Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

October 25, 2016January 11, 2018 Sarah

Feeling Fall settling…into your skin? Have you tried sugar scrubs? They work amazing on the dry elbows, knees, and especially the legs! Your skin will thank you for the oil that moisturizes it.

And this is an excellent gift to give over the holidays, and you can print a sheet of labels to attach.

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

Ingredients:

1¾ cups brown sugar
¼ cup granulated white sugar
½ cup + 2 Tbsp avocado oil
1 Tbsp raw honey
6 drops Cinnamon essential oil
3 drops Clove essential oil
6 drops Ginger essential oil
3 drops Frankincense essential oil

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together sugars.

In a small bowl, mix avocado oil and honey, stir in essential oils.

Add to sugar, mix well.

Store tightly covered in clean mason jars.

To use, dip in a clean spoon, take out a good spoonful, and work into wet skin, rubbing in circles. Rinse off and dry.

Notes:

Our favorite essential oils? Simply Earth, dōTERRA and Aura Cacia.

If you cannot use avocado oil, melted coconut oil works well.

Disclaimer:

No claims are made as to any medicinal value of this oil. The information presented here is for educational purposes of traditional uses and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. Information on this site is not intended to be a substitute for medical or professional advice. Keep essential oils out of reach of children. Should you have a pre-existing medical condition, please consult your trusted health-care practitioner before using these products. Pregnant women should exercise caution when using essential oils. By using this site, you agree to indemnify administrators and owners for any and all responsibility regarding your wellbeing.

DIY · Essential Oils · Homesteading · Soap Making · Urban Homesteading

Scented Body Wash

October 6, 2016January 11, 2018 Sarah

There are a few things I don’t like about commercial body wash:

The ingredient list
The scents
How my skin feels after use
Microbeads

I can overlook most issues, but for me the scent is what always ruins it. Since I was a child I have been unable to handle most synthetic fragrances. I have often wondered if exposure to commercial cleaning chemicals did the damage – my Dad was a carpet cleaner and we lived in a tiny home. In winter he would store his chemicals in the bedroom my brother and I shared. When you only had 992 square feet of space….well, we were always around 5 gallon buckets of crap that has been mostly banned since then.

But I digress, the point is I itch horribly and my skin gets tight and pink with most artificial scents. I’m for one glad that perfume has less fans over the years. Like with my youngest child, I have a few trusted brands of products I can use with no reactions. If they sell an unscented version, even better. Then I can scent it with pure essential oils.

However, the other issue is finding brands that are Alistaire safe. No nut oils, no Jojoba Oil, and a few other ingredients. That lowers the playing field even more. There isn’t many unscented liquid soaps on the market that are also allergy safe. Jojoba oil and that boy are not a pleasant sight! If however you can handle Jojoba, Dr. Bronner’s makes a good unscented liquid soap as well.

I found Alaffia EveryDay Shea (Moisturizing Shea Butter Body Wash), Unscented, that comes in a 32 ounce container, it’s ingredient list is very short:

Azadirachta indica (Neem)* Aqueous Extract, Saponiﬁed Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Butter* and Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Cocamidopropyl Betaine (thickener/foaming agent made from coconut). *Certiﬁed Fair for Life by IMO

Combined with essential oils, I can have my spa experience, but not pay for it after the shower, having to slather myself with more questionable products.

Because I’d rather be using my oil chest instead of faux scents.

Peppermint Body Wash

Ingredients:

6 ounces unscented body wash or liquid soap
28 drops peppermint essential oil
10 drops wild or sweet orange essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
Small funnel
6-ounce pump container

Directions:

Add about half the body wash to the container, using the funnel. Add in the essential oils, then top with soap. Leave enough space at the top to insert the pump’s straw, using the straw to blend the soap.

Store tightly sealed.

Use as you would normally with body wash.

As for the essential oils, my preferred brands are Simply Earth, dōTERRA and Aura Cacia. These are affiliate links.

Disclaimer:

Crafting · crafts · DIY · Homesteading · Soap Making · Urban Homesteading

Handcrafting Melt and Pour Soap: Milk and Honey Soap

June 29, 2016August 21, 2016 Sarah

Handcrafting Melt and Pour Soap is an easy way to learn soap making, without having to invest into a lot of gear, or commit a lot of time. The Milk and Honey Soap recipe is a wonderful gift, and stores well. It is a natural, warm honey color. You can use clear or white colored soap base (I used clear).

Milk and Honey Soap

Needed:

1 pound melt and pour soap base
½ cup olive oil
½ cup purified water
½ cup dry milk
½ cup raw honey
1 Tbsp vanilla essential oil

To Do:

Cut the soap into small pieces. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer, in a pot. Place the soap into a heat safe glass bowl (such as Pyrex), and let it gently melt, stirring with a silicone spatula as needed.

Meanwhile, mix the olive oil, water, dry milk, honey, and vanilla essential oil in a bowl, until smooth.

Once the soap is melted, take off the heat, wipe the outside of the bowl off. Add in the mix to the melted soap, till mixed in, then gently pour into molds. I prefer a ladle to do this. For ease in moving, have your molds on a rimmed baking sheet.

Let the soap cool and set up, over night for best results. Don’t remove the soap from the molds until you are ready to bag it up. Glycerine soaps like to ‘sweat’ if exposed to air. It doesn’t affect the soap, but isn’t as attractive. I love the soap bags you can find on Amazon, however, if you are not feeling fancy, a snack bag zip top bag also works.

Using my favorite molds, I made 16 bars.

PS: To clean up, just fill your bowl with hot water, and let it wash itself 😉

crafts · DIY · Homesteading · Soap Making · Urban Homesteading

Handcrafting Melt and Pour Soap

June 24, 2016March 31, 2017 neverfreefarm

Too many years ago I did a lot of soap making. I was a lot younger then, and so many new books on soap making were coming out then (OK, I’ll date myself…it’s the year 1998).

I was really into it – I taught soap making classes through the school district, sold at the farmer’s market on the Island I lived on…all while I made time to macrame hemp twine necklaces weekly. (Ouch. Now I am really dating myself….) Even had a great article about my soap, posing in my sage garden, in the local paper.

Back then, I made all of my soap from hand. No cheating with bases. But then…it was a different time. There were only a handful of companies, all mail order catalogs. You couldn’t shop for obscure craft items yet as you can now. So yes, I am perfectly capable of making castile soap, tallow based soap (it’s amazing, especially when you render the tallow yourself), and coconut soap (it lathers in salt water), but at this point in my life? I just don’t have enough time, or really…wanting to deal with lye/water/fat and waiting for it to cure, then grating it, then french milling it into bars. It isn’t hard, but I have to be kid free (lye is very dangerous to work with), so the bases make it a snap.

Instead, I just start with an organic base, like the one from Our Earth’s Secrets. It is easy to melt, easy to pour, and easy to customize with add-ins. There are other brands out there, just be sure to read the ingredient list to avoid things you might not want on you! I prefer to use these bases, however, in a pinch? You can use plain glycerine soap, sold in bars, at the local store. It isn’t quite as nice, but still works fine. Look in the bar soap section, usually on the bottom row.

I came across these silicone molds on Amazon, by Baking Fun, which are the perfect size for a hand bar. They mold “100% Hand Made” on the top. And at $12.99-13.99 for 24, yes 24, of the molds, they beat the price point of nearly all soap molds. Silicone molds work the best of all soap molds (well, OK, for me they do!). They pop out easily, the details can be great, and unlike plastic molds, they don’t crack, or you end up with finger nail gouges in them.

They are not always affordable, but I’ve found buy a number of plain ones, and a few fancy ones:

Once you have soap base and molds, you just need to think what to do with it. Some bases are clear, others are opaque white. Do you want to color it? Scent it? Add in scrubbing agents? Cleanup is easy after. After all, it is soap!

I find the easiest way to melt it is to cut it up into small pieces. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer, in a pot. Place the soap into a heat safe glass bowl (such as Pyrex), and let it gently melt, stirring with a silicone spatula as needed. Once melted, add in any scent (essential oils work great, depending on what you like, 1 pound soap may need 1 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon), dyes, or other ingredients, till mixed in, then gently pour into molds. I prefer a ladle to do this. For ease in moving, have your molds on a rimmed baking sheet. Let the soap cool and set up, walk away over night for best results. Don’t remove the soap from the molds until you are ready to bag it up. Glycerine soaps like to ‘sweat’ if exposed to air. It doesn’t affect the soap, but isn’t as attractive. I love the soap bags you can find on Amazon, however, if you are not feeling fancy, a snack bag zip top bag also works.

Seal tightly, and enjoy for many months! For best results, tuck your soaps into an opaque storage box, and keep in a cool and dry area.

I will be posting recipes for melt and pour soap in the coming weeks, so be sure to check them out.