How to steam a fir broom for a bath - tips for use

Indications and contraindications

Indications for the use of fir brooms:

• general malaise of the body;
• muscle pain, cramps, tremors;
• emotional fatigue;
• colds without high body temperature;
• cough, runny nose.

Contraindications:

• high blood pressure, temperature;
• menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding;
• open wounds on the skin;
• ulcers, ulcers;
• severe itching, redness of the skin;
• chronic diseases during exacerbation;
• malignant neoplasms.

Taking into account the contraindications, you can safely visit the steam room.

If after a few minutes of visiting the steam room you feel unwell, the smell begins to cause discomfort, you should leave the steam room immediately. Attention should also be paid to possible allergic reactions. To find out whether fir is safe for the body or not, you need to donate blood for allergy tests.

How to steam?

It is important to know how to use a fir broom correctly. Experienced bathhouse attendants recommend not using a broom right away. You need to give your body time to get used to the steam, soften, and in the meantime the broom will also reach the desired state. Adhere to the following rules:

• there must be two people in the steam room;
• it is recommended to use two fir products;
• first you need to carefully stroke the body with a broom, under no circumstances start whipping with all your might;
• first you need to develop the sides;
• then lightly tap on the pelvis, thighs, feet, calves;
• then hold the brooms over your head for no more than 2 minutes.

It is better to perform the procedure of soaring with a broom together. The person being hovered lies down or sits on a bench. The second person does the following:

• massage movements with a broom in the direction from the neck to the toes, lastly affecting the sides and arms;
• tapping the pelvis, thighs, calves, feet;
• light quilting movements on the back and legs.

It is customary to start a massage using a broom from the second visit to the steam room. Each of the above procedures is repeated 3-4 times.

Massage with a fir broom has a beneficial effect on joints. Indicated for neuralgia, arthritis, arthrosis, and any other diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Manufacturing

To make a broom last longer, you need to follow some rules and know the characteristics of the plant. Before making a bundle, you need to study the principles of collecting branches.

Optimal time and place of collection

Principles for choosing a time and place for collecting branches:

1. It is better to choose trees that are located away from roads, industrial enterprises, and large cities.
2. It is recommended to cut branches in the last month of spring and before the beginning of summer. During this period, the shoots are the most elastic and durable.
3. It is necessary to collect twigs in sunny weather.

If it rained before the scheduled collection day, you need to wait 2 days after it ends.

Selection of branches and collection rules

Rules for choosing and cutting branches:

• to cut branches you need to use sharp pruners;
• it is important to choose straight, even branches from which you can assemble a flat broom;
• The optimal length of branches is 50 cm.

You cannot cut shoots from trees that are too young. This may lead to their death. You can cut branches from one fir once a year.

Steaming

Steaming process:

1. Immerse the wreaths in hot water for 3-4 hours.
2. Immerse it in cold water for 15 minutes.
3. Hold the branches over the hot stones for 30 seconds.

After steaming the branches, you can begin drying.

Drying

To dry individual branches, you need to lay them out on a dry wooden floor or newspapers. Wait a day, turn over to the other side. When the branches become flat, they need to be hung on a thread stretched in any dry room. It is important to avoid exposure to sunlight.

Creation

Step by step knitting:

1. Lay out the prepared branches in front of you. Place thin shoots in the center, thick branches outside.
2. Trim to 50 cm.
3. Choose a place for the handle, clean it from knots and irregularities.
4. Tie the top of the handle with twine.

Try out a bunch of branches in action, see how convenient it is.

Steaming methods

There are several options for steaming a fir broom in a bathhouse:

1. Method one . The broom is immersed in a bowl of boiling water for 10 minutes, after which you can start steaming. However, despite the simplicity of this method, it has one drawback - during such a long stay in boiling water, the main part of the beneficial substances is destroyed, and, accordingly, the therapeutic effect of the broom is reduced. For this reason, it is recommended to use a different steaming method.
2. Method two . In this case, it is possible to preserve most of the beneficial substances contained in the fir broom. This will take a little more time. In this case, the broom needs to be filled with just hot water for three hours. Then in the steam room it is lightly dried over hot stones and then used.

Errors and recommendations

The most popular mistakes:

1. Collecting twigs in the second half of summer, early autumn.
2. Drying leaves in sunlight.
3. Improper storage of finished products in rooms with high humidity levels.

To enjoy the bath procedures, you need to take care of choosing or making your own broom. You can make a bunch of fir. It has elastic, durable branches that can withstand heavy loads and are not destroyed by moisture or constant temperature changes.

How to steam fir brooms

Quite often we come across the question of how to steam a fir broom for a bath. This is not difficult to do, and the process brings pleasure due to the special aroma that has a beneficial effect on the nervous system.

It is recommended not to stock up on fir brooms for future use, as they quickly deteriorate - the needles fall off. It is advisable to use exclusively freshly cut branches as a broom, and it is recommended to cut them in spring or summer, when soft young shoots appear, which contain a large amount of medicinal substances.

How to store?

It is very important to store the fir bundle correctly. The preservation of its medicinal properties and comfort in use depend on this. For storage, it is best to choose a dry, ventilated room, avoiding sources of open fire and heating appliances. There are three storage methods.

1. Hang the product in a dark and cool room, such as an attic.
2. Dry hay is ideal for storage, of course, if you have it. Disassembled fir branches should be placed in hay. And when necessary, rake it and take the number of branches that you need to create a broom.
3. You can also store it on the floor of an attic or shed. First you need to lay dry grass on the floor. Place ready-made brooms on it, cover with a layer of dry straw on top. Every three days the straw needs to be raked so that the brooms are ventilated.

All these methods of storing fir products are suitable for those who live in a private house. But for those who live in an apartment and have neither a shed nor an attic, another method of preserving the product is suitable. The broom just needs to be wrapped in thick paper and hung in the pantry.

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When storing a broom, it is important to maintain optimal temperature conditions and a certain level of humidity. After use in the steam room, hang the broom in a vertical position to dry. It is forbidden to leave a broom near heating devices, in a damp and unventilated area: this will cause it to quickly become moldy. It is necessary to avoid direct sunlight on the needles. Under their influence, the needles acquire a yellow tint.

The best place to store dried brooms is in the freezer. The accessory is first wrapped in plastic film. During the winter season, the broom can be stored in an unheated room, in sub-zero temperatures, or in a cool place, wrapped in paper or a piece of cotton fabric.

The effect of fir on humans

During vaping, fir essential oils reach the skin and thus act as a warming agent. A fir broom is good for rubbing the body, this way even more oils will get onto the skin. After the bath procedure, the aroma will remain on the body for a long time.

Fir is not very prickly, since the needles themselves are flat in shape and very soft. The needles contain resinous substances that can stimulate sweating. They help increase blood circulation in the muscles, as well as in all internal organs. Fir has antiseptic properties.

Fir bath brooms are distinguished by their high oil content. So, while steaming in a sauna, they penetrate into the deep layers of the skin and eliminate various diseases. The release of essential oils affects the respiratory system. This is especially useful for runny nose, bronchitis, cough, and colds in general.

If you are caught up in a flu epidemic, you simply must take a steam bath with a fir whisk. As soon as you notice the first signs of a cold, take action immediately and don’t put off going to the steam room.

Fir is recommended for relieving stress, nervous exhaustion and muscle tension. The delicate pine aroma helps:

• relax;
• eliminate feelings of anxiety;
• find peace.

It is somewhat of a natural relaxant. Moreover, fir oil is distinguished by its “erotic” effect. It tones the body and harmonizes the mood.

Brief description of fir

This tree is very common in our country. If you believe the statistics, it covers about 18 million hectares, which very often form extensive hunting grounds. Fir is shade-tolerant, and at certain stages of development it is shade-loving, which allows it to successfully survive in conditions of dense taiga growth. Among the characteristics of the plant, it is worth noting the cones that grow from the bottom up and open directly on the mother tree, leaving characteristic vertical rods after seeding.

Fir needles differ significantly from other conifers in the density and shape of individual elements, which in cross section have a shape closer to flat than to round. It is tactilely softer, compared to the needles of European spruce, cedar, pine or juniper. Another feature of this tree is that the main resin channels are concentrated in the bark, which is why resin nodes and sinuses often form there. Fir wood has the lowest hardness among conifers.

By the way! Fir resin is a time-tested, powerful bactericidal agent. It is not for nothing that it is invariably included in the recipes of various “Siberian balms”.

How to knit correctly?

After the fir branches are collected, they need to be tied so that they form a bundle. This must be done in a certain sequence.

1. Lay out all the branches you have in front of you. Inspect them carefully again.
2. If necessary, trim so that the length of the branches is the same.
3. Decide on the place that will be the handle. It needs to be well cleaned and leveled.
4. When making a broom, make sure that the branches of the younger shoots are outside, but the older ones are inside.
5. When all the branches are collected in a bundle, they need to be fastened together. A strong rope is ideal for this.
6. You need to wrap a bandage or gauze on top of the rope.

Preparing a fir broom

If you have the opportunity to cut fir needles yourself, then this is a great success. Unfortunately, in the central part of Russia such spruce branches are considered rare. All this is happening due to a decrease in the area where fir is grown. This plant is very demanding, it grows in places where the air is clean and does not grow in wetlands.

A few rules for preparation:

• spruce branches are harvested all year round.
• The best time is morning, sunny.
• The favorable moment is from the very beginning of spring until the end of autumn, but more favorable and fragrant is June-July, when the fir juices are actively moving.
• You need to select branches from trees that are located away from the roadway and various enterprises.
• Optimal branches are considered to be about 70 cm long with dense young needles.

When preparing shoots, you need to select even ones, placing all the branches in the center. Afterwards, soft, thin branches are laid out in the form of a fan. The bottom will serve as a handle; you need to remove all the needles. It is convenient to make the shape of the spruce branches flat, so the product is obtained in the shape of a shovel and tied with a special jute rope. Then this handle should be wrapped in cloth for safety and convenience.

There are several opinions regarding the storage of such brooms. The leaves of the needles are very soft and slightly resemble narrow leaves rather than needles; they crumble less when they dry. Unfortunately, after drying, fir branches lose some of their healing substances. For this reason, they must either be used immediately, or it is better to freeze them.

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Before freezing, you need to pack each broom in a bag, each in a separate bag. In no case will the greenery lose its color and aroma; you just need to pack it tightly. When you need to use it, you simply take it out and dip it in cool water or simply leave it on an open surface.

In addition, among people who prefer environmentally friendly products and adherents of a healthy lifestyle, they may not worry about purchasing such brooms. Fir grows only in ecologically clean areas. In other places it will simply die.

Read about what is needed to visit the bathhouse and sauna in the following article at the link.

Accessories for bath procedures using fir:

• have antimicrobial and antibacterial effects;
• activate the immune system;
• suitable for use by people with sensitive skin;
• have a tonic effect.

Fir contains essential oils. They have a calming effect on the nervous system and eliminate the effects of stress. Regular use of a pine broom has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin and joints.

When choosing a pine broom for a bath, follow these tips:

• brooms prepared in winter are preferable;
• the broom should be light enough so that the bathhouse attendant can comfortably hold it in his hand;
• the length of the young branches from which the bath accessory is assembled does not exceed 45-60 cm;
• the needles should exude a pleasant aroma;
• The presence of spots on the needles is unacceptable.

Before steaming, the broom should be checked for strength. If the raw materials are prepared correctly, the needles are firmly held on the branches without falling off when shaken.