Recipes.... for your FACE! And other places.

Ah... a day off. What better time to pamper oneself a little? In fact, I've got avocado in my hair as we speak... but that's another story. Welcome to today's post - a little something to counteract the gloom n' doom of the previous post, which was a bountiful flurry of the harmful poop that sneaks into our lives via our toiletries and cosmetics. I'm really happy to share a few of my favorite homemade beauty/hygiene recipes with the Green Daisy readers today. There are the tried and true recipes, tested by myself for years, and then there are a few that are next on my list! If you've got a few of your favorites that you'd like to share with the Daisy Pages, please send 'em in! I'd love to put them up! (Also: Grandparents and your hippie aunt are great sources of this kind of information! Haha)
And remember peoples, with all this talk of 'beauty products' and such, don't think that this stuff is only limited to the benefit of the ladies.... fellas need to wash n' shave naturally just as much as the gals. Anybody got a good recipe for eco-friendly beard wash? HAHA! Now there's a market for ya!!!

Just before we start: collecting the ingredients for some of this stuff might seem a little daunting at first read. Luckily, I can say from my experience, that the best places to find this kind of stuff is your friendly neighbourhood health-food shop/natural pharmacy and the grocery store. Surf the web and check out the phone book listings for these kind of places, and call ahead to see if they have what you need. In Ottawa, I can often do one-stop shopping for cosmetic recipe ingredients! Try the Natural Food Pantry and the Ottawa Natural Pharmacy.. they're amazing places.

Alright.. ON with it already!

JENNIE'S FAVORITE BEESWAX DRY SKIN BALM/LIP BALM
I've been making this stuff for years. It's smells lovely and it works wonders.
- 1 oz pure beeswax bar (make absolutely sure nothing's been added to it)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
- a dash of honey (optional)
Directions: In a small pot, preferably one that you don't care for particularly, place the beeswax bar, and heat on the stove over lowish heat. You can watch it slowly dissolve into liquid... really neat. Once it's totally liquified (Don't boil! Oh god, don't boil!) slowly, slowly stir in the olive oil. There reason why I wrote 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup olive oil, is because some people like this stuff fairly hard and scrapeable, and some people like it quite squishy. It's up to you.. it may take some experimenting to get the right final consistency, but it's fun. Once the olive oil is stirred in, add any optional ingredients, like the small dash of honey or a few drops of essential oil for lip-balm yummy smell. Pour while still hot into lip-balm containers, tiny mason jars, tiny empty tins... whatever you want! Let cool, and it will re-solidify into balm. Use it on your hands before you go to bed for an amazing hand-softening treatment, use it on eczema or really dry skin, or enjoy it as an amazing lip balm.

SILKY LOVELY SHAVING LOTION
Gotta love this stuff. Don't worry if your measurements aren't exact or the consistency isn't like the stuff you get in the can.. it's really nice.
- 4oz aloe vera oil
- 1/2oz jojoba oil
- 15 drops chamomile essential oil
- dash of vegetable oil
Mix them together, and bottle it up. Use it on legs n' pits for sure - haven't gotten the word on whether it's groovy for the face or not, but I can only imagine it'd be amazing. (TIP! This one comes from my Mom n' Grandma.. if you're out of shaving cream, an all-natural hair conditioner works incredibly well!)

ALL-NATURAL BUBBLE BATH
I love this stuff! It makes me realize that I simply don't take enough baths. The best part is that you can add whatever essential oil to it that floats your boat the most.
- 1 cup all natural liquid vegetable-based/castille soap (I recommend Nature Clean)
- 2 tbsp vegetable glycerine (available at natural pharmacies/food stores)
- 10 drops of your favorite essential oil - a fruity or flowery one works wonders. Go for lavender for a soothing bath, or for citrus for a gentle wake-up.
Simply mix and bottle. (Don't shake!) Use it within a couple of weeks if you can.

JENNIE'S INCREDIBLE PEPPERMINT SUGAR SCRUB
This is wonderful stuff. I enjoy making a batches of it to be given away as presents just as much as making a big batch of it for myself. It's moisturizing and exfoliating - great for your skin, especially after a shave. If you use the peppermint oil in it though, watch the eyes.. a little strong for the ol' eyeballs and sinuses.
- A cup or two of sugar, any kind will do.
- Olive oil
- 1 - 2 tbsp. vegetable glycerine
- small handful dried mint leaves - crush 'em up and remove stems!
- 5-15 drops peppermint essential oil
This scrub smells good enough to eat. In a mixing bowl, add the sugar, and then enough olive oil to get a nice consistency going - you might like your scrub more on the powdery side, or like me, you might like it a little creamier. Experiment. Add your glycerine and mint leaves (again with the mint leaves, add a few or plenty... they make it really pretty) and then stir in the essential oil. You can make it really strong smelling, or not so much. It's all about personal taste. Stir and beat until totally mixed, and then put it all into a pretty mason jar... tie a ribbon and make a label if it's a present!

CHAMOMILE SHAMPOO
I haven't actually tried this recipe out yet, but it intrigues me (Make my own shampoo! Of course! Why haven't I entertained this idea before?) and it's going to be my next experiment. If anyone out there tries it before I do, give me your input! I got the recipe from somewhere ages ago... I wish I could remember where.
- 4 bags chamomile tea, or a handful of fresh chamomile flowers
- 4 tbsp pure vegetable soap flakes (or grate a bar)
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable glycerine
Let the chamomile steep in 1 1/2 cups of boiled water for about ten minutes, and strain. Add the grated soap, mix and let it stand until all soft. Stir in the glycerine and mix well until blended. Bottle!

That sounds incredible! Hmm... speaking of shampoo, maybe it's time to go wash this avocado out of my hair before it turns green. Before I vanish though, I'd really like to add a little list of my recommendations as far as purchased body care products go. We don't always have the time to make everything we'd like to make at home, and it's fun to try new things from respectable businesses. After working in an environmental products store for years, I've had the opportunity to try a lot of stuff... here are my favorites!

Badger - makes a balm similar to the one listed as a recipe, but comes in an adorably illustrated tin. Works wonders.
Aubrey's - at the end of the day, my favorite body care company. They've been making shampoos, soaps, lotions and everything else all-natural since the 1960's, and I've never been disappointed by their stuff. They're really picky about ingredients and I consider them to be the real deal.
Green Beaver - a Canadian company that makes incredible natural deodorant and toothpaste!!!
Nature Clean - another Canadian company that makes mostly home-care products, but do an amazing liquid body soap, shampoo and conditioner. They're so simple and honest.
Dr.Bronner's - specializing in amazing liquid soap.. get a bottle and use it sparingly because it's so concentrated. It'll last you months, and you can read that totally bizarre label while you're at it. You'll know what I mean if you've seen it.
Butterfly Weed - mothers and fathers, check out their diaper-rash balm (they call it nappy-rash), and then buy 12 of them, because parents have told me time after time after time that it works about a thousand times better than anything medicated that their doctor gave them. They also make other great mommy/baby products and balms.
SoapWorks - my favorite soap bars. Stores always have a display of like thirty of their soaps all together, in all varieties, colours and uses. Their olive oil soap is great for dry skin, but try them all!

Got anything else to add? Send me your recipes and natural-product favorites! Until next time... kisses n' daisies.