. If you are starting from seed, it can take from 120-130 days till flowering. Already established plants will bloom earlier in the season than newly seeded ones.

When to harvest it:

Harvest yarrow flowers when they are just barely open. Dry in bunches with full stems, or trim the heads and dry the flowers as a cluster. Dried yarrow can be used for infused oil, tinctures, or teas.

Skin care benefits:

Yarrow is strongly antiseptic, anti microbial, and styptic. It is antifungal and pain relieving, for inflamed and damaged skin.

How to use it for skin care:

Infuse in oil for salves and ointments. Infuse in witch hazel or aloe vera gel for cooling burns and painful acne.  Yarrow is safe to use on broken skin, cuts, abrasions, and bruises.  Yarrow essential oil is an excellent oil to add to tattoo care salves.

 

 

Gardening with Herbs for Skin Care:

Plants that grow in your area have many of the same environmental stressors that you are exposed to. They have adapted to fight them, and will help you win against those same stressors when you use your local herbs for skin care. Many of the herbs will grow together, and some can provide companion planting benefits in your vegetable garden.

But don’t try to plant all 14 in your garden.  Pick a few favorites and plant them in the perennial border, in a wild flower meadow, or as companion plants in an orchard or hedge row.

Using the herbs and wild plants you grow in your own garden for skin care is good for your skin, good for the environment, and benefits your garden.

 

More herbs and flowers for your skin care garden

Annual flowers to plant in your skin care garden

 

 

 

I have a FREE gift for you

Grab my free ebook and learn to make DIY herbal healing salves at home now, with 14 easy to follow recipes that use the herbs and wild plants growing close to home. Salve making is one of the easiest skills to learn in DIY Herbalism.

FREE Download