Category Archives: Skincare

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

Beauty Haul – 3 high-street finds for hair and skin

Posted in At home, lifestyle, Skin Care, Skincare, Wellbeing by

L'Oreal EverRiche Exilir for Hair1. EverRiche Perfect Elixir Mask Spray

Boots and other leading chemists.

Last weekend, I went shopping to replace a few skincare and haircare items that I’d run out of.

My hair, has become dry and lost some of its shine. Perhaps it’s my season of life, perhaps it is also the change in the light, the change in weather as Autumn slips slowly into Winter.

We’ve also had a whole week of dreary rain and my hair looks and feels tired and brittle, no doubt from blow drying and styling it with a hot hair dryer.

I’ve been using the shampoo and conditioner by L’Oreal, which is sulphate free, in my search for hair care products that don’t strip hair and scalp of natural oils.

If you have dry itchy scalp as I once had, switch to a shampoo and conditioner without Sulphates.  It is the best thing you can do for your hair and scalp.

After getting the shampoo and conditioner, the 3 for 2 offer in Boots was just too hard to resist. This meant the EverRiche Perfect Elixir Mask Spray for dry hair was added to my basket. I must admit it is a pleasure to use both in terms of the way it smells (It reminds me of almonds and vanilla) and the softness of my hair.

It also keep the hair smelling fresh.  In terms of shine though it is only a little improved.

2.Jojoba OilHolland & Barrett Jojoba Oil

Holland & Barrett

Looking around the high street, in both high-end department stores and pharmacies, I am overwhelmed by the amount of products on display. There are so many, each boasting of their abilities to add moisture, tighten skin, reduce wrinkles or cellulite and more, the claims seem so enticing.

To get everything, would involve a major dent in my budget, not to mention the trouble fitting everything into my bathroom.

One thing struck me though was a lot of the products on display were oils – for face, body and hair.

In Holland & Barrett, I came across pure Jojoba Oil, not listed as an ingredient in a product, but simply the pure oil. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend.

However, as it is a multipurpose oil that is so close to the natural oil produced by our own skin – Sebum, I decided that this would be a good investment as an oil that would be multi-tasking for skincare as well as hair care remedies, from stretch marks to cuticles.

I’m already benefitting  from just a few drops of Jojoba applied to my face before putting on a night cream. My skin feels softer, and pores seem more refined.

Because the composition of the oil is similar to natural sebum, it will regulate sebum production by tricking your skin into thinking it already has produced enough sebum.

Since I’ve always had a rather shiny T area, this is going to be helpful in reducing the shine. It involves just using a couple of drops rubbed in my palm to distribute it evenly across my forehead and around my nose.

WIlkinson Argan Oil3. Argan Oil

Wilkinson

My best find was the Argan Oil in Wilkinsons of all places! This bottle was just £2.50, and even though it’s plainly packaged, it is an oil that’s in a lot of trendy new products at the moment. With plenty of natural skin and benefits, I’ll be trying out a few skin and hair remedies with this oil.

Will share with you as soon as I’ve worked out how to include in a hair styling spray to replace the commercial one that I’ve been using.

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 – Rice and Lemon Skin tone brightening face mask

Posted in At home, beauty, face mask, inspiration, Skin Care, Skincare 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, 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

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

Sunday Spa feature – A luscious lip remedy

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