Lavender and lemon whipped body butter

Here is another lovely body care recipe. I make lotion bars on a regular basis and use them as my primary moisturizer. I love the bars so much that I no longer use any store bought lotions. I have said this before but making your own body care products is such a treat. I am so excited I found a few recipes for whipped body butter. It is similar to lotion bars except you leave out the wax and whip the oils with a mixer. Here is what I added to mine but there are several variations online. The texture is amazing and it is fairly simple to make.

Lavender and lemon whipped body butter

1/4 cup organic olive oil
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/2 cup organic cocoa butter
30 drops lavender oil
10 drops lemon oil

Melt the oils together using a hot water bath on the stove. Place the oils in the fridge for an hour. Whip the oils using a mixer to a frosting consistancy. Add the essential oils and blend. Treat your skin.

Lavender and geranium lotion bar

I am not sure why I haven't made lotion bars before.  I used a wonderful belly lotion bar that came in a stick when I was pregnant with the little guy. I loved using it so much that I went through two bars in the last part. The bars are a bit expensive though so once he was born I gave them up. Recently, I looked for a body butter recipe and came across lotion bars. I made one a month ago and now I am hooked. They are really simple to make, work great and are cost effective compared to buying one in the store. The recipe is simple. It is a combination of liquid and solid oils along with a wax and essential oils. Most recipes I have seen call for equal parts of the oils and wax. I use candelilla wax which is a vegan substitute for beeswax. It is harder than beeswax so I only use half as much candelilla wax in the recipe. The last bar I made I used vegetable emulsifying wax and it worked great also. Here is recipe for my latest lotion bar. See my lemon cleanser post for places to buy supplies. I have also found supplies on esty.com.

Lavender and geranium lotion bar

2 Tbl wheat germ oil
2 Tbl safflower oil
2 Tbl cocoa butter
2 Tbl shea butter
2 Tbl candelilla wax
15 drops lavender oil
5 drops geranium oil

Add all of the ingredients except the essential oils to a double boiler and heat until everything is melted. Remove from the heat and let it cool for a bit. Add the essential oils and pour into a mold. I used a plastic container but you can use any soap mold. Once it hardens you can pop it out of the mold and use. Enjoy!

Pumpkin sugar scrub

I just started using powdered fruit extracts in the my body care products and I am really excited. I bought a variety from DIY Cosmetics and I really love the results. I bought pumpkin, mango, pineapple, custard apple and papaya. I became interested in the fruit extracts because I wanted an easy way to make facials and also get the fruit enzyme benefits. I did originally try fresh papaya and pineapple as a facial, but I found I didn't do it very often just because it is a bit labor intensive and I don't usually have fresh papaya on hand. I figured there is an easier way and some place must have dried papaya for body care products. I was very happy to find them online. Yesterday I tried the pumpkin sugar scrub recipe on DIY Cosmetics website and it is a real treat for the skin. Very fun and it gives me a lot of ideas for future concoctions.

Chamomile hair rinse

We spend quite a bit of time outside this summer. We go out most mornings to the park or to the new Meade Park Pool that opened this summer. It is more a mini water park than a pool with plenty of excitement and lots of water splashing everywhere. Since the little guy took the swimming lessons he is really great in the water and has a great time at the new pool. We both got totally splashed with water this morning when we were in range of the big bucket. He definitely is a little water baby.

On to the post. I have revived a method from my teenage days for highlighting my hair. I found the herbal recipe for the hair rinse in a Redbook magazine a long time ago. I put the rinse in a spray bottle and used it to lighten my hair in the sun. Thinking back that was the time when Sun In was all the rage. How funny that it is still around today. Well, I went the thrifty route and made my own herbal blend. I started using it again and it works pretty good. My hair is a lot darker now of course, but it is nice to have a few highlights. Here is the recipe:

Chamomile hair rinse

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup distilled water
2 tablespoons dried chamomile

Heat the distilled water to boiling and add the dried chamomile. Let it steep for about a half an hour. Strain the liquid and add the lemon juice. Put it in a spray bottle. Enjoy!

Lemon coconut cleanser

Here is another version of the lemon cleanser. This one has coconut oil along with rose hip seed oil. It is wonderfully fragrant and a real treat for your skin.

Lemon coconut cleanser
This is a creme cleanser that does not need water. I massage it on my face and remove it with a washcloth and toner.

2 tablespoons almond oil
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon rose hip oil
2 tablespoon emulsifying wax
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon borax
20 drops of lemon essential oil

In a double boiler, melt the wax and oils together. Warm the lemon juice and borax in another pan. Remove both from the heat and add together in a bowl using a whisk to blend. Add the lemon essential oil once the mixture cools a bit. Transfer to a container. I store the cleanser at room temperature, but I use it within a few weeks. If you are keeping it longer then it may need to be refrigerated.

Lavender face and body cream

Lavender is one my favorite herbs. I have grown English lavender in the garden for many years. The little bushes are just starting to come back and I am eagerly anticipating the first blooms of spring. Lavender is such a treat to the senses. The smell is wonderful and the little purple blooms are a treat to the eyes. Here is my ode to spring and a recipe for a light and creamy lavender face and body lotion. I have also included a quick recipe for a lavender floral water. I use this all the time as a little pick me up during the day. It is very refreshing and relaxing at the same time. See my lemon post for places to buy the cosmetic supplies. Enjoy!

Lavender face and body cream

5 tablespoons almond oil
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 tablespoons shea butter
2 tablespoon emulsifying wax
1/2 cup distilled water
1/2 teaspoon borax
20 drops of lavender essential oil

In a double boiler, melt the wax, almond oil, avocado oil and shea butter. Warm the distilled water and borax in another pan. Remove both from the heat and add together in a bowl using a whisk to blend. Add the lavender essential oil once the mixture cools a bit. Transfer to a container. I store the cream at room temperature, but I use it within a few weeks. If you are keeping it longer then it may need to be refrigerated.

Lavender floral water

1 cup distilled water
20 drops of lavender essential oil

Combine all the ingredients and store in a spray bottle. Shake to mix before each use.

Lemon Facial Cleanser & Toner

Making your own herbal skin care products is surprisingly easy and very economical. It is such a nice treat for yourself. I started making my own herbal products around the time I started Natural Violet. I love that I have control over the ingredients and I can make my products natural. Also, I don't have to deal with excess packing. I can wash containers and reuse which such a bonus. Two of my favorite recipes are a lemon facial cleanser and a toner. You can find a lot of the ingredients at a natural foods grocery store like Whole Foods. There are also great places online where you can get ingredients including Mountain Rose Herbal and Organic Creations. Well, on to the fun part. Here are the recipes.

Lemon Cleanser
This is a cold creme type cleanser that does not need water. I massage it on my face and remove it with a washcloth and toner.

1/4 cup almond oil
1 tablespoon emulsifying wax
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon borax
12 drops of lemon essential oil

In a double boiler, melt the wax and almond oil together. Warm the lemon juice and borax in another pan. Remove both from the heat and add together in a bowl using a whisk to blend. Add the lemon essential oil once the mixture cools a bit. Transfer to a container. I store the cleanser at room temperature, but I use it within a few weeks. If you are keeping it longer then it may need to be refrigerated.

Lemon Toner

1/4 cup distilled water
1/4 cup witch hazel
1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients and store in your favorite container. Shake to mix before each use.