Tag Archives: vitamin E oil

Anti-Aging And Deep Cleansing Soap Nut Face Wash

This will be the last post from the soap nut series for a while, I promise : D I just couldn’t resist sharing this soap nut based face wash recipe as well. It’s quite simple really, the base is soap nut liquid again just as with the soap nut shampoo plus loads of added skin purifying and rejuvenating ingredients.

So first what you need to do is make the soap nut liquid by boiling 7 whole soap nuts in about 2 cups of water for 30 minutes on a medium heat. I also added a green tea bag into the boiling soap nut water because it has antioxidant (read: anti-aging) and anti-inflammatory activities when added to the skin. Then let the mixture cool and drain out the soap nuts and tea bag.

Then I used mortar and pestle to grind about 2 tablespoons of whole stevia leaves and 20 tablets of activated charcoal (if you’re using capsules of activated charcoal then skip the grinding part and just open up the capsules). Turns out that stevia leaf powder isn’t only good for your oral health but also for your skin. It effectively softens and tightens the skin, smoothes out wrinkles and helps to heal acne. Activated charcoal when added topically absorbs into the pores of your skin and draws out dirt and oils, meaning that it can help eliminate acne, bumps and blackheads.

I also added 4 tablespoons of Dead Sea mud, 2 tablespoons of neem powder and 2 tablespoons of rice powder to the face wash mixture. The Dead Sea mud helps in treatment of various skin ailments such as acne, eczema and psoriasis, it is said to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and hydrate and moisturize the skin. And just like activated charcoal it sucks out impurities and toxins from the skin. The neem powder acts as an astringent and tones the skin. The rice powder contains ferulic acid and allantoin. Ferulic acid is a powerful antioxidant and allantoin is a good anti-inflammatory agent, it soothes sunburns and promotes the skin’s repair. Rice powder also has some whitening effect on the skin.

When you have mixed all the ingredients together then add about 1 tablespoon of vitamin E oil for better preservation. You can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oil.

*If you want the face wash liquid to be less like a liquid and more like a paste so that you could also use it as a face mask then feel free to add any clay of your choice to make it thicker (I would recommend Rhassoul or French green clay for example)

 

 

May 8, 2012Permalink 1 Comment

Foot Cream With Pumice Stone Powder

Here’s a recipe for a foot cream that not only softens the rough skin on the feet but also gently removes dead skin cells leaving the feet even softer : ) Feel free to add it to other dry areas as well like knees and elbows.

Here’s what you’ll need to make the cream:

10 ml of beeswax, 50 g of shea butter, 25 ml oil of your choice (I used sesame oil), 50 ml aloe vera gel (here’s how you can make your own), 14 drops of grapefruit seed extract, half a teaspoon of vitamin E oil, 14 drops of eucalyptus essential oil, 2 teaspoons of pumice stone powder.

Melt the beeswax and shea butter in a small pot, remove the pot from the stove and add the 25 ml of oil and aloe vera gel. Whip with a whisk until the mixture has cooled and taken a creamy texture then add the grapefruit seed extract, vitamin E oil, eucalyptus essential oil, pumice stone powder and whip some more. When ready then pour into a clean container.

For more amazing natural skin care recipes check out this link.

 

April 19, 2012Permalink 2 Comments

DIY: Aloe Vera Gel

Making aloe vera gel at home couldn’t be any easier if you have a mature aloe vera plant.

So first what you need to do is cut off some leaves from the aloe vera plant. Try to pick the leaves that are closest to the ground because then the plant won’t be too irritated and it can continue thriving. Then leave the cut-off leaves into an upright position for a few minutes to let the darker resin drain out. This part is important because the resin can be a bit irritating on the skin if it finds its way into the gel you’re making.

Here’s what the resin looks like:

After the resin has drained, wash the leaves and start peeling off the thick skin of the aloe vera leaves with a knife, leaving you with the transparent gel. If you have really long and thick aloe vera leaves then you can cut them into smaller pieces first to make the peeling and removing the gel easier.

Place the gel into a blender and also add a few drops of either grapefruit seed extract, vitamin C powder, vitamin E oil or some essential oil to help preserve the gel for longer period. Then blend everything, pour into a clean glass jar and you’ve got yourself some fresh aloe vera gel which will keep for several months in the refrigerator. Don’t mind that it has some foam on top at first, this will settle down later : )

If you want to know more about what wonders you can do with Aloe, check out this link. 

 

 

 

March 23, 2012Permalink 16 Comments

Salve Ointment

Here’s a DIY salve recipe for all the winter-damaged hands, chapped lips and cracked heels. To make this healing ointment you’ll need about 30 grams (or 40 grams if you would like the salve to be thicker) of beeswax, half a cup of whatever oils you like (I used coconut and sesame oil), 1 tablespoon of vitamin E oil or some other oil rich in vitamin E (I used sea-buckthorn oil) and about 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract to prolong the salve’s shelf-life, although this is optional because it should be fine for quite a long period anyway. Also if you would like to have some fragrance to it then add a few drops of your favorite essential oils.

Once you have everything you need, here’s what you’ll have to do: get a pot and put it on the stove, add all the ingredients except the grapefruit seed extract and essential oils (if using) and wait until everything has melted. Then take the mixture off the stove and pour into a container (glass would be best) and add the remaining ingredients. You’ll end up with something like this:

salv

Now all you need to do is wait until the salve thickens, stirring it once in a while and soon enough it’ll be ready for usage : )

*You can find most of the ingredients used in this recipe at MountainRoseHerbs

Bulk organic herbs, spices and essential oils. Sin

March 16, 2012Permalink Leave a comment