Home Made Skin Care

Here’s an easy hand cream from organic Body Care recipes. This recipe lends itself to just about any scent you like. I like citrus, especially grapefruit, so that is what I used. Lavender is very calming or you could use seasonal scents. How about cinnamon hearts for Valentine’s?

• 1 tablespoon cocoa butter
• 2 tablespoons beeswax
• 1/4 cup coconut base oil
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon almond or apricot kernel oil
• 10 – 30 drops essential oil (use more for a stronger aroma)

Using a double boiler, warm the cocoa butter, beeswax, coconut oil and almond or apricot kernel oil until melted. The beeswax will be the last to melt. I don’t have a double boiler, so I searched my cabinets for a solution. I used a ceramic bowl with a rim that fits so that the bowl sits just inside one of my cookware pots – instant double boiler.

Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for five minutes,  then add the essential oil. Continue stirring until the mixture becomes opaque but can still be poured. Pour it into a container and allow it to cool overnight. This recipe makes about one cup of hand cream.

From Nature with Love has a great selection of containers for packaging your homemade items. They also stock all the ingredients you need to make your own skin care products. The links in this post are affiliate links to this wonderful company. I use and love their products.

Technorati Tags: hand cream, homemade

I’m always on the lookout for new resources to make homemade skincare products. I recently found Jane Church’s website and her book, The Handcrafter’s Companion.

She also has an ecourse that I signed up for and was sent this recipe from her book:

Peppermint and Blood Orange Invigorating Body Scrub

1 pound of sea salt (fine to medium grain)
1 oz sunflower oil
3 oz jojoba oil
2 oz liquid soap base
1/4 teaspoon peppermint essential oil
1/3 teaspoon blood orange essential oil
2 teaspoons dried raspberry seeds

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and transfer into desired packaging.  For “home” use, you can use Tupperware or similar packaging.   If you plan to gift or sell the scrub, obviously more elaborate packaging is called for. (See The Handcrafter’s Companion for a comprehensive list of packaging ideas and recommended suppliers.)

To use the scrub, add the desired amount to the palm of your hand or a scrub mitt.  Gently rub over skin to exfoliate and invigorate your skin.  Rinse well.

I tried this recipe but used vitamin E oil instead of jojoba and only grapefruit essential oil with no raspberry seeds. I used Dr. Bronner’s orange scent castile soap to give it a richer citrus aroma. It turned out really well and I made up little tubs with a nice picture of a juicy grapefruit on it for Christmas gifts.

This book is a great resource for anyone making their own homemade skincare products.

Technorati Tags: homemade skin care