Cosmetic Pads

 Like most women I use cotton balls in my personal care routine. I have recently started using witch hazel as a face toner in the evenings and my cotton ball consumption was ever increasing. This is not only a tax on the environment but also my pocket book. Now I know I am not going to save hundreds of dollars by not buying cotton balls, but I will save a few bucks which is better then nothing. In the past I used a few of my old baby receiving blankets to make tissues and they have worked wonderfully, so I thought I could also use receiving blankets to make cosmetic pads.

First decide on how big you want your pads. I just used a three finger width for mine.
Cut a strip from the blanket to your desired width.
Fold the strip into thirds. I made some in half, thirds, and fourths but I like the thirds best.
Cut the strip into squares. Each square will be made up of three pieces of fabric. Then cut each square into a circle by curving the corners. Cutting into a circle is not required but it makes sewing them together much easier.

Here is a picture of the blanket, the cut squares, and some cut circles. 

 Next using your sewing machine stitch together the three pieces of fabric. I use the over edge stitch which works quite well and does not use up as much thread as some of the tighter serge stitches.

 Cut off the excess thread and they are ready to use. To wash just throw them in with you regular clothes. If you are using them to remove something you fear might stain clothes be sure to wash them separately.

This is a really simple project and I am quite happy with the results. I will be making lots more for all of my cotton ball/cosmetic pad needs.

Facial Moisturizer

I have not tried this yet but I am making a mixture of Almond oil and Lavender to try as a facial moisturizer. If you try this please let me know what combination you tried and how it worked. I will post more here later after I have tried it.
Update: I have been using this for about a week now and I am very pleased. I place a very small amount on my fingers then rub it into my face in the morning and at night. It is light and not greasy as I thought it might be. I might try some other essential oils next time.

Facial Moisturizer
3 parts Carrier oil
1 part essential oils
1 part additions if desired

Mix carrier oil, additions if desired, and essential oils in a bottle. Place a few drops of the moisturizer in your hand and rub then gently rub onto face.

Normal Skin

Carrier Oils: almond, apricot, hazelnut

Essential Oils: carrot, German chamomile, geranium, fennel, frankincense, jasmine, lavender, lemon, neroli, palmarosa, rose

Additions: borage seed, evening primrose, jojoba

Dry to Normal Skin

Carrier Oils: almond, apricot, avocado, olive oil, wheatgerm

Essential Oils: carrot, German chamomile, geranium, lavender, neroli, palmarosa, patchouli, rose, rosemary, sandalwood.

Additions: borage seed, evening primrose, jojoba

Oily to Normal Skin

Carrier Oils: almond, apricot, grapeseed, hazelnut

Essential Oils: carrot, German chamomile, cypress, frankincense, geranium, jasmine, juniper, lavender, lemon, lime, marjoram, palmarosa, pettigrain, rosemary

Additions: borage seed, evening primrose

Antiaging

Essential oils to combat wrinkles: carrot, German chamomile, clary sage, fennel, frankincense, lavender, lemon, lime, myrrh, neroli, orange, palmarosa, patchouli, rosemary, thyme

Additions: borage seed, evening primrose

New Beauty Recipes

Conditioner, Shampoo, Body Wash, Face Scrub, and Toothpaste

I make my products about once a month and sometimes I make a few changes. I have developed recipes which I really like right now. It took quite a while to develop a shampoo I like but I finally found it. I discovered aloe as a moisturizer and it also works great for shaving and hair gel to lay down those little fly away hairs. Any way here are my latest recipes.


Face Scrub

2 TBS Almond oil
½ tsp Lavender
½ tsp Tea Tree oil
½ cup Baking Soda
1 TBS Vitamin E
3 TBS Castile Soap

Mix all ingredients except castile soap. Add the castile soap last.

Body Wash

1/3 cup Castile Soap
1/3 cup Almond Oil
¾ cup Baking Soda
3 TBS Aloe Gel

Mix the oil and baking soda first then add the castile soap and aloe. Shake bottle before each use.

Shampoo

½ cup Castile Soap
½ cup Water
2 TBS Baking Soda
2 TBS Aloe Gel

Mix all ingredients. Shake bottle before each use.

For conditioner a pour a little apple cider vinegar on my hair and the rinse it out.

Toothpaste

½ cup Baking Soda
4TBS Hot Water
20 drops of essential oil for flavoring (peppermint, cinnamon)

Mix all ingredients and then place into a squeeze bottle. If the mixture becomes dry then add a small amount of water and mix.

Experimenting with different ingredients

Today I made lotion and lip balm with my mom. She has had trouble with cocoa butter before so we decided to try using shea butter. We also could not get almond oil so we went for grapeseed oil instead. Although the lotion does not have the chocolate smell you get with cocoa butter it turned out pretty good. The lotion is a little softer then I like I think next time I will add more beeswax or less oil. The lip balm turned out very well I added peppermint oil to it for a good smell but it does not add taste. I think that if I was going to make it again with shea butter I would get an essential oil for a good smell.

I now use almost all of my own products. I love knowing exactly what I am putting on my skin and in my body. My shampoo seems to be working better this week. I found that I have to work up a good lather and scrub my scalp well and then rinse. When my hair feels dry I wash it with a little of my body wash and it adds some moisture. One not on the shampoo and body wash though is that they do separate and you have to shake it to mix them before using.

It is so hard to find real natural beauty products with out chemicals. There are a lot out there that claim to be natural but they are far from it. I get so angry every time I look at an ingredient list that claims to be natural and I see chemical names. Most companies are preying on the uneducated consumer. Do not be one of those. Look at what you are buying and do some research. Read the information on this site about good and bad ingredients.

http://www.terressentials.com/ingredientguide.html

Shampoo

Well I have decided the Almond oil is not good in Shampoo. I love the original recipe for body wash and shaving gel but it was just not right for shampoo. I made a new shampoo using just baking soda and liquid castile soap and it is working much better. I use Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap which comes in many different scents so you can find the one that is right for you.

Shampoo
7 TBS Liquid Castile Soap
½ cup Baking Soda

Mix ingredients together. If too runny add more baking soda if to thick add more soap.

On another note I was thinking today as I prepare to go to CA that although I miss my family and friends back home I really like my home here. I have incredibley great friends. Andon and I are so very lucky and I am so thankful for each and everyone. So Thank you to our wonderful friends who have made being so far away from our family a wonderful experience. You are our like our second family and I love you all.

Body Wash

I have developed a body wash I like. I have also used it to shave and it worked very well. I am currently trying it as a shampoo. The biggest thing about making your own products is that they can be different then those store bought and so you have to get use to them. I decided when I started this to give anything new a two week period before I decided if I like it or not. Changing to a natural shampoo can cause your hair to go oily for a while until your scalp gets use to not having all the chemicals. So although my hair is a little greasy now I am hoping that if I wait it out my new shampoo will work well. I will let you know how it goes. I have also revised my toothpaste recipe.

Body Wash/ Shaving Cream
5 TBS Liquid Castile Soap
2 TBS Almond Oil
½ cup Baking Soda

Mix all ingredients.

Makeup

Only 11 percent of ingredients found in personal-care products have been screened for safety.
I use my homemade toothpaste, lotion, lip balm, face scrub, and deodorant. I am looking for body wash, shampoo, and conditioner I have tried a few things but I am still on the search for the best thing for me (easy and cheap). I have found a makeup I like.
I have started using Everyday Minerals. http://www.everydayminerals.com/

The makeup here is good, natural, and inexpensive. Now from what I have heard no make up is perfectly safe and you should really go without but who can actually do that all the time? I need my makeup to make me feel and look better. So I wanted to go with a mineral makeup because there would be none of those nasty chemicals and they are better for the environment. Everyday minerals are only available online but their prices are amazing especially if you buy a custom kit. To start with tough you can get a free kit of foundation, blush, and concealer you just pay shipping about 3-4 dollars. Read through all their information it can help you choose the colors that are right for your skin.

Lotion, Lip Balm, and Face Scrub

Lotion
Since your body absorbs what you put on your skin I decided I wanted to take a closer look at my lotion. I found there were chemicals I would never think of eating yet I was placing them on my body and therefore in my body everyday. I made this lotion and love it. I use it for my body and face as well as my arm pits to make everything nice and soft. With beeswax I grate it first with a micro grater.
Lotion
½ TBS Beeswax
3 TBS Cocoa Butter
2 TBS Almond oil
½ TBS Cornstarch
½ TBS Vitamin E

Melt beeswax and coco butter in a double broiler. Take off of heat. Add almond oil and mix well. Add cornstarch and mix until smooth. Add the E last. Place the lotion in a container and let cool in the fridge.

Lip Balm
Even more then lotion lip balm enters your body whenever you put it on. Through my research I also found just how bad Vaseline and petroleum based products are for your skin. So I came up with a lip balm I love. Sometimes I add peppermint essential oil for taste and smell.
Lip Balm
2 ½ tsp Beeswax
3 tsp Cocoa Butter
2 tsp Almond oil
1 tsp Vitamin E

Melt beeswax and coco butter in a double broiler. Take off of heat. Add almond oil and mix well. Add the E last. Place the lotion in a container and let cool in the fridge.

Face Scrub
I needed something to clean and scrub my face in the morning. I tried baking soda and water but it dried my face out too much. I developed this mixture which I really like and Stephen even uses it. I use a bar of castile soap to wash my face at night. and this in the morning in the shower.
Face Scrub
2 TBS Almond oil
1 tsp Lavender
1 tsp Tea Tree oil
½ cup Baking Soda
1 TBS Vitamin E
2 TBS Liquid Castile soap

Mix all ingredients except castile soap. Add the castile soap last.

Toothpaste and Deodorant

Toothpaste
Did you know one of the ingredients in most toothpaste can actually cause canker sores? Well I use to get lots of those little guys in my mouth and they are painful. So when I learned about the chemical sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate Floride is a crock also. It is way more dangerous then good for you. I decided I would try making my own toothpaste. Well after a few trials I came up with a recipe I love. The best part is since I started using it in February I have not had one canker sore!!! Another bonus is that I use only food grade ingredients therefore it is safe for Andon. He loves it and when I started using it on his toothbrush he actually let me brush his teeth.

Toothpaste
8 TBS Baking Soda
4 TBS Hot Water
20 drops of essential oil for flavoring (peppermint, cinnamon)

Mix all ingredients and then place into a squeeze bottle.

Deodorant
Ok I have always sweated a lot no matter what I use so I thought going natural really could not be worse. I found through research antiperspirant that clogs your pores and stops sweat is all chemicals and there really is no natural remedy. I decided I would try an easy natural recipe first and see what happens.
I read that Apple Cider Vinegar is great at keeping you from smelling. The vinegar kills the bacteria that makes you smell. Vinegar is very cheep so I decided to try it. It worked so well I was amazed. I then started brushing on a mixture of baking soda and cornstarch to help absorb sweat. Together the two work well but my arm pits were becoming rough and dry. Now after showering I rub on a little lotion then spray with the apple cider vinegar and last I brush on my baking soda mixture. I still sweat sometimes but no more then I did with chemical deodorant in fact I think I am sweating less now then before.

Liquid Deodorant
Apple Cider Vinegar
A few drops of an antibacterial essential oil such as lavender
Place ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake to blend.

Deodorant Powder
Equal parts of baking soda and cornstarch
Place the ingredients in a jar and shake to blend.

Spray the liquid deodorant to underarm. Allow a few minutes to dry and then dust on deodorant powder with a makeup brush.

Beauty products

One of the first things I really changed when going natural was my beauty products.
First off you can not believe advertising. Most things you see that say natural really are not. There are no regulations as to what can be called natural in the beauty world. I looked at a lot of products and there are a few which are actually natural and some at ok prices. I decided though to try my hand at making some products in order to hopefully save money and make something I would feel safe using not only on myself but also on Andon

The internet has been my friend through this. I have spent a ton of time looking up recipes for different beauty products. I was looking for things that were easy to make with ingredients I could find at my local grocery store (HEB). Well I came up with some things I love and some even Stephen will use. Sometimes I think of switching things up with different oils or Shea Butter but everything is working well and I do not have the money to spend on experimenting. If you try one of my recipes let me know how it goes and feel free to change anything you want. I will post my recipes as I organize and get them written up.