Castile Rain Water Soap

                     "Castile Rain"    

    Castile soap  originated in the Castile region of Spain as a 100% olive oil soap, that was
 considered  a highly prized luxury item used by royalty and exported for centuries all over Europe.
    Modern Castile soap has been adapted to incorporate other oils to better suit the tastes and trends of modern society.   Adding other oils gave the true castile a better lather as 100% castile while being creamy and moisturizing did not lather much.  Todays crowd wants lather.

   If made with at least 80% olive oil, soap is still considered to be a castile.

    Such is the case with this  Castile I recently made.  With 81% being olive oil and 19% other oils,
(like avocado butter),  this blend made a mild, emollient, creamy lather with small bubbles.  Almost like washing with a cream.   With a line of oatmeal powder (soothing, cleansing) as accent this soap smells fresh and dewy,  pure and clean.  Gorgeous fresh natural scent.  I love how it came out.  Great soap for the sensitive skin crowd and folks like me who just love the natural beauty benefits of a blend like this.

    I chose to add avocado butter to my castile because of it richness. Is is made from the flesh of the fruit not from the extracted oil. Excellent for dry skin.  All skin types benefit from avocado butter.

   What makes this soap stand out from the crowd....rain water.....yep, I made it with fresh rain water I collected myself to ensure purity.  Rain water is naturally soft water.  Water is made hard by the dissolved minerals in it like magnesium, calcium, iron etc. which rain water does not have if harvested cleanly.    Beautiful in soap.

    Made the hot process method, because I wanted to use it right away!  ha !   Thanks for taking the time here at Natures Home Spa!   Anna


                                           Another lovely pure soap made from rain water......

"Coconut Rain"   

 
                                         
                                       



    Anna


 

Soap Made with Carrots, Goats Milk, and Oatmeal

                           "Creamy Carrot Cake Soap"       (ingredients listed below)

    Goats milk has been used for centuries as a natural cleanser.  Its natural moisturizing benefits and emollient properties are legendary.  Full of vitamin A (47% more than cows milk) , B (riboflavin, niacin), B6, B12, and add to that the alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA) and it simply cannot be beat.
    The AHA's in goats milk permeates the skin delivering all its goodness, including the calcium, right where it needs to be.  The ph of goat milk is low and is closer to the natural ph of our skin. This is great for the sensitive skin crowd, and why it makes it such a gentle effective beauty ingredient for all skin types.
    I added colloidal oatmeal ( which is the term for ground oatmeal powder ) to this soap for it's moisturizing, nourishing and soothing properties.   According to Cornell University "oatmeal also contains chemicals called saponins, which are responsible for its cleansing properties, as saponins have a "foaming" characteristic."  It is this foaming characteristic that helps lift oil and dirt from the skin, making oatmeal an ideal gentle cleanser.
     Ok, so why the carrot!?  I have 2 teenagers at home with varying degrees of troubled skin.  I did my research, trying to find natural ingredients to help their skin all around and came up with carrots!  They have "extraordinary skin protection (from UVR) and conditioning benefits" says www.carrotmuseum.com.   I'ts vitamin A is great for cell growth, as well as antioxidant benefits for that troubled acne prone skin while it's vitamin C  promotes skin elasticity.
    It just makes for a beautiful, natural skin care ingredient.  Carrots contain invaluable nutrients like glucose, iron, copper, Vitamins C, D, E, K and most importantly carotene ,so natural beauty products made of carrot can help in nourishing the skin leaving it naturally radiant!  The vitamin C alone is a plus as it stimulates collagen production helping our skin keep that healthy youthful look.
    Whether applied directly to the skin, as with my natural soap, eaten, or in juice, carrots can help improve complexion, revitalize the skin, provide acne relief, and encourage smooth, soft skin.  It doesn't get any better than that!
 
These soaps will be available in my etsy shop , ready to ship out November 7th  (they were made the cold process way and need to cure).    The scent is fresh, slightly fruity, naturally autumn!

In this yummy, fall recipe I used goats milk, carrot puree, olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, grapeseed oil, shea butter, rapeseed oil, oatmeal, and beeswax, with clove and ginger accent lines.

 

Bath Fizzy Bombs recipe

    I made these lovely smelling bath bombs that make a huge fizz.  These are so fun to make
and use.   With the soft scent and the bubbling fizz it makes for a great home spa bath.

                             

  I made these with baking soda and citric acid and fragrance oil and spritzed it with witch hazel as a binder.
  That's it.  Very pure. To make you just remember the ratio of 2/1. Meaning: two parts baking soda to one part citric acid.  Combine in a bowl, add a few drops of fragrance oil or essential oil, wisk and get out any chunks. Spritz lightly with witchazel until the recipe when squeezed in your hand holds together.

The citric acid is an organic acid from citrus fruits, added to the water it neutralizes the trace
metals in the hard water making it soft water, trust me you can tell the difference, if you have
hard water you know what I mean.  The water actually feels soft.

The baking soda softens your skin naturally.   These are a great way to relax and destress!

I used 5 of these small ones per bath.

Made a nice fizzy action.

DIY Rose Milk Bath

                                Rose petals, Milk, Rosewater..... luxury bath

          A friend of mine and her daughter recently returned from a day spa in California.  While they had a great time just getting out together, they came home with their pocketbooks considerably lighter!   After hearing some of the pampering treatments at the spa, I set out to reproduce the same at home.  After all,
why not enjoy some of natures luxury in your own home!

     The simple, but extremely luxurious rose milk bath!   I have to tell you, I was actually surprised at how refreshed I felt and how awesome my skin felt after this treatment.

     Recipe       
Homemade rosewater (click  for rosewater tutorial)
Dry milk or regular milk (1-2 cups)
Rose petals

As your tub is filling with warm water simply pour in your rosewater, milk, and sprinkle petals on top. That's all it takes, simple and luxurious.   If you don't have any rosewater, try a milk bath, you will be amazed at how your skin feels, fill tub and pour in dry or liquid milk and enjoy.    Radiant and silky.  The moisturizing natural fats in milk are good for your skin and hair.  The lactic acid found in milk is a gentle exfoliat(leaving a new, soft layer of skin) as well as a soothing agent.

You can add oatmeal to your milk bath, oatmeal functions as a skin protectent, its properties protect the skin from irritants and soothes skin. Oatmeal will help to lock in moisture and soften your skin as well.    I grind my whole oats in my coffee bean grinder, instead of buying it from the drugstore,
Take your powdered oats and add them as the water flows from your faucet to ensure they mix well.

Enjoy,   Anna

   

Homemade Lotion

                                       Almond Biscotti Body Moisturizing Lotion......delish

I made this lotion today using Almond Biscotti skin safe fragrance oil from Brambleberry.com

Click here for recipe.     It came out creamy, luxuriently soft and smooth.  Great fall scent,
absolutely yummy.