Pot O' Gold Lip Balm (Or Any Color You Like!)

I don't do tinted lip balms (YET!), but if you are interested, here is a quick an easy tutorial. You can substitute your own balm recipe! The more mica you use, the more coverage you get; the less you use, the more sheer the color is. Very easy for you to control your end product. Give it a try and be sure to check out the blog I got this from. She has lots of great ideas!

You Will Need:

2 oz Natural Lip Balm Base
0.5 ml Flavor Fragrance Oil (We combined Cafe Latte, Mint Chill & Buttercream Flavor Fragrances to make an Irish Coffee!)
1 cc Radiant Gold Mica

• Place Lip Balm Base into double boiler and set your burner to medium.
• Items will melt in less than 1 hour, if you have a thermometer, check temperature, it should be around 65-70c / 140-160f.
• Use Mica for this oil based product. Add your color and mix thoroughly. Pour a small amount in a clear container and wait for it to set for 20-30 minutes. You will notice the colors tend to lighten as the product goes opaque.
• Only add Flavor Fragrance Oils deemed suitable for Lip Products. Strength will vary on the type of scent.
• Pour into your choice of containers.

Allison B. Kontur
www.BathBodySupply.com

Guacamole For Your Face

Last night I decided I needed to do a face mask. You should do one a couple of times a month to help keep you skin looking healthy and glowing. I love doing masks, I love feeling all tingly and when I rinse my skin just feels good. I really just threw this one together, but I loved it! The bonus is, you could pull some out and don't put the clay in it and it would be a great dip!

1/2 ripe avocado
1 tbsp honey
2 spoonfuls of sour cream
enough kaolin clay to make it firm and not runny

Mash the avocado up with all the ingredients. Mix well and spread over clean skin. Let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water and follow with a toner and moisturizer. I really enjoyed this one! Avocados are full of vitamins and other good stuff for your skin, honey is a humectant that will draw moisture to your skin, any cream will really help add moisture to your skin, and the clay helps to draw out impurities and tighten the skin.

What are some of your favorite homemade face mask ingredients?

Pumpkin Soap

Yesterday, I made another batch of my wonderful Pumpkin Spice Soap. It is made with real pumpkin puree (of course), pumpkin pie spice, a little ginger, and then scented with cinnamon, clove, ginger, and orange essential oils. Many people ask why I would put orange in there and my only real answer is because I wanted to and because pumpkins are orange. Besides, everyone I've talked to said it was the perfect addition because with all the spiciness the hint of orange just made it perfect!

This is a milk soap and I love milk soaps. Although to be honest the first time I made my lye mixture, it was quite a disgusting disaster, but the next was fine. I also add hemp oil to this soap. I love the way hemp oil feels period and in a soap is no different. Hemp soaps are so smooth and just amazing to use, that I can't help but lather a couple of times with this one.

The Pumpkin Spice Soap is by far one of my favorites. I originally made it as a limited edition, but I wanted it so much that I made more! There is just something about cinnamon, clove, and orange that I can't resist. What are some of your favorite scent combinations?

Stuffiness

Just read that my stuffiness may be linked to my pregnancy. It is apparently pretty common after the first 15 weeks. Well that's good to know. I guess allergy meds won't do much good.

Down for the Count

Before I begin, let me say that I don't have any major medical problems and I know there are people who do. They have horrible times that knock them out for weeks. So, I know that I really shouldn't complain. I'm in good health, I don't have and regular meds I have to take.

HOWEVER, last week was pretty awful. I started feeling a little stuffy and had a scratchy throat on sunday. Monday, I was a little bit more stuffy and sneezy. The problem is, there are very few things I know for sure I can take because I'm pregnant and whether its stupid or not, you can really turn into a freak reading ingredients before taking anything. So, on Tuesday I bought some Claritin thinking it was allergies. Didn't help. Wednesday, I bought Tylenol Cold, my eyes kept watering so bad and I was so stuffy, my students kept asking if I was crying. Thursday, took the Claritin again and felt ok, at least no tears. By Friday, I was pretty much better.

I'm still a little stuffy, but I prefer not to medicate if I don't have to. I think it was probably allergies, but I felt horrible. I've never had allergy problems like that! So, my week pretty much consisted of: go to school and make it through the day, come home drink lots of OJ, sleep, wake up to eat, sleep some more. I guess all that matters is that I feel better, but I feel behind. I didn't make anything because I didn't want to chance sneezing or sniffling around lip balms or lotions. Uh, can you say YUCK!

Thought for the Day

I have a sign hanging in my office, it reads "Failure Teaches Success." I couldn't agree more. We learn more from our mistakes (or others' mistakes) than we do from being right all the time. As long as you can learn a lesson and make a change that allows you to move forward toward your goal, then the mistake was worth making. The only failures that are true failures are the ones that we refuse to learn from.

I think that says it all.

For Your Belly

I was asked about the difference between belly products. I make a wonderful belly butter, but there are belly balms, creams, oils, etc and it can be confusing as to what each is. So, I decided to explain.

• Butter-made with oils and butters. These will have a harder texture that usually melts on contact with your skin. The color and texture will depend on the butters used. For example, a product with a high amount of cocoa butter will be quite hard, but will leave you skin so soft and smooth. Oils are sometimes added to give additional benefits to the product and to soften it for spreadability (think real butter vs margarine). Butters are great for lubricating the skin and relieving that tight feeling you get as your belly expands, but some feel they are too greasy. I think these are great for night time or just out of the shower and a little goes a long way.
  
• Balms-made with oils, butters, and wax. Beeswax is the most common wax used for balms, but there are vegan alternatives. Think about a lip balm (a good one, not carmex) and that is essentially what a belly balm will be like. The will usually be a little softer than the butters and do not tend to melt on your skin the same way. However, the ingredients used are generally chosen for the skin benefits they provide and the wax helps to create a barrier so your skin retains moisture. Again, great for lubricating your stretching skin, but some feel they are too greasy. I think these are great for night time or just out of the shower and a little goes a long way.
• Oils-similar characteristics to a butter, but these will be liquid. The oils are chosen for the skin care benefits and these will also be good lubrication for the skin. These might also seem too greasy. Go easy when dispensing, a little goes further than you think.
  
• Creams/lotions-made by blending oils, butters, or waxes with water. This is done through the use of an emulsifier. The more water used the thinner and lighter the lotion will be. Heavier creams usually have the minimum amount of water needed to emulsify the product. Water is helpful because it will hydrate your skin and the oils will lubricate it. Keep in mind all products made with water MUST have a preservative or be stored in the fridge. Lotions and creams do not generally leave an oily feel (heavy creams might) and I like to use these during the day when you need a little more moisture.
  

Experiment with different product and find what you like and what suits you best. You may also find that you like to use a combination of products to meet your skin specific needs. For example, when I'm done showering, I pat dry and use a body butter all over to seal in precious moisture and then when if I feel a little dry throughout the day, I'll apply a light lotion. This also changes based on where I am and the humidity. Butters and balms can be too heavy during very hot, humid weather.

What is important is that you find a system that works for you and stick to it. Don't let someone else that doesn't have YOUR skin tell you what you are doing wrong.

What kinds of products do you prefer: butters, balms, oils, or lotions?