Category Archives: homemade beauty products

Monday, September 14, 2015

Two Ingredient Homemade Facial Scrub

Ever have one of those weekend (or week) days where you feel sort of blaaah and have a ton of stuff to do (in my case work) and stay in bed all day working and sleeping on and off and then at around 9:00 pm you start to feel really crusty and oily and want to just scrub your skin off? I had one of those days over the weekend. It was so hot here last week friends (108 degrees if you can believe it), and fires everywhere! Poor drought ridden California. It can get pretty nasty here in the summer with bad air quality…and the fires! Gasp. It’s really sad. I think all that gets to my immune system and just zaps me. So I got a lot accomplished on my crusty lazy day, and then wanted to do something to enhance my mood, you know, get out of the funk. I like to pamper myself and do some self-care when I’m not feeling well. A good face and body scrub was in order. I’ve been using a simple two ingredient facial scrub that works like magic at sloughing off dead skin and creates a lovely glow. It closes my pores, tightens my skin, and evens out my skin tone. I have experimented with different ingredients such as lemon, oatmeal, salt, and oils. I just go with what yields the best results, and the sugar scrub is the best I’ve used so far. If you give it a try, let me know what you think. And friends, take a little you time for self-care. A fresh coat of nail polish, a relaxing shower, a face and body scrub down, a massage…whatever, it really does wonders for the mind and body. Continue reading →

Posted by Amber at 1:38 pm

Labels: beauty, homemade beauty products, homemade remedies, how to.

3 Comments

Emily @ Recipes to Nourish September 16, 2015 at 3:57 pm
Love this DIY recipe Amber! What a cool idea with the coconut sugar and honey.
Reply
- Amber September 17, 2015 at 7:06 pm
  Thanks Emily! It’s great stuff.
  Reply
  - Emily @ Recipes to Nourish October 19, 2015 at 11:37 am
    Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Savoring Saturdays!
    Reply

Shea & Mango Butter Lotion (with video)

Hello friends. I’m super excited to share an amazing new lotion ingredient with you: mango butter! I am in love. Mango butter is a soft, non-greasy butter extracted from the mango kernel (not the meat) and it has a soft earthy scent. Here are just some of mango butter’s benefits: (1) it is rich in powerful antioxidants, vitamins (A, C, & E) and minerals that help reduce degeneration of skins cells (aka, fights wrinkles), improves elasticity of the skin, and offers protection again the sun’s UV radiation, (2) powerful anti-inflammatory agent, good for bug bites, rashes, wounds, scars, and poison ivy/oak, (3) beneficial for the scalp and hair, and (4) excellent for eczema, dry skin, and other skin conditions. Continue reading →

Posted by Amber at 12:09 am

Labels: Holistic healing, homemade beauty products, homemade remedies, how to.

7 Comments

Tessa@TessaDomesticDiva July 27, 2015 at 1:38 pm
You were the one who finally got me into making my own lotions…I have SO much fun with it now! I have been wanting to try mango butter…will have to pick some up on my next order!
Reply
- Amber July 27, 2015 at 5:28 pm
  Yay Tessa! I remember when you made your batch. So awesome. You will love the mango butter. It’s amazing. 🙂
  Reply
  - Tessa July 30, 2015 at 6:13 am
    Just got it and made some new lotion…mango butter is great! Not nearly as greasy as Shea butter, but creamy and luxurious all the same! Yay!
    
    Reply
    - Amber July 30, 2015 at 10:11 pm
      Yay, Tessa! Don’t you love it. I am certain it has significantly improved the skin around my eyes and face. So lush. 🙂
      Reply
Cristina @ I Say Nomato July 29, 2015 at 11:02 am
These look gorgeous! Just completely luxurious.
Reply
- Amber July 29, 2015 at 11:08 am
  Thank you!! 🙂
  Reply
BD July 28, 2016 at 6:05 pm
Could you please let me know approx how many tbsp/tsp is 3 droppers full of seabuckthorn oil?
Thanks!!
Reply

Chemical-Free Homemade Deodorant

I have but a few words to describe this homemade deodorant, quite simply: it works (for me at least…and my husband). I didn’t run a marathon with this deodorant so I can’t speak to it’s long-term/heavy duty performance, consider this deodorant for regular day to day use. For years I’ve put off making my own deodorant (because if you know me in real life I am one of the most skeptical people you will ever meet) and I honestly didn’t think homemade deodorant worked (like, at all). Okay, let me explain that I am a gal who NEEDS to wear deodorant. I don’t get super funky, but I honestly need to wear something. I tried to go o’natural once and it did not go well (for my nostrils anyway). I personally know people who don’t need deodorant, so there is certainly a spectrum of body odor from nearly non-existent to musky to downright offensive. Over the years I’ve tried every “natural and chemical free” deodorant out there and still nothing worked the way I wanted it to (no thank you to smelling like a perfume factory…you might know by now I have a severe chemical sensitivity). I love proving myself wrong. This homemade deodorant works BETTER than any store bought brand and I’m thrilled I can add another homemade beauty product to my ever growing list. For a while now I’ve been on a mission to decrease my exposure to chemicals and have been quite successful thus far. Curious about the toxicity to any particular ingredient or chemical? Visit the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. I’ve been using this site for years to check ingredients and I would be lost without it.

Okay, here is a challenge for you.

Go grab your shampoo bottle (or for the purpose of this post, your deodorant) and enter the ingredients in the database. You will receive instant answers. Be forewarned, you might feel a little panicky about the ingredients, but don’t worry. Start today, start now. Empty those bottles, then recycle those bottles, and find chemical-free alternatives. They do exist, and no, they do not cost a thousand dollars. Check out my Pinterest board dedicated to all things natural and homemade.

Chemical-Free Homemade Deodorant

Ingredients:

-4 tablespoons coconut oil here or here

-2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda*

-1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin (optional)

-Essential oils of choice (optional)

Buy the 4 ounce glass amber jars HERE

HERE is my recipe for homemade body spray (nice to make along with the homemade deodorant)

How To:

1. In a 4 ounce jar add in coconut oil and baking soda and mix until incorporated. Then add in the vegetable glycerin and mix well. At this point you can add in some essential oils. They won’t smell very strong however.

2. For a stronger essential oil smell, omit the essential oils from the above recipe. Rub some of the deodorant on your armpits then add three squirts of homemade body spray directly to each armpit. The essential oils will be much more potent if you spray on.

Notes:

*The coconut oil is soothing on the skin. The vegetable glycerin is added for additional moisture, but is an optional ingredient. The baking soda controls the odor and is not uncomfortable or too gritty, add more if you feel like you need more odor control (another teaspoon or two).

*I keep this at room temperature. My husband also uses this deodorant, so this batch is adequate for two adults.

*Read HERE about some of the harmful ingredients in deodorant. Remember, you put deodorant on your body everyday (often more than once) for your entire adult life. The toxins do build up and often never leave the body.

*In the summer your coconut oil might be liquid (like mine), so you can try a different oil that holds up better in warm weather, like shea butter or cocoa butter. Or just use coconut oil and store in the fridge.

*My friend Emily from Recipes to Nourish suggests using lemons as a deodorant.

Here is a list of other homemade beauty products from The Tasty Alternative

Lotions & Body Butters:

Coconut and Shea Lotion with Jojoba, Calendula, and Eucalyptus

Cocoa and Shea Body Butter with Jojoba and Vanilla

Shea Butter Lotion with Chamomile Infused Jojoba Oil

Shea Cocoa Avocado Oil Body Butter w/ an Anti-Itch Recipe

Other:

Homemade Body Spray

Homemade All-Natural Facial Toner

Colloidal Oatmeal for eczema and itchy skin
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Shared on: Whole Food Fridays, Fat Tuesdays

Posted by Amber at 11:41 pm

Labels: beauty, homemade beauty products, homemade remedies.

9 Comments

Emily Sunwell November 24, 2013 at 12:32 am
Amber this is awesome! Just pinned it. And you are such a dear for including the part about lemons. xo
Reply
- Amber November 30, 2013 at 11:34 pm
  Thanks so much, Emily!!
  Reply
Laura November 25, 2013 at 5:03 pm
I love homemade beauty products and natural toxin-free deodorant. I can’t wait to try this Amber. I love the addition of glycerin to it to make the skin super soft!
Reply
- Amber November 30, 2013 at 11:35 pm
  Hi Laura. I think you will love this deodorant. I can’t tell you how empowering it is to make homemade products that work and that are good for you…and the environment. So awesome. 🙂
  Reply
sandi July 6, 2015 at 5:43 pm
What about antiperspirant? I am in Texas, and it is HOT 6+ months a year. I sweat without antiperspirant. Any additional ingredients to block the sweat? (Yes, I know sweating cools the body. :))
Reply
- Amber July 8, 2015 at 5:16 pm
  No sorry, but good question! My issue is odor…not sweat. I found this article that might help with the sweat issue! 🙂
  
  http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/beauty/skin-care/stop-sweat-tips/
  Reply
Sherry September 30, 2015 at 12:50 pm
Is there another substitute for baking soda(allergic to it)
Reply
- Amber September 30, 2015 at 7:15 pm
  Not that I know of. I would google it and see what you can find. Baking soda by nature is a natural odor neutralizer…not sure what will work the same??
  Reply
- Mickey January 20, 2016 at 11:53 am
  Sherry, baking soda sensitives are very common. It turned my underarms into an angry, itchy, painful leathery skinned mess. And my skin isn’t really sensitive. And it doesn’t just go away after you stop the exposure. Just Google it! Some very common alternatives are arrowroot powder and tapioca starch/flour. Probably very finely milled rice starch too. (There are others too, but just off the top of my head)
  Good luck!
  Thank you Amber, for sharing the love and helping to make the lives of other people better!
  Reply