Happy Mum's Day

It might have become a more commercial occasion in recent years, but Mother’s Day, or Mothering Sunday as it was known, dates back to the 17th century – and the sentiment of showing your appreciation and love for you dear old mum is just as important today as it was hundreds years ago. 

The tradition is said to date back to the days when children who were working away from their homes as domestic servants were given the day off by their masters to go home to visit their mothers.

The custom of celebrating Mothering Sunday died out almost completely by the 19th century. But we have the commercial instincts of the Americans to thank for saving it from disappearing altogether. It was the US servicemen who were stationed in the UK during the Second World War who are thought to have revived the occasion, bringing their own more recent tradition of Mother’s Day to the increasingly neglected mothers of war time Britain. 

So what can you do to show your mother just how special she is?

Tradition dictates that the least you can come up with is a thoughtful card and a bunch of flowers, but why not try something a bit more thoughtful? In the olden days, a special cake known as the mothering cake was often brought to the family gathering, so why not show your mother that you’ve learnt something in the kitchen, and impress her with a cake of your own? 

A homemade frame or a picture frame with some decoration, complete with a picture of your family or something special is bound to go down well, and will be around on the mantelpiece long after the bouquet of flowers has wilted. 

Or why not leave the men at home and make it a mums’ day out? Take the time to celebrate together with a nice meal and a few beauty treatments for that wee bit of relaxation you both so desperately need. And leave a bit of time to take a nice family walk in one of Scotland’s beautiful natural settings. Treat yourself to some DIY pampering. Before heading out the door for a meal with the family, energise with a homemade facial or body scrub. 

Suggestions below are courtesy of Melanie Haggerty, marketing manager at Arran Aromatics: 

Face Cleansing Scrub

Mix together: 2 tblspns honey 1 tblspn oats 1 tblspn aloe vera gel 1 to 2 drops either peppermint essential oil or eucalyptus essential oil muslin cloth 

Honey has healing properties that are very well known and works well in the treatment of skin conditions, oats are both emollient and cleansing, helping to soothe sensitive, itchy skin and can be great for shaving rash in men. Adding the aloe vera will help to hydrate tired skin, the addition of the essential oils both oils can purify and tone sluggish skin and provide a wonderful aroma, inhaling clears the head and opens the nasal passages, olfactory equivalent of taking a sharp breath of fresh air. Gently massage over face and neck for a few minutes, remove with warm water with a muslin cloth, the cloth ensures every particle is removed and is also gently exfoliating, skin should be smooth and glowing. 

Body Scrub

Mix together 1 cup honey, 1 large tblspn oats 1 tblspn table salt [ not coarse] the juice of half a grapefruit. 

The oats and salt mixed with the honey give excellent exfoliation to the body buffing and smoothing, effectively removing any dry, flaky, dull patches, revealing healthy glowing skin that is super smooth, the grapefruit juice helps stimulate lymphatic sustem, eliminating toxins, it should also lift your mood, it's known in aromatherpy as the sunshine oil . If skin is very dry try adding to the mixture 2 tblspns jojoba oil for silky soft skin, the mix can be stored in an airtight jar as the jojoba oil helps prevent the scrub going off. It is best to use this scrub before showering, massage all over the body, especially feet, heels, knees and elbows, good for pre waxing or shaving treatment helps lift the dead skin cells off the skin making hair removal more effective, shower off thoroughly and follow with a generous application of body lotion.