Posts Tagged: Homemade Apothecary
3 Reasons Why I Made the Switch to the Oil Cleansing Method
For a long-time, right on up into my thirties, (pre-kids), I had relatively good skin with the a little bit of the oily t-zone action happening. Skin that didn’t need much attention, no real regime. I was prone to having a moderately oily t-zone, but that was it.
Enter my mid-thirties, after kids, and well … those wacky, silly hormones went berserk! Oh hormones are JUST SO silly. They make me laugh and laugh. And cry. And scream. And curse. The profanity always helps.
Everything I thought I knew about my body, my hair, my skin, my bones, my shape, my mood, my metabolism … EVERYTHING, basically went out the door. My skin started to develop spots and rough patches (yes, I’ve had it looked into), more oil in that t-zone area than before, and breakouts. I’m a teen again and I’m raging. Well, honestly, I’ve always been a bit ragey — but we’re not here to talk about that right now.
Slowly, I’ve been discovering the many virtues of slapping natural products on my face because I just can’t be bothered with dishing out major coin and time finding products that I’m shilled in stores and online. I’m wary of marketing hype and buzzwords, especially revolving around “natural” products. Which is precisely what some of you might think about this oil cleansing business. Oils are big right now. Huge. Moms especially, are reigning supreme on the MLM opportunities available with certain therapeutic-grade, organic essential oil companies. Clearly I’m not going to hate on that when I’m in the MLM business myself.
What I do know, is that essential oils are the BOMBDIGGITY. That’s me getting all scientific for ya. I did lots of rearch and decicded to try out what everyone was all hyped up over. Could the therapeutic qualities of oil not only soothe my mind by their mere scent alone, but heal me from the inside out too? I don’t know about the medicinal qualities as far as healing people from disease, but I do know that the diffuser that sits next to my bedside table gets used daily with different blends to suit different moods. I swear my sleep has improved and I know my kids’ has with the one in their room. I could go on about the additional healing qualities I use oil for, like when I use it in salves with beeswax and coconut oil as the carrier to rub on the bottoms of little feet and chests when sick (instead of Vicks), or how I use them with vinegar to use as a natural fabric softener. Or with peroxide, Dr. Bronners and vinegar to make my own cleaner.
Oh, so I guess I just did it anyways. How about I get back to spewing why I’ve started using food grade, moisturizing oils on my FACE! Upon first discovery I thought … oil? On my face? Uh, no. That would make it more greasy, I thought. Oils definitely would not clean my face, I thought. So, without further ado, these are my top 3 reasons why I have made the switch and what dispelled some common myths for me about oil cleansing …
DIY: Homemade Whipped Shea and Cocoa Body Butter
Body butter is one of those luxurious body care products that I covet. For a long-time I used store bought and recently discovered that with so few ingredients and with my trusty boy-friend on the case (vitamix for life) … that I could make my own at a fraction of the cost!
Shea and cocoa are my two favourite types of base carriers for any moisturizing cream or body butter, and since making it on my own I decided to merge the two together. I think the best part about making my own apothecary products is how completely customizable they are. You could use mango butter or other oils in this or just one base butter. It’s all up to you!
I used to alternate between using coconut oil and the body butters I purchased to moisturize as I found that while the coconut oil absorbed really quickly, I still felt a bit dry after a while. I thought I could just get away with using the raw cocoa or shea butter a few times a week or as needed, but it’s quite heavy on it’s own and takes a long-time to absorb. The remedy has been to experiment and combine my favourite ingredients until I found something that mimiced my store purchases in texture, feel, absorbency and moisturizing staying power.
DIY: All Purpose Moisturizing and Healing Salve
When we’re longing for days like this…
And our once sun-drenched skin cries out for more; mere lotion alone, for most, is but a joke. Most kids I know, mine included, get dry, itchy skin in the winter…and so do I. I also have sensitive skin, and thus, so do my children. I’ve never been a fan of drugstore brand creams and salves. The holistic brands while worth it, are usually quite expensive. So, long ago, back when I did that artisan thing…I dabbled in apothecary and herbalism and made what at the time, I dubbed: Cheeky Bum Salve. It was one of my top sellers on-line and at shows. It’s the one thing people are still emailing me for and is well requested from family and friends. It took me a while to perfect it and now I have a luxuriously versatile, healing and moisturizing salve.
We especially go through a lot of this salve in the winter to stave of ‘winter cheeks’ and chapped lips, that babies, toddlers, kids (even the big ones) are prone to, especially if they live in the polar vortex and still love to play outside. Complimented by the fact that kids are always getting cuts and scrapes and who needs a bunch of different creams and salves for all the things? While initially making this may not be what most would consider, ‘easy’ … you definitely won’t regret it. Slather it on your feet and put socks on overnight. Use it as a carrier with other oils for massage and to rub into the soles of your little ones’ feet and their chest when they’re sick. Use it in place of Polysporin or in place of a medicated salve for burns, cuts and scrapes.
I currently have some slathered on my hand, due to a rather nasty burn I gave myself last night cooking dinner. Of course, it’s a fantastic diaper rash salve and everyday little cheeky bum protectant. I don’t wait until Abby or Wyndham have dry chapped cheeks or lips to use this though, I use it as a protectant, in the same way I did when they were in diapers. I have been extra diligent this year as last winter they both got horribly chapped lips hat were painful to look at and Abby especially, took a long-time to heal, application after application. Now it’s a part of our morning routine before we go out in the morning and to bed at night. All over the face, just a bit. On their thighs and outer arms and back, all the places that get really dry in the winter, in addition to cream, after every bath. In staying on top of their skin-care this way we’ve managed to get to February without any outbreaks. The bonus is that they look forward to all the massages and have gotten into the habit of asking for applications of the salve. If you’re wondering just how versatile this salve is in addition to all that I’ve mentioned, check out the full list below…
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