beeswax lip balm

 

 

 

Making your own lip balm is really easy.  Save your empty tubes and tins.  In a small container with a pour spout, microwave 1 part wax to 2 to 4 parts oil such as olive oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, coconut oil, or cocoa butter.  Less oil makes a firmer balm.  When melted together add 5 drops of peppermint essential oil and 1 drop of rosemary.  Pour into containers.  Allow to cool for several hours.

 

Before pouring in the new balm, if you're using tubes turn the dial so the stopper goes back to the bottom.  If it doesn't catch at first, press down on it while turning the dial.  

DIY bath products: aloe and jojoba anti acne facial lotion, lotion for dry skin

I've made my own facial products for several years now.  It's fun, you save a ton of money, and they work better than most things you can buy in a store.  Here are some recipes I've had success with.

Moisturizer for Acne Prone or Oily Skin:
1/2 C aloe gel ( Lily of the Desert works well)
1/2 to 1 t jojoba oil. 

After three months of using this recipe, my acne was gone.  I had been battling fairly severe acne for 6 years and was amazed at how well this worked.  I was totally sold on making my own bath products  after this.  Jojoba oil "tricks" your skin into not producing oil because it resembles your skin's natural oil closely.   It works better than soap to clear clogged pores.  The aloe calms irritation and very hydrating.

Moisturizer for Dry Skin:
I made this body lotion with a mix different oils I had lying around, and I found it works well on my face too.  This recipe has a lot of oil, but for whatever reason doesn't make me break out.  I found the cobalt glass jar at the Alberta Co-op. 

1 C cooled brewed herbal (calendula) or green tea
1/4 C safflower oil
scant 1/2C olive oil
spoonful of virgin, raw coconut oil
spoonful of shea butter
2 T grated beeswax
8 drops ylang ylang essential oil
5 drops sweet orange
4 drops lavender
1 drop rosemary

Heat the oils and beeswax in a double boiler (or a pyrex mixing bowl placed over a pot of boiling water) until the wax melts.  Remove from heat and let cool for 2 min.  Blend the water on high in the blender, remove the stopper on top and slowly pour in the oil/ wax mixture.  Blend until it's emulsified completely.  Add essential oils when cool and jar it.  (Mason jars are great.)


Toner:
Fill a spray bottle (available in the travel area of the toiletries section) halfway with water or cooled herbal/ green tea, halfway with witch hazel, a squirt of honey, and a drop of rosemary, mint, or sweet orange essential oil.


Masks:
I buy french green, red, or white clay from the bulk section of natural food stores, which can be rehydrated with water, green tea, milk or soy milk.  Yogurt, honey, or egg whites are all edibles that make great masks.

I also keep several aloe plants around my house.  Nothing beats fresh aloe!

toothpaste, mouthwash recipes

I've been making my own toothpaste for the past few months, and it works really well.  It probably costs only a couple cents per batch to make.  This gets you thinking about how much the price of things reflects the cost of the actual ingredients and not packaging, shipping, or advertising.  Many store bought kinds have ingredients that are bad for your teeth- like glycerin, sweeteners, and SLS.
 

Toothpaste: 
1/3C baking soda
1t sea salt

3T calcium carbonate powder  (available in the supplements section)

1T coconut oil

5-10 drops peppermint essential oil

5 drops sweet orange essential oil
enough water to make a paste

Mix together powder ingredients.  Warm coconut oil until liquidy and mix with the powder.  Add enough water to make a paste.  Add essential oils. 

Mouthwash:
I make mouthwash that is 1/3 hydrogen peroxide, 2/3 water, and a drop of peppermint essential oil.

DIY lotion and laundry detergent



I made my own lotion and laundry detergent, as inspired by articles in Readymade and Bust magazines.  Both turned out awesome and were very easy and cheap to make.  I made the lotion with coconut and avocado oils.  All you need is a blender, any edible oil, beeswax, and essential oil for fragrance if you'd like.  It makes a great gift for the holidays packaged in a simple mason jar.  Click the readymade link for more detailed directions.

Lotion:
1 C water or cooled brewed green tea
3/4 C any edible oil (olive, safflower, coconut, avocado, etc.)
2 T grated beeswax
several drops essential oil

Heat the oil and beeswax in a double boiler (or a pyrex mixing bowl placed over a pot of boiling water) until the wax melts.  Remove from heat and let cool for 2 min.  Blend the water on high in the blender, remove the stopper on top and slowly pour in the oil.  Blend until it's emulsified completely. 




 

The laundry detergent cost about $1 per gallon to make.  It acutally works better than a lot of the expensive eco-detergents.  And even better does not have migraine-inducing fragrances like most conventional detergents.  I scented it with eucalyptus and lavender essential oils, and it smells wonderful.  I used a coconut based soap that did separate when the detergent cooled, but it still worked great all the same.  I couldn't find the recipe on Bust's website so here are the instructions: 

Laundry Detergent:

Grate 2 C of unscented bar soap

bring 4.5 C water to a boil and stir in soap till dissolved

add fresh herbs (4 sprigs lavender would do)

2 C each of borax and washing soda (some grocery stores have them in the laundry section or hardware stores)

pour mixture into pail with 2 gallons water

add 10 drops of essential oil such as ylang ylang, lavender, or eucalyptus

let stand overnight and strain into a large container, discarding herbs
use 1/2 C per load, shake before using



You can find these in the laundry detergent section.