3 Skincare Recipes for You

I am not a hippie.

That's what I tell myself every time I make these recipes.  I am the world's biggest skeptic of all home remedies, but I was desperate to find something that helped my family after years of dropping big bucks on products that weren't helping.

First up is a recipe for a body butter that has completely eliminated the dry, bumpy skin in our family, and subdued the eczema flair-ups that a few of our family members with sensitive skin are prone to having.  I love this stuff!!! A little goes a long way, and if you use too much, you might feel a bit greasy.

Whipped Peppermint Body Butter

1 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup almond oil
1/4 cup  pure 100% shea butter
2 tsp. Vitamin E oil
10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil *

Heat the coconut oil, almond oil and shea butter in a small pot until just melted.  Remove from heat and add the vitamin E oil and peppermint oil.  Cool in the refrigerator until it's starting to thicken to a pudding consistency and then whip it with a mixer. Place it in a jar, and keep it in the bathroom.  I have never had any problems with it melting, but if you live in a really hot place, you may have to refrigerate it.

* We use peppermint oil for its soothing qualities for eczema, but a few drops of lavender would be a nice substitute.



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Next up is a recipe for deodorant. I was a TOTAL skeptic on this one, but my husband begged me to try to make something for him.  He works so hard outside everyday, and sweats like crazy!  We have been buying him prescription strength deodorant for years, and it was really expensive...not to mention that it didn't work all that great.  After seeing a few recipes online, I decided that we really had nothing to lose by trying it, and....IT WORKS! It's really cheap to make, lasts a long time, and did I mention that IT WORKS?!? I can't believe it, but my husband has been using it for 5 months, and his sweating has decreased exponentially. Plus, he comes home from a long day of hard work, and does not smell bad.  This deodorant doesn't really smell like anything.  It has peppermint oil in it because of its anti-bacterial properties, but after an hour or so, you can't even smell that.  It just has a complete lack of smell. It doesn't take much, but should ideally be applied after showering, and once a day.  The beeswax in the recipe will stain the armpits of tight fitting shirts over time, so I'd use something else if you have a tight fitting shirt on.  My husband's old deodorant did the same thing, so he's used to wearing an undershirt under his nice shirts anyway.

I wear the deodorant, too, and after an hour long aerobics class, I had my best friends give me the sniff test. I passed with flying colors!!! It's a miracle.  I was really used to wearing deodorants that smelled girly, but after reading about the junk in them and how it could be bad for my body, I decided that it wouldn't hurt to switch over, myself. Plus, I always got a bumpy razor rash when applying them after my shower.  Not anymore. My underarms are smooth just in time for tank-top season.

Here's the recipe:

Deodorant
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup  pure 100% shea butter
2 Tablespoons beeswax pellets
2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 Tablespoons baking soda
5 drops of peppermint essential oil

heat coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax in a small pot. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cool until it starts to thicken and pour into empty deodorant containers. (It will harden quickly, so be sure that you are watching it carefully and don't walk away.)

1 recipe fills about 1.5 deodorant containers, if they are big, or 2 small containers.  I just kept our old containers when the deodorant was gone, and I wash and re-use them.  It makes application so much easier than making it into bars.

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Here's a lovely sugar scrub recipe that I adore. I use it once a week to exfoliate in the shower, and always come out feeling like I've been to the spa.  It makes my skin soooo smooth.  I use a Doterra essential oil mix in it called "Serenity" and it's like having an aroma therapy session in the shower with the hot water.  It's very relaxing.

Serenity Sugar Scrub
1/2 cup of sugar
1 TBS olive oil
8 drops of Serenity essential oil, or any other oil that you enjoy the smell of.

Just mix and put into a small plastic container. Apply it to skin and scrub away, then rinse.  Beware, your shower floor may get a little slippery with the olive oil.




Hope you enjoy these recipes!  My skin has never felt so amazing!


Nell

The Top 10 Things That Kept Me From Blogging

Hello friends! After taking an un-planned 2 month blogging hiatus, I'm back at the keyboard.  Thank you all so much for your kind emails. We are all doing well, and I'm sorry to scare you with my abrupt pause in writing.  It seems like when I have all the time in the world, there's nothing to write about, and when my life is full of adventures, I don't have a free minute to write it all down.

I had to put my Super Woman cape on for a few months to help my family get through our busiest season, and I had to let some things slide so I could focus on the important stuff.

Here's a peek at the fun and chaos that has kept me from the computer the last few months:

(Note: Many of these pics are straight off of my camera phone, but it's better than no pics at all, right!?!)

1. Calving Season! I have written so many times about this over the years that you know the drill. I love the babies, but hate the stress.  Thankfully we had lots of help from my in-laws and had a smooth season this year.

2. Homeschooling 3 children... (Just 1 week until summer break. WoooHoooo!!!)

3. Supporting my husband as he took 2 very tough and demanding senior level college courses in addition to his full time job. I helped him study, and edited 8 papers that he had to write... yes EIGHT of them in 2 months. YUCK.  By the way, I learned a wealth of information about Classical Economics, and I never knew that such a seemingly dry subject could be so intriguing and relevant in today's world.

4. All three kids started baseball/ softball on three different teams, at three different fields, in three different locations, at 3 different times. Ugh.

5. Working with our show steers, attending livestock meetings, and going to showmanship clinics

6. 4-H Horse Meetings, presentations, and riding, riding, riding.

7. Violin Lessons - Hard on the ears, but they sound a little better every week.

8. Church Women's Retreat at a beautiful ranch in Southern AZ- What a much needed break from my hectic schedule!

9. A trip to the big city with my husband for a date night at a Lady Antebellum Concert.  We were front and center for part of the concert and it was amazing!

10. A gorgeous weekend get-away to Sedona to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday.  We hiked, ate good food, and celebrated with the whole family.

10.5.  Training a puppy. (Does that count?) With all of Tater's antics, teaching him to obey seems like a full- time job. Hahahaha. It's a good thing that he's cute, because he's also a handful.

I have left out so many things, but this is a small glimpse into our busy season.  I'm hoping that with the end of our school year, I will have much more time for writing and reflecting on life.  I have so much more I want to share with you.

Living in the Moment,

Nell