Lotion Bars & Lip Balm

When I first heard of lotion bars, I thought they sounded...interesting, to say the least.  I wasn't sure if I would like using a solid bar as a moisturizer, but I figured I could handle giving it a try if it was healthier for our bodies.  I experimented a bit, making a few batches, and tweaking it along the way.

I came out with lotion bars that my husband and I both love!  The bars are in a solid state, but when you rub them between your hands, they warm just enough to coat your skin, creating a moisturizing barrier.  Because of the oil & wax, they do feel a little greasy at first. However, after a few minutes, it's all soaked in and your hands (or whatever you're moisturizing!) is so soft!  Another great thing about these lotion bars is that it doesn't wash away the second you wash your hands.  It seems like I can apply regular lotion to my hands all day long, but as soon as I wash my hands (which is a lot), it's all gone and needs to be applied again.  Not with these lotion bars!  I can use these bars, wash my hands, and the water just beads up, protecting my skin from drying out quickly.  Love this stuff!

You have the option of not adding any essential oils, but I will tell you that the smell of cocoa butter is fairly strong when you do that.  Personally, I love customizing the bars and having a variety of types & scents to choose from.  I have a selection of essential oil blends, so I chose a few and made various types of lotion bars.  These are just a few that I did:

*Muscle Relief (for my husband's back/shoulder pain)

*Tea Tree/Lavender (for healing)

*Goodnight Blend (for a restful sleep)

When I was making these bars, I decided to try the mixture as a lip balm, too.  It was great!  I actually love how it feels when you apply it, giving that moisture barrier, but not feeling heavy or sticky.  Just keep in mind you will want to use essential oils that are safe for your face.  I'm not that educated with EOs so I would suggest doing some research yourself rather than me giving you advice. :)

You can buy the empty lip balm containers on Amazon, as well as any shape of silicone molds for your bars.

I used a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients, which worked perfectly, but if you don't have a scale, measure it out as best as you can.  Just keep in mind, the more coconut oil, the softer the bars will be, and the more beeswax, the firmer they will be.  It worked best for me to have equal amounts of the three ingredients.  1:1:1 Ratio

Ingredients

20 g. organic cocoa butter, raw, unrefined

20 g. organic beeswax

20 g. organic coconut oil, cold-pressed, unrefined

essential oils, optional

1. Measure out your ingredients.

2. In a double boiler (or a glass bowl set over a sauce pan of water-just don't let the water touch the bottom of the bowl), heat over medium-high heat.

3. Let it heat and melt down, stirring occasionally.

*If you are putting the same essential oils in the entire batch, you can stir them in as soon as it's all melted.

*Since I made different types, I poured it into my molds (I used silicone cupcake liners) and dropped the different essential oils in each one, then stirred them up.  It's important to work quickly.  It sets up fast!

*With the leftover mixture, I just put the essential oil directly in the bowl, then used a clean, glass medicine dropper to fill the lip balm containers.

4. Once it's completely melted, remove from heat and pour it into your molds (see notes above about adding essential oils).  If you find that the mixture is setting too quickly, return it to the heat and melt again.

5. Leave them on the counter and let them cool completely until firm.

6. Once set, you can pop the bars out and store them in containers or use them right away!

My hubby and I have one on each side of the bed to use before we go to sleep.  I also apply mine throughout the day if needed, but he prefers to only use it at night so he doesn't have to deal with the greasiness.  He gets a little irked when his hands don't feel clean, so even though these lotion bars soak in quickly, he can't stand the feeling of it on his hands.  He says if he uses it at night, the greasiness is gone by the time he wakes up so he doesn't have to worry about it. :)

If you want my advice...try them.  Even if you don't like "greasiness", I think you will be pleasantly surprised on how great these lotion bars are.  You really only have to deal with the greasy feel for a couple minutes, and the benefits of how great these bars work make those minutes totally worth it! 

They are awesome for any dry spots.  Hands, elbows, knees, even your feet!  

Perfect timing since the flip-flops are back again! :)

DIY Nourishing Eyelash Serum

I've always been jealous impressed by my sister's eyelashes. They are super long and she's been asked multiple times if they are artificial. Over the years of "wear", the constant changing of make-up, and the exposure to the earth's elements, our eyelashes tend to start looking a bit worn out.

I'm only in my mid-twenties, but I've already noticed that my eyelashes are not what they were when I was younger. After seeing many articles on how to make your eyelashes fuller and longer naturally, I decided I would give it a try.

The pictures don't really do it justice, but I didn't want to skip posting before and after pictures for you. (Not that I really wanted a close-up of my face. Eek.) Honestly, I wish I would have done before and after pictures with mascara on. That is when I really notice a difference!

I used to have to put 2 coats of mascara on, and most of the time, I still wasn't impressed. Now, I get the same results with one coat as I used to with two! 

What you need:

fractionated coconut oil (organic & cold pressed)

lavender essential oil

lemon essential oil

empty container (mascara tube or roller ball works great!)

(*You can get the materials where you feel is best. I got everything I needed on Amazon.)

Step 1. Pour 2 drops of each essential oil in your empty container.

Step 2.  Fill the remaining space with the coconut oil.

*I used a cake decorating tip as my funnel. :)

Step 3. Insert the stopper, if necessary.

How to use it:

Apply to clean eyelashes, focusing mostly on the roots, before going to bed.

May use nightly.

Fractionated coconut oil is processed differently and doesn't harden like regular coconut oil. 

This oil will stay liquid for you, so it's easy to apply.

My results were from using the serum about 2-3 times a week for 4 weeks.

I would use it nightly, but I didn't because I'm kind of lazy and kept forgetting. :)

DIY Microdermabrasion

Have you ever tried microdermabrasion facial scrubs? They're amazing! I forgot how much I like them until I went to my parent's house last weekend. My mom had some in the shower and I snuck a little dab. :)

Your face feels soft and smooth, not to mention refreshed! It's also supposed to help with wrinkles, in case anyone is wondering. The tiny particles give just enough roughness to remove dead skin and debris, while the gentle massaging stimulates your skin for a fresher complexion.

The only downside to it, is the cost. That stuff is not cheap. I was thinking about getting some, then started doing a little internet searching on ways to make it yourself. It's super easy!

I made it the other night and used it. My face felt the same as when I used my mom's expensive stuff! Give it a try. If you don't like it, you're only out a few kitchen ingredients. :)

You just take a little baking soda....

....add a little sugar.....

....and stir in a bit of hot water.

Ingredients

1 part baking soda

1 part sugar

hot water (amount will vary)

Directions

Mix baking soda and sugar in a small bowl. 

Add just enough hot water to make a slightly runny paste. 

Gently massage onto your face and neck in small, circular motions for about 30-60 seconds. 

Let sit 10-15 minutes. (optional)

Gently wash off with warm water. 

Rinse with very cool water. 

Pat dry.



*You can mix up a bottle of the powder mixture to have on hand, but only add the water just before using.


**If you want to try some homemade pore strips, click here!**

Liquid Eye Make-up Remover

How do you take your make-up off? I'm seriously interested. 

I've bought make-up remover, I've used face wash, and even made these Make-Up Remover Wipes. The store-bought kind just seems like I'm wasting money, the face wash never seems to get all the mascara/eyeliner gunk off, and I loved my wipes, but it was a big container to travel with. I wanted something that I could easily take on-the-go in case we were to stay overnight anywhere.

 I've made this recipe a few times now. I've used olive oil and coconut oil. I've tried different baby shampoos and face washes. I add a little more water if it's too greasy, or a little more oil or soap if it's too diluted. I don't mind tweaking it a bit once I make it because I always love how it works once I'm done!

I've tried buying some cheap baby wash and believe me, it's worth it to buy the good stuff. The cheap kind either doesn't work, or stings like crazy. If you have a face wash or baby wash (like Burt's Bees) that you really like, go ahead and use it. That's what's so nice about making your own eye make-up remover. You probably already have everything you need and you can tweak it to how you like it.

Like I said, I've tried coconut oil and olive oil. Honestly, for this beauty recipe, I vote olive oil, no doubt. The coconut oil was fine when I mixed it with the warm water, but then once it cooled, it started forming little clumps of solid oil which made it kind of a pain to use. I'll stick to using the coconut oil as a whipped moisturizer after I use the olive oil to take my make-up off. :)

Start with about a 1/2 cup of purified or distilled water.

Add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of your choice of soap (face wash or baby wash).

 Gently stir in about a teaspoon of olive oil.

(I've seen some people use baby oil, too, but I've also heard that you shouldn't use that on your face. 

I'll let you make that call.)

 Test it to see if you approve and add more of an ingredient accordingly, if you need to.

Just be sure to shake it well before each use.

Look how awesomely it works! 

(Ignore the fact that I'm showing you my nasty, old make-up grime.)

 Funnel into a clean bottle to store. I like to use a small spritz bottle. That way I can shake it up then spray it right onto my cotton or reusable fabric wipes.

DIY Dove Go Fresh Body Wash

Have you seen all the blogs and posts on Pinterest talking about how to make your own body wash? If you haven't heard, you can actually make your own Dove body wash by reconstituting their bars of soap.

By doing this, you still get a creamy, cleansing body wash, the only downside is that it doesn't lather up as much. I'm sorry, but I'm definitely a person that needs to feel the bubbles, otherwise I don't feel like it's cleaning my skin.

Being able to make your own body wash (that actually works!) is awesome, so all I needed to do was find a way to make it lather better, since it was already cleansing. And what lathers better than shampoo? Plus, it's going to be getting you extra clean. Who doesn't like being clean?!

I've seen many posts that say only to use Dove moisture bars. I have used many different brands and I have to agree that I have found that the Dove Go Fresh line works the best.

(It may still work to use your favorite brand, but it will probably turn out a little slimy. Once you lather it up, you can't tell the difference and it really doesn't bother me as long as it gets sudsy, but it may gross you out a little bit. Especially don't use glycerin bars unless you don't mind the sliminess!)

This DIY Body Wash will fill a gallon jug (FULL!) and your shampoo bottle! That's a lot of body wash (about 150 ounces!) for a little price! 

My favorite combination so far has been Dove's Go Fresh Rebalance soap (Plum & Sakura Blossom scent) along with Suave Naturals Everlasting Sunshine shampoo (Passion Flower & Vanilla scent) or the Sweet Pea and Violet scent.

The hardest part is grating the soap. 

(I have an old cheese grater that I only use for making body wash now.)

Lay out a piece of parchment or waxed paper and grate all your soap. If using the Dove Go Fresh bars, use (8) 4 oz. bars of soap per gallon of water.

{If you are using a different kind, start with just a couple bars. Once cooled, you can reheat and add more water if it's too thick, or reheat and add more soap if it's too runny.} Experiment to find your favorite ratio, but like I said, my favorite is the Dove Go Fresh. :)

Pour your water into a large pot and bring it to a boil. 

Then add your grated soap. 

Turn down to medium heat and occasionally stir until soap pieces are completely dissolved.

*Be sure to watch it carefully if your pot isn't enormous. I got distracted and it boiled over...twice. Needless to say, my stovetop is pretty clean now. :)

Once it's completely dissolved, let cool 8-12 hours. (I like to leave it overnight.) It will thicken as it cools.

This is how it should look:

Once cooled, gently stir in the 22.5 oz bottle of shampoo.

Transfer to your containers.

I like to use the old shampoo bottle to use in the shower and I keep the rest in the empty water jug to refill my shower bottle as needed.

(After 12 hours, if your body wash is too thin, just heat it again and add more bar soap. 

If it's too thick, heat and stir in more water.)

Are you still wondering why I would want to go through the work of making my own body wash?

Here's why:

Homemade Dove Go Fresh Body Wash

1 gallon water: $0.88

8 (4 oz. each) bars of soap: $7.97

22.5 oz. shampoo: $1.50
Total cost for 150 ounces of body wash: $10.35

Store-bought Dove Go Fresh Body Wash
 24 oz. bottle: $5.47
Total cost for 150 ounces of body wash: $34.19

That means that this batch of body wash saved me $23.84!!
So, for each 24 oz bottle you buy for $5.47, I can make the same amount for only $1.66! Now that is a big savings! {All prices are what I paid at our local Walmart.}

Plus, I'm not just doing this because it's cheaper...it actually works! I've been making my own body wash for close to a year now and I love it! Think of how much I've saved! It's also a plus not having to buy body wash so often since it makes such a large batch. :)

It's smooth & creamy, and makes your skin feel super soft & silky.
I really want to try an unscented Dove body wash next time and use essential oils to make it smell "manly" for my hubby. :) 

Whipped Coconut Oil Moisturizer

This, my friends, is our 100th post!! 

Since our blog began on January 7th with our post on Easy Caramel Dip, we have had over 6,809 pageviews! 

Thank you so much for all of your support and interest in what we have to share with you! :)

With our 100th post, I wanted to do something simple, yet wonderful. You will be totally shocked at how easy this coconut oil moisturizer is to make and how wonderful it feels on your face!

I have been using this for a week now, and I don't think I will ever go back to using store-bought moisturizers on my face. It seems odd putting oil on your face, and it does feel a little greasy at first, but it quickly soaks in and makes your face feel amazing. Especially when you wash your face at night then apply this coconut oil moisturizer, you will wake up to a non-greasy face that feels soft, rejuvenated, and even younger!

Many people believe that if you have oily skin, using a moisturizer is going to make it even more oily. What they don't realize is that when your skin gets stripped of it's natural oils (using soap or face wash), it needs to be replenished with moisture to balance things out. If you don't use moisturizer, your skin thinks it needs to produce enough to make up for the lack of natural oil and starts to produce excess oil causing greasy looking skin. If you keep your face moisturized, it will help balance things out and improve your oily skin.

Not only does coconut oil work well to repair your dry or oily skin, it's also been known to help

acne

fine lines & deep wrinkles

eczema

psoriasis

diaper rash

athlete's foot

razor burn

and so much more!

Now keep in mind that you're going to want to use organic virgin coconut oil since you're not using it for cooking. If it's coconut oil that's made for cooking, it's generally going to have a higher melting temperature, which will solidify and fill your pores, causing breakouts. When using coconut oil on your skin, the organic virgin coconut oil will reduce breakouts rather than cause them. It may be a little pricier, but totally worth it. :)

Scoop your coconut oil into a mixing bowl.

Then whip it. That's it!

It will become smooth and creamy, very similar to lotion.

Spoon it into your container. 

(I used a little tin that fits perfectly in my make-up bag for traveling.)

DIY Leave-In Conditioner & Detangler

I think I've mentioned before that I have little brothers that wrestle. They will soon be going to the Jaycees State Tournament and that means a hotel stay along with a pool. It got me thinking about my hair and the condition it will be in after soaking up all the chlorine. I have one little sister, too, that has super long, thick hair that gets tangled very easily when the chlorine strips it of it's moisture.

I recently bought Joico Moisture Recovery conditioner (I used it for my Deep Conditioning Treatment at Home and loved it!) and thought that since it's such a nice conditioner, it would be probably be good as a leave-in conditioner & detangler, too. I was right. :)

I got up to work out this morning, but by the time I finished my shower, I was running late for work. I remembered my cousin told me recently that she never uses mousse or gel for her wavy hair, just conditioner. I thought it was odd and figured my hair would get really greasy doing that. Since I was short on time, I decided today would be a good day to test it out, as well as see how my homemade leave-in conditioner worked. I was worried that my hair would get really flat on top and frizzy every where else, but figured I could just throw it up once it was dry if it did.

I loved it! Once I was out of the shower, I towel dried my hair and whipped it up and down a couple times. (You don't want to comb it out if your hair is wavy or curly as it will make it go flat.) Once my wet hair wasn't plastered to my head, I generously spritzed my homemade leave-in conditioner in (not too much at the roots though so it wouldn't get greasy) and lightly scrunched it together with my fingers. Then I left it alone.

By the time it was dry, it was probably the best "beachy waves" my hair has ever done. I was shocked that my hair would do that without any gel or mousse! (Thanks for the idea, Joanie!)

Anyway, back to my point of this post...make this. :)

You can use it as a styling aid like I did, or spritz it in after a shower, then gently comb your hair. As long as you don't get too much at the roots, your hair won't get greasy, but it will be easier to comb and help smooth your frizzies at the same time. You won't regret it. Plus, it's cheap!

I highly recommend the Joico Moisture Recovery because I know how awesome it is, but if you have a favorite conditioner, feel free to use that. :)

All you need is water, your favorite conditioner, and a spray bottle. 

(I used an old leave-in conditioner bottle that I had on hand, but you can buy cheap spray bottles pretty much anywhere if you don't have any.)

Figure out how much liquid your bottle holds.

Put about 2/3 that amount of water in a mixing bowl.

Squeeze enough conditioner in to equal the remaining 1/3.

Gently stir until it is completely mixed.

Pour mixture into your bottle.

Can you believe this is what my hair did with NO product other than conditioner?!

I realize it's not as pretty as it probably would be using heat styling, but this is air dried.

My hair is never this "well behaved" when it's air dried, even with product!

Obviously, I'm kind of happy about this. :) I hope it works for you, too!

Exfoliating Sugar/Salt Scrub

Even though the snow has begun to leave us, our dry skin doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I would take the snow over cracking hands any day! But now we can welcome spring AND have smooth, soft skin. 

And you can do it with ingredients that you probably already have on hand!

Ingredients

1/2 c. white sugar

1/4 c. sea salt

1/4 c. coconut oil

1 Tbsp. sugar in the raw

essential oil, optional

Mix all your ingredients well, then transfer to an airtight container.

The sweet smell of this scrub is so invigorating! 

The sweetness of the sugar...the tropical scent of coconut...the fragrance of pink grapefruit...

smells good enough to eat! :)

*Gently scrub a small amount over dry and rough skin in a circular motion. Rinse and pat dry.

Kool-Aid Lip Gloss

Making homemade beauty products is definitely something that interests me. Not all of it works as well as I would like it to, but some of it is definitely worth it! This is one of those products!

First of all, it's cheap to make. 

Second, it's easy. 

Third, it's fun! 

And fun tops all the other reasons, right? :)

I could continue, too. It's quick, you can make a variety of colors, it makes great little gifts or stocking stuffers,  it works really well....the list goes on and on!

All you need to make this lip gloss is petroleum jelly (like Vaseline) and a package of Kool-Aid! 

(I've tried using a generic brand of kool-aid and it doesn't really work as well, 

so I suggest only using the name brand.)

Using a small glass bowl, melt the petroleum jelly in the microwave. 

I only wanted to make one little container, but obviously, the more you use, the more lip gloss it will make. 

(1 full package of Kool-Aid will be enough for 1 cup of petroleum jelly)

Once melted, the jelly will look like water. 

Sprinkle in the kool-aid and mix until dissolved. 

The jelly begins to become solid again so you'll want to have your container ready. 

(You can see the lighter colored lump in the center that started hardening already.)

Then, you pour it into your containers and let it rest until completely cooled. 

(I got my little container in a travel set that I got from the dollar store.)

I used black cherry kool-aid because that's all I had in my cupboard, but

I think the fruit punch flavor will be my next one! :)