I've been searching for a natural replacement for Vaseline and chanced upon a recipe from this website.
The recipe calls for 1 ounce of beeswax and 1/2 cup of baby oil. I replaced the baby oil with organic virgin coconut oil because I didn't want to use mineral oil in my lipbalm.
To fill up a 2 oz jar, you will need:
1/2 ounce organic beeswax
1/4 cup organic virgin coconut oil
Melt the beeswax in a double boiler. I just put it in a bowl over a pot of boiling water on the stove. After the beeswax has been melted, stir in the coconut oil. You have to keep stirring till it cools completely, and because I am such a lazy person I put the bowl on ice so that it would cool faster. As you stir, you will realise that the mixture is solidifying. When it reaches the consistency of Vaseline, it is done. The beeswax I used was a golden yellow, so the mixture was pale yellow in colour. Store it into a 2 oz glass jar.
I tried it on my lips last night, and I woke up with very moisturised lips. I am very pleased with this recipe. Other recipes on the web add shea butter, Vitamin E oil, and other essential oils, but this simple recipe does it for me.
I bought my beeswax from here, in case you were wondering! The shipping was quick, and the beeswax is of a good quality; it is a pretty golden yellow colour, with a strong honey smell.
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Shea butter
Just received my raw unrefined organic shea butter from Beija-Flor Naturals in the mail! I haven't used it because I was rushing out of the house, but I'll definitely post updates after I'm done. I plan on using it as is, instead of whipping it with jojoba/vitamin E oil.
Update:
My shea butter came in a simple screw top container. It was not as creamy as I expected it to be, but rather it looked like it had been smushed into the container by the seller.
Quality and Smell:
Unlike reviews of other shea butter I've read on the web, the shea butter I received was pale yellow, clean (no disgusting hair or other strange foreign matter that I had to pick out of it!), and didn't have an intolerable smell. The smell is pretty all right actually. It is not as fragrant as cocoa butter, but it has a somewhat similar smell that is nutty, and pleasant.
Texture:
The texture is thick, which makes it difficult to spread on arms and legs. If it wasn't such a hassle, I'd whip it with jojoba oil.... I guess that's a small price to pay for high quality, natural moisturisers with zero chemicals!
Review:
As a moisturiser, I love this stuff. It gets absorbed into the skin really quickly, though it leaves a film of product on the skin; my skin definitely feels coated, but not sticky or oily. As such, I personally don't use this as a daytime body moisturiser, because the weather here is hot and humid, and I think it just wouldn't be a good mix. But I love this as a night body moisturiser, especially because I sleep in an air-conditioned room. I wake up with nice, moisturised skin. I have also used the shea butter on the damaged ends of my hair, upon coming out of the shower. A little goes a long way!
Update:
My shea butter came in a simple screw top container. It was not as creamy as I expected it to be, but rather it looked like it had been smushed into the container by the seller.
Quality and Smell:
Unlike reviews of other shea butter I've read on the web, the shea butter I received was pale yellow, clean (no disgusting hair or other strange foreign matter that I had to pick out of it!), and didn't have an intolerable smell. The smell is pretty all right actually. It is not as fragrant as cocoa butter, but it has a somewhat similar smell that is nutty, and pleasant.
Texture:
The texture is thick, which makes it difficult to spread on arms and legs. If it wasn't such a hassle, I'd whip it with jojoba oil.... I guess that's a small price to pay for high quality, natural moisturisers with zero chemicals!
Review:
As a moisturiser, I love this stuff. It gets absorbed into the skin really quickly, though it leaves a film of product on the skin; my skin definitely feels coated, but not sticky or oily. As such, I personally don't use this as a daytime body moisturiser, because the weather here is hot and humid, and I think it just wouldn't be a good mix. But I love this as a night body moisturiser, especially because I sleep in an air-conditioned room. I wake up with nice, moisturised skin. I have also used the shea butter on the damaged ends of my hair, upon coming out of the shower. A little goes a long way!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Shampoo bars and water hardness
I had a really astonishing experience today that I really want to share. I've always suspected that my water was moderately hard, and many shampoo bar users note that water hardness does affect the efficacy of shampoo bar use, though they have been working pretty okay for me. So anyway. I was washing my hair today, and after rinsing off the shampoo, I used the lemon juice rinse on it, but as I began to rinse the juice rinse out of my hair, I felt a lock of hair that was still a little oily so I stopped rinsing. The lock of hair was still coated in the lemon juice rinse when I ran my shampoo bar down the length of the lock, and IT GLIDED. Following this, it lathered amazingly quickly. I was seriously astounded but then I realised that lemon juice contains both citric and ascorbic acid (though probably in teeny amounts) that maybe "converted" my hard water into soft water. I never thought water hardness would make such a big difference but it did! I've got an order of citric acid and ascorbic acid on its way to me from Lotion Crafter, and hopefully it'll help turn my water "soft" and make my shampoo bar experience even better! I'll post any updates here, so keep your fingers crossed for me!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Homemade natural deodorant
I found a recipe for natural deodorant, comprising of ingredients I already have in my kitchen:
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup corn starch
5-6 tablespoons coconut oil
I've never liked the host of chemicals in antiperspirants... Apparently aluminium is used in them, and has been linked to a number of diseases including breast cancer. Some proponents of this natural deodorant recipe swear by its stink fighting properties... I'm going to try it out and see what happens; while many people rave about it, my main concern is that it is going to stain my clothes. Guess I'll be wearing cotton t-shirts over the next few days!
Update:
Making the deodorant
I started with 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup corn starch, and 7 tablespoons of liquid organic virgin coconut oil (I froze it so that it would harden, then added the solid coconut oil to my mix). The mixture was a little too watery for my liking so I added a couple more tablespoons of baking soda and corn starch, then threw in an extra tablespoon of corn starch for good measure. I did not use any essential oils to scent my deodorant.
Application
I used a pea sized amount for each side, but either I did not apply it properly or I used a little too much, because ten minutes later I had to remove the residue with tissue paper. Tomorrow I'll try rubbing it in a little more.
Smell
The deodorant, when applied, gave off a faint coconut smell that I actually found pleasant, kinda like the scent of coconut soap. This is in contrast to when I oil my hair with coconut oil and the smell gets really overpowering and unpleasant. While the scent lingered for the first half of the day, by the second half of the day it was gone.
Texture
I expected the texture to be oily, but it wasn't in the least! Rubbing it between my fingertips, it starts off a little creamy then fades to a powdery finish. It really feels like commercial antiperspirant.
Verdict
Generally I do not sweat a lot, and I didn't have a very active day today, but the deodorant passed the test! Stink free! I am amazed that it worked as well as it did. I am going to monitor it for the next couple of days, but I think it is safe to say I am a natural deodorant convert!
Update: 27/03/11
It has been almost a week, and I have been using the deodorant with no major problems. To prevent any stains on my clothing I have been careful to remove any excess with tissue paper, about ten to fifteen minutes after application, when the deodorant has "settled" into my skin. Also, because I live in a country with a tropical climate, the coconut oil in the deodorant is not really solid at room temperature. Coconut oil melts at approximately 23ºC to 26ºC, so it does affect the texture of my deodorant somewhat. I have observed a thin layer of liquid coconut oil on the surface of my deodorant, so to make the texture of my deodorant uniform when applying, I use a small plastic fork to whip the deodorant. It takes a couple of seconds, and I then use the fork to take out the amount I want to use for application so that I don't contaminate the entire mixture. Right now my deodorant is in a plastic container, but I am going to transfer it to a glass container, which I believe may help keep the mixture cool and put an end to this problem. I will post any updates here, so keep your eyes on this space (:
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup corn starch
5-6 tablespoons coconut oil
I've never liked the host of chemicals in antiperspirants... Apparently aluminium is used in them, and has been linked to a number of diseases including breast cancer. Some proponents of this natural deodorant recipe swear by its stink fighting properties... I'm going to try it out and see what happens; while many people rave about it, my main concern is that it is going to stain my clothes. Guess I'll be wearing cotton t-shirts over the next few days!
Update:
Making the deodorant
I started with 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup corn starch, and 7 tablespoons of liquid organic virgin coconut oil (I froze it so that it would harden, then added the solid coconut oil to my mix). The mixture was a little too watery for my liking so I added a couple more tablespoons of baking soda and corn starch, then threw in an extra tablespoon of corn starch for good measure. I did not use any essential oils to scent my deodorant.
Application
I used a pea sized amount for each side, but either I did not apply it properly or I used a little too much, because ten minutes later I had to remove the residue with tissue paper. Tomorrow I'll try rubbing it in a little more.
Smell
The deodorant, when applied, gave off a faint coconut smell that I actually found pleasant, kinda like the scent of coconut soap. This is in contrast to when I oil my hair with coconut oil and the smell gets really overpowering and unpleasant. While the scent lingered for the first half of the day, by the second half of the day it was gone.
Texture
I expected the texture to be oily, but it wasn't in the least! Rubbing it between my fingertips, it starts off a little creamy then fades to a powdery finish. It really feels like commercial antiperspirant.
Verdict
Generally I do not sweat a lot, and I didn't have a very active day today, but the deodorant passed the test! Stink free! I am amazed that it worked as well as it did. I am going to monitor it for the next couple of days, but I think it is safe to say I am a natural deodorant convert!
Update: 27/03/11
It has been almost a week, and I have been using the deodorant with no major problems. To prevent any stains on my clothing I have been careful to remove any excess with tissue paper, about ten to fifteen minutes after application, when the deodorant has "settled" into my skin. Also, because I live in a country with a tropical climate, the coconut oil in the deodorant is not really solid at room temperature. Coconut oil melts at approximately 23ºC to 26ºC, so it does affect the texture of my deodorant somewhat. I have observed a thin layer of liquid coconut oil on the surface of my deodorant, so to make the texture of my deodorant uniform when applying, I use a small plastic fork to whip the deodorant. It takes a couple of seconds, and I then use the fork to take out the amount I want to use for application so that I don't contaminate the entire mixture. Right now my deodorant is in a plastic container, but I am going to transfer it to a glass container, which I believe may help keep the mixture cool and put an end to this problem. I will post any updates here, so keep your eyes on this space (:
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Shampoo bars: the beginning
I decided, a couple of months ago, that I was going to grow my hair long, and slowly phase out my use of SLS shampoos.
The routine I had adopted as I was trying to use up all the SLS shampoos in my bathroom was, to be honest, really good for my hair. I washed my hair every other day with a scalp treatment shampoo and conditioned with a deep conditioning hair mask, and I would oil my hair every alternate night (the day before I washed my hair) with organic virgin coconut oil, and organic extra virgin olive oil. My hair looked gorgeous and I received quite a few compliments. But... I wasn't satisfied because I knew how much chemicals were in the products I was using.
I stumbled upon shampoo bars completely by accident. I shop on Etsy a lot, and was looking at a vanilla sandalwood soap bar that I really wanted to buy. The seller had a promotion going on, so I purchased two soap bars and two shampoo bars. I did all my research before I started using them though; what to expect, etc. I know I have to find out, through trial and error, what is a good routine for me because everyone's hair responds differently to shampoo bars, and it depends on the shampoo bar itself, hair type, water hardness, etc. Here is a log of my first few experiences with shampoo bars:
1st wash: Honey ale and egg shampoo bar
I didn't oil my hair before I washed my hair because I wanted to see the effects of the shampoo bar on its own. My hair came out a lot drier than I expected it to, maybe because I was a little over zealous in my washing; shampoo bars are supposed to be more gentle on your hair and they aren't supposed to strip your hair of its natural oils. The texture of my hair was squeaky clean as well, and I do not mean that in a pleasant way. My hair dried to the texture of straw, with a slightly unpleasant waxy feeling. I lightly oiled it with some jojoba oil, which helped.
2nd wash: Honey ale and egg shampoo bar, rice vinegar rinse (1 tablespoon vinegar : 2 cups water)
I oiled my hair before this wash with extra virgin olive oil. Big mistake. It took a long time to get the oil out, and once again I washed my hair till it was squeaky clean. I didn't want to purchase apple cider vinegar because I don't want it to change my hair colour, so I used what was on hand in my kitchen: rice vinegar. People say that after the rinse the vinegar smell will fade away. I didn't wash the rinse out of my hair to see what would happen. When my hair dried, it was dry like straw, yet oily at the same time. The vinegar smell did not go away, and the waxiness remained, too. I lightly oiled it with jojoba oil, but this time the jojoba didn't help.
I also found out that the water hardness in my area ranges from soft to moderately hard, which may be the problem.
3rd wash: Lemon rosemary shampoo bar, lemon juice rinse (1 tablespoon juice : 2 cups water)
I didn't oil my hair before this wash. My hair was oily though, from the olive oil and rice vinegar residue. Not a pretty sight. My hair responded a little better to the lemon rosemary bar. It didn't strip my hair of its natural oils as badly as the ale and egg bar did. As for the rinse, I swished my hair around in it for a bit before I poured it over my hair. Washed it out maybe five to ten minutes after. My hair has dried, and this is the best it has been since I started using shampoo bars. It is somewhat soft, though nowhere near the wonderful softness I got while using SLS shampoos and conditioners. It isn't as dry as the two previous times, and the waxiness is minimal. The ends are looking rather ragged; I'm hoping that an oiling with jojoba oil will make it look and feel a little better.
I also went on a little spending binge earlier this evening; bought a few Chagrin Valley shampoo bars, and citric acid and ascorbic acid, which I am going to use get rid of any hard water problems; I have a strong suspicion the water in my area is moderately hard, which is interfering with my new routine.
Update: 24/03/11
The lemon rosemary bar (lather twice) and lemon juice rinse are working relatively well, but I realise my hair gets oily after 1.5 days. Other reviews of this particular bar say that it isn't very good for oily hair, and I have to concur. Sigh. Maybe I'll try the honey ale and egg bar again today with the lemon juice rinse, and see what happens. I can't wait for my CV shipment to arrive...
The routine I had adopted as I was trying to use up all the SLS shampoos in my bathroom was, to be honest, really good for my hair. I washed my hair every other day with a scalp treatment shampoo and conditioned with a deep conditioning hair mask, and I would oil my hair every alternate night (the day before I washed my hair) with organic virgin coconut oil, and organic extra virgin olive oil. My hair looked gorgeous and I received quite a few compliments. But... I wasn't satisfied because I knew how much chemicals were in the products I was using.
I stumbled upon shampoo bars completely by accident. I shop on Etsy a lot, and was looking at a vanilla sandalwood soap bar that I really wanted to buy. The seller had a promotion going on, so I purchased two soap bars and two shampoo bars. I did all my research before I started using them though; what to expect, etc. I know I have to find out, through trial and error, what is a good routine for me because everyone's hair responds differently to shampoo bars, and it depends on the shampoo bar itself, hair type, water hardness, etc. Here is a log of my first few experiences with shampoo bars:
1st wash: Honey ale and egg shampoo bar
I didn't oil my hair before I washed my hair because I wanted to see the effects of the shampoo bar on its own. My hair came out a lot drier than I expected it to, maybe because I was a little over zealous in my washing; shampoo bars are supposed to be more gentle on your hair and they aren't supposed to strip your hair of its natural oils. The texture of my hair was squeaky clean as well, and I do not mean that in a pleasant way. My hair dried to the texture of straw, with a slightly unpleasant waxy feeling. I lightly oiled it with some jojoba oil, which helped.
2nd wash: Honey ale and egg shampoo bar, rice vinegar rinse (1 tablespoon vinegar : 2 cups water)
I oiled my hair before this wash with extra virgin olive oil. Big mistake. It took a long time to get the oil out, and once again I washed my hair till it was squeaky clean. I didn't want to purchase apple cider vinegar because I don't want it to change my hair colour, so I used what was on hand in my kitchen: rice vinegar. People say that after the rinse the vinegar smell will fade away. I didn't wash the rinse out of my hair to see what would happen. When my hair dried, it was dry like straw, yet oily at the same time. The vinegar smell did not go away, and the waxiness remained, too. I lightly oiled it with jojoba oil, but this time the jojoba didn't help.
I also found out that the water hardness in my area ranges from soft to moderately hard, which may be the problem.
3rd wash: Lemon rosemary shampoo bar, lemon juice rinse (1 tablespoon juice : 2 cups water)
I didn't oil my hair before this wash. My hair was oily though, from the olive oil and rice vinegar residue. Not a pretty sight. My hair responded a little better to the lemon rosemary bar. It didn't strip my hair of its natural oils as badly as the ale and egg bar did. As for the rinse, I swished my hair around in it for a bit before I poured it over my hair. Washed it out maybe five to ten minutes after. My hair has dried, and this is the best it has been since I started using shampoo bars. It is somewhat soft, though nowhere near the wonderful softness I got while using SLS shampoos and conditioners. It isn't as dry as the two previous times, and the waxiness is minimal. The ends are looking rather ragged; I'm hoping that an oiling with jojoba oil will make it look and feel a little better.
I also went on a little spending binge earlier this evening; bought a few Chagrin Valley shampoo bars, and citric acid and ascorbic acid, which I am going to use get rid of any hard water problems; I have a strong suspicion the water in my area is moderately hard, which is interfering with my new routine.
Update: 24/03/11
The lemon rosemary bar (lather twice) and lemon juice rinse are working relatively well, but I realise my hair gets oily after 1.5 days. Other reviews of this particular bar say that it isn't very good for oily hair, and I have to concur. Sigh. Maybe I'll try the honey ale and egg bar again today with the lemon juice rinse, and see what happens. I can't wait for my CV shipment to arrive...
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Homemade natural facial scrub
I have been cutting down my use of chemical laden beauty products, as I try to go back to the basics. My skin reached a point where it couldn't take it anymore; I had been breaking out, badly, which was horrifying because never once have I had to go through such a situation, even when I was a teenager. In general, my entire family is blessed with pretty good skin. So I cut out most of the over-the-counter beauty creams, opting instead for organic face creams and toners.
My commercial facial scrub ran out recently, so I decided to make my own facial scrub. I used:
1 teaspoon of organic raw honey
Instant oats, blended to a powder
Lemon juice
Using the raw honey as a base, I slowly mixed in the instant oats till it became a spreadable mixture, and topped it off with a squeeze of lemon juice. I applied it to my face for twenty minutes then used the oats to exfoliate my face before I washed it off.
It feels good to cut all these chemicals out of my beauty routine... I want to start using cucumber pulp on my face eventually too, because it's good for making your skin look and feel like tofu. Mother nature is good!
Update:
I've started using blackstrap molasses instead of honey for my facial scrub because I'm trying to get rid of the huge bottle of molasses I bought to bake ginger snaps. I cut out the lemon juice too, so essentially all that I have in my mask are molasses and instant oats. I keep the mask on for half an hour, then splash my face with water and scrub off the dead skin with the oats. To finish, I wash everything off with lukewarm water. You HAVE to do this over a sink because it is going to get messy, and blackstrap molasses stain everything. I've been doing this for a couple of weeks now, and I realise that after I wash off the molasses mask, any clogged pores I may have can be easily unclogged. It is pretty amazing. Try it for yourself and see if you get the kind of results I did!
My commercial facial scrub ran out recently, so I decided to make my own facial scrub. I used:
1 teaspoon of organic raw honey
Instant oats, blended to a powder
Lemon juice
Using the raw honey as a base, I slowly mixed in the instant oats till it became a spreadable mixture, and topped it off with a squeeze of lemon juice. I applied it to my face for twenty minutes then used the oats to exfoliate my face before I washed it off.
It feels good to cut all these chemicals out of my beauty routine... I want to start using cucumber pulp on my face eventually too, because it's good for making your skin look and feel like tofu. Mother nature is good!
Update:
I've started using blackstrap molasses instead of honey for my facial scrub because I'm trying to get rid of the huge bottle of molasses I bought to bake ginger snaps. I cut out the lemon juice too, so essentially all that I have in my mask are molasses and instant oats. I keep the mask on for half an hour, then splash my face with water and scrub off the dead skin with the oats. To finish, I wash everything off with lukewarm water. You HAVE to do this over a sink because it is going to get messy, and blackstrap molasses stain everything. I've been doing this for a couple of weeks now, and I realise that after I wash off the molasses mask, any clogged pores I may have can be easily unclogged. It is pretty amazing. Try it for yourself and see if you get the kind of results I did!
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