Saturday, April 06, 2013

Homemade toiletries

I am very happy with my latest batch of homemade salve.  I use it on my feet and hands at night and on my scab.  I had bought a variety of healing oils and butters for some specific recipes (see below) and because I wanted to make a mixed oil for my face.  I also threw in the end of a batch of herbal salve that I bought, which had an olive oil and beeswax base.  So the list below is more a reminder of what I used and a source of ideas than an actual recipe.

I melted together in a bowl over hot but not boiling water:
  • raw shea butter
  • coconut oil
  • mango butter
  • kokum butter
The kokum butter is particularly hard and I think will keep the salve solid until the weather gets hot.  If you don't use it or are expecting warm weather, I would throw in a small amount of beeswax.

When I took it off the heat I added (roughly in order of quantity)
  • jojoba oil
  • liquid lanolin
  • niaouli essential oil
  • manaku honey
  • rosemary oil
  • neem oil
  • vitamin E oil
I put the bowl in icewater and whipped it now and then with the wisk attachment of my stick blender.  It came out a wonderful light texture and absorbs relatively well for all the heavy ingredients. 

I also made homemade deodorant using the first recipe here.  I figure that will be easier on the stitches under my arm than the crystal mineral deodorant (in spray form) I normally use.

While I'm writing down rough recipes, I want to note the ingredients for my homemade tooth paste, based on this recipe:
  • coconut oil
  • baking soda
  • fizzing calcium/magnesium powder
  • xylitol (a sugar alcohol that fights cavities)
  • sea salt
  • mint essential oil
In the winter it is hard, I have to dig it out with a small spoon to get it on my toothbrush.  But it leaves a very fresh feeling.

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