Homemade Lotion- Really More of a Cream

I have tried it all when it comes to store bought facial lotions and creams. I guess my skin is just a bit too sensitive for them. Some natural oils I have used that worked well are jojoba oil, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), and coconut oil. Since they're oils, they are oily, but it will eventually soak into your skin. Jojoba tends to be the least oily. It is said to be the most like our natural oils. It's also more expensive, but a little goes a long way. My mom once bought me a small jar of (EVOO) sold just for that purpose from a company in Japan. That is how I was introduced to using natural oils as moisturizers. I don't suppose it has to be an expensive EVOO to be effective.

More than I like using those oils for my skin, I like using homemade lotion. It is all natural, keeping it in the fridge will help it last longer. I keep a small container of it in the bathroom and it lasts just fine for me. The very best time to apply it is after a shower when your skin is extra thirsty and it soaks right in.

I wouldn't say it is difficult, but it is the most finicky of the homemade products I make. It also makes a mess in the blender. I am in need of more, so here we go:

You need-  1 Cup of oil(infuse it, if you like)
                   1 oz beeswax
                   6 T water (sterilized. You can also infuse the water with skin nourishing herbs.  Add the herbs and water in a pot.  Heat on low until you smell and herby smell and the water looks like a light tea:)

This time I chose to use these ingredients.

Almond oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, and beeswax (water, too).

1. Melt the beeswax in a double broiler.  As I've mentioned before, keep it off the burner and don't splash it around.  It's flammable and it sticks like glue until the oils are mixed in.

2.  Add 1 Cup of the oils of your choosing.  I chose oils that tend to be less greasy.  Mine were also infused with calendula petals and lavender flowers- both of which are good for the skin and for healing.  Chickweed would also be a good herbs  for that.  Anyway, the beeswax will harden back up a little, but it won't take long to remelt.

3. Next, your going to pour the melted oil/beeswax into the blender.  You may want to let it cool a little first, if you think it will crack the blender.

4. While the blender is blending on low, slowly, SLOWLY, very slowly add 6T of sterilized water.  Why slowly and while the blender is on?  You are trying to emulsify the water and oils with out having to buy an emulsifying agent, which would make your natural cream- unnatural.  Since water and oils don't mix, you have to trick them into doing it anyway...slowly.  This may wreak havoc on your blender.  They say you should use a REALLY good blender for this.  My old one seems to do the trick, and if it breaks down, I won't be sad while buying another Bosch blender attachment.

5. After you blend past the point you think you need to, pour the cream (it should still be a little liquidy) into your containers or a jar.  Scrape out all the extra, it is good stuff!

The tins are 1 oz size to give you an idea of how much I ended up with.

Cleanup is no fun, but at least there are not very many dishes.

Cons to making homemade cream:
Since there are no preservatives, mold can grow.  I've not had it happen, but I gave some to my sister that did grow mold. 
It can be greasy if you're used to commercial lotions.
Tins can rust since there is water in the lotion. (just at the rim where the lid and bottom join)
It can melt in high heat.
It does not  always consistantly turn out the same.

Having stated the disclaimers, I do not ever plan on going back.  I love it.  It is better for sensitive skin than anything I have tried (Not just for the face, but hands and everything.)

Alternatives:
I've made lotion/cream with aloe vera gel, vit. E oil, and vit.A, as well as other fancy things.  The simple as always resulted in the best lotion for me, FYI.


Don't forget the lables.

p.s. Hopefully, I will soon post about lotion bars, which are the best thing to use for feet, elbows, and other extra dry parts AND super easy to make.

Christmas Decorations

I thought this was a very idea my boys had, to transform a bar of handmade soap into an ornament.  Somehow they made it look nice- and they were proud of it.

Homemade Vanilla Extract-YES there is a difference.

WOW

I was making hot cocoa last night for the family while we were getting ready to listen to the audio version of "Treasures in the Snow" by Patricia St. John. (Excellent story BTW- my husband does not recommend the video version.  He says it was so boring, he couldn't get through it.  Sorry if that hurts anyone's feelings.)  On the other hand, we have listened to our Christian radio station's audio version for 3 years now. 

Anyway, I was making the cocoa and remembered the vanilla extract I had made...about a year ago.  I have tried to use it before now, but I could NOT get the lid unscrewed for anything.  I decided to pull it out and try again.  Somehow, it opened and I took a tiny taste.  Wow. The vanilla flavor is so good!  I then took a tiny taste of the store vanilla- which is very expensive- and it tasted like grossness in comparison.  I thought it was in my head so I called the husband over to try.  He agreed.  So did the boys, but they had just seen our reactions, so they were a little swayed already.

It is so easy to make, too!  Do you want to try?

You need:
vanilla beans- 3 or more
vodka (or rum)- to fill the jar
jar and lid

1. Cut open each bean length wise to expose the inside and seeds but leave it uncut at one end.
2. Put the beans in a jar and cover with vodka.  Here, I am just capping off what I have left in the jar, so it is already dark.  When you first do it, it will take time to turn dark.

3. Let sit in a dark place for 2 or more months. Shake every once in a while.

4. Guess what, you get to reuse the beans!  Just keep adding more vodka.

I am adding rum this time.  I bought some when I was trying out a recipe for aftershave...which I don't think I will post about...so, since that's what I have, that's what I'll try.  Does anyone know if it will taste okay?  Well, happy vanilla extract making!

Homemade Lip Balm!

Make your own Lip Balm.

All natural lip balm is easy to make.  On the left, you can see what I generally use to make it ( forgot the beeswax in that picture, though).  The picture on the right is basically all you NEED to make it.

 Here is a simple recipe:

1 ounce beeswax (order it or refine it from honeycomb).
1/2 Cup oil (use one kind or a variety- olive, coconut,

sweet almond, jojoba, shea butter, grape seed, etc.)

The rest is optional:

1/4 teaspoon aloe vera

1/2 teaspoon vitamin E

1/2 teaspoon essential oil

Makes about 5 ounces.

Here is the How-To:

1. Melt the beeswax in a double boiler.  I use a glass measuring cup on top of a canning ring inside a pan.  Don't get the melted beeswax all over the place.  It is a bear to clean off, but once we melt the oils with it, the wax loses its bonding ( superpower glue like) ability.

2. Once the wax is all melted, Add the 1/2 oil.  The coolness of the oil will make the beeswax cool enough to harden in places.  It won't take long for it to remelt.

3. Take the mixture off of the heat.  This is when you add the optional 1/4t aloe vera gel and 1/2t vit E oil.  Its also time to add 1/2t essential oil of your liking.  Work quickly, the balm will harden as it cools.

4. This is not a very good picture because I am working quickly.  I am piping the balm into tubes.  You can pour it in.  This is the first time I've used a piper thingy, it is less messy.  The tops of the lip balm will sink as they cool in the tubes, that's just the way it is.  Add a few more drops to the tube than you'll think necessary and it may not do that.

You certainly don't have to use tubes.  Whatever you have in hand is fine. 

This is the end result.  I would have had a few more tubes or tins if I wanted to remelt the balm that cooled before I could pour it.  I just put it in a jar for our family to use.

Don't forget the labels- clean the outside of the tubes off with rubbing alcohol to remove and oils so the labels will stick.

Caution: These can melt in hot weather or in the clothes dryer.

Homemade Spray Cleaners and Powder Laundry Soap

 Quick and Easy AND Cheap

I used to use vinegar and water for my general spray cleaning needs, which works pretty good.  But we have 4 children...and I needed a little more power.  My sister told me about her homemade spray cleaner and this website http://gnowfglins.com/2011/05/25/free-video-homemade-all-purpose-cleaner/. (There's a lot of very interesting info on her site if you wanna check it out.) I have been making it for a while now.  Its really been working well for us.  My current version is not all natural, but it could be with more effort. Here is the recipe (of course, you can tweak it):

Homemade Spray Cleaner: (measurements are approximate)

*3T rubbing alcohol
*Vinegar-just pour some in (optional: not in the original recipe)
*30 drops/1 teaspoon essential oils (lemon, tea tree, pine needle, ylang ylang, or a mixture pleasing to your snout).  Don't feel like you have to go buy essential oils for this, its not critical to the effectiveness of the cleaner.
*A little grapefruit seed extract is know to kill germs, but has no smell (optional: not in original recipe)
*3T liquid soap (I've been using store bought dish soap SO I only use 1T, but castille liquid soap would be healthier and you may need more like 3T.)
*Water

Pour the first 4 ingredients into a tall spray bottle.  Fill the bottle over half full with water.  Add the liquid soap and shake it up a little.  Last, add the more water to the top.  I do it like this to avoid massive amounts of suds in the bottle that would happen if I added the soap in before pouring in any water.  But it doesn't really have any rules.   Shake before each use, essential oils want to float.

I like to make a gallon refill amount to make life go more smoothly.  Shake gallon container before refilling the spray bottle.

Window cleaner

This is not a secret by any means, but since I'm on the subject of cleaners, I thought I'd add a couple more.  For windows and mirrors (and whatever else I think needs it) I use half rubbing alcohol and half water.  No expensive Windex full of chemicals.

Pot scrubber cleaner

Again, not going to blow your mind- although it did mine when I first tried it.  When I scrub my scrambled egg pan and other stainless steel pots, I sprinkle on some baking soda, squirt a dab of dish soap and easily scrub off the mess!  Love it.  I fill empty shaker bottles with baking soda and keep one in the kitchen, and one in each bathroom to clean out the sinks.

Powder Laundry Soap

I posted before about homemade liquid laundry soap, but I guess I forgot to post about the powdered version.  I need some for laundry today, so why not post it?  It is quicker to make than liquid, and doesn't take up as much space, but I am thinking the liquid laundry soap lasts for more loads.  What do you think?

Here goes:

Ingredients:
*1 Bar of soap (any kind you wish except soap with lotion added-or so I hear.  I use my homemade soap.  This time, I gave eucalyptus a try.  It's supposed to keep spiders and ticks away. Fels Naptha is all the buzz for homemade laundry soap makers, I don't prefer it, though.  Go with your preferences.)
*1 Cup Washing Soda
*1 Cup Borax

Grate the soap.  Use a fine grater if possible.  But non-fine is fine, too.

Mix in the washing soda and borax.  Tell your children, contrary to their beliefs, you are not mixing grated cheese and sugar- borax is dangerous to ingest and soap is just plain nasty.

Extra step (which I find worthwhile)- blend the mixture in a food processor.  This tiny thing was already out so I used it, but using a big one would get the job down in a blink.  Wow!  It made the soap much finer, which made the ingredients blend better.

Extra Step (which I have never tried, so I don't know if its worth it)- add few drops of essential oils for scent.  My hypothesis is that the smell wouldn't last or be strong enough to notice, so why waste the pricey essential oils?  Anybody tried it?

Now, pour it into your container and label it. Keep it our of reach of small children since it has Borax in it.

2 Tablespoons per load should do it.  There won't be suds, but don't be deceived, suds aren't really what cleans things, they just make us feel better because we're used to them.  I hear this can be used in HE washers, too.  Easy. Done.

Feel free to share any cleaner recipes!  I love to learn new things.  

Growing

Oh, I'm not so good at posting often.  Here are some of the milestones around here. 

5yo rode his bike without training wheels the FIRST try!  It has been 2 months since then.  We have been on many bike rides and he just takes off (with a crash here and there.)  We were all clapping for him, including his 1 year old sister- it was actually her birthday that day.

3yo loves to be helpful, as usual.  He likes to be a part of chores, especially when Daddy is working on something.  (Here, he is not being so helpful.)

7yo has lost his first two teeth.  I didn't realize what a life-changing event this is for a young person.  He talked about it constantly and wanted to show everyone.  He realized he went through a change and would never be the same again.  I think he looks cute. 

We're getting ready for Christmas around here.  I like to make a few homemade gifts when I can think of something fun.  That's what we'll be doing!   Its probably more fun to make the gifts than to be the one to receive them. So, I'll be doing a little shopping, as well.

New soap molds!

I got to make lots of soap last weekend, which is so great!  Before I started, my husband whipped up two new molds out of scrap wood for me.  He made them twice as long.  Production was speedier- I like that.  Thought I would share the results....

See the logs that are twice as big?  Yeah! There were two more batches of the long ones the next day which, all together, made over 100 bars.

Lemon Pine, Peppermint, Oatmeal Cinnamon, Frankincense and Myrrh, Ylang Ylang, Eucalyptus, and Lavender. 

I'm already dreaming up what to put in the next batches..but that will have to wait a while.

  Speaking of soap, don't forget to wash the inside of the cup as well as the outside. (Matthew 23:25-26)      Have a wonderful day!

Bible Bee

Two of our boys participated in the (local) National Bible Bee in August.  Only 7yo was old enough to actually be a contestant, but 5yo was a "supporting sibling".  He learned more verses than we realized by the end of it.

For his division, 7yo had to learn 250 verses plus study the book of 1 Peter.  The first part of the competition was a written test which was a LOT of detailed questions- that was difficult.  Second, was the oral test, when two judges gave him random references to quote for 10 minutes.  Last, was the final round- it wasn't for points, but mostly for fun.  They stand on stage and say their verses in the microphone- let me tell ya, that made them nervous, but all the children did well. 

I waited outside the oral round testing room with our little wiggly noise makers.  Husband told me how it went later.  You can see how he felt about it in the picture of them coming out of the room.

There was something fun for everyone.  We all enjoyed ourselves.  7yo doesn't get to compete at the national competition.  It would have been exciting, but after looking over all the information the national contestants have to learn before November in addition to what they've already studied, 7yo considered it a needed rest.  He worked hard!

Pond Fun

Oh, the fun the boys have on their Grandpa's pond!  They are learning all sorts of things.  They are not supposed to be able to paddle out in a boat- they're my little boys!  I see I'm going to have to let go- a little bit.  It is so fun watching them enjoy themselves so much.

One

We have such a sweet girl. It's hard to believe its been over a year now since the first time we welcomed her into our arms. We loved celebrating her with both of our families. Although she may not remember it, she had a great time, too.

A phrase I hear the often from those who have been parents longer than we have goes something like this, "enjoy them while you can, they grow up fast, and everything changes." Or, "It only gets worse, just wait until they're teenagers."  I'm really starting to see how quickly time does fly now that our oldest is already 7.  My prayer, though is to enjoy them while they're young and, Lord willing, when they're older, too.  I pray He will develop everlasting friendships in our family that will stand the "teen years" and beyond.  Some parents say the same phrase as above, but with a slight different tone and wording, "cherish them, it goes by fast."  The difference, to me, is the outlook.  For sure I will miss these early stages as each child grows.  But do I dread some unavoidable, hateful cloud that will invade my children's beings as they grow?  I look forward to the same little bundles of joy becoming mature, young people exuding joy.  For now, I am enjoying each of their personalities and ages.

Honey Harvest

My father-in-law let me tag along to extract some of the honey from his hives again this year.  The whole process is pretty neat.  He did the hard part before I ever got there- getting the boxes without getting attacked by bees!  He built a screened in "honey room" for convenience, and I'd say it worked out very well. 
He used his heated knife to cut off the caps.

Put the frames into the electric extractor (it takes a special touch to get that machine balanced.)

The honey that was spun off the frames poured out of the spout below.

The cappings had plenty of honey in them, too.  We squeezed is out, mmmmmmmmm yummy job. 

It wasn't one of his biggest harvests, but very good, none-the-less.  We didn't get to all of it that day. I'm not sure I'd ever be up for handling those bees, I know they're protective of their honey.  I did enjoy helping out with this part of it though- not to mention the honey they shared with us!