All Natural Chamomile Corn Flower-Tangerine homemade lotion recipe, non greasy.

Smooth, creamy, subtle, with fresh brewed chamomile corn flower tea and a touch of tangerine oil.

                                                      Lotion  Recipe  

I wanted to make a softer, creamier lotion than my usual body butter recipe, (which I love) . The oils
you choose for your homemade lotions/butters make all the difference. Research your oils and choose according to the properties you want in your lotion.  Keeping the ratio at:  3/4 cup liquid oils and
1 cup distilled water and .5 oz (or 3TBL) beeswax

For this super creamy  rich lotion I used:

1/4 cup sweet almond oil
2/4 cup grapeseed oil, incorporated into this amount was 1 TBL olive oil and 1/2 tsp vitamin E
.5  oz of beeswax (or 3TBL)

1 cup steeped chamomile with corn flower tea  ( in distilled water)

The chamomile tea steeped to a strong brew and really scented this lotion. Smells really nice.
I put in a touch of tangerine essential oil to freshen it up, it complimented the tea, it lends a subtle
touch, quite nice.

Directions on "how to make" homemade lotion click my previous post HERE.

Please note:  there are no preservatives in this all natural recipe, anytime you use water in a homemade product you have potential for bacteria. If I were going to sell this I would add a preservative like Optiphen from Brambleberry  (is where I get it.)  For my personal home use I  make a batch size that I can use up in a month.     Don't dip wet or dirty hands into container.

                                                   
                                                       

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All Natural Homemade Moisturizing Soap

Great super moisturizing soap that is good for all skin types, especially the sensitive skin crowd......

                                                                         

"Bumblebee Natural Soap"

This was a fun soap recipe to create.  My newest grandson, Keith, who is just 9 months old....and has lovely strawberry blond hair and fair sensitive skin, needed a super moisturizing soap that is 

gentle and won't dry out his skin.  Store bought commercial soap and soap products, YES, even the ones designated "for babies" can be very drying to skin.  

This recipe proved to be a great latherer, smooth and creamy with lots of bubbles, leaving the skin

feeling soft and moisturized. Really nice soap.   This bar smells amazing! Pure. 

 A synopsis of a few of the ingredients found in this bar......recipe to follow:

Avocado butter which is omega-fatty rich, and a great natural remedy for dry skin, made from the flesh of the avocado it is extremely moisturizing for the skin and hair.  It is a heavy butter that is affordable to use as you only need a little of it to go a long moisturizing way!!  I used it at 6.5% in this recipe.

Sweet Almond Oil is rich in vitamins A,D, E and contains linoleic and oleic acids. Natural emollient and moisturizer. Great oil choice for dry skin, cracking skin and skin just stressed from the dry elements of winter.

Vitamin E........ ahhh food for the skin!  Protects skin cells from free radicals, maintains skin oil balance, reduces skins water loss, promotes healing and treats various skin disorders.

Honey is antibacterial, antifungal and a natural humectant, which means it draws moisture from its surrounding and is a great moisturizer as it has the ability to  retain the water, also known to fight skin damage.  Rich and smooth in soaps.

RECIPE:

2 oz   Avocado Butter (6,45%)

1 oz   Sweet Almond Oil (3.2%)

1 oz   Shea Butter  (3.2%)

7 oz   Coconut Oil  (22.6%)

8 oz   Olive Oil  (25.8%)

12 oz  Vegetable Shortening, very moisturizing ( Crisco which is palm/soybean is what I used)

4.2 oz   Lye (sodium hydroxide)

10.2 oz  distilled water

1 TBL  Vitamin E added at trace

1 TBL   Honey, warmed and added at trace

1 TBL   Oatmeal, finely ground into powder in my coffee grinder! blended in at trace

1/2 tsp   Ginger at trace. (Optional ) Ginger is an antioxidant (meaning it inhibits free radicals), and has anti  infammatory compounds called gingerols. This is an optional ingredient that I used in the adult soap, not in the baby soap.

50 drops pure essential oil of choice ( optional ) for a very subtle scent ( added after the cook)

  

Total oil weight : 31 oz

Total batch with oil and water : 45.45 oz

It is always good to run any soap recipe you are doing through a lye calculator, they are free online.

Try  BrambleBerry.com  or  MMS.com

Note:  Good essential oils to use in a soap recipe for dry skin are lavendar, chamomile, geranium

           ylangylang,  sandlewood, rose, rosewood,  jasmine, patchouli, teatree.

Funny Note:  If you notice the bottom of the soap has a darker thin layer....this was my attempt at making a bumblebee stripe! ha!  I poured the hot soap into mold reserving some in crock pot, then added a little cocoa powder to vitamin E and stirred this into the soap hoping to make a dark bumblebee stripe!  By then the soap was a bit too set up to do it well.

thanks,     Anna

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Natural Beauty Tip for winter to Restore the Natural Ph to your face

   The Milk Mask,  simple and natural beauty.

The natural ph balance of our skin is 5.5, which means it is slightly acidic.   "Ph" is referring to the balance of that acid and alkali on our skin.  Foods and things we put on our skin disrupts our natural ph balance, especially soaps.  Which is one good reason to use homemade soap and stay away from the drying agents of commercial soaps which remove the natural glycerin.

Want to put your winter skin back in balance?  Try a lovely homemade cultured milk mask.  Very simple to do:

RECIPE

Simply apply to your face SOUR CREAM, or BUTTERMILK, or my favorite Yogurt. If you are into
making that awesome power drink KEFIR, you can also use that. The cultured milk in these natural products will soften, and liven up your skin as it restores the natural Ph balance.

Apply a small amount of your choice of cultured milk and leave on for 10 minutes.  Then rinse well with warm water, finishing with a splash of cool water. Pat dry.   Lovely!

Enjoy natures goodness this winter!
    Anna

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Apple and Sugar Face and Body Scrub Recipe AHA rich.

Simply scrumptious Apple Face and Body Scrub spa quality.....so refreshing, softening, smoothing......

Now heres a recipe that is simple, affordable and absolutely fabulous. I kid you not. The apples in this face scrub are high in potassium, vitamins  A and C and malic acid which is a naturally exfoliating enzyme.  Malic acid (an AHA goodie for our skin) helps the skin look healthier, younger and firmer as it evens skin tone and tightens pores.  Cleansed of dead skin cells, soothed and smoothed your skin will glow with health.

Brown sugar or white sugar? Brown sugar for your face scrub as it is gentler , White sugar for body.

Sugar is full of glycolic acid which is an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) and helps maintain healthy skin.
It cleanses really well and can reduce any body acne you may have and prevent further breakouts, as well as naturally moisturizing. 

Cinnamon has antimicrobial benefits.    Just use a pinch.

Recipe courtesy of the Ritz Carlton's Bachelor Gulch Spa, via Webmd.com feature. Easy and lovely.

Recipe:

4 TBL brown sugar ( for face scrub) 

 OR

2 TBL white sugar  and  2 TBL brown sugar ( for body scrub)

For face or body scrub you just mix the sugar with:

1 TBL apple sauce or fresh apple puree 
pinch of cinnamon



How To Apply a Sugar Scrub to face:   Splash face with warm water, spoon out desired amount of freshly made apple/brown sugar scrub into your palm. Apply to face with fingers and massage in a circular motion for a few minutes.  Not alot of pressure is needed, keep it gentle. ( Keep out of eye area. ) Allow to stay on face for a few minutes after the massage, if you can, as this allows more penetration of the natural goodness!  Rinse with cool water. 

Sugar Scrub for Body:  In the shower or tub,  start with warm water on skin, apply white sugar scrub in circular motions, rinse well.   


Click here for more info about AHA's,  and for my  Apple facial recipe which is different than a scrub.

Apple scrubs and facials are a favorite around my house and with 3 daughters of varying ages
to try them out, they sure get high reviews around here!

                           
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Enjoy,      Anna