Homemade Face Wash

As per request, I am posting a face wash recipe that is easy to make and free of toxic chemicals.

Homemade Face Wash
1 cup coconut oil
1 tbsp baking soda
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops frankincense essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil

*for people suffering from acne, replace the frankincense and lemon with 10 drops of melaleuca (tea tree) essential oil 

Melt the coconut oil in a pan over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.

Store the face wash in an air tight glass jar. Please use glass, not plastic as the concentrated strength will strip the plastic putting toxins into your once non-toxic face wash.

The essential oils and coconut oil work together to kill any bacteria while keeping your skin hydrated and feeling health and clean.

Please note: I only recommend using Young Living essential oils as they are pure, therapeutic grade essential oils and therefore are safe to use topically. I can not vouch for the safety of any other brands of oils and therefore can not recommend their topical application.

Let me know if you give the recipe a try and what you think! 

Feel free to contact me anytime with questions on this or any other recipe, or how to buy Young Living essential oils. 

post inspired by http://draxe.com/

Holiday Yummies for your body!

Can you believe it is mid November!?!? If you are as shocked as I am, chances are you also didn't realize that Christmas is six weeks away! Did you just panic? Are you breaking into a cold sweat thinking of  those people you never quite know how to shop for? Well, lucky for you, I have a solution!

Whipped Body Butter!!

It's so easy to make, easy to give as a gift, and smells so yummy! Here are a few great recipes you can try!

Mint Chocolate Body Butter
 - 1/2 cup cocoa butter
 - 1/2 cup coconut oil
 - 20 drops peppermint essential oil

Step 1

In a double boiler combine all ingredients except essential oils. Bring to medium heat and stir constantly until melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before adding the essential oils. 

Step 2

Refrigerate for about an hour or until the mixture just starts to harden but is still somewhat soft.

Step 3 

Use electric mixer to whip for 10 minutes until light and fluffy

Step 4

Spoon the whipped butter into a glass jar or container and store in fridge for about 10 - 15 minutes to set

Step 5 

Use it for your self or give it away! But most importantly... enjoy!!! (Let me know if you try this or any other recipes and what your thoughts are!)

Follow the steps above for any of these other recipes!

Chocolate Orange Body Butter
(yes mom, this one is for you)
 - 1/2 cup cocoa butter
 - 1/2 cup coconut oil
 - 20 drops orange essential oil

Key Lime Body Butter

 - 1 cup coconut oil

 - 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel

 - 20 drops lime essential oil

Orange Cream Body Butter

 - 1 cup coconut oil

 - 2 tablespoons almond oil

 - 20 drops orange essential oil

Wintergreen Body Butter (can also act as a pain relief, add 20-40 drops of wintergreen)

 - 1/2 cup coconut oil

 - 1/2 cup shea butter

 - 10 drops wintergreen essential oil

Calming Body Butter

 - 1/2 cup coconut oil

 - 1/2 cup shea butter

 - 20 drops lavender essential oil

Energizing Body Butter

 - 1 cup coconut oil

 - 2 table spoons aloe vera gel

 - 20 drops grapefruit essential oil

Or feel free to experiment with your own recipe of your favorite essential oils! Happy whipping!

Lip Balm - smells so delicious you'll want to eat it

If you can't ingest it, you shouldn't put it on your skin. "Chapstick" brand lip balm contains 11 chemicals that have not been assessed for safety in cosmetic formulas. "Blistex" lip balm scores a 9 out of 12 in toxic parameters and contains two carcinogens with linkage to cancer.

Now I know if we were to avoid everything that "may lead to cancer" we would be living in a organic recycled bubble with no contact to the outside world, so let's not go on a crazy rampage here.

BUT! If you had the choice between

A. lip balm made in a factory with ingredients that you aren't really sure of, through a process that you don't really know by people (or machines) that you have never met...

OR

B. lip balm made in your own kitchen with ingredients that you not only know but also are safe to eat, through a process that you can not only see but are completing with your own two trusted hands!

You're right... I would choose B also. Did you know that most chapstick companies put alcohol in their products? Alcohol draws the moisture out of your skin and brings it to the surface where the chapstick holds it in place until it evaporates. Then your lips end up dryer than they were before. Have you ever noticed that the more you use chapstick the more you need to use chapstick? Coincidence? I think not.

Here is my recipe for a fabulous smelling lip balm that is easy to make and not only feels great but heals chapped lips by adding moisture to the skin.

Home Made Lip Balm
2 teaspoons beeswax
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon vitamin E oil
2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
2 drops peppermint essential oil

Place the beeswax, coconut oil, vitamin E oil, and almond oil in a small pot over medium heat. Stir until melted, then remove from heat. Slowly stir in the essential oil.* Slowly pour into a sealable, sterile glass container. Let it cool and solidify before using.

*I used peppermint essential oil because of the cooling effect on the skin and it's pain relieving qualities. You may substitute your own choice of essential oil for different a scent or healing properties. I also recommend Lavender essential oil for it's great scent but also fast and effective healing properties. 

*Make sure you use a therapeutic grade essential oil that is safe to use topically but also safe to ingest. A lot of essential oil companies warn you to not ingest their product, this oil is not therapeutic grade and therefor not safe to use for anything other than aromatherapy. I use Young Living essential oils because they have 100% therapeutic grade oils confirmed with their "seed to seal" promise.

I hope you love this lip balm, I use it every day! It feels so good and smells so tasty! Let me know if you try it, and if you add or alter any of the ingredients please share your experience in the comments below!! And, as always, please feel free to contact me about Young Living essential oils and how to order them with wholesale prices. 

Recipe inspired by The Home Apothecary

Have a wonderful day! 

Sunburn relief!!!

When a day of this...

...turns into this...

You need this:

Here is my very own sunburn relief concoction! 

2 tbs Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (or any other carrier oil you may prefer)

2 tbs Aloe Vera Gel

10 drops Lavender Essential Oil

5 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

Sunburned skin need to stay moisturized!! Coconut Oil and Aloe Vera Gel will keep your skin hydrated and hold in the moisture for hours on end! (especially if you lather it on like I do!)

Lavender essential oil is highly regarded for healing and soothing skin irritations, cuts, bruises, minor burns, etc.

Peppermint essential oil eases pain and discomfort when applied to the skin while offering a cooling effect (works great for fevers and hot flashes as well)

When using essential oils directly on your skin you need to make sure your oils are pure, therapeutic grade, essential oils, such as Young Living. If you have any questions about Young Living oils or would like information on how to order them, please feel free to contact me!

Acne Spot Treatment

Are you an adult still struggling with acne? I thought this problem would go away when I entered adulthood?!? Well, it didn't... and for a long time I was struggling with awful breakouts and nothing seemed to work. Until, I took matters into my own hands and started to make my own products. Here is a simple and great smelling recipe for acne breakouts:

Acne Spot Treatment

1 tablespoon (20g) organic honey

1 teaspoon neem oil

5 drops tea tree essential oil

5 drops *frankincense essential oil

Blend all the ingredients together well and store in a sterile container, preferably in the refrigerator. To use, dab a small amount on the affected area.

I got this recipe from The Home Apothecary 1

* They called for goldenseal leaf essential oil. I substituted with Frankinsense essential oil which also works well for acne.

If you have any questions about essential oils, because I have not yet posted about the importance in choosing the right oils, please feel free to contact me. I am also a distributor of Young Living Oils, which are the oils I will be using in all my recipes. I would be happy to order oils for anyone who is interested. Just sent me an email with your questions or requests, or post a comment with your questions and your email address.

Give Away!!!

If you are new to my blog, welcome and thanks for stopping by! I wanted to create this blog, not only to share my experiments with making my own natural products and dabbling with homeopathic remedies, but also to meet other people with the same interests.

I would love to hear your story! How long have you been living this lifestyle and what was it that turned you on to it? Or maybe you are just starting to develop an interest, what made you want to give it a try? I would love to hear alternative ideas and suggestions, recipes you love or hate, and topics you would like to see me post about in the future! (Any comments on this post answering those questions will also get you an entry in the contest mentioned below!!!)

Some post topics to look forward to: 
essential oils
reusing items around the house that you would normally throw away
food recipes
herbal remedies
juicing recipes
and of course home made, all natural beauty and hygienic products

If you aren't already aware, Wall-to-Wall Books (aka my mom) is doing a give away on her blog to win this book:

To Enter to Win:

- Comment on two different posts from my blog

- Sign up to be a follower

- Sign up for email alerts

Doing one of the above will get you one entry!

Doing two will get you two entries

Doing all three will get you three entries!

When you have made your entry, make sure you go to 

Wall-to-Wall Books 

and fill out the form in order to make your entry valid! 

Thanks for coming and I'm looking forward to meeting/getting to know you all!