Category Archives: Wellbeing

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.

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

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

Father’s Day and a 5 star breakfast – Update

Posted in At home, Family, Food, Health & Wellness, Home, Wellbeing by
Breakfast tray with freshly brewed coffee, sesame seed bagel with bacon.

Breakfast tray with freshly brewed coffee, sesame seed bagel with bacon.

I managed to wake fairly early this morning, by the time I headed downstairs, my eldest was awake too, this was a good sign.

Reminding her to wish her dad a happy father’s day, she asked what I was doing up. I let her know that I was making dad breakfast.

Columbian Coffee, Marmalade and Rasberry Jam for breakfast

Coffee, Jam, Marmalade, ingredients for breakfast

She got out of bed pretty quick and came down to inspect what I was doing. By the time I had found the bacon in the fridge, she was in keen to join in and with the pan on the stove had taken over to fry the bacon.

We had Sesame bagels in the cupboard, along with sliced bread, so these went into the toaster.

By the time the coffee was brewed, my youngest had made an appearance, she took one look and disappeared upstairs.

Hand Made Father's Day Card

Hand Made Father’s Day Card

When she came down, we had just started to put breakfast on the table. She presented her dad with a card.

I hadn’t seen what she had written and assumed this was a card she had gone to buy with her nanny when she came to visit on Tuesday. Turns out she’d made it.

It produced a burst of laughter from my husband. I looked at the card and as he’d only just had his birthday, the humour and timing was perfect.

Although I’d had an idea to treat my husband to a breakfast, the kind you get in a swanky hotel, when you order room service, wearing their fluffy bathrobe and slippers.  We used to enjoy these as a treat on weekend breaks, when we were just a couple without kids, when breakfast would arrive cooked to perfection. It didn’t turn out quite the way it was planned.

As my cooking skills are basic and it mostly involved keeping my eldest from burning herself on the hot stove, it ended up a simple home made breakfast, with a few good ingredients. I think this breakfast turned out better.

Father’s Day and a 5 star breakfast

Posted in At home, Food, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by
Columbian coffee, marmalade and Rasberry jam for breakfast

Coffee, jam, Marmalade ingredients for breakfast

 

This is a quick post today, as we’ve been visiting our parents to watch my father in law perform in a choir concert.

For Father’s Day, I had the idea of getting a few things my husband enjoys and pulling off a great breakfast, with the kids helping me. I picked up a few ingredients on the way home from work on Friday:

Coffee – artisan bag of Columbian coffee, hand made.  I love the smell that hits you when you open a fresh bag of ground coffee.

Rasberry jam

Marmalade

In the cupboard, I should have the following. (Unless the kids have eaten their way through some of it)

Sliced Bread for Toast

Croissants

Bacon  & eggs, of course

Pics of how we got on later. Could be good, could be a disaster –  I’m not a morning person at the weekends, the kids know not to wake me up too early. They went to bed very late this evening so I’m not sure if they will be up without being grumpy.

Come back later to see if we made it together.

 

Rosewater and Glycerine toner

Posted in beauty, Health & Wellness, Skincare, Wellbeing by
Rosewater and Glycerin toner

Rosewater and Glycerin toner

I love the floral scent of Rosewater. It is one of the most versatile ingredients to use both in beauty and in food.

Sometime ago, my daughter’s sensitive skin had a rash and as I was discussing this at work with a friend, he took me to one of the many shops along the Edgware Road that sells Middle Eastern ingredients for the local community that lived in the area.

He explained that his wife used Rosewater to soothe mild skin rashes for their children and it always worked. He showed me in the store where to find it, amongst the herbs and spices and explained that using the type of rosewater that is for cooking was better for the skin.

The bottle looked beautiful and I offered to pay him, but he said it was his gift. I took it home and that night applied it gently over the rash that was on her arm. After about a week the rash was gone.

Since then there is always a bottle of Rosewater in the bathroom, to use as a skin toner, refresher and of course as a tonic for irritated skin.

This is one of the simplest recipes for an all purpose toner and moisturiser in one, using just two ingredients.

Rosewater and glycerin. Both of which have properties that will make skin feel silky soft and refreshed.

I don’t really measure out the quantities, I fill up a 30ml bottle to nearly full and then add a small squirt of the glycerin into the bottle and shake well before use. I tend to use a cotton wool pad to apply, as the mixture is a liquid, like a toner.

If you have dry skin, add more glycerin. Your skin should not feel taught after using the toner and it has dried on your skin.

Making it in smaller quantities means it stays fresh and keeping it in the fridge, will make it extra cool and refreshing when you are feeling hot.
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Jasmine and tea drinking

Posted in Drink, Food, Uncategorized, Wellbeing by

 

As far back as I can remember we drank Jasmine tea at our parents house. Even after setting up our own home, tea infused with Jasmine is my go to drink, especially late at night.

The lovely delicate scent of Jasmine seems so relaxing and familiar. I’ve tried lots of other teas, but always return to Jasmine.

I have often wondered why the beautiful little flowers are left in the loose tea.

Apparently, good quality tea that is infused with Jasmine flowers, goes through a time honored tradition of harvesting the Jasmine flowers late in the evening, just before the flowers open, so that when the flowers to open up and the scent is able to perfume the air, it is captured in layers of tea.

In China, Jasmine is used widely to scent a variety of teas, green, white as well as dark leaf tea. Traditions for tea drinking amongst the Chinese vary, but it is an important part of any social gathering or occasion.

The plant originated in Persia and was brought to China around 300AD and has been used in tea, but also used as perfume, in incense and traditional Chinese herbal remedies for improving liver function and for stress and anxiety.

I think that’s why it’s a favourite of mine. Occasionally, it is great to make a full pot of Jasmine tea, using the loose leaf type and let the steaming tea sit for while before drinking and although it takes a bit more effort to make and to clean up afterwards, it is worth taking the time out to enjoy the simple ritual of drinking tea. Most of the time, however, for convenience, though, I drink the green tea variety that comes in a bag.

The loose leaf variety can be found in most supermarkets, sometimes though I like to indulge and seek out a special blend which make the occasion of drinking the tea all the more special. I keep the tea in a small caddy from Whittards of Chelsea that was given to me as a gift one Christmas.

Mitcham Peppermint

Posted in Home, Scent, Wellbeing by

Mint and Serendipity
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A few weeks ago I decided to try and make home made skin cream. Embarking on this project was sparked by the idea for a family blog. If you are interested, it can be found here.

So having decided to make the skin cream, I ordered the ingredients I needed online. Since I had some peppermint essential oil, I discovered in a cupboard, I thought I would try making peppermint foot salve. You’ll find the recipe on the family blog if you are interested in making it.

The problem was that the peppermint oil was, well, past its shelf life. In fact the date on the bottle read 2008 and though it didn’t smell bad, I decided not to chance it and once again turned to Google to search online to find some peppermint oil.

The search resulted in a link to an intriguing description of Mitcham Peppermint essential oil.

Well, that was it, I had to order. Less than 3 miles from my house is the town of Mitcham.

When we moved to this area, we found out Lavender was farmed as a crop in nearby Carshalton. Apparently, the area isn’t just known for Lavender but Mitcham Peppermint. According to history books and information I found online, Mitcham and Peppermint goes way back, in fact back in time to a reference in a book written by Daniel Lysons called The Environs of London, written in 1792.

Wow, what a great bit of history about the area that I’ve discovered.

I’ve been using the footsalve for about 2 weeks now and all I can say is that it the texture feels indulgent and decadent. Best of all, the essential oils in the salve not only smell lovely, it has the effect of making my feet tingle. The sensation and scent of peppermint makes me smile, I look forward to kicking off my shoes and smoothing on the salve after a long commute home from work. History and indulgence, is this serendipity?