Category Archives: beauty

Sunday Spa Feature – Honey and Vanilla Ultra moisturising Foaming bubble bath

Posted in Spa & Self-care by

honey and vanilla bubble bath (5)The last couple of weeks have been hectic. In the midst of moving the blog to self hosting, I’ve also decided that the windows in our bedroom will not last the winter without some restoration and repair.

Although our house does not have very high ceilings, I am not very tall, which means that I have been using a step-ladder to reach the top of the windows. My hands have been scrubbing, sanding and painting, and the rest of me is well and truly tired, I ache from leaning over and using muscles that are not used to all this hard work.

Yes, I admit it, I prefer being a couch potato, at home curled up on a sofa with a good book.  All this work has been physically demanding and I’m just not used to it.

At some point, if the room gets finished, I may share it, but before this happens, it will need a large dose of Marie Kondo’s Joy of Tidying Up before I’m able to do any kind of reveal.

So, all week, after each day of working on the windows, I’ve been  looking forward to a long soak in a bath-tub full of scented bubbles. In my bathroom are various tempting bubble baths, you know the kind that foams up so you can sink into soft fluffy clouds of bubbles.

However, I can’t help thinking that they are actually not going to do my skin much good, particularly my hands, which have now have a couple of blisters from holding a sander and paint brush,

I’ve a large jar of coconut oil in the cupboard, some orange blossom honey which I thought could be used as the main ingredients in a bath.

Both of these ingredients are great for skin and since I’m looking for ingredients that will calm and soothe, here’s the ingredients that made it into the foaming bath mix:Orange Blossom Honey, Castille Soap, Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is widely known for its ability to repair the skin barrier and reduce inflammation. You can read more about it’s amazing benefits in this article from Harper’s Bazaar.

Honey of course is high in natural antioxidants and is amazing for its healing properties.

Vanilla extract – this is an ingredient that I keep for cake making, after doing a bit of research, not only does it smell and taste yummy, turns out Vanilla is excellent for skin too!

It’s been used as a traditional remedy to heal burns, wounds and cuts – this is going to help heal my blisters! You can read more about its benefits in this article about Vanilla

I came across this recipe looking for things to make with the bottle of Doctor Bonner’s Castile Soap.

Apparently for lots and lots of fluffy bubbles, egg white added into a mix with oil and Castile Soap will make it bubbly.

(Guilty pleasure/confession – I had a double egg yolk fried egg for breakfast this morning as a result of using the egg white in the bath)

The ratios needed to make a frothy bath are as follows:

1/4 cup of coconut oil

1/8 cup of Orange Blossom Honey

1/4 cup of Castile Soap

1/2 egg white

1/2 tablespoon of Vanilla extract

This is the easy part, which is great as I’m tired – just mix all the ingredients together in a large jar and pour into a warm running bath. (Coconut oil stays solid at room temperature, to mix it into the Castile soap, I’ve heated it gently, in a jug of hot water, so it’s melted before adding to the honey and soap mix).

The bath is ready, a couple of scented candles have been lit and I am ready to wallow in the soft frothy bath.

hmmmm bliss!

Honey, vanilla coconut bubble bath mix
Honey, vanilla, coconut bath mix
Vanilla Extract
Castile Soap, honey and coconut oil
Egg white to make the bath frothy
finished bath bubble mixture
Foam in the bath

Sunday Spa Feature – Rice and Lemon Skin tone brightening face mask

Posted in At Home, beauty, inspiration, Skincare, Spa & Self-care by

You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life.” Gabrielle Chanel

Rice Powder facemask with honey and lemon

Skin Brightening Rice Powder facemask with honey and lemon

My skin is what can only be described as mature, I am fortunate in that I have Chinese skin which doesn’t wrinkle so much, but the signs of age are starting to show. Since Chinese skin is more prone to pigmentation and age spots, I have always used a sunscreen and kept out of direct sunlight as much as possible.

Yesterday, though, in spite of all the sun protection, the little dark marks on my skin seemed more noticeable and there were a few more freckles which must have appeared while we were on holiday. Even though I have been using Clinique’s dark spot corrector and day cream, it looks as if my skin needs more help.

Whilst I like the idea of aging gracefully, with the signs of age acting as markers that define who you are, I think it’s equally important to do as much as possible to maintain healthy looking skin,

Thinking back to a time when I was at home with my mum, she would use rice in many of the beauty treatments she made at home. I think history must be repeating itself, my daughter calls me a hippie because of my enthusiasm for all things home made. I used to think the same of my mum.

So back to the ingredients for the skin tone brightening face mask – Rice is the staple food in Chinese cooking. It is also an ingredient that features in many beauty products. My mother used to keep the rice water (soaking the rice removes the starch to help improve the texture as it cooks), rather than throwing away the starchy water, she would save this and use it as a toner.

Use Hand Blender to make Rice Powder

It contains PABA, (Para Aminobenzoic Acid) an ingredient you find in expensive skincare products, as well as ferulic acid, (an antioxidant), allantoin (anti-inflamatory) as well as vitamins C and E. In recent studies, it has been proven that rice and ricewater can improve and brighten skin. Some have even reported it can give skin a translucent glow.

As I want to use Rice in a facial, the best way to do this is a face mask using the rice in a powder form, so that all the goodness in the rice can soak into my skin.

I have simply put a small handful of Jasmine white rice into a hand blender pot and whizzed this until the rice has become a fine powder.

Once the powder is ready, add a teaspoon of honey, this is great for skin as well. I like to use this in masks because it will bind and hold the rice powder in place on my skin and act as a moisturiser.

I’ve included a very small amount of lemon juice and grated the skin of the lemon peel, both of which will also have a lightening effect on skin. But on their own, I think would be too harsh on mature skin, so just a teaspoon of lemon juice.

I’ve included some rosewater to make the paste the right consistency (You can add more if the paste is too thick),

Spread the facemask on your face and leave for 15-20 minutes. I love using a face mask on a Sunday morning soaking in a bath whilst the kids are still asleep – there’s just enough me time before the house awakes.

Once you’ve finished with the facemask, wipe away with a warm towel and follow with a facial toner and moisturiser as usual. There’s just one last thing, if you’d like to make your own  Rosewater cleanser and toner in one, click on the link for the recipe.

Sunday Spa Feature – Deep Exfoliating Facial Wash with Poppy Seeds

Posted in beauty, Skincare, Wellbeing by

Poppy Seed Exfoliating face wash

For this deep exfoliating facial wash, I have chosen to use Poppy Seeds as they are full of minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron.

In food they are commonly used to add flavour to cereal and salads. I like to include them in cakes to add texture and a bit of crunch.

In herbal remedies, the milk extract of poppy seeds mixed with some sugar is a great way to help you to sleep. Try crushing them with brown sugar and adding them into a warm milky drink before bedtime.

Poppy Seeds are known to be a natural skin remedy for skin infections like dry itch and skin rashes, as they contain anti-inflamatory compounds.

For this deep exfoliating facial wash, I have found an effective way to give my skin a powerful deep clean, polish away dead skin and improve the texture of my skin.

As I have a mild Castille Soap, I can use this as the base for the wash and add to this the exfoliating effect of the crushed poppy seeds.

Simply mix a teaspoon of Baby Castille Soap (I am Using Doctor Bonner’s fragrance free Baby Castille Soap) with half a teaspoon of crushed Poppy Seeds. You can of course use your normal face wash and simply add the crushed poppy seeds to your facewash to give your face wash the exfoliating properties of the poppy seeds.

By crushing the poppy seeds slightly,(I have used a pestle and mortar for this) this releases their healing properties (they are high in linolenic acid) which are known to help sooth skin irritations as well as benefitting from the exfoliating nature of the small tiny seeds.

I have added 1 drop of Lavender Essential Oil as well the oil is well-known for its effectiveness as a treatment for skin that is prone to breakouts.

Along with lavender I have added 1 drop of Lemon Essential Oil, a good remedy for treating skin pigmentation, to help even out my skin tone.  It is also astringent and detoxifying in nature.

I love the fragrance combination, which will add scent to the facial wash with the lovely aroma of lavender and lemons.

Once combined, I have dampened my face with warm water and gently rub the exfoliating mix onto my skin in small circular motion. This will also stimulate and massage the skin at the same time.

Rinse off with warm water and pat dry.

As this will give skin an extremely deep cleanse, I am using a gentle toner to complete the cleansing routine, using a blend of Rosewater and Glycerine.

This has left my skin glowing, hmmmm lovely.

Poppy Seeds
Crushed Poppy Seeds
Crushed Poppy Seeds with Castille Liquid Soap
Lemon and Lavender Essential Oil
Castille Soap with Crushed Poppy Seeds
Rosewater & Glycerine toner

Sunday Spa Feature – Hot Oil hair treatment for dark hair and healthy scalp

Posted in beauty, inspiration, Spa & Self-care, Wellbeing by

Hot Oil Treatment for healthy hair and scalp

Lately my hair feels like straw. I think it must be the combination of feeling under the weather and the chlorine in the swimming pool on holiday.

In my teenage years, I came across VO5 hot oil treatment and would use this on my hair every Sunday as I was convinced by the marketing that it was necessary for long hair.

With all the natural ingredients I have in my cupboard however, it would be simple to make up a batch of hot oil treatment for my hair, without the hassle of having to go shopping.

To condition and put moisture back into my hair, I have chosen to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, well-known for its health benefits, full of antioxidants. It is also a great hair restorer, it contains vitamins A and E and works to treat damaged hair and promotes a healthier scalp.

Since I also have fresh Rosemary growing in the garden, I have taken a sprig of this herb to use with the Olive Oil. Rosemary tea and Oil is widely used in hair treatments and is known as a traditional treatment to darken hair and slow the appearance of grey hair. Since I now have a sprinkling of white showing through my black Chinese hair, this will be great to slow down the rate at which my hair is going grey. The herb is also great at regulating and re-balancing dry itchy scalps.Rosemary and Sage (1)

One of the most used essential oils I have is Tea Tree, this essential oil has fended off the dreaded head lice that most school kids come home with. Whenever, I receive a note from our kids schools advising of Head Lice, I make sure to add tea tree oil when my kids are washing their hair. In fact they now don’t need reminding to add a few drops into their shampoo.

The oil helps unclog pores that may be blocked due to use of shampoos and hair products that contain fillers and polymers. It’s also great at getting rid of dead skin cells, to help healthy new hair to grow.

Fresh Rosemary and Sage herbs to use in hot oil treatmentFinally, as I have fresh Sage growing in the garden also, I will combine this along with the fresh Rosemary and use it as a herb infusion in the olive oil. It is also known as a herb that helps to darken hair.

Making the hot hair treatment is very simple.

In a pan, gently heat two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Gently bruise the fresh rosemary and fresh sage with a pestle and mortar and add to the hot olive oil, leave to steep for as long as possible (overnight is preferable) but if you are stuck for time, you can use immediately.

I have simply heated the herbs through in the olive oil, then left to cool until it is comfortable to touch with my finger.

With the oil warmed through (be careful that it is not so hot that it will scald – you should be able to put your finger in the oil without it feeling uncomfortable to touch.)

Add 2-3 drops of tea tree essential oil.

If you also have Rosemary essential oil – 2-3 drops can also be added to the hot oil to give the properties of Rosemary an extra boost.

To apply the hot oil

In a bowl, using fingers massage the warm oil into your scalp in circular motion, until all your scalp has been massaged thoroughly, add the remaining oil and run through the entire length of your hair. (1 – 2 tablespoons should be plenty to cover shoulder length hair).

If you have a disposable shower cap, cover your hair and wrap in a towel so that the warm oil can penetrate your hair.

Leave for as long as possible.

Wash with your usual shampoo and condition as necessary.

Once dried, my hair, which felt dry and brittle, has regained some of its bounciness and shine.

Hmm definitely will need to do this on a regular basis.

If you have lighter coloured hair and want to try this hot oil treatment, try Calendula,  chamomile and lemon peel added to the olive oil, as I’ve read these herbs will help to lighten and add highlights to hair.

Escape to the 90’s

Posted in Fragrance, inspiration by

Escape to the 90s

By the 90’s, my career was in full swing and we had moved into our first house together. This was a time when we were enjoying life to the full.

The scents and perfumes I preferred during this period were fruity florals – Im not sure if anyone remembers these, Calvin Klein’s Escape, Clinique’s Happy, Ralph Lauren’s Polo Sport. Strong scents with fruity top notes.

You could say in the 90’s we were a typical couple of the time, which in marketing terms was called Dinkies – Dual income no Kids.

So I guess it was only appropriate that much of this time we spent thinking and planning our escape from the UK with holidays, long and short stays to as many destinations as our salaries would permit.

What defined this period was a sense of escape, from the power hungry 80’s sharp suits to a more relaxed feel. Fashion became less formal, suits of the 80s were ditched in favour of smart casual dress code for work.

I still like Escape as a perfume, it’s being discontinued so if you like this throw-back to the 90’s, better get your hands on it now as it won’t be around for much longer.

With top notes of peach, apricot and roses, at it’s heart was Ylang Ylang and base notes of vanilla and musk. It had staying power, lingering on my clothes well into the evening.

I didn’t wear it for long. During this decade, I tried lots of different perfumes, some enjoyed as a passing fashion trend of the time, with a growing taste for luxury cosmetics as well. Does anyone remember Prescriptives, a make-up designed to be fool-proof, colour coded so that you could pick out the colours that complimented your skin tone. This was before Mac and Nars came on the scene and had a comprehensive pallet of neutral eye and lip colours for every skin tone, sadly, no longer available.

The perfumes that I do remember, is Ralph Lauren’s Safari and Sport, though the latter has now been discontinued.

There was also a brief fling with Elsabeth Arden’s Sunflowers which gave way to Clinique’s Happy. It didn’t exactly make me feel happy, it was a very strong citrus scent that I am sad to say smelt a little to artificial for my taste.

Some of the music of the time, selected because they remind me of various vacations I’ve included here, if you’d like a moment of distraction.

There was an unspoken way of dressing at work and by the late 90’s everyone it seemed dressed in black jeans and slim fitting shirts, I’m not sure why, but perhaps it was just a period when it seemed the floaty florals were no longer appropriate as the century drew to a close.

By this time, I had swtiched to Ralph Lauren’s Romance and though I might not have openly admit to it, I was caught by it’s notion of love and it’s headiness.

I still have a bottle of this perfume, though I’ve not worn this for a very long time. It’s an easy scent to wear, fresh and summery full of roses with some lovely citrus undertones to give it a refreshing feel as if there’s a gentle summer breeze around you.

And ofcourse, this post wouldn’t be complete without some classical music of the Romantic era:


Hmmm – pure escape, I’m going to put Romance on now.

Sunday Spa Feature – Balancing Almond Face Mask

Posted in beauty, inspiration, Skincare, Wellbeing by

Home Made Balancing Face MaskWe’ve been away on holiday soaking up the last rays of the summer sun before we head into Autumn.

As my skin care routine usually goes out along with any thoughts of beauty and cosmetics when we are away, the most I do is to put a face moisturizer on and some protective sunscreen during the day.

I have returned home to find that the skin on my face is shiny and I feel as if I’ve returned to teenage days with blemishes about to erupt.

Looking in my cupboard, which has few fresh ingredients to hand, I can make this simple face mask recipe to help soothe and re-balance my skin.

Ground Almonds (a soft flour that we keep for baking purposes) is the perfect base.

As almonds are a highly nutritional, they are a rich source of vitamin E, calcium, phosphorous, iron and magnesium. In terms of diet, they  also contains zinc, selenium, copper and niacin and make a great healthy snack between meal-times.

In baking, we like to use Ground Almonds in certain cake recipes and always keep a bag in the cupboard to whip up an Orange and Almond cake.

Used in a face mask, the vitamin E part of the ground almonds can improve wrinkles. It also good way to brighten the complexion and reduce age spots and other blemishes on the skin.

As I also have some Sweet Almond oil, I have chosen to combine this with the ground almonds as it will act as a great moisturizer and will increase the potent effects of the Almonds.

Essential Oils of bergamot, Geranium and Sweet Almond OilGeranium Oil – is known to help balance skin, it has toning properties that will help tighten skin and prevent breakouts.

Orange Blossom Honey

Apparently, using honey in a face mask will help destroy bacteria and clear the pores.

With high concentrations of glucose, it kills bacteria and is the reason why honey does not need any preservatives and can be kept out of the fridge.

The antibacterial qualities can help prevent bacteria from re-forming in pores so that any skin that’s prone to acne will benefit from this ingredient. With all the glucose, it works like glycerine in that it acts by attracting moisture to the skin.

As I have Orange Blossom honey, this will work well combined with Orange Blossom Water, since this floral water acts as a mild astringent is also useful for oily and acne prone skin. It’s also great for mature skins as it works to promote healthy new skin cells.

Bergamot Essential Oil, is known for its stress relieving properties, it is a lovely natural sweet-smelling essential oil that works to help protect skin from infection and reduce hyper-pigmentation, fades scars, stretch marks and promotes even skin tone. Orange Blossom Honey and Ground Almonds

Ingredients

2 tablespoon of Almond Flour

1 teaspoon of Orange Blossom Honey

1 teaspoon Sweet Almond Oil

2 drops Geranium Essential Oil

2 drops Bergamot Essential Oil

1 tablespoon of Orange Blossom Water

How to make:

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together to form a paste. Add more orange flower water or honey to make the paste into your preferred consistency.

Smooth onto clean face with gentle circular motion to stimulate as you work the mask into your skin and leave for 15 minutes.

Relax in a bath soak with the scent of oranges, whilst the facemask gets to work, if you want to make the spa experience more indulgent – simply splash Orange Blossom Floral Water, along with oatmeal in a muslin bag tied to the taps for a moisturising batch soak.

Wash off the face mask with a towel with warm water after 15 minutes and use the Orange Flower water as a toner and apply your usual facial moisturizer.

Ahh I’m in orange heaven

Sunday Spa feature – A luscious lip remedy

Posted in beauty, inspiration, Skincare, Wellbeing by

LEMON BALM lip salve

Lipsalve mix starting to solidify
Lipsalve mix starting to solidify
Finished Lipsalve containing lemon balm oil, with sweet almond, coconut and honey

Luscious Lemon Balm and Honey Lip Salve

We recently brought home some lemon balm to plant in our garden. Since this is a herb that is new to me, I looked up all the things you can do with it for natural skin care as well as in food.

It works great as an alternative to mint added to Iced Tea, and as a herb to add into salads, it is a great herb with medicinal properties that include helping to calm down anxiety and sleeplessness and as an aid for digestive health.

I’ve also read that it is a great herbal remedy for cold sores, which gave me an idea to find a way to incorporate it into a lip salve.

To get the herb into the lip salve, I created an oil infusion, so that the goodness of the lemon balm can be transferred into the carrier oil. It is simple to make and the process of infusing oils with different herbs and flavours can be used for other purposes – such as creating a lovely lemon oil to use in salads. I picked a small amount of the leaves of the lemon balm, which I then bruised in a pestle and mortar so that all the goodness of the plant can be transferred into the carrier oil.

To keep things simple, I’ve used Sweet Almond Oil as it’s a good carrier oil for aromatherapy massage therapies.  As I have no patience (if you want you can use dried herbs and leave in the oil to infuse over 4-6 weeks, leaving the mixture in a dark place)  to speed up the process for the infusion, I have gently heated the oil with the lemon balm and transferred this into a clean jam jar and left it to sit on the windowsill for a few days.

Once the colour of the oil has taken the colour from the leaves, the oil is ready to be used.

For the lip salve recipe, I’ve used the following combination:

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of beeswax

1 tablespoon Lemon Balm infused oil

1 tablespoon of Coconut Oil (organic cold pressed)

2 teaspoon of honey

4 drops lemon essential oil, 4 drop Peppermint essential Oil

The amounts above makes 60ml of lip salve mixture, which would fit into 2 x 30 ml pots shown in the picture.

Making the lip salve is very easy. In a simmering pan of water, put a glass jug into the water, add the beeswax and wait for this to melt. I use the beeswax pellets as this is much easier to use than the large blocks of beeswax.

Beeswax melting with sweet almond oil and coconut oil

Beeswax melting with sweet almond oil and coconut oil

Add the lemon balm infused oil along with the coconut oil and wait until this is all melted into the beeswax.

Add the honey and take the mixture off the heat.

Add the essential oils (I’ve chosen Lemon and Mitcham Peppermint essential oils to intensify the scent of the lip salve).

Pour into the pots of your choice and wait for the mixture to solidify before use.

As the lip salve is made with natural ingredients, I am keeping the quantities made up small so that it can be used straight away. It should keep for around 4-6 weeks, and is a great way to keep lips soft.

For a beauty ritual that helps to maintain the condition of your lips, gently exfoliate lips to remove any dry or flaky skin (I use a toothbrush with soft bristles to do this, but you can also try using a muslin cloth) before applying the lipsalve at night before bedtime.

Sunday Spa feature – Luxury Shea Butter St Clements Hand Cream

Posted in beauty, Fragrance, inspiration, lifestyle, Skincare, Wellbeing by

ST CLEMENTS HAND CREAM (7)

Orange Blossom Water mixed together with Shea Butter, with Acetic Acid and Emlusifying wax
Jar of St Clements Hand Cream
Jar of St Clements Hand Cream
Jar of St Clements Hand Cream
Jar of St Clements Hand Cream

This is a simple way to enjoy the enriching benefits of Shea Butter in a hand cream, with a lovely light non-greasy mousse like texture.

Making this hand cream couldn’t be easier.

Shea Butter comes from the Shea Tree and is helpful for many skin conditions, especially dry skin. It contains vitamins A and E as well as fatty acids, plant sterols that are good for you. You can read more about it’s amazing qualities at the American Shea Butter institute.unrefined raw organic Shea Butter

I discovered the benefits of Shea Butter in a hand cream made by L’Occitane, it was given to me as a gift which I used every time I washed my hands after every nappy change, and because there were quite a few of these, my hands became very dry. The L’Occitane handcream was the only hand cream that helped. I love this cream and have the smaller sized version in my desk at work, and in my bag to use everywhere I go.

But since, I also like to make my own skincare, I’ve been experimenting to see if I can create one that has all natural ingredients without any commercial chemical preservatives that are necessary to extend the shelf life of the products.

I’ve chosen to use orange blossom water to use with the Shea Butter, as this too is great for skin, it is a mild astringent with antiseptic properties, it can be used as a toner for combination, oily and skin that’s prone to break-outs. (I’ve switched to using it as a facial toner during the summer) It’s also great because it helps regenerate skin and has relaxing and calming properties, mostly though I love the lovely floral citrus scent it leaves on the skin.

As I’ve added Lemon and Bergamot essential oils, to intensify the scent, I’ve called this mixture a St Clements Hand Cream.

The mixture is very light and is instantly absorbed into the skin and leaves a wonderfully fragrant orange and lemon scent (please note that since citrus can be photosensitive, it’s best not to use this if going out in direct sunlight. If you are trying this for the first time, do a patch test first).

Making the mixture, is very simple, it forms a creamy texture, so best to put it into a glass jar, than in a pump bottle as it turns into a lovely light mousse like texture.

To make the hand cream, simply put the shea butter, along with the emulsifying wax into a glass jug (it needs to be heat proof), in a pan of water that’s simmering, to melt the shea butter and wax together, once this has been melted, add the orange blossom water along with the acetic acid. Sift in Corn flour (I’ve added this to lighten the texture.

Don’t worry if it looks very runny at this stage, as it will solidify when it cools down to room temperature.

At this stage, whisk  (use an electric whisk for this part) to get air into the mix, you can carry on doing this until the mixture has cooled down, watch it turn into a white mouse like texture and then transfer into the glass jar of your choice.

Since this mixture is all natural, it contains no artificial preservatives, so I have kept the mix small and should last about 2-3 weeks.

Ingredients:

1/4 teaspoon stearic acid*

1 teaspoon of Emulsifying wax*

1 teaspoon of Beeswax*

7 tablespoons of Orange Blossom Water

2 heaped tablespoon of Shea butter*

10 drops Lemon Essential Oil

5 drops Bergamot Essential Oil

2 drops Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

1 teaspoon of corn flour

1x 100-150 ml glass Jar

Hmm I think I’m going to enjoy this as part of the Spa experience with the Indulgent Orange Blossom Hand Mask.

*I have included the product links here to where you can order the ingredients which you may find useful:

Stearic Acid for UK, Stearic Acid for the US

Emulsifying Wax for UK, Emulsifying Wax for the US

Beeswax Beads  for UK, Bees Wax Beads for the US

Organic Shea Butter Unrefined for UK

Organic Shea Butter Unrefined for US.

* Affliate links

Sunday Spa feature – Indulgent Hand Mask

Posted in beauty, inspiration, Skincare, Wellbeing by

Orange Blossom Water

Since all the gardening and washing up have taken their toll on my hands, this is the perfect indulgent treatment to bring some much-needed moisture back to them.

This indulgent hand mask is so simple and quick to make.

As I have some Rolled Oats in the cupboard, this made the base for the moisturising hand mask.

I have simply added a tablespoon of lavender flowers to 3 tablespoons of the rolled oats and blended them together with the electric hand whisk to produce a fine powdery mix.

Rolled Oats & dried lavender flowers

Rolled Oats & dried lavender flowers

If you don’t have an electric hand whisk, then grinding the oats and lavender flowers together using a Pestle and Mortar will also release the lovely lavender scent and infuse it with the oats.

Oats are known to help sooth and heal the skin, reducing inflammation and soften skin. They have been clinically shown to help heal dry itchy skin.  Together with the calming scent of lavender along with its healing properties, the blend can be stored as a dry mix to use whenever you need it.

To create the hand mask, I have added to the mix some Orange Blossom Honey, together with some Orange Blossom Water. The mix should be fairly thick so that it spreads over your hands and forms the mask to cover your hands completely.

As I wanted to make this a luxurious spa experience, to begin the treatment, I splashed some Orange Blossom Water into a bowl of chilled water to wash my hands.

With the mixture ready, this was applied over my hands.

Orange Blossom Honey and Orange Blossom WaterLeaving the mask on my hands for 10-15 minutes, I sat in a bath soak whilst waiting for the mask to do their magic.

As I rinsed the mask away, I rubbed the mixture so that it gently exfoliated the skin on my hands at the same time, leaving them feeling wonderfully soft and silky.

I have not used any hand lotion, just patted my hands dry on a soft towel. My hands have been left silky smooth, with the orange blossoms and lavender making them smell fragrant, refreshed and well, revived.

Hmmm heaven.

Home Made Cuticle Oil

Posted in At Home, Spa & Self-care by

Sweet Almond Oil for home made Cuticle Oil

This week, I took the opportunity of doing some gardening with my kids and planted some lovely herbs. The combination of this and the broken dishwasher has meant my hands have taken a battering.

Since I have all the ingredients to make a home-made Cuticle Oil, I thought I would share this with readers of this blog.

Lavender and Lemon Essential OilIt’s so simple that it really requires very little effort and saves a great deal since I no longer purchase commercial cuticle creams or oils to condition my nails.

If you have some Sweet Almond Oil* or Olive Oil, these can be used as the base, both are perfect oils for conditioning and softening nails. Other oils to try are Coconut, Grape Seed, Jojoba oils.

The oils will nourish, add moisture and soften the cuticles.

I’ve used an empty essential oil bottle which I’ve washed out – but really you don’t need to do this if you are pressed for time as the one I’m using contained Tea Tree Oil,  any residue in the bottle will simply mix with the carrier oil.

Into this 10ml bottle, I have added just one drop of Lavender Essential Oil, along with Lemon Essential Oil. Sweet Almond Oil for making Cuticle Oil

Both the essential oils have been chosen for their cleansing, rejuvenating and healing properties. (Lemon is also antibacterial, used along with Tea Tree Oil, will combat against the threat of any infections.)

Mixed thoroughly, I have then applied this mixture using a cotton wool bud all over my nails covering the cuticles as well.

Left on overnight, my nails and cuticles feel stronger and the rough cuticles have been smoothed out. I didn’t even need to use a cuticle stick to push them back which I normally resort to.

Simple!

 

*If you would like to order the Sweet Almond Oil in the UK, the link will take you through to the product page on Amazon.

*If you would like to order the Sweet Almond Oil in  the US, the link will take you through to the product page on Amazon.

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