Body Wash Revisited

Hi there!
It as been over 6 months since I began using my homemade body wash. I am here today to officially review and adjust the recipe.
My original post and recipe can be found by clicking here.

Now that it has been some time I have tweaked the recipe and found this to work best for me:

1/4 cup raw, unfiltered honey
2/3 cup Castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's)
1/4 cup water

What changed?
-I no longer add the essential oils to the wash. Why? I feel like it was a bit pointless and a waste of precious oils. I use them so often in so many other things during my daily routines and decided I would rather not wash some down the drain. I am getting clean just fine between the honey and Castile soap... plus, the Castile soap already has essential oils included in it.
- I no longer add the almond oil. I did not feel that it was making a difference in the way my skin feels and did not want to wash it down the drain. I use lotion after I bathe and my skin feels hydrated just fine.
-I added water to the recipe. I feel like it helps stretch the use of each batch. It makes the body wash much more sudsy so I use less on my body pouf.

I recycled an agave bottle. If you feel like you still want to use EO's in your body wash please remember to use PET plastic. It is safer than glass when you are slippery in the shower and also safe for essential oil storage.

Enjoy!!
Lily Bean

Foaming Hand Soap

Hi there!!

Next in like of junk-chemical item I have replaced with a natural DIY recipe is foaming hand soap. Not only is making my own hand soap cheaper, but it is also healthier. I love saving money as much as the next person but what matters most is that it is safe.

I recycled the Thieves foaming hand wash bottles once I was finished with them. I made sure to clean them very good so it would not affect the scent of the essential oils I was using.

For the soap:

3 tbsp castile soap

20 dr Lime EO

6 dr Mandarin EO

6 dr Lemon EO

8 dr Ginger EO

After you add the ingredients, fill the rest of your bottle leaving room at the top for the pump.

One pump of foam does the trick! Wash up.

Initially I had thought I would need to give a shake or swirl before each use. I have been using this DIY soap for a few weeks now and find each pump keeps it stirred up without any need to shake. I love the outdoorsy-citrus smell the blend of EOs gives the soap. Feel free to adjust the blend to your liking and have fun with it.

XOXOX

Lily Bean

Whipped Orange Body Butter

Hello!!

Following in my theme this year of giving the gift of health and beauty by making home made products using essential oils.

Here are the ingredients for :

Whipped Orange Body Butter

1/2 cup cocoa butter

1/8 cup coconut oil

1/8 cup grapeseed oil

30-35 drops Orange EO 

Directions:

Melt the cocoa butter, coconut oil, and grapeseed oil down and whisk them together.

Pour the mixture into a glass mixing bowl and place in the fridge to cool.

As the mixture cools it will harden. Once the mixture has congealed, add 30-35 drops of Orange essential oil.

With the mixture at room temperature, whip it all together. I used my electric mixer... I suppose you can just use some amazing elbow action if the need be.

Use a spoon and fill your containers.

It made approximately 6 oz, filling these two 4 ounce mason jars up about 2/3.

This body butter smells so scrumptious that some of my family actually tasted it. It will provide more than one benefit thanks to the Orange essential oil.

I haven't been able to stop using this cream since I made it. I already notice my hands getting softer.

XOXOX

Lily Bean

Pumpkin Pie Spice Sugar Scrub

Howdy!!

Following in my theme this year of giving the gift of health and beauty by making home made products using essential oils.

Here are the ingredients for :

Pumpkin Pie Spice Sugar Scrub

1c sugar

1/2c sweet almond oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 drops Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil 

3 drops Nutmeg Essential oil 

This scrub smells absolutely delicious and will provide more than one benefit thanks to the Cinnamon Bark and Nutmeg essential oils.

I won't lie, when I tested this on my face I couldn't resist licking it off my lips. So yummy! And totally safe thanks to the quality of my ingredients.

I can't wait to give these to my family! I included the recipe so they can make more when they need. 

I also included these directions:

Rub gently to exfoliate skin. Rinse off sugar. Pat dry. Massage in remaining oils.

Use every 3-5 days depending on your skin's needs and area being scrubbed. 

(Face skin ususally needs more time between scrubs than feet.)

XOXOX

Lily Bean

Vanilla Honey Lavender Sugar Scrub

Hello there!! It's that time of the year... the season of giving.

This year I am excited to give the gift of health and beauty by making my loved ones home made products using essential oils.

I spent a good while yesterday researching the oils that I was considering for recipes and I tailored the for what may actually help boost the health of those on my "nice" list.

Here are the ingredients for :

Vanilla Honey Lavender Sugar Scrub

1c sugar

1/2c sweet almond oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp raw, unfiltered honey

5 drops Lavender essential oil 

This scrub smells lovely and will provide more than one benefit thanks to the Lavender essential oil.

I can't wait to give these to my family! I included the recipe so they can make more when they need. 

I also included these directions:

Rub gently to exfoliate skin. Rinse off sugar. Pat dry. Massage in remaining oils.

Use every 3-5 days depending on your skin's needs and area being scrubbed. 

(Face skin ususally needs more time between scrubs than feet.)

XOXOX

Lily Bean

Disappearing Ink

Hello there!!

I have an oily victory story to share.

My oldest fur baby, Theodora, has a longer than normal medical history for a 4 year old pooch. My friends call her my bubble dog... everything seems to affect her and I have to be so careful with what I let her eat and play in. 

She has had these random spots of dark pigmentation pop up on her belly before three times in the last year. I have taken her to the vet where they inspected her spots in every way, just short of a biopsy and we are not quite sure what the spots are yet. The first time the vet prescribed her an ointment to cover all bases: anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, antifungal, antibcterial steroids. Had this ointment not worked, I would be taking her in to remove that skin and have it biopsied. Needless to say, I was so glad it worked! However, this is some mean stuff... the kind of ointment I don't want to touch. Not only do I need to wear gloves but I need to try and keep Thea from rubbing, licking, or scratching at it. The second time the spots popped up I just turned to the ointment because I knew that is what the vet would have me do.

So 9 days ago I noticed she had a new spot on her belly. Instinctively I went to the medicine cabinet to make sure the ointment had not expired. Next I was hunting for gloves to protect myself. As I was looking for them I couldn't help but think how awful that I would put something on my baby that I didn't want to personally come in contact with.

Day 1

The lightbulb went on... of course! With my handy-dandy "Essential Oils & Pets" pamphlet and by asking my oil group for support in a decision, I was able to decide to use my Young Living Frankincense Essential Oil. According to my pamphlet, written by a veterinarian Dr. Mary Hess, Frankincense "Is used in every aspect of pet care, including wounds, tumors, behavior, infections, bacteria, fungus, and so forth". Sounded like all my bases would be covered again.

Day 4

Day 8

Day 9, Officially Cleared of Brown Spots

What I did:

I put 5 drops of Frankincense EO (get it here) in a roller ball and filled with 5mL of grapeseed oil.

Every application would start with a good wipe with witch hazel and a picture. For the first 4 days I put the oil on her spot every eight hours. Day 5-6 I dropped the frequency to every 12 hours. Day 7-8 I only put the oil on once a day before bed.

By day 9 the spot was gone. You can barely even tell where it was. It seemed to dry up and scab off throughout the week.

I am beyond excited that I did not need to take her in to the vet or use the strong ointment at all!

So happy with my Young Living Essential Oils and how they have helped me and my loved ones.

XOXOX

Lily Bean and Theodora

Time for a Tune Up - Lavender Face Serum

Hello again!! I hope you have had a wonderful week!

I hate that I was so quiet (here), but I was putting in some extra hours at work and was beyond exhausted. I work as a medical coder. I recently went to community college and received my Associate's in RHIT (Registered Health Information Technology). I actually passed my credentialing test almost two months before I ever finished the program.

I loooooooove the medical field but was not blessed with a stomach to deal with some of the physical and emotional sides to patient care. By going into health information, I have most prereq's the same as a nurse and get all the aspects of the field from behind my desk. It's the perfect place for me to feed my scientific and secretarial sides.

Human anatomy and pathophysiology are my main loves. I could take those classes every semester for the rest of my life and be happy. I believe that is part of the reason I am so attracted to a healthy lifestyle. I have worked hard to gain an understanding on how the body systems function and see how important it is too keep things in working order.

The average person takes their car for oil changes and makes sure it is always gassed up so it works the way it should. Why don't we do the same with our bodies? I prefer to keep my car in working order instead of waiting for it to break down and then paying the mechanic to fix it.

In my efforts to treat my body as good as I treat my car, I am now educating myself on what is in anything and everything that I put on, in, or around my body. Reading labels has opened my eyes to so much. I am tired of surrounding myself with toxins and carcinogens.

If you take anything from this blog, I hope yo begin to read labels and make informed decisions for yourself. If you can't pronounce the ingredient or don't know what it is, look it up. Things may just surprise you...

So I finally did it! I threw out all my health and beauty products that are full of junk... Glittery, delicious, shiny, beautiful, nasty, unhealthy, dirty junk.

My next few blog posts will be with DIY recipes that I am using to replace these everyday products.

First, here's a simple face serum.

What you need:

1 oz glass bottle with dropper top

sweet almond oil

Lavender essential oil

Put 15 drops of Lavender EO into the bottle.

Fill with sweet almond oil.

Shake before each use. Start with small amounts, a little goes a looooooong way. I recommend starting around your mouth, up to your cheeks and nose, and then your forehead. This way the layer on your forehead is not as thick. 

(On a hot day you will thank me when there isn't a thick layer of oil to melt into your eyes... trust me. I found out the hard way).

You can use this serum alone or layer under a cream if you need more moisture.

Since I started using this serum I have noticed less skin irritations and even less cramping during my period. Thank you Lavender EO! The best part is, I made it so I know exactly what I am putting on my body.

Stay tuned for more recipes (shampoo, body wash, and air freshener to come soon).

I am off to find something grain free and delicious to bake!

XOXOX

Lily Bean!