When can you collect brooms from birch. When is the best time to prepare bath brooms

In bathing science, a Russian person cannot have trifles. Moreover, if we are talking about a bath broom made of birch branches, then it simply does not turn out to be a trifle to call it a trifle. It is important to know when to harvest birch brooms for a bath in 2019 so that the brooms are of the best quality.
It is difficult to imagine a full-fledged trip to the bathhouse without a broom. It should not only be beautiful appearance but also strong. Exactly because of this reason birch branches must be collected from the tree in their special season, when they have a lot of juice and strength. Also useful in summer.

• How to understand that the time has come
• How to properly tie a broom

How to understand that the time has come

About the correct preparation of brooms

It is best to collect those branches that are closer to the ground;
Harvesting should be carried out exclusively in warm and dry weather;
The branches that are closest to the ground are the youngest. It is they who are needed for the preparation of strong brooms;
If the foliage is wet, then when the product is dried, it will become dark and curl, which is very bad for the quality of the broom;
Wet branches collected in a broom can quickly fly around;
If it is wrong to collect branches for a broom, then a birch bath broom will lose most of its useful properties;
It is also important to choose the right birch from which you will take twigs. The ideal option is the one when the branches from a young tree are collected. In general, it is ideal if the tree has not yet bloomed even once, and its leaves are tender and silky.
The birch itself should be beautiful and even, it should not have growths: after all, trees, like people, are susceptible to various diseases. In a diseased tree, foliage and twigs will also be weak and will not bring the maximum benefit that every person expects from going to a Russian bath.

Advice!
No need to collect branches from birch trees that grow next to the roads. They absorb dirt from cars. So, it is best to go for blanks in the forest or a clean grove. Ideally, if the birch will grow near a stream or river.

How to properly tie a broom

The broom is the visiting card of the Russian bath. It is thanks to him that the unique atmosphere and spirit of the steam room is created. Moreover, if this attribute is removed, then the traditional Russian bath would be no different from a sauna.

With the preparation of brooms, just like with the conduct of bath procedures, a whole tradition is associated in Russia. Experienced bath attendants carefully select raw materials, knowing As a result, traditional brooms are obtained, which have been used in Russia for bath procedures since time immemorial.

In this article, we will look at when to cut birch brooms for a bath, how to properly harvest them and how to choose ready-made products.

Traditional brooms

To date, bath attributes are made from branches of various trees and shrubs, but birch and oak are the most common. Birch branches are an excellent material that allows you to get high quality products.

In addition, the healing effect of this tree has been known for centuries, while birch grows almost everywhere, which greatly facilitates harvesting.

About the tradition of harvesting

Many novice bath attendants are interested in when they prepare birch brooms for a bath.

And regardless of which tree you decide to harvest, there are several recommendations for the correct collection of material:

1. Harvesting is carried out in a certain period every year. As a rule, most attendants choose Trinity Day, which falls in mid-July.

Advice! Before you start harvesting, pay attention to the weather. If it rains, then the branches are not collected, just like immediately after the rain. Optimum conditions are the presence of dew.

1. For preparation work, it is best to choose the first half of the day. It was at this time that the dew had not yet left the vegetation.
2. In the event that the weather on Trinity is rainy, the collection procedure should be postponed for a couple of days.

About the beneficial properties of a bath broom

Brooms are not only obligatory bathing attributes.

In addition, they are very useful, which is expressed in the following points:

1. massage effect.
2. Each type of wood has its own useful material that have a certain effect on the body (the benefits of birch will be discussed below).
3. Ecological purity.

Advice! If you do not have the opportunity to carry out independent harvesting, then you can buy a ready-made one. Only preference should be given not to a product on a supermarket shelf, but to a broom made in the countryside according to the technology used by our ancestors, which is passed down from generation to generation.

birch tree features

If the broom is made of birch, then the following is added to the above properties:

1. When using birch brooms, it is possible to cure aching joints and muscles caused by rheumatism or increased physical exertion.
2. The skin is also cleansed of acne and sebaceous plugs.
3. Birch branches heated with hot water emit a pleasant smell and substances that are useful for asthmatics and smokers, since in this way accumulated harmful substances are removed from the bronchi.

We prepare birch branches

Birch broom is the most popular in urban environments. In addition, it emits a pleasant smell, has softness and a number of medicinal properties. In order to make a birch broom with your own hands, you should first of all choose the right tree.

Advice! When harvesting, it is best to use weeping birch, which grows along a river or lake. Such a tree has long falling branches, sloping low to the ground.

Instructions for the correct collection of branches relies on several points:

1. Good material is obtained from young birches.
2. Before starting the assembly, touch the leaves: their outer side should be smooth and tender. If it is rough, look for another tree.
3. A guarantee of a fragrant broom are thin and flexible branches.
4. It is advisable to collect outside the city. Best of all - in the forest.
5. Before drying, the birch must be tied very tightly, but there must be free space between the branches. Otherwise, the leaves may lose their color and healing properties.

We collect a broom

There are general rules for assembling brooms.

Regardless of whether you choose branches of oak, birch, juniper, linden, or even combine them, you should adhere to the following recommendations in your work:

1. Branches should be with fully blossomed green leaves.
2. It is desirable that the branch has several branches.
3. Branches are suitable for knitting, 45-60 cm long.
4. The thickness of the branch is on average 0.5 cm.

1. In a broom, you should collect such an amount of material that the dressing handle has a diameter of no more than 5 cm. This is dictated by convenience.
2. Cut branches must be knitted immediately, then hung in a well-ventilated area to dry.
3. We carry out dressing in two places, stepping back from the butt 4-5 cm and 10-12 cm.
4. At the butt, the branches are carefully cut.

Advice! The best option a combined broom is a combination of linden, oak and birch branches. also in medicinal purposes you can add nettles to oak branches.

1. In the case of proper drying, the leaves remain green and do not fall off the branches.

How to choose ready-made brooms

Since not everyone has the desire and ability to procure bath equipment on their own, there is an option for them to buy it on the market or directly in the bathhouse ().

However, in order not to purchase a low-quality product, you should know what to look for. It doesn't matter how much the product costs, what matters is how well it is made.

Based on this rule, the broom, the price of which is the lowest, may be of the highest quality.

To determine the quality, use the following instruction:

1. First of all, the product should cause pleasant tactile sensations and lie comfortably in the hand. The thickness of the handle is very important here, as mentioned above. Therefore, just hold the product in your hand.
2. Inspect for leaf mold. If mold is noticed, this may indicate improper storage or that the bundle was not tied from freshly cut branches. Such inventory should not be purchased.
3. Shake the broom. If it is dried according to all the rules, then the leaves will remain on the branches. If drying was incorrect, the leaves will begin to crumble. In the event that you steam a bad broom, then after a while you will have only bare branches.

birch alternative

Naturally, birch is not the only raw material for creating bath equipment. And although these trees are located everywhere, nevertheless, in some cases it is more convenient to use other raw materials, for example, oak or linden.

Let's look at what healing properties and features the wood most often used in the bath has:

1. Oak. Knitted oak branches are found no less than birch. Oak products are great for people with oily skin, due to the drying effect that tannins have. In addition, oak reduces arterial pressure in people with hypertension.

Oak harvesting is carried out in August-September, since it unfolds its leaves later than other trees in the spring. The main strength of the leaves is gaining only by the end of summer.

Advice! When choosing an oak, you need to pay attention to the growing burdock nearby. If there is no burdock nearby, such a tree is not suitable, since the leaves will surely fly around when dried.

1. Linden . People associate tranquility and balance with linden. Such a broom is a natural remedy for headaches, it is used to prevent vegetative-vascular dystonia, which causes insomnia and migraines. In addition to its calming effect, linden perfectly heals wounds and fights against colds.

1. Eucalyptus. Every respected attendant should have eucalyptus tincture. It is intended for watering the walls in the steam room. And this choice is not accidental, since eucalyptus is attributed to a powerful antiseptic effect, it is used to warm the bronchi and inhalations.

Eucalyptus broom allows you to maximize the healing effect by saturating the skin with essential oils that help fight bruises, inflammation of muscle tissue and sprains.

Conclusion

In order for bath procedures to bring not only pleasure, but also have a healing effect, it is necessary to use the right equipment. Above, we examined how to choose and prepare one of the main bath attributes () on our own.

Watch the video in this article for more information.

Birch broom baths have been an invariable attribute for many centuries. This is the most common and proven solution. Harvesting birch brooms for many bath professionals has long become a common thing. However, for some beginner lovers, the question is when this miracle is prepared, in what time and how long is still interesting and important.

When are birch brooms harvested?

It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. Yes Yes exactly. If you want to know specific dates or numbers, from such and such a number to such, then this is not realistic. As a rule, according to the old tradition, it is recommended to start harvesting from the end of spring - the beginning of summer, focusing on the Christian Trinity holiday. However, the date of this holiday is not constant and moves in different directions from year to year.

This should be the time of herbage, the time of flowering. The best collection time is considered to be a period of one to two weeks approximately first or better second decade of June, since by this time the leaf on the birch trees had already been sufficiently formed, strengthened. At this time, the leaves have the maximum amount of healing substances, which are mainly in the buds, leaves and thin twigs. In addition, the brooms cut at this time are flexible, durable, and hold the leaves well.

But at the same time, it is necessary to make an amendment both to the latitude of the area where it will be necessary to break the brooms, and to what summer it will be in this particular season, since the harvesting time also changes depending on this. The harvesting period lasts up to 10 days, further cutting and harvesting is not recommended. Later, although it will be possible to steam with broken brooms, the healing effect of this will be weaker.

Collection Features: Important Details

Proper preparation, timely collection, and subsequent storage, in fact, a whole kind of science, the result of compliance with the requirements and principles of which is the desired result in the steam room. In this case, every nuance matters.

• Birch cutting is best done on a dry day, preferably during afternoon. For breaking, young plastic branches from not old birches, with bright fresh leaves, are more suitable, since they contain the necessary for human body Components.
• It is also undesirable to prepare brooms for the future for several years, because in the process of storage, in whatever ideal conditions you store them, their quality will still fall. Cut and knit everything for one year!
• What will happen to those instances that are cut and connected earlier than necessary? On brooms harvested too early, the leaf is still weak and does not hold well. But from them a strong, pleasant smell in the bath. It is useful to wash your hair with water from such brooms. For the future, such brooms are not prepared, but only once to go to the bath. So this option is not excluded.
• Until what date can birch brooms be harvested? The deadline for harvesting birch brooms is end of July, its third decade. Later in August, the branches coarsen, earrings begin to appear on them. Yes, and the number of leaves damaged by pests is increasing. For soaring, such brooms are of little use.

Choose the right time to collect birch brooms for a bath and the best steam, health, aroma and pleasant impressions are provided to you!

Birch brooms are the most popular bath accessories. They are distinguished by the flexibility of the branches, the velvet surface of the leaves and the fragrant aroma., which together gives an aromatic and healing effect.

Birch - the most common bath brooms, because they have different useful properties. An incorrectly assembled blank will lose all its healing qualities. The procurement procedure has its own characteristics and rules, compliance with which is mandatory.

Fragrant birch brooms have been used in steam rooms for more than one century. They possess distinctive features that make them versatile drug from all diseases.

Bath is an effective procedure for cleansing and healing the body, and together with a birch broom it becomes a prevention viral diseases, means of purification and complex therapy.

By their structure, they are soft, have a pronounced aroma, hold well during use and can be steamed more than once.

The benefits of birch brooms for the body are invaluable. They are not only used in cosmetology to cleanse pores and remove excess salts, but also have a strong medicinal effect. The porous structure of the sheets perfectly absorbs sweat.

The bark of the tree contains essential oils, which have a cleansing effect: remove slags and toxins from the body, relieve excess salts in the joints and stimulate blood circulation. To preserve these properties, it is necessary to prepare and steam them correctly. They have a complex effect:

• Antimicrobial;
• expectorant;
• Anti-inflammatory;
• Antiseptic;
• Wound healing;
• Cleansing.

When exposed to high temperatures, essential oils are released from the bark of the branches, which are especially valued in massage. They have a light texture, penetrate well deep into the skin and remove toxins, and also have a relaxing effect and remove excess salts. Oils intensely affect the surface of the skin, giving it elasticity and eliminating any inflammation and rashes.

Essential oils of birch have a beneficial effect on hair. They are absorbed into the structure of the hair and scalp, giving the hair strength, shine and density. Not without reason, birch decoctions are often used in cosmetology, because the substances in their composition are perfectly absorbed by the body and penetrate the skin, improving blood circulation and nutrition.

The composition of birch contains various useful substances, which are better revealed in the bath and have a more pronounced effect. These substances include:

• Vitamins A, B, C, E, K, PP, etc.;
• Antioxidants;
• Balsamic oils;
• Fatty acid;
• Flavonoids;
• organic acids;
• Tannins;
• Trace elements, etc.

Important! Birch brooms are a universal anti-inflammatory, expectorant and antimicrobial agent, but all these properties are lost if they are not collected according to technology.

Massage in the steam room: what are the health benefits?

Massage with a birch broom in the steam room allows the pores of the leaves to open, and the bark to give up all the oils, so the procedure has a beneficial effect on the entire body.

During the massage, the sheets stick to the body, but do not rush to remove them, they remove toxins and absorb salts along with sweat. Due to its elastic structure, it can be used more than once, and it will not lose its properties.

The main indications for the use of birch brooms in baths are diseases of the upper respiratory tract(bronchitis, asthma), joint pain, inflammation of the biliary system, skin rashes etc.

Main medicinal properties:

• Remove toxins from the body;
• Increase the elasticity and tone of the skin;
• Stimulate the work of the kidneys;
• Remove mucus from the lungs;
• Eliminate inflammation and acne;
• Improve blood supply.

Using a birch broom in a bath is comparable to inhalation because birch oils penetrate deep into the lungs and stimulate expectoration. Massage with a broom improves blood circulation and improves skin tone. It has various useful properties, and under the influence of high temperature in the bath, all its properties are enhanced.

When to cut brooms for a birch bath

According to traditional custom, the period of preparation of birch brooms for a bath begins 2 weeks after the Holy Trinity i.e. in the middle of June. But this rule is not entirely accurate, because due to the peculiarities of the weather in different regions, by the time the right moment arrives, birch leaves did not have time to get stronger, and the kidneys were already forming.

June-July is considered a suitable time, but experienced attendants they say that by the third week of July, birch leaves become stiff.

Attention! Harvesting is carried out only in sunny weather. Assembled wet pliers will have an unpleasant odor.

The time for harvesting birch brooms begins at the beginning of June, maximum in the middle. When to exercise from birch can be determined by the condition of the leaves.

For harvesting, you need tender, velvety, slightly fluffy leaves. If they have become rigid, it is too late to collect a broom. It will scratch and leave small cuts when used in the bath.

If, on the contrary, you choose too tender leaves, then they will fall off the branches during drying. And if the leaves do not fall, then the broom itself will become slippery and unpleasant to the touch.

Collection Rules: Key Points

Traditionally, collection made from the so-called weeping birch. These are trees of great height, with strong and long branches. The most suitable are birches that did not bloom, they have more elastic rods and velvet leaves. Choose branches that grow in the shade, their leaves are more delicate.

Advice! Choose trees that stand in the shade, near water bodies. Their branches and leaves are more juicy and tender.

Do not cut the entire bunch from one tree. Firstly, in this way, you harm it, and secondly, it will be impossible to use it for knitting anymore, as its branches will become stiffer and the leaves coarser. How to make a birch bath broom:

• Collect branches from different trees in the same area;
• Choose the branches that are lowest to the surface of the reservoir;
• Do not cut branches where there are blooms, they will be tough;
• Branches should be straight, no longer than 60 cm;
• Branches cut in one motion, without damaging the structure of the branch;
• Use sharp scissors and try not to damage the cut branches.

Before knitting a broom, you need to dry the branches a little in the shade.

Carefully! Do not use wire for garters, only thread, otherwise you will be scratched in the steam room. Do not tie the rods too tight, they will not dry out well.

How to dry properly so that the leaves do not fly around

Properly dry birch brooms should be in the shade in the open air. Brooms are hung by the base in the shade, on the veranda or in the garden, and dried in this position for 5-6 days.

Avoid sun exposure as it will dry out the leaves and cause them to curl.

When the leaves become brittle and breaking, it means that the broom is already dry and you need to immediately put it away for storage, otherwise the leaves will crumble.

Advice! Before drying, place the brooms under the press for several days, turning occasionally, so excess moisture will come out of the leaves and branches.

How to store birch brooms for a bath?

A prerequisite for their storage is a dark, cool, well-ventilated area with optimal humidity. The ideal option is a haystack. They are stacked inside with leaves so that the handles are outside and are placed in a circle.

Also, an attic is suitable for this purpose, but necessarily poorly lit. Can be stored in a dressing room. As an alternative, a glazed balcony is suitable, but sun exposure should be minimized and brooms should be placed in cardboard boxes.

Advice! You can extend the shelf life of brooms by sprinkling salt on top of them.

It is better to store them by the handle, so as not to damage the structure of the broom. Separate each from each other so that they are ventilated and do not "suffocate". Be sure to avoid drafts, otherwise, they may crumble.

The main mistakes in harvesting

If after the first steaming the broom crumbled, it means that a mistake was made during its preparation or storage. The main mistakes in the preparation of brooms are due to lack of experience and neglect of recommendations. Even the slightest non-observance of the harvesting rules can cause the fragility of a birch broom. Typical mistakes include:

• Incorrect pickup time. Optimal time for collecting branches is determined by the leaves. If they are collected earlier than expected, or later, it will crumble. Best time for collection - mid-June, but you need to pay more attention to the leaves.
• Improper drying. If you dry the branches in the sun, then by all means all the leaves will wrap up and crumble. The broom should dry for a week in the shade, otherwise the leaves will wither or dry out.
• Use of wet branches. It is necessary to collect rods in sunny weather. If you use wet branches, an unpleasant smell will appear, and the branches themselves will become stiff.

Advice! Do not wash branches before harvesting. All dust will be washed off during use in the bath.

If you are making a blank for the first time, then it is better to tie a couple of brooms and, following all the recommendations, collect, tie and store them as expected, so as not to be upset if something does not work out.

Useful video - instruction

See how to make a birch broom for a bath:

How to choose the right one when buying?

If there is no opportunity to make a broom on your own, then you can purchase a ready-made one. They are inexpensive and you can find an excellent option for quality. To do this, you should know how to choose the right broom when buying:

• Flip the bundle upside down and shake a little. If a lot of leaves crumbled, it means that the harvesting technology was violated.
• Feel the leaf, it should be dry, but not crumble in your hand.
• A high-quality beam should fit in the hand. Specially trimmed lower branches to be comfortable to hold.
• Smell the broom: the presence of a smell of dampness or mold is a sign of improper harvesting and storage violations.

The bundle should be tight, but not very tight, so that the air circulates and the leaves can be ventilated.

How to competently steam a broom so that it lasts several times

To feel all the benefits, you need to know from birch. A dry beam can be steamed in two ways:

• Put the leaves in boiling water and leave for half an hour. During this time, they should soften. If, when using the rods, they leave marks, then you still need to hold the bundle in boiling water.
• Put the leaves in cold water and wrap in wet cloth. Then the bundle must be placed in a bag for the night. Before the steam room, you should put it in boiling water for a couple of minutes, and then you can use it.

Dry brooms need to be steamed well so that they do not leave marks on the skin, but at the same time, most importantly, do not overdo it so that they do not become sour.

Advice! Do not pour out the water in which the broom was steamed. It can be used to rinse your hair.

How to steam fresh brooms?

Steaming fresh birch brooms is not necessary. Indeed, as soon as you have tied a broom, you can immediately use it in the bath. It can be soaked in water at room temperature for 5-7 minutes, but in no case in hot water. If you pour boiling water over a bunch, then fresh leaves will simply boil and fall off.

It is important to wet them a little, but not to allow them to gain a lot of moisture, which can also lead to shedding. Fresh blanks can leave painful marks on the skin, so you can hold it in the bath for a while. high temperature to open the pores of the sheets, and then immediately begin to use.

How to steam for health and pleasure

The process of using a birch broom is different from using beams from other tree species. This is due to the tenderness of birch leaves and the elasticity of the branches.

Birch should not be whipped hard, otherwise traces will appear. It must be used as a fan, which attracts heat. There are several recommendations to consider:

• The broom in the bath should always be wet. Once it dries, it must be re-wetted with water.
• Touches should be superficial and soft. No harsh slaps. They can leave burns and wounds.
• You should hardly touch the skin with a broom and try to avoid blows with branches.
• At temperatures above 60 degrees, you need to constantly keep the broom wet; if you do not use it, immediately put it in water.

To get the full benefit of birch, you should properly massage. With soft, light and painless strokes, it is necessary to work out the entire surface of the body. If discomfort is felt, then you need not to beat, but to stroke - the effect will be the same.

You can use bundles to collect warm air. To do this, lift it up and lower the air flow into the lumbar or back area. The broom should touch the body, at least a little. Otherwise, hot air will stagnate between the leaves and the body, causing burns.

Very useful are weak, but sharp, like a whip, movements with the tip of the branches. The procedure should be completed with light strokes that would soothe the steamed skin.

Contrasting is useful when, after a hot steam room, the attendant takes a chilled shower. Thus, blood circulation improves and the effect of using birch branches is enhanced.

Alternatives

Birch - perfect solution for a bath. It has all the useful substances, valuable components and healing properties that are fully revealed in the steam room. If you are not a fan of birch brooms, then they can be replaced with bunches from other tree species. Great alternative to birch

• Linden;
• Oak;
• Eucalyptus;
• Bamboo.

In their structure and properties, oak and linden are not inferior to birch. They also have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the body, improve functionality. internal organs and help to remove toxins, salts and slags.

Eucalyptus will fill the steam room with a delicious scent of pine needles and enhance the inhalation properties of the bath. For the steam room, you can use any tree species, the main thing is that during use they do not leave marks, burns and do not cause pain, because the bath should bring, first of all, pleasure.

- a storehouse of useful properties. He possesses healing effect, improves the action of the bath and promotes cleansing and healing of the body. Properly assembled and prepared brooms will bring many health benefits.

- excellent massager. Very often used in SPA procedures. Widely known are such types of massage as: Creole and Starosamurai.

Connoisseurs of sauna paradise know how important a good broom is in a steam room. Everyone has their own preferences in this regard, but birch products are considered classics - fragrant, soft and healing.

Flexible branches and a velvety surface of the leaves, admirably sticking to a hot body, allow you to bathe in comfort. The structure of the birch leaf, characterized by a large number of pores, is ideal for absorbing sweat. Neither oak nor eucalyptus have such an effect.

The fragrance emanating from a birch broom pleases the heart and heals the body. The bark and leaves of this tree contain fragrant balsamic oils that are harmful to microbes. Leaves with twigs also stored a lot of vitamins, resins and tannins.

For asthmatics and those suffering from other respiratory diseases, a bath with a birch broom has a healing and beneficial effect. It is also useful for allergy sufferers, as well as for those whose nerves are fooling around. Feel relief and smokers. If your back is seized from rheumatism, your muscles hurt after overexertion or your joints twist - the recipe is still the same.

Preparation time: do not rush and do not be late

To begin with, we have to find suitable raw materials by going after them in dry and clear weather, waiting for the dew to dry.

We collect raw materials at the beginning of summer (not later than its middle). Ancient beliefs say that the best brooms are obtained from those branches that are collected on the Trinity. However, it is permissible to deviate a little from the canons.

The main thing is that the sheet is already strong, but not yet rough. From mid-July, the trees are already preparing for autumn, and the broom season is ending. And if it rains on the chosen day, you should postpone your trip until sunny weather. Do not cut branches when wet - they will then turn black and smell unpleasant. They say that the broom "burned out."

To check if a birch tree is ready for brooms, lick its leaf from the outside, tearing it off the branch. It should be soft velvet, as if slightly covered with light fluff. If its surface is rough and harsh, then it is too late. Such a broom will scratch.

And early, too, you should not make a harvest - too young leaves are still weakly attached to the branches, therefore they will crumble even during drying. And the finished broom will become unpleasantly slippery and will not last long.

How and when to cut? We collect branches carefully and in the right place

Having decided on the right moment, we go to the extraction. Preferably in a lowland, where it is humid and shady. For example, near a river or lake. It is in such places that birches grow - curly and weeping. Their rods are considered the best for brooms.

We choose young trees that have never bloomed yet. It’s good to take hemp with shoots in mind. However, let's not be barbarians! In order not to destroy the birches, we do not expose them completely. We take side branches (without earrings) thinner - from those that grow low. They should be fairly straight, 50 to 60 centimeters long. Use a pruner for pruning.

How to knit a birch broom

We will wither the branches for a day in the shade - now you can knit. Just do not wash them - we will spoil the product. Remember that each broom should have two or three branches with forks - this way it turns out stronger. Where the handle will be, cut off all the knots.

We lay thicker branches in the middle of the structure, thinner along the edges, bending them so that the result is a fan shape. This bend looks inward. All branches should be rich in leaves and have the same length. Some lovers, in addition to birch twigs, put fragrant currant or mint leaves in the middle of the product.

We tightly intercept the ends of the rods with twine, constructing a handle no thicker than five centimeters. We make the first winding closer to the end of the handle, not very tight. Then we divide the rods into two parts and twist them a full turn. After that, we fix the twine in several more places.

Never knit a broom with wire - you will be scratched later in the steam room. It is best to take a kapron thread. You should not knit tightly - otherwise the finished product will not be able to dry well.

We leave the handle fifteen centimeters long - this is optimal. When it is ready, the protruding edges of the branches are cut off with a hatchet, and the end is wrapped with something soft (so as not to rub the corns later).

The secrets of preparing brooms in the video advice section from Doka:

How to dry?

For the first two or three days, we will hold the broom under some kind of pressure, not forgetting to turn it over after a while. Then we proceed to drying - in the shade, in a small draft, turning over again daily. The sun is destructive for our purpose - its rays will instantly twist the leaves, making them brittle.

It will take about a week to dry. Readiness is determined by the fragility of the leaves. After that, several brooms are tightly tied up - two pieces together.

How to store - choose the right place

It is easier for the villagers perfect place for the safety of our products there will be a stack of hay. They are placed there with the handles outward, and with the leaves inward, placing them in a circle and sprinkling each layer with hay. There is no stack - a good option would be an attic or dressing room.

Those who live in the city can be advised to store a glazed balcony or loggia. Great containers are large cardboard boxes or paper bags. You can also take brooms to the garage. In general, any place where it is cool and the air walks will fit.

In order for the leaves on the branches of the broom to remain green for a long time and to be stored for at least two years, they can be sprinkled with coarse salt crystals.

lovers technical progress using vacuum packaging. And the Finns did come up with an interesting way - to freeze brooms. Such products, created using shock-type freezing, are offered in some baths.

A connected lush broom, in principle, can be used even immediately. But in this case, it cannot be kept in boiling water - it will boil. Twenty minutes in cold water will be enough. Then pour it with warm water and steam - enough for several times. If the broom has gone through all the stages of drying, then it will already withstand boiling water.

How to steam properly?

The easiest way to steam a birch broom is to dip it in boiling water for thirty or forty minutes. He's ready. There is another way that better preserves the healing power of birch. Yes, and the leaves are less strewed. To do this, in the evening before the bathing day, put a broom in cold water for a couple of hours. Then we take it out and put it in a plastic bag until morning.

Rinse the broom with warm water after use. We put it in a bag, and dry it at home, hanging it on a rope in a ventilated place. One product may well be enough for two to four visits to the steam room. However, depending on the force with which to whip their sides and back.

However, gradually the leaves become less and less, the branches "bald" and break off. And when there is no trace of the former splendor, measures must be taken. If you are sorry to throw away the product, then you can carry out resuscitation.

To do this, we take brooms and put them in a container with water (if with cold - then for the night, with hot - for half an hour). And then we sort, throwing out for a start completely bare rods and those with less than a dozen leaves. And the rest is divided into short and long, then we knit them again. Done - you can take a steam bath three more times.

The water in which the birch twigs lay is also very useful. It can be rinsed after washing the hair and the whole body. It tones the skin, removes dandruff, and strengthens the hair roots.

Purchased or handmade?

In principle, if the broom is solid, then when using it, it is not so important who made it. Someone does not want to bother, and he would prefer to purchase this item directly in the bath - fortunately, such a service exists everywhere. Someone tries, knits brooms, and someone buys them. Quite natural.

However, how nice it is to proudly show friends and try out in practice the bathing attribute, the branches for which were lovingly selected from the June young birches, and then knitted with my own hands. It's like getting a jar of your fungi, collected in the forest and pickled according to a special recipe. So many choose this option. And for family budget economy, by the way.

Take care of your health!