Friday, 31 January 2014
Whipped Body Butter know-how
Today we make Whipped Body Butter. I love this product! It is fun to make and wonderful for my dry aging skin. :-) But even my sons and daughters love it! When they have an itchy patch of skin they apply the body butter and voila!--relief! We are all amazed because it is so simple and natural and works! I guess we still are not yet totally convinced that nature works! What God has created is what is best! We don't need chemicals!
I use this butter after I shower or bathe, I apply slather it on my whole body and when I do, I think I hear my body saying, "aaaaaaah!" It took me a while to use it on my face, I thought it might be too greasy or oily, but it is wonderful! It is great even under my make up. I have not found that it clogs pores, and I have one child that is dealing with acne--even she uses it and has been very happy with it.
I thought it would be fun to talk about what is in the Whipped Body Butter. The ingredients are practically edible, although they are not food grade so we probably shouldn't eat it. But it's tempting because it looks and feels so delicious! I am a K.I.S.S. girl, so this is a pretty basic, simple recipe, and I find that it's all I need.
So here goes.
Shea butter--a very popular ingredient in natural skin care products. The she butter we use is unrefined. That means that it is a little less processed that the refined, so there is a tiny bit of a scent to it. The scent is earthy and buttery, but not as strong as cocoa butter (another yummy God idea!). Because it is unrefined, it is most beneficial for the skin, the healing properties have not been stripped from it.
Shea butter comes from the nut of an African tree called the Karite tree. Karite means Tree of Life. One of the amazing things about shea butter is that it is not only a wonderful moisturizer for the skin, but it is rich in Vitamin A and E, which are powerful healing agents. Shea butter is great for a myriad of skin issues from rashes, to eczema, to burns, to itching, and the list goes on and on. It is also easily absorbed by the skin so it does not leave the skin feeling greasy.
Coconut oil--so much could be said about coconut oil! It is wonderful for the body--inside and out. It moisturizes, conditions and hydrates the skin. It also has antibacterial properties and plenty of Vitamin E. It is somewhat greasy but does absorb into the skin.
Mango Butter--we use this mostly because we like the idea! What's not to love about mango?! But, mango butter is a powerful healer and moisturizer, it has a light sweet scent--although barely detectable, and also has been shown to help reduce wrinkles--who wouldn't want that benefit?
Sweet Almond Oil-- I think it is common knowledge that almond oil is good for the skin. Although almond oil is thought to be moisturizing, it really is more of an emollient because it softens the skin, rather than hydrating it. Almond oil is rich in vitamin E and is therefore a great healing agent--even healing scars and damaged skin. The sweet almond oil we use in unrefined which leaves many of the beneficial properties of the oil intact, and because of this it has a very slight nutty scent.
And then finally, essential oils. We make two kinds of body butter. Peppermint, and Lemon Lavender.
You can make your own Whipped Body Butter, here is a great recipe and directions, or, you can buy ours, available at our Etsy shop. :-)
Monday, 17 February 2014
Love My Lotion Bars!
I am still surprised at how well they work. I must have started to believe somewhere along the way that a natural product wouldn't work. I don't know, maybe I tried some funky products that I didn't like. I don't like lotions and creams that are sticky or greasy or don't absorb into my skin. I get none of that with my body butter or lotion bars. My hands feel wonderful all the time. And when I wash my hands with one of my soap bars, all of the moisture is not stripped away. I can actually continue on without using lotion sometimes. Before I started using natural products, my hands, in particular, were very dry all the time. I don't experience that anymore.
Now, they aren't magical or perfect, but they are effective and wonderful! And they smell delectable--not heavy with perfume. I especially love the smell of the lotion bar. The beeswax has a hint of smokiness and I just love that! It's real! It's the smell of the smoke used to get the bees out of the hive! How cool is that?!
The lotion bars are also great for feet. I had very bad callouses on my feet last summer, it actually hurt to walk! My heels were cracked so deeply I was in pain. I used a pumice stone and my lotion bar and what a difference! I was afraid I was going to have to go to the doctor, but I found the remedy!
I use the body butter all over my body, even my face! It is wonderful! Now, there is one draw back. It has a fair amount of coconut oil in it, which is so great for the skin, but it can get in your hair, so you will want to be aware of that. But otherwise it leaves my skin so nice and soft and it is fine under my make up. I have also read the coconut oil has a natural SPF of 4.
One of my children struggles with acne. She even uses the body butter on her face with no problem. It does not cause break outs or clog pores. It is antibacterial and healing. Acne prone skin does not need to be scrubbed and dried out, it needs to be taken care of properly. Over treating the skin can cause worse irritation and problems. We have found that cleaning up the diet, cleans up the gut, which cleans up the skin. But external care is still necessary. We also make and Acne Buster Bar that is wonderful for acne prone skin. We will be making another batch of that soon, at that time I will write about what makes it so great for acne prone skin.
Here is how you make lotion bars, if you care to give it a try. But if you don't want to putts with it, you can purchase ours at www.pumpkinseedsoap.etsy.com. :-)
Lotion Bars
Ingredients:
4.5 ounces beeswax
4 ounces mango butter OR shea butter OR cocoa butter OR a combination of these. 4 ounces coconut oil
essential oil, if desired
Melt all ingredients in a double boiler. I actually use a glass quart size measuring cup in a pan of water. If you do this make sure you put a dish cloth in the pan under the glass measuring cup. You could also use a quart size canning jar.
When all the ingredients are melted, add a few drops of essential oil--whatever scent you like, or leave it unscented.
Pour 1/4 cup into muffin tins.
They pop right out when after they harden.
Wrap them in waxed paper, saran, or put them in a nice tin.
Recipe makes about 8 bars.
