Category Archives: Wellbeing

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

Posted in beauty, hair treatment, inspiration, spa treatment, 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.

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 – 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.

Home Made Cuticle Oil

Posted in beauty, Skin Care, Skincare, Uncategorized, Wellbeing 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.

*These are affiliate links, which if you order through, a small commission is earned. Thanks in advance for using the links – any money earned will go towards maintaining the blog.

Sunday Spa feature – Home Made Lavender, Ylang Ylang Bath soak

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, inspiration, Wellbeing by

Dead Sea Salt and Lavender flowers

This is the first feature of many I hope to write about the lovely ingredients to try out to create a home spa experience.

As these lovely buds from the drying lavender looked so pretty, I have simply added them to the Dead Sea bath salts* that I have been using as a foot scrub/soak in one. If you are interested in making this you can find the post here.Dea Sea bath salts

For the bath soak, I have used the lovely flowers which were collected from the fresh lavender we picked last weekend, they have been slowly falling off the lavender stems as the bunches of lavender begin to dry out.

With a pestle and mortar, the lovely buds were mixed into the Dead Sea Salt granules. If you don’t have dead sea salt to hand, a coarse salt will also make a wonderful bath soak as it will soften the water.

I don’t usually make up more than a cupful at a time as the Dead Sea Salt* is a wonderful ingredient in that it attracts and retains moisture, so will turn to liquid if left exposed to the air.

To make this mix luxuriously moisturising, I have added some organic sweet almond oil, together with a few drops of the Carshalton Lavender Essential Oil to intensify the aroma.

There is no need to measure out the ingredients exactly. I’ve used a rice bowl to scoop out the Dead Sea Salt and added a handful of Lavender flowers, along with about a tablespoon of Sweet Almond Oil.

The only thing to be careful about is the amount of essential oils to add to the mix, for bathing, about 20-30 drops in a cup full of bath salts with the oil. will provide a sumptuous aroma that will fill the bathroom with scent. (As a precaution, it is always best to carry out a patch test if you have never tried any essential oils before – you can find out more about this in this article from Aromaweb.

I find that different scents evoke different memories or sensations, for relaxing, rejuvenating or calming, you can vary the essential oils based on your preference and the mood you want to create.

Ylang Ylang and Lemon essential oilsAs I wanted to recreate a lovely rejuvenating and relaxing experience, I have also added to the lavender mix a scent which always reminds me of the beautiful spa in Mauritius where we spent two idyllic weeks on our honeymoon.

Just a few drops of Ylang Ylang essential oil has conjured up the soft golden sands and the sound of gentle lapping waves of the Indian Ocean.

We discovered the Ylang Ylang plantation on Mauritius which we visited while we were there.

This beautiful scent comes from the Ylang Ylang tree, once the flowers from the tree have been harvested, the oil is distilled by forcing steam through the flowers to create the essential oil.

It was widely used by aromatherapists and while we were on the island, the aromatherapist explained that it is used as a spa treatment because of its many therapeutic benefits. Mostly, I think on the idyllic island setting it was chosen by the aromatherapist as it enhances the feelings of hope and joy. (It’s a bit of a cliché, to go on honeymoon in Mauritius, I know, but as it was a once in a lifetime experience, we took advantage of all the island had to offer).

I have also added some lemon essential oil which I find has a lovely refreshing scent of lemon groves which is perfect for this indulgent experience.

Once the mixture has been combined, a small handful of the bath salts were sprinkled into the warm water of the bath. As the mix can also be used as an exfoliation scrub, it can be applied over the skin and massaged gently for glowing skin.

I loved seeing the little lavender blooms bob around in the water, it was so lovely to waft in the scent of lavender and ylang ylang this morning.

Hmmm lovely.

*If you would like to order the in the UK, the Dead Sea Bath Salts link will take you through to the product page on Amazon.

*If you would like to order the  in  the US, Dead Sea Bath Salt the the link will take you through to the product page on Amazon.

*These are affliate links, which if you order through, a small commission is earned. Thanks in advance for using the links – any money earned will go towards maintaining the blog.

Lavender picking afternoon in Carshalton

Posted in inspiration, lifestyle, Places Visited, Scent, Wellbeing by

Freshly picked lavender from Carshalton

The weather forecast for last weekend was not good, both Siri and Google predicted a cloudy day with sunshine and rain. Not great for walking around in a field full of Lavender then.

However as Saturday morning arrived and I peeked out through the blinds, the sun was shining.

We decided to go because I’d always wanted to and this was the only weekend the event is held each year.

In the usual mum mode, I tried to persuade everyone to come along, but my eldest wasn’t going to be budged from her laptop. Only me then and my youngest. I made her wear a raincoat, plus a hat in case of both sun and rain. We must have been pretty funny to look at.

My husband drove us to Carshalton, it’s not really very far from our house, but it would have taken us a long walk.  With plenty of lavender we wanted to pick, I thought it best to save our energy for when we got there.

The field itself is tucked away in a quiet residential corner of Carshalton Village, less than 20 miles from Central London.

Field of lavender in Carshalton

Field of lavender in Carshalton

It is one of the few remaining sites where Lavender and other herbs was grown as part of a once a thriving industry for the Surrey towns and villages of Mitcham, Sutton and Carshalton.

I had read about the Lavender Picking in Carshalton at our local library some years ago and had always wanted to go, yet somehow, as each year passed, the opportunity also passed. It was either too wet or we had already planned something else.

It is run by local volunteers as a charity, keen to keep the lavender field and it’s history alive.

As we approached, there was no need for the directions or signs, a small steady stream of families, with buggies, young toddlers, teenagers, adults made their way to the field. Plenty were leaving too with huge bushels of Lavender in their arms or tucked into their shopping bags.

The sight of the people with their bags and armfuls of lavender got my youngest daughter so excited that she walked on ahead to investigate. If you’d like to see the post my daugther has written, please visit here it made made me laugh just reading it.

A small line of people were in front of us and we queued patiently to collect our bucket and scisssors.

Bucket of freshly picked lavender

Bucket of freshly picked lavender

Cutting the Lavender was the best, in the field were different varieties of lavender, some had shorter stems of blue grey colour with round soft flowering heads, whilst other lavender plants were tall and proudly waved their stems of deeper coloured lavender flowers in the summer breeze.

The fragrance was all around and we were enthralled as people mixed with butterflies and bees, collecting pollen and harvesting the lavender together.

No one seemed bothered by the bees as they buzzed around us collecting their harvest, as there seemed to be plenty for everyone.

The event would not be complete without a craft fair display. Locally produced goods was available, including ready to purchase cut bundles of Lavender alongside bottles of Lavender Essential oil which had been distilled from the lavender grown in the field.

If I could describe a perfect afternoon then this would be it. Our haul of lavender consisted of 2 large bales of lavender (I have no idea what I’m going to do with it all, but I expect none of it will go to waste), a little tiny bottle of the essential oil, apparently it takes about 3/4 of a ton of fresh lavender to produce about 11-12 pounds of oil. So very precious indeed.

Bees in lavender field

Bees in Lavender field

There was a demonstration with the distillery which had been made locally from recycled materials, so we got to learn about the process of distilling the lavender oil.

It’s made in a giant steel container. The process is a bit like one of those Morrocan Hookhas where the bottom of the container holds boiling water to steam the leaves or lavender in this case. As the steam rises, it passes through the freshly picked lavender and the oil from the steam is collected in a special reservoir and the water collected below. This water is the floral water that perfumers and the beauty industry call “hydrolat”.

As well as the oil, I purchased a small pot of Lavender to grow in our garden called Lavender Grosso.

After speaking with the gardener, I asked him which variety would be best for someone who isn’t very green fingered and wants to see the plant grow quick (I have no patience). Apparently Lavender Grosso grows to a meter high and is very fast growing and likes to be in sunshine, when planted in soil, it doesn’t need very much water (in a pot it will need watering frequently). It seemed the ideal plant suited to my temperament.

Lastly, my hubby spotted a small display of pots full of honey and jams, and we couldn’t resist purchasing a small pot of lavender honey.

And the rain stayed away until Sunday. perfect!

Carshalton Lavender field
lavender Honey and Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender essential oil and lavender honey from Carshalton
Bucket of freshly picked lavender from Carshalton
Taking photos of the bees in Carshalton Lavender field
Bees collecting Pollen from Lavender
Lavender in Carshalton field

Lush update

Posted in Skincare, Wellbeing by

imageFollowing on from last weekend, when I had the chance to try out the Lush Shower Jelly birthday gift, I had the opportunity to try out the Lush Olive Branch shower gel today.

Although it was quite runny to begin with, which is tricky in a shower, since the water is running, you have to keep the shower gel away from the water before using it. It did however, produce a lovely fine lather, which left my skin feeling soft and feeling refreshed.

The smell is heavenly and reminds me of standing somewhere in a Mediterranean garden full of oranges and olives, like the time we were on holiday in Spain.

I love the fact that scent has a way of transporting you back to somewhere or reminds you of a memory and this is a bottle for me that is wonderfully reminiscent of a sunny afternoon spent in Seville.

Since trying the product, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t all that convinced that the ingredients are all natural, or hand made as the label described.

So many brands make these claims, and yet when you dig a bit deeper, you find that the natural ingredients represent such a tiny amount, that I think wherever possible its better to try and make it yourself, to get the full benefit or full potency of the ingredient you like.

That is, after all what happens when we select ingredients to cook with.

So I did a bit of research about Lush and came across this YouTube film:

It has me convinced that most of the ingredients are natural, because here, you can see all the ingredients being mixed together, just as you would in your own kitchen. Obviously, they have to do this on a commercial scale, but its reassuring to see it all in action. So now, I know it really does contain Bergamot, Orange Blossom, Vine Leaves and Olive Oil and in large quantities too.

I love the scent and their ethics. Definitely will be a repeat purchase – I will just have to exercise a lot of self control when I enter the Lush store next time I’m in Wimbledon.

Hand made Calamine & Coconut After Sun lotion to the rescue

Posted in beauty, Skincare, Wellbeing by
Home Made After Sun Lotion

Home Made After Sun Lotion

It is nearly the end of term and with it the annual tradition of the School sports day. This year, my eldest had opted out of taking part. (Apparently it’s optional at her school) Instead she watched the event with some of her friends.

When I returned home that evening, both she and my husband were glowing bright red from where they had been sitting in the sun.

When they were much younger, I would run around after both of my kids with a bottle of sun-lotion, smearing them from head to foot to keep their delicate skins protected from the sun.

Unfortunately, I was at work when they caught the sun.

In previous years, my go to remedy for sun stressed skin is Calamine lotion or cream from the pharmacy. The pink liquid is by far the fastest way of cooling down hot skin. It is also good for sensitive skins, the zinc in the lotion reduces any rash faster than anything else I’ve tried.

My daughter now considers herself to be way too cool to be using a lotion that she thinks is for kiddies. She turned her nose up at it declaring “it stinks”. I must admit it’s got quite a chalky medical aroma to it.

This is an argument that I’m unlikely to win.

I have therefore created a lotion that still has the cooling properties of the calamine, but, with all natural healing properties that will look and smell great.

So here’s how I made it:

6 Tablespoons of Calamine lotion (the type you get from the Pharmacy)

4 Tablespoons of Cold Pressed Organic Coconut Oil

2 Tablespoons of Sweet Almond Oil

1 teaspoon of Stearic Acid (orderd online from natural Heath & Beauty store)

Home Made After Sun Lotion

Ingredients for Home Made After Sun Lotion

For the scent, I added the following essential oils: 7 Drops of Lavender essential oil (Great healing and skin soothing properties) 5 drops of Lemon essential oil (good antiviral and antiseptic properties and a refreshing scent), 1 drop of Citronella (just one drop, as it can overpower everything else, it’s a good bug repellent during the summer months).

As this was the first time I made this lotion, I tried out a very small amount first to see if it would work.

The Calamine lotion is water based, mixing it with the oils would need something to bind them together to stop them from separating.

I used Stearic Acid as this is a natural ingredient and works to act as an emulsifier, I simply added this to the mix in quarter teaspoon amounts.

This meant it was easier to whisk into a creamy consistency, switching to Sweet Almond Oil once I’d gotten to the bottom of the jar of Coconut oil.

I continued to alternate between the Calamine and the oils, adding the stearic acid whenever I felt the mix started to look too thin. I kept going until It was the consistency of a soft cake batter, in a pretty pink colour.

Essential oils were added at the end,  which was whisked into the mix.

As there are no chemical preservatives, I’ve kept the quantity small, enough to last a couple of weeks for the whole family to use.

The mix was poured into an empty clean recycled bottle that used to contain a hand wash. I designed and added a lable and some clear vinyl to make the label waterproof.

I think the finished result wouldn’t look out of place in a beauty store. My husband was first to try the lotion, no adverse reaction from my Hub, no adverse reaction from me or from my kids.

The texture and smell is a lot better than the original lotion.

Do let me know if you’ve made your own  sun lotion, or can recommend one to try.

Ingredients lable
Whisk Calamine Lotion, Coconut oil, Sweet Almond Oil and Stearic Acid together
Calamine and Coconut lable – Teal
Stearic Acid in Pouch
Calamine & Coconut Sun Lotion Ingredients lable – Teal
Lables for the Home Made After Sun Lotion
Ingredients for Home Made After Sun Lotion
Home Made Calamine and Coconut After Sun Lotion
Calamine and Coconut lable for the lotion bottle

I got Lushed for my birthday

Posted in Bathroom, Skincare, Wellbeing by
Lush shower Gel, Lush black currant shower gel and Lush bath fizz

Lush bath treats

For my birthday last week, my husband got me Lushed. I’ve always wondered what the store held.

Each time I’m in Wimbledon, the store is just by the train station and as you walk past the storefront, a blast of scent hits you. It’s sometimes over powering, to the point that I wonder what concoctions are being created, like a witches cauldron full of mystery.

I’ve never been in the store in case I get an overwhelming desire to buy everything and anything I can lay my hands on.

Well I guess I got my wish, as a little bag of delights were handed to me by my grinning daughters and a sly looking husband who said that I might like to try these out since he’d watched me experimenting in our kitchen over the last month, whisking up home made deodorants, foot soaks and the like.

I’ll update this post as soon as I’ve tried each one of these little treats. The cherries and coconut jelly tub looks particularly yummy, but as I’m not entirely sure how it will get from the pot onto me, without it washing away in my hands, I’ll let everyone know tomorrow how I get on with it.

Update – Sunday morning

The Shower  Jelly was an interesting experience. Exactly as the tub described, it looked and smelled like a pack of Rowntrees Jelly before you add water and make it into a jelly, which means it was a little hard to scoop out of the tub with your fingers.

It also smelled like a delicious tub of sweeties, the kind that you know is not good for your teeth kind. It rubbed on and lathered up, but didn’t have a load of bubbles, it was a fine lather. I’d say it’s best to use in the bath-tub as it kept slipping out of my hands. A lot of fun, I think my youngest will enjoy in her bath tonight. Worth trying just for the fun of it.

Lush shower jelly