Oak, nettle, linden, and juniper are suitable for making bath brooms, but birch is the most popular and beloved among the people. It turns out that essential oils from birch leaves cleanse the bronchi and ventilate the lungs. The steam room with birch brooms is suitable for experienced smokers and asthmatics. The procedure relieves back pain, cleanses the skin, and if you wash your hair with birch water, you can forget about problems with your hair.
A steam room with birch spirit is good for the body and pleasant for the soul. But first, you need to choose the right material for the preparation and avoid traditional mistakes when knitting, drying and storing fragrant bath brooms.
Birch selection
It is better to cut branches from late May to mid-July. According to old Russian traditions, green material was collected after the Holy Trinity on the 50th day from Easter. It is important to catch the moment when birch catkins begin to appear, but cut off the branches without catkins.
The first mistake is choosing the “wrong” birch. The warty one is not suitable; the branches of the breed are rough and brittle. Old forest trees are not suitable; their branches are sagging and thin. But the fluffy birch is ideal for preparations. Young trees growing on the edges will provide flexible, elastic branches with leaves as smooth as silk.
Slicing
The blanks are made from young branches without visible damage to the leaves. For cutting you will need pruning shears; you need to cut cuttings 60–70 cm long with 3–4 shoots.
The second mistake is choosing inappropriate branches.It is advisable to break the branch before cutting. If it does not give in, you can safely cut it off. Select carefully, avoid diseased shoots with warts, take branches from the shady side of a young birch.
Mating
One broom will require about 25 flexible stems. Before mating, it is necessary to remove the lower shoots, leaving 20 cm of bare branches and 40 cm of the fluffy part for the handle. The ideal width of a broom is 35–40 cm. The branches should be laid with the front side inward so that the back surface of the leaf touches the body. The broom is collected in a circle; the master forms a “bouquet” by turning the workpiece and evenly distributing the branches around the axis.
The third mistake happens when knitting - harvesters use synthetic materials. Do not use clamps, electrical tape, or adhesive tape for fastening. These fasteners cut your hands and release harmful substances. For knitting, you need to use only natural ropes, for example, twine. Tie (not tightly!) in two places - at the beginning and at the end of the handle. Do not cut off the ends of the rope, but use them for hanging.
Drying
Workpieces should be stored in a dry place without direct sunlight. This could be a barn, dressing room, attic, balcony or utility room, which is well ventilated every day. A draft will help to properly dry birch brooms and preserve them throughout the winter.
Mistakes when drying brooms lead to decay and rotting. To avoid this, you need to ensure dryness and air circulation, and dry at a temperature no higher than 25 degrees. Future brooms should be loose so that moisture does not accumulate between the leaves.
Storage
The brooms are dried for 7–10 days and then stored in the dressing room.You can hang them from the ceiling or press them with tubs, then you will get a flat “fan” convenient for the steam room.
A properly dried broom will not turn black or fly off, and its pleasant aroma will tell about its medicinal properties. However, it is important to store it correctly and use it wisely. Steam first in cold water, and then plunge into hot water for 2-3 minutes. As soon as the aroma intensifies, you can begin paired procedures.
The fifth mistake that ruins green fans is boiling brooms. You cannot keep birch bouquets in hot water for a long time, as the leaves boil and die. And after the steam room you need to hang the brooms to dry until the next bath pleasures.
I only use a birch broom, and for some time now I have been making them small, almost half the size of the usual ones, and taking 2 pcs. to the steam room, I work with both hands without stopping, the brooms are light and very comfortable.
The biggest mistake is using a broom again.
I use the broom only once, just like when brewing tea.
I “brew” the broom in boiling water for 15-20 minutes, then turn it over with the handle and let it “drink.” After steaming, I wash it in water and again put the handle in the basin. After 2-3 steams, I let it steep in the basin and wash myself with this water, and use the broom as a washcloth.The effect is amazing!!!