It is believed that oak has a special life-giving power. Even if you stand, hugging a tree tightly, you can be saturated with energy.
And after a steam room with an oak broom, you will feel completely renewed - if you had wings, you could fly just right. Those who like to steam hotly like oak products more than others. And since they have increased rigidity, they can be used simultaneously for a good massage.
Why are oak leaves and twigs so useful?
First, a little science: in the leaves and branches of a tree there are very useful essential oils, as well as substances called tannins (this name was given to them by oak). Thanks to their effects, wounds and abrasions heal on the skin, it becomes velvety and acquires a gentle haze. Therefore, an oak bathhouse is recommended for those whose skin has inflammation, is prone to oily and excessive porosity.
In addition, the aroma emanating from essential oils will remarkably calm the shaky nerves and relieve stress, help stabilize the pressure (which is a godsend for hypertensive patients). And the cores in the steam room with an oak broom becomes much easier.
And thanks to the large leaves that hold tightly on the branches, such a broom works like a weed, quickly pumping steam.
Remember dates and places
To treat yourself to a great accessory in the steam room, you need to collect good raw materials, then knit a broom and dry it, according to the canons.
The general rule for harvesting branches is: you need to collect them before dinner, on the day when the weather is clear and the dew on the grass is already dry. If it suddenly began to rain, then the trip is better to postpone.
You need to go for an oak tree somewhere from the middle of June (usually after the Trinity). However, the best quality broom is obtained from raw materials collected in July. Then the leaves on the branches hold better, and they themselves become stronger. The end of August marks the end of the harvest season. Although, if desired, you can pick up branches in September, if it is warm. True, the quality of the broom will be a little worse.
In different areas, the harvesting season begins and ends at different times. But it should be firmly remembered that after frosts this cannot be done categorically. Only spend your time in vain.
When to go to cut brooms, and how to do it? We are looking for suitable oaks
For brooms, both ordinary oak (called Quercus robur) and Canadian (otherwise, Quercus rubra or red oak) are suitable. The latter has large leaves and flexible long branches, which is convenient for knitting. There is also a Caucasian oak, which is good in that its leaves are especially thick and durable.
We choose oak trees with large leaves growing somewhere in a shady place. It is better if they will be three or four meters high. We take a pruner and cut a little side branches from each tree - so as not to ruin them. Only after a year, when the oak is getting stronger, can you come again and take branches from it. They should be straight, flexible and have a length of the order of half a meter.
Want the best broom? Then look for the oak whose burdock hid at the base of the trunk. And the most durable product is obtained from the branches of those trees that do not dump foliage for the winter. Usually they grow in the highlands.
When enough branches are collected, let them lie down an hour in the shade, spread out in one layer. Then we transport, trying not to pack the branches tightly so that they do not overheat on the road. And then it will be a pity if the leaves fall off because of this.
How to knit a broom?
First, we discard branches that are numb or dotted with too few foliage. When knitting, the number of these branches is selected individually - usually come from the thickness of the handle, making it a diameter of 3 to 5 centimeters. In the place where it will be located, the leaves must be removed (somewhere on two widths of the palm).
There are two ways to form a broom:
- The easiest way to knit "ball". To do this, you need to stack the rods evenly in a circle - a loose product with a good volume is obtained.
- "Shovel" is a more popular method. We lay the rods flat so that they press the previously laid branch, and the outer side of the sheet looks in the middle. So it turns out a dense fan.
We remember that closer to the outer part of the broom, thinner branches should lie, and those that are thicker will be good in the middle. To get it firmly and reliably, we fix the product in two places. Where the rods fan out, we use twine. And around the edge of the handle we wrap a cloth (you can take a medical bandage).
See how to knit a broom on the video. Remember the tips.
To get more pleasure and benefit, lay healing and aromatic additives in a broom. A pair of rowan branches will invigorate, and coniferous branches will increase the blood flow in the body and drive away the common cold. Bird cherry will serve as a bactericidal drug.
How to dry?
First, hold the finished accessory under oppression for about a day. This is if you need a flat shape. And then in two pieces we hang brooms on a rope where there is a draft and where the rays of the sun do not reach. It is especially necessary to protect from them - so that the leaves are not overcooked, removing all useful substances.
We save finished products according to the rules
If you have a haystack (and suddenly), then you can bury branches in it in the form of snikov. In this case, we connect the brooms immediately before going to the steam room. This method avoids the deformation of the finished product.
Well, in urban conditions we use a glazed loggia or balcony, garage, dry basement. Any place is suitable where it is cold, not damp and there is a draft. You can wrap products in paper or put them in cardboard boxes. There are also “advanced” options - vacuum packaging or dry freezing.
As soon as the leaves dry well (this usually takes about a week), our accessory is ready to go to the steam room. Feel free to dip it in hot water. However, you can also take a freshly connected broom with you, but we use warm water to soak it.
We take a steam bath with pleasure
Oak accessories are the most durable. They last five times. But that's about. And so we look at the appearance of the broom - when it finally turns bald and becomes too rude, then we need to change it.
As for the steaming procedure, the easiest way to do it is this: first we dip a broom in cold water (for two or three minutes), and then in hot (just not boiling water). We will cover a basin or bucket and wait until the oak starts to exude a wonderful smell. So it's time! By the way, the remaining water does not need to be poured. It is worth splashing it on the walls and hot stones. Nice and helpful.
After the bath, pour the broom with warm water to make it clean, and then put it in a bag and take it to us. At home, you need to hang it on a rope and wait for it to dry completely, then put it back in place.
You can take care of extending the resource of your bathhouse assistant. To do this, in the morning we put it in a bucket of warm water for five minutes, then in the same water we wet a rag, squeeze it slightly and wrap a broom. We put all this in a bag of plastic film and leave it until the evening, until the steam room, where we dip a broom in a bucket of hot water.
Own or shop - this is the question
In order for a broom to really be beneficial, it must be done according to all the rules. If you made it yourself, then you can definitely be sure of it. And store products - this is how lucky. However, provided they are purchased in a safe place, there will be no misfire.
However:
- In your own broom, you can add something for the body and soul. For example, a branch of mountain ash, Christmas tree or eucalyptus. And in finished products, you have to be content with what they give.
- Steaming in the circle of friends, it is much more pleasant to pull out an accessory connected with your own hand (or even give it to all your friends). It will be very sincere.
- If you visit the bathhouse regularly, saving budget will be quite good with your brooms.
Honestly, I didn’t know how to make good oak brooms for a bath, I constantly bought it, but after reading this article I decided to do it myself and it turned out pretty good for the first time and not even worse than the purchased option. And I like the oak broom most of all because of smell and sensations it is quite pleasant, so I’m for this option, others didn’t like it that way)
I decided to make oak brooms myself. I read, watch a video. EXPLAIN to the incomprehensible. The video says "we lay the branches with the back to the BODY." Three times reviewed this moment. And in the photo of the broom, all the branches are laid face to the body. So how is it right?