Category Archives: Health & Wellness

Handmade Christmas Gifts – Peppermint and Cedarwood Foot Salve

Posted in beauty, Christmas, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Projects, Uncategorized by

 

Every year, I look for gifts to give friends and family that are unique, thoughtful and show that their tastes or what they like have been considered and reflected in the gift.

On most occasions, their gifts to me have out done me in every respect, so this year to show my appreciation, the gifts I’ve made are uniquely personalised. Even better, I’ve not spent any time walking around shops trying to find something special, because the ingredients are already in the cuboard ready to be made into something special and take very little time or effort to prepare and make.

If you have ever tried the Shea Butter Hand and foot cream from L’Occitane or from Burt’s Bees, these are lovely little gifts to give and receive. The only thing is that there’s a possibility that someone else has had the same idea and purchased the very same. They smell wonderful, with a range of delicate scents and I must admit are lovely gifts to receive.

To make these Foot and hand Salves is very simple, easier than baking a cake in fact. All you need to do is measure out the ingredients, gently melt them in a jug in a pan of simmering water, add the essential oils and once melted, pour into your chosen containers. Personalising the scents makes these gifts unique, especially if you know what scents they enjoy the most.

Ingredients for the footsalve:

1 tablespoons of Argan Oil

2 tablespoons of Coconut Oil

1 tablespoon beeswax

4 tablespoons of unrefined Shea Butter

1/4 tsb of essential oils – a combination of Peppermint and Cedarwood (for the boys) or Peppermint and Lavender (for the girls)

To make the Hand Salve variant, you can change the oil and use Jojoba or Rosehip Oil, whichever you think their hands (or your own) will appreciate the most and add your choice of essential oils to add scent. Beeswax and the Shea Butter will emulsify and give the salve it’s lovely thick creamy texture.

Better still, if you want to make the Handsalve to treat age spots (after all, most beauty mags will tell you it’s your hands that show the first signs of aging) select the essential oils for their skin therapeutic benefits.

That’s it. All there is to it for making scented rich moisturising salves. Perfect as a gift or an indulgent luxurious treat. Hmm I think I’m going to find a bit of me time for a Manicure and try some of the handsalve I made.

 

Christmas Gift making – Sweet Orange, Cinnamon and Ginger Beeswax Candles

Posted in Christmas, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Projects, Scent, spa treatment, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

 

Last weekend, I decided to make some lovely Christmas gifts to give to friends and family. After a Sunday spent making these lovely gifts, I found myself succumbing to a cold which I have only just shaken off. It meant that I didn’t get round to writing this post until now.

If like me, you like scented candles, receiving one as a Christmas gift would be lovely. I love the gentle glow of candle light, it seems to calm and soothe the senses. I have a small collection of candles from L’Occitane in little metal tins, which gave me the inspiration for this little hand made version.

Making your own filled candles is so easy that I’m now addicted to making them, all you need is to find some containers, flame proof of course and some candle wicks for lighting the candles.

The wicks can be simple pieces of string tied to a stick so that it can dangle down to the bottom of the container (I’ve tried this using chopsticks and a metal Skewer) but it turned out that the cotton string I used didn’t stay alight.

After a bit of research, I found a company that makes ready-made wicks (already inserted into stablisers). They are actually called sustainers. Choose the ones that are pre-waxed and are labeled with the diameter (You need to make sure that the pool of the melted wax goes to the edge of your container) that matches the diameter of your container.

To keep the sustainers from moving, place a small amount of melted wax on the bottom, or if this is a bit fiddly, use Glue Dots – these won’t show as they are transparent.

Once the beeswax has melted in a jug over simmering hot water, add your choice of fragrance to the wax just before you are going to pour them into the containers. Personally, I prefer using essential oils.

I’ve chosen Cinnamon Bark, Sweet Orange and Ginger to fragrance these little candles.  Just add 10 drops of each essential oil into the wax which is based on the dilution amounts in aromatherapy – 30 drops for every 100ml of carrier oil (The quantity I’ve put into the tins is approx 100ml in each tin. I’ve made two tins with cotton wicks and two with Cotton Wicks.)

If you’d like to make the candles as gifts, there’s just enough time to order the materials from Amazon in time to make up a batch.

Heres what you need:

You can get the beeswax from Amazon *in the UK here:  or if you are in the US you can find it here.*

I also tried them with these wooden wicks* from Amazon, they crackle and sound like the crackling of an open fire. Perfect to sit and enjoy with a hot cup of coco at night. If your in the US, you can get these here:*

Metal Tins* can be found here in the UK.

You can get them also from Amazon in the US here*.

As these are little, they will make perfect little stocking filler treats.

*Contains affiliate links

Jasmine and Citrus, Hand blended Perfume for Christmas

Posted in Christmas, Health & Wellness, Perfume, Projects, Scent, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

 

 

Making your own perfume is relatively straightforward.

This year, I’m making a few Christmas Gifts, as a way of making Christmas feel just a little bit more home spun and personal.

Having looked on several sites and researched the types of ingredients that goes into perfume making, there are just a few ingredients most of which you will find easily either in your cupboard or online.

To make the Perfume all you need to do is the following:

  1. Decide on the strength of the perfume:

    This is determined by the amount of scent to alcohol. An Eau de toilette is around 10 percent. An Eau de parfum is around 15-20 percent and the strongest called Parfum is around 30 percent.

  2. Decide on how you want to use the perfume:

    Solid (such as in a oil based waxy balm) or Rollerball (oil based) or in a Spray. The main ingredient in the perfume is the carrier, which can be alcohol or oil based. With Alcohol, the oils in the fragrance can be dispersed from a spray and is how most of the famous brands market their perfumes. Very high quality fragrance houses such as Chanel will offer the perfume in stronger variants, for instance Chanel No5 is available as a Parfum in a very tiny but exquisite bottle. The higher the alcohol content (proof) you can find the better in terms of dispersing the scent. You can of course go for perfumers alcohol, but since there’s likely to be chemicals, which is sometimes called Alcohol Denat – this means it’s been treated so you can’t drink it. Personally, I think it’s better if you can drink it, as it means, if it’s ok to drink, it’s going to be suitable to put onto your skin. I’m choosing Vodka as this has no scent and is as pure a form of alcohol as you can get easily. Smirnoff or Grey Goose will do.

  3. Decide on the fragrance or Scent:

    Perfumes tend to be made up of top notes, the scent you can smell immediately. The middle note, the heart of the fragrance and the base note which is the final scent that lingers long after the others have dissipated, all three notes combine give the perfume the harmonics that make defines it’s unique character which when mixed with the chemicals that make up your skin, makes the experience of the perfume unique.

I love experimenting and mixing scents together. It makes the process so much fun and it also means it’s one of a kind, unique as no one else will have the scent that you’ve made.

Since Jasmine is my favourite scent of all time, I’m going to use this as the “middle note” for the heart and distinctive character of the perfume. And as I prefer things to be as natural as possible, all the oils I have chosen to make this perfume are essential oils.

Jasmine Officinale or Jasmine Absolute is known as the King of flowers. It has a very sweet floral scent. The scent has been central in perfumes for centuries, in China it represents the sweetness of women, in Persia it was known as the perfume of love.

It is also amongst the most expensive pure fragrances, the version I am using is 10% diluted in Jojoba oil. Since the fragrance is very strong, a little goes a long way.

I’m combining this with citrus notes of Sweet Orange and Bergamot essential oils.

Finally, for the base note, just a hint of Cedar wood essential oil, which not only has therapeutic benefits, is also a “fixative” which will slow down the evaporation of the perfume and slows down the overall scent of the perfume from fading. It is sweet and woody at the same time and combines well with both the citrus notes as well as the floral scent of Jasmine.

To make the perfume couldn’t be easier. In a small bottle which should be as opaque as possible to prevent sunlight from affecting the oils, I have combined the following:

Ingredients for hand blended Perfume:

50ml Vodka

20 drops of the Jasmine Absolute in Jojoba oil

10 drops of Sweet Orange

10 drops of Bergamot

2 drops of Cedar Wood essential oils.

With the spray stopper in place, shake the bottle until all the essential oils have been mixed together into the Vodka.

It will take about a week for the oils to come together to form the perfume. You can of course mix the oils first in a small mixing jar until you get the desired scent you prefer.

You can find more information about the different types of scents at Aromaweb’s section on Aromatic blending.

All that’s left is to find a pretty box and gift wrap to make this little personalised gift ready to give for Christmas.

Sunday Spa Feature – Rosehip, Argan, Jojoba, Sweet Almond facial oil

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Scent, Skin Care, Skincare, Uncategorized by

Facial Oil Serum with Rosehip, Argan, Jojoba and Sweet Almond OilThis is such a great facial oil for anyone of any age and would make a great Christmas gift if you are looking to find a gift that’s easy to make.

Rosehip Oil has been in the beauty news having been cited as the wonder oil used by celebrities such as Miranda Kerr. It is a natural source of Vitamin E which you’ll find in many skin care creams, used for it’s antioxidant properties to calm, hydrate dry and sensitive skin.

The oil is also rich in fatty acids such as linoleic acid (or omega 6) as well as linolenic acid (or omega 3). High in Vitamin C, it will help to speed up the healing process for skin damaged by burns, scars or age spots as well as hydrate and add moisture.

I’ve chosen this as it’s the dry oil, it does not leave any feeling of grease and absorbs very quickly into the skin.

With the properties that feel more like a serum than an oil, when I found it online, it gave me an idea for creating a nighttime facial oil that would help rejuvenate and revitalise skin.

With this oil, I have combined it with 3 other oils:

Jojoba oil, which also non-greasy and has a similar consistency to sebum. A liquid wax, found in the seeds/nuts of jojoba plant, it has anti-microbial properties and contains iodine which prevents bacteria from forming and is, therefore, good for skin that is prone to blemishes

Sweet Almond oil, not only does this oil contain plenty of vitamin E, it has lots of minerals such as Calcium, potassium, magnesium as well as vitamin D. Good for dark circles under the eyes, blemishes, fine lines, wrinkles and helps to firm skin.

Argan Oil, high in fatty acids it helps to restore skin’s elasticity and leaves skin feeling plumper and softer.

To give this luxury facial oil some fragrance, I have combined this with three essential oils, which also have skin rejuvenating properties.

Ylang Ylang  Essential Oil- I’ve written about this oil in a lovely home made bath-soak. It has an uplifting effect and can give you feelings of joy and hope. It has a rich floral fragrance which should be used sparingly particularly for skincare purposes.  As it helps to control oil production, minimises breakouts and helps regenerate skin cells, I’ve included this in the facial oil

Jasmine Officinale – is my favourite scent, reminds me of my early childhood, it is used in so many ways, I love its scent in green tea as well as in perfumes such as the Jo Malone’s Jasmine and Mint cologne spray. It tones dry, greasy, irritated skin and helps to fade scars and restore elasticity to the skin.

Lavender Essential Oil – there are so many uses for lavender, that it is one of the oils which I take everywhere and use it in so many ways. In a bath soak, foot scrub it’s lovely scent is relaxing and calming. It is also a good antiseptic so I like to use it as a room and linen spray. It helps to reduce age spots, fine lines and wrinkles by boosting the flow and supply of oxygen and nutrients, helping to boost the skin’s renewal process.

To make this facial oil, which I’ve called the Fourtifying Facial Oil, just mix the following together:

15ml of Sweet Almond Oil

15ml of Argan Oil

15 ml of Rosehip Oil

15 ml of Jojoba Oil

1-2 drops of Ylang Ylang essential oil along with 1-2 drops Jasmine and 1-2 drops of Lavender.

Shake the bottle thoroughly to combine. I’ve used a blue glass bottle with a dropper to make the experience the same as if the facial oil is one of those high-end beauty serums. You can of course just use a bottle with a stopper or small opening.

To use, only 1-2 drops of the facial oil is needed, add the oil to the tips of your fingers and smooth over your skin, underneath your usual night cream.

That’s all there is to it, now I’m looking forward to bed-time and waking up to soft glowing skin!

 

Sunday Spa Feature – Orange, Cinnamon and Ginger Cellulite Smoothing Skin Polish

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Skin Care, Skincare, spa treatment, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

Orange, Ginger and Cinnamon cellulite smoothing skin polish (2)

I’ve been baking with Oranges and Cinnamon this week and the delicious scent gave me an idea for a cellulite smoothing skin polish which is easy to make at home, packed with ingredients that will help firm, tone and smooth skin which might be looking a little bumpy because of cellulite.

Whilst there are many commercial products available, most health and skincare experts would agree that a healthy diet, combined with exercise to stimulate the circulation will help eliminate toxins from your system and therefore improve skin and muscle tone.

Now, I’m not what you call a gym bunny, so to help improve skin circulation, I’ve created a cellulite smoothing skin polish that can be used once or twice a week as part of a spa experience.

The Ingredients that made it into this Cellulite Smoothing Skin Polish:

 

Dried orange peelOrange Peel

Orange Peel has excellent antioxidant property, containing Vitamin C an antioxidant found in many expensive skin care products, it also contains Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, minerals which is great for skin. The citric acid in the orange peel that will help to exfoliate and brighten skin.

Root Ginger

Contains powerful antiseptic and cleansing properties, it increases blood circulation. With the heat from the Ginger grated into the skin polish it will gently warm and stimulate circulation to the skin.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon has been used in Asian and Chinese cultures both in food and herbal remedies for centuries.  Cinnamon will boost circulation when applied to the skin and has been shown in recent studies to rid the body of toxins and boost the immune system.

Coconut Oil

Known in it’s ability to moisturise, it’s packed full of antioxidants which work to increase skin elasticity and firmness.

Argan Oil

Rich with Vitamin A and E, Argan Oil is mainly composed of fatty acids (80%) and antioxidants such as linoleic acid. It will smooth, add moisture and rejuvenate skin, no wonder skin care and cosmetic companies have been using this in many of their products.

Dead Sea Salt

The waters of the dead sea are renowned for their therapeutic benefits. Containing lots of minerals such as Magnesium, potassium, calcium chloride and bromides, it increases circulation and helps skin to retain moisture. It has been proven to be effective for easing muscle aches and pains. As the grains of this salt are fine, it can be used as the basis of the skin scrub.

If you don’t have Sea Salt to hand, then soft brown sugar can be used as an alternative.

How to make:

This is so simple to make, as Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, I have put a tablespoon of the coconut oil in a glass jar and in a jug of hot water to melt.

Once melted, combine the Orange Peel powder with the Coconut oil. (I have dried the orange peel first before putting it into a food blender and then blitzing it so it becomes a fine pebbly mixture which will mix better with the oils.) If you don’t have the time to do this, simply grate the orange peel.

Add one teaspoon of ground cinnamon. You can either use the pre-ground powder or grate some cinnamon sticks if you have this.

Grate some fresh root ginger, about a teaspoon or more if you are feeling brave as the heat of the ginger will be very stimulating.

Combine all these ingredients and make into a paste. Add 5-6 tablespoons of Dead Sea Salt and mix together so that the paste of coconut oil, orange peel, grated ginger and ground cinnamon is mixed thoroughly into the dead sea salt.

At this point the mixture will be a little dry and crumbly. Add a teaspoon or two of Argan Oil so that the mixture is soft to the touch but remaining granular for the scrub mix.

You can either use this scrub in the bath, or in the shower, apply a little at a time, rubbing and massaging the mixture in small circular motion into your skin.

You’ll notice not only does it smell great as the scent of oranges, ginger and cinnamon is released into the warmth of a shower or bath, but your skin will get a little pink and and you may tingle all over*, this is from the heat of the spices boosting your circulation and improving lymphatic drainage. The granular salt works to polish and improve the appearance of any cellulite, lumps, bumps and skin blemishes.

The mix can also be used as a bath soak. Just sprinkle into warm running water. It is particularly great for sore aching muscles or as a treatment for the symptoms of a cold or flu.

Once you’ve finished in the bath or shower, if you want to go all out and complete the spa experience, why not try making and using the pampering body oil to lock in moisture to your skin.

*Before trying this recipe, please do a patch test first in case of any skin irritation.

 

Sunday Spa Feature – Pampering Body Oil Spray

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, inspiration, lifestyle, Rosewater, Scent, Skin Care, Skincare, spa treatment, Wellbeing by

Jojoba Pampering Body oil with aloe vera

With the recent haul of Jojoba and Argan Oil, I’ve been working on a new skin care recipe that is rich, packed full of ingredients to moisturise and pamper dry skin.

The ingredients that made it into this Body Oil:

Aloe Vera.  The version I have is 99.9% pure. It is packed full of nutrients that are great for the skin such as beta carotene, which is converted into Vitamin A, (found also in carrots). It also includes Vitamin C and E which improves skin tone and firmness. It is chosen by skin care brands for its ability to reduce wrinkles associated with aging. I keep a small jar of this in my medicine cupboard, as it has many uses and apply it neat to the kids skin to soothe bug bites and sunburn.

Rosewater and GlycerineGlycerine has been used traditionally in many skin care preparations, such as a facial toner. I’ve been using it in a skin care recipe as an alternative to Micellar Water. It’s a handy all in one facial cleanser and toner, that is great to take make-up off when I’m in a hurry.

As it’s used in cosmetics as a carrying ingredient and will work to carry Aloe Vera so that it can be absorbed into the skin.

Jojoba Oil is a premium oil used in aromatherapy and is used for dilutions of rare and expensive essential oils such as Rose and Jasmine, as it has no odour. It’s also packed full of Vitamin E and contains a substance called Oleic acid which is great for skin, you can read more about its benefits on the Jojoba oil site. As it’s also a non-greasy oil, it will leave a soft satiny feel to skin.

I use Rosewater in a lot of skin care, it’s so mild and gentle to use for the whole family, and is lovely drizzled over a fruit salad with some honey. You can read about some of its benefits in this Rosewater and Glycerine Toner recipe. Mostly, I love its floral fragrance.

Geranium Essential Oil has a floral fragrance similar to rose, its uplifting and keeps summer bugs away. I take a bottle of this with us when ever we go on holiday as it’s a much healthier alternative to commercial air fresheners. As it’s such a small bottle, it’s so easy to pack. Dispersed in a cup of water, it will freshen up any room, particularly useful in hotels that have had smoking guests stay.

It has antibacterial properties, balances skin that’s prone to acne and helps fade scars and marks. As it’s an all-rounder, I’m using it to help towards firmer looking skin.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil, is one of my favourite fragrances, it’s heady and supposed to have aphrodisiac properties. A discovery whilst on honeymoon. For me this is bottled paradise and I’m always looking for ways to include it in skin care. It’s great to include in massage oils to revive and rejuvenate.

Lemon Essential Oil, another of my favourite fragrances. As Geranium and Ylang Ylang will make this body oil intensely floral, I have added this to balance out the fragrance of this body oil.

Vodka – for dispersing oil in water (it’s great as it’s odourless and natural, I like it in a cocktail too.)Jojoba and Aloe Vera Gel

The mix is simple, in a 100ml spray bottle add the following:

15 ml (1 tablespoon) Aloe Vera

15 ml (1 tablespoon) Rosewater

15 ml (1 tablespoon) Glycerine

30 ml (2 tablespoons) JoJoba Oil

15 ml Alcohol – plain vodka as this has no odour and will help disperse/mix oil with water

10 drops Geranium Essential Oil

10  drops Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

15 drops Lemon Essential Oil

Add the Jojoba oil into the bottle first, (I use a funnel to make this easier) and then add the Essential Oils, to blend together, (just swirl the bottle around), once blended, add Aloe Vera, I did this by putting in a small amount into the funnel and adding a small amount of Rosewater, until both were in the bottle then add the Glycerine.

Finally add the alcohol and put the mist spray top on and shake to combine all the ingredients.

The spray can be used immediately, to fully appreciate the fragrance, the scent from the essential oil will take about a week to fully develop. You can of course vary the essential oils to suit your own preferences.

Hmmm, there’s just one thing more, if you’d like to make this a completely indulgent experience, you might like to try the Lavender and Ylang Ylang bath soak before using this body spray.

If you enjoyed this post, please stop by often for more natural skincare and food ideas

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

Posted in Health & Wellness, Home, Skincare, Uncategorized, Wellbeing 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 – Deep Exfoliating Facial Wash with Poppy Seeds

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, Skin Care, 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

Soothing Hot Lemon & Honey drink remedy for colds and flu

Posted in At home, Drink, Family, Health & Wellness, lifestyle, Uncategorized by

Hot Lemon & Honey drink remedy for cold

I came down with a cold not long after returning from our holiday. I have a feeling that it was probably caught whilst on holiday, but the symptoms only started to show once we got home.

By last Monday, my head felt as if it was caught in a vice and a sore throat was making me feel as if it was on fire.

My first thoughts was to turn to the usual remedy in our medicine cupboard, which is a hot mug of Lemsip. After two days however, I didn’t feel much better, in fact I was counting down the hours to my next fix of Lemsip.

It was at this point that I decided to stop using Lemsip and try something more natural as my stomach wasn’t feeling too great with all the chemicals and my head was feeling fuzzy as if it was wrapped in cotton wool.

Lemon and Honey as a hot drink was easy to make and since when you look at the ingredients on a pack of Lemsip, it contains for the most part lemon and paracetamol, plus a decongestants.

I decided that all natural ingredients would be better and hopefully it would also act as a detox and help cleanse my digestive system.

For blocked nose, instead of the chemical decongestants in the Lemsip, I have been inhaling steam from boiling hot water and adding a few drops of Olbas Oil (If you don’t have this, eucalyptus or any type of oil that has menthol/mint essential will have a similar effect) in a large bowl with a towel over my head.

Adding a few drops of lemon essential oil to the water as well, means that the steam is also acting as a facial, opening pores and giving my skin a deep clean.

As a parent, I’ve never been keen on using over the counter medicines on my kids. In fact my youngest doesn’t like Calpol (a liquid suspension of paracetamol in syrup) that I used to give them when they were very young. She too prefers the hot drink of Lemon and Honey when ever she feels a sore throat beginning to take hold.

For coughs, on my last visit to the GP with my daughter when she had a bad cough, he advised that a simple linctus of honey and lemon or glycerine would be just as effective as an over the counter medicine to help soothe a cough.

In fact in the UK, the National Health Service has information about simple treatments for colds and coughs, which advises against over the counter medicines for coughs as there isn’t enough evidence that they are effective.

 

Sunday Spa Feature – Balancing Almond Face Mask

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, inspiration, Skin Care, 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