I love finding quick and easy DIY skincare recipes! Here’s one that I make every year for family and friends. This makes a nice little stocking stuffer, or teacher gift, that is cost effective and different from baked goods or the yearly gift card. You can pair it with some bath salts, a loofah and tie it up in a cellophane bag with a ribbon and a gift card. Gather the following: How to: You will want to mix the contents of your container of the foaming bath butter with a stand or hand mixer. It can be quite solid,…
Here are a few benefits of creating your own natural cleaning products at home: Here are some common household ingredients that you may already have on hand: I love these simple to find ingredients as they can be combined to make many different types of household cleaning products. They are relatively inexpensive and safe to use around the house. Beware of mixing some of these ingredients together, vinegar is a great cleaning ingredient but becomes dangerous or useless depending how it is used.Please note that some of these ingredients SHOULD NEVER be mixed together! If in doubt, always take a…
One of the easiest DIY projects to make has to be bath salts. Once you have the basics of blending Epsom salt and sea salt, you are ready to create so many different scents simply by changing up the kind of essential oils. Let’s begin with a mineral muscle and joint soak. Did you know that Epsom salt releases magnesium and sulfate, when dissolved in water? This may help relax muscles and reduce pain and swelling. Sea salt is also known to ease aching muscles and stimulate circulation. Add some essential oils to the mix to increase the benefits! Here…
Making your own elderberry syrup at home is easier than you think! I purchase my elderberries at Voyageur Soap and Candle, you may find some in your local health food store or elsewhere online. Just be sure that you are ordering Sambucus nigra (botanical name). Here are my two favorite recipes that our family has used throughout the years. Want to know more about the benefits of elderberry? You can read more about it HERE You can watch my step by step video of how I make this on my YouTube Channel I am not a health care provider, and…
Hemp seed oil is cold pressed from hemp seeds (Cannabis sativa). The benefit of using hemp seed as a carrier oil is that it is a rich source of polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, as well as α-linolenic acid and omega-6 γ-linolenic acid. These help build healthy cell membranes and also help produce the skin’s natural oil barrier, thus keeping skin hydrated, plumper, and younger looking. Hemp seed is a great ingredient to add to your skin care regime as it improves hair and nail strength, is works well with aging or dry skin and for those who have…
VINEGAR-DO NOT MIX THE FOLLOWING! Downside of using Vinegar in DIY cleaning productsDid you know that vinegar needs at least five minutes for killing bacteria and 30 minutes for viruses? Vinegar is also quite harsh to be used on many household surfaces, such as marble, granite or natural stone countertops. The acid in vinegar can etch (mark permanently) these surfaces. Wood floors or furniture can be damaged by vinegar, even when diluted. Electronic screens, cast iron pots are also a no go for cleaning with vinegar. It is a wonderful cleaner for windows, bathtubs and showers as well as the…
Known as the “king of oils” frankincense essential oil is produced from the Boswellia Carteri. True frankincense comes from four main species of Boswellia, a scraggy and very hardy tree. The trees start producing resin when they are about eight to ten years old. Frankincense is tapped by slashing the bark, which is called striping, and allowing the exuded resin to bleed out and harden. Tapping is done two to three times a year with the final taps producing the best tears due to their higher aromatic terpene, sesquiterpene and diterpene content. The oil is then extracted by steam distillation.…
So, what exactly is an “active ingredient”? Active ingredients in skincare are functional ingredients that have a certain or desired effect on the skin. Think of the ingredients such as retinol, Vitamin C and Vitamin E which are known to have well documented effects when included in a skincare product. They are known to help fight free radicals, stimulate collagen production and may prevent melanin formation and so much more. Here is a list of the most commonly used active ingredients found in skincare: Understanding the benefit of each active ingredient in your skincare will help you decide what product…
Vitamins in skincare have many benefits for the skin including the prevention of pigmentation, (Did you know that three leading causes of skin pigmentation are genetics, sun exposure, and some medications?) the stimulation of collagen synthesis, and they can have an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory effect.Here’s a simple breakdown of what they do: Vitamin A (INCI: Retinyl Palmitate) Vitamin A is a great ingredient to have in your skincare product if you have mature skin. It is recommended to only be used in nighttime creams as it can make your skin sensitive to the sun (even on a cloudy day).…
Creating your own natural shampoo at home is actually quite simple! If you can follow a recipe, you can easily follow a formula. Formulating is chemistry, like baking, you need the right ingredients to have a successful result!Beware of the many “shampoo” recipes that you will see on social media. I have seen so many that simply are not good for your hair even though the ingredients are natural and sound amazing.An effective shampoo needs to do three basic things.• Cleanse the hair-shampoo needs to remove dirt and soil from your hair and scalp, whether it is from sebum, dust…