Herbal Facial Toner

It’s no secret that facial toner is a vastly beneficial component of any daily skin care routine. What you may not know is that it only requires a few simple ingredients to create an effective toner to clean and tighten the pours, remove remaining bacteria and reduce redness/inflammation.

All Hail Witch Hazel!

If you look at the ingredients list on any major toner, I’m willing to bet that the first two ingredients are water and witch hazel (or synthetic version of it). With those two things alone, you already have a powerful, inexpensive toner. Why? Witch hazel has been used for centuries to heal and purify the skin. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory (used for everything from under eye bags to hemorrhoids) and is a staple in natural medicine cabinets for its ability to gently disinfect and heal the skin. Witch hazel is also known to tighten your pores and balance pH levels, making it the perfect toner component.

Similar to essential oils, it is a good practice to dilute witch hazel with to ensure it isn’t too abrasive for your skin. Using distilled or purified water is a good option for this. Witch hazel is an astringent after all, which can lead to excessive drying if used every day. Though it’s fine to use full strength on bug bites or cuts, full strength on your face may be too harsh, especially if you have sensitive skin. See the recipe below for the ratio.

Make it Herbal

While witch hazel and water may be all that you need, other substances could be added to your toner for additional benefits. Just keep in mind, less is more. We use toners to help clear and tighten the skin; adding too many other ingredients may have the opposite effect, especially if you’re pairing your toner with a moisturizer.

Essential Oils

Depending on your type of skin, a few drops of essential oils into your toner could do wonders. Refer the chart below for the different benefits of some of the commonly used oils:

Herbal or Floral Water

Infused water is a great way to easily add different benefits and fragrances to your facial toner. When picking your infused water be sure to take note if something needs to be refrigerated. It can still be used in your toner, but you’ll have to make a trip to the fridge each time.

Homemade Rose Water

Orange Blossom Water: Hydrating, closes and tightens pores, soothes irritation.

Rose Water: Anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, reduces redness,

Cucumber Water: High in vitamins (B & C), soothing, Anti-inflammatory

Click here for a list of other options from Hello Glow 

The Recipe

Ok, so we’ve talked about your different options, now let’s bring it all together:

Ingredients:

  • 4- 6 oz Cosmetic Bottle
  • 2 oz Distilled Water
  • 2 oz Organic Witch Hazel
  • 2-3 Drops Essential Oils (optional)
  • And/or
  • 1 oz Infused Water (Optional) replace 1 oz of distilled water with infused water

Process:

  • Add all the ingredients into a measuring cup or other receptacle with a spout. Test your toner on the inside of your forearm to ensure it causes no irritation or discomfort. If it does, further dilute the mixture with distilled water.
  • Once you’re happy with your mixture, slowly pour the toner into your cosmetic bottle with a small funnel. Many reusable cosmetic bottles will come with a funnel but you can also use one for a flask.
  • Shake well before each use.
  • To use: pour a nickel to quarter size amount into a cotton round or reusable pad and apply to a clean, dry face.
  • The ingredients used will determine its shelf life. Witch Hazel and water alone can last up to 3 years, but infused water may have a shelf life of a month to a year.

Enjoy your all-natural, homemade beauty!

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide medical advice. Always discontinue use if any irritation occurs, and consult with your doctor with any questions or concerns on ingredients.

/by

Organic Candle Making

It’s amazing to think there was a time when candles weren’t just used to fill your room with a lovely aroma, but were actually quite necessary to light your home once the sun went down. The art of candle making was a quintessential part of our homesteading past for this very reason. These days, making candles may not hold the same necessity, but is still a creative way to produce a useful and therapeutic tool. The ingredients and instructions below are meant to make a 100% organic candle, but the process can work for a wide range of ingredients.

Before getting started, you’ll need to assemble your supplies:

  • Organic Soy Wax
  • Container for Candle OR Candle Mold
  • Natural Fiber Wick (Use a metal base if making a container candle)
  • Clothespin or Pencil (for wick placement)
  • Double Boiler (Small saucepan and pouring pot)
  • Wax Thermometer
  • Essential Oil for Aroma (Optional)
  • Natural Dye for Color (Optional)
  • Embellishments (Optional)

I’ve added a few notes on the supplies listed above to further clarify each item and provide alternative options:

Wax

Though there are many options to use for wax, I like using soy wax over paraffin wax because 100% vegan and easy to produce. It also has a nice, clean, white color making it a great canvas. Other wax options include beeswax, paraffin and gel wax. Using a different wax shouldn’t change the process or other ingredients. The amount of wax you will need is completely dependent on the size of container you use. Ill talk about containers below.

Natural Fiber Wick

These can be found at any hobby store. Though some synthetic options exist, I like using natural fiber to keep in line with our organic candle. You also have the option to use wood wicks, which look like thin flat reeds. They provide a great amount of light along with a nice crackling sound. It’s like having an indoor campfire.

Candle Container or Mold

The fun thing about making candles is you can make them out of so many things! Of course, you want to make sure your container can handle the heat of the candle (don’t use very thin glass or cheap plastic), but there are so many different options! Sometimes I like to just wander around Goodwill looking at different glasses/pottery for sale. Candle molds are also easy to find at hobby stores or online. Generally, they sit upside down and provide a hole in the bottom for the wick to go through. You can spray them first to make the candle pop out more easily, but I honestly don’t think that’s necessary. I find candles pop out just fine on their own.

Double Boiler

This may seem intimidating but it’s really quite simple. That said, just know that once you use an item for candle making, it is now ONLY to be used for candles because it’s exceedingly difficult to completely remove wax from a surface. I have a small saucepan and pouring pot that are dedicated to nothing but candles and other wax products like salves. Saucepans are obviously easy to find, but pouring pots can be found at hobby stores or online. To use a double boiler, fill the saucepan about ¼ of the way full with water. Then place the pouring pot into the center of the saucepan. This will create a ring of water around the pouring pot. Then turn on the stove to medium/low heat and allow the water to simmer. You want to make sure that the water does not come up to the top of the saucepan when it starts to simmer. If it does, reduce the heat or pour out a bit of the water.

Wax Thermometer

This is especially important!! Why? Because if you add your dyes and scents to the wax at too high a temperature, it will burn them off, leaving your candle with no smell or pretty color. You can use any type of cooking thermometer for this. I prefer a digital readout to ensure I know exactly the temp of the wax. As mentioned before, once you use a thermometer for melted wax, it is now ONLY used for wax.

Aroma/Color/Embellishments

I put these together because they are all optional. You can find plenty of different options for these items at a hobby store, or get creative and use different things from around your house.

–Aroma: I love using essential oils for the candle’s aroma because I can create my own unique blends of naturally derived scents. You could also use up old perfume or cologne, or purchase scents specifically made for candle making.

–Color: There are plenty of candle dyes available, but you can create color through items like processed flower petals or old makeup. Sometimes adding no dye at all looks good too.

–Embellishment: This is a physical item that is added to the candle to enhance its appearance. For example, you can add shells to the bottom of your glass container before adding blue, gel wax to make your candle look like the ocean, or add dried, crushed rose petals to the top rim of your candle to make it look a luxurious spa candle. Get creative!

Process

Phew, I know that was a lot of information, but it will come together quite beautifully.

  1. Heat your double boiler on the stove to medium/low heat and add your desired amount of wax. It will take a couple minutes for the wax to melt completely. You can stir the wax around with a wooden stick (chopsticks or clean twigs from outside will do) or just swirl the pouring pot with your hand (my preferred method).

2. Using your thermometer, heat the wax until it hits about 150 degrees. This will ensure that the wax has melted and mixed thoroughly before moving onto the next step.

3. Once your wax has hit 150 degrees, give it a good stir or swirl, and set aside to cool slightly.

4. Monitor the wax until it has cooled to 130 degrees, then add your fragrance and color dye. The amount added will completely depend on how strong you want the aroma and color. You can always add more, so start conservatively and continue to add little by little. Whatever the melted wax smells like is how your candle will smell while it’s burning.

5. When you’re happy with your wax, very slowly pour it into your container. You have the option to add the wick to the container first, but it never stays exactly in place, so I tend to just add after I’ve poured the wax. Use your clothespin to secure the wick in the middle of the candle, with the metal base of the wick resting on the bottom of the container.

6. If using a candle mold, you absolutely need to put the wick into your mold before pouring your wax. Make sure the wick comes well through the opening at the bottom, and up through the hole in the top. You can wrap the wick at the top around a pencil or chopstick to hold it in the center of your candle.

7. If you’re adding embellishments to the top of your container candle, wait until the wax is cool enough to see a light ring of hardened wax around the perimeter. You can then slowly drop your embellishments into place. They might sink slightly but should stay close to the surface. If they drop well below the surface, wait another minute or two before adding more. Avoid messing with the embellishments once you’ve placed them, it could disturb the wax finished surface.

Embellishments of dried lavender buds

8. Allow at least 4 hours for the candle to fully harden before cutting the wick or using the candle.

9. When ready, cut the wick off at about 1 cm above the surface of the wax.

You’re done! Enjoy your organic homemade candle!

/by
,

Dandelion Infused Oil

It’s the most wonderful time of year… Spring has sprung, the rain has come, and little yellow flowers are popping up all over the yard. That’s right, it’s time for the Dandelions.

Dandelions are among the lovely weeds that are not only edible, but extremely nutritious from root to flower. While the root and leaves can be used for a million different things, here we will focus on harvesting the flowers and infusing them into an oil to use topically (not meant for ingestion). Along with containing powerful antioxidants, dandelion flowers have anti-inflammatory and mild pain-relieving properties, making them great for massage oils or therapy salves.

First, its important to note that there are a few flowers and weeds that resemble Dandelions, so it’s imperative to be able to accurately identify them. Notice the shapes of the leaves and flowers in the picture below:

Did you know: the yellow flowers are the ones you want to pick but what about those white, wispy flowers that you blow on to make a wish? They are actually one and the same! The flowers start out being yellow, but will turn into the wispy wish makers once they’re ready to seed. Be sure to harvest the yellow flowers before they have gone to seed.

Ok, so now you’ve identified the correct plant, and the flowers to pick. Time to start harvesting. You will want to remove the full flower blossom from the stem, keeping the base of the flower intact. I like to place my fingers all the way around the flower (like an arcade claw game), and gently pull up. If part of them stem comes out with the flower, no worries. You’ll just need to go through and remove the stems before drying them.

Once you have all your flowers removed from their stems, it’s good practice to wash them of bugs and any other debris. Always be sure to pick flowers that are free from harsh pesticides. Avoid areas you’re unsure about; any possible chemicals could make their way into your oil. Once the flowers have been washed, I like to get them as dry as possible by using a salad spinner. The flowers will stay intact and most of the excess water will be removed. This will also help to speed up the dehydration process.

Now that you have clean, dry flowers, it’s time to dehydrate them. If you don’t have a legitimate dehydrator, this is a simple process that can be done a couple ways:

  1. Spread them out on a baking pan and place in direct sun for at least 2-3 days or until they have fully dried and become crispy. You will want to bring them in at night or if it becomes windy.
  2. Place flowers on a baking pan and put in the oven for 2-3 hours. You will want to use a VERY low temperature as to not burn them. I generally leave it at about 160 degrees. Shake the pan every 45 mins or so to loosen the flowers and move them around.

Once dried, your dandelion flowers will shrink to about 1/3 their original size. It’s important to keep this in mind while harvesting, depending on how much oil you want to make.

You can now pack down your dried flowers into a canning jar, filling it about 3/4th of the way full. Then pour your carrier oil of choice over the flowers, filling until the flowers are completely covered, or to the top of the jar. Oil options include Jojoba, Grapeseed, Olive, Sweet Almond etc.

Now put the lid on your jar and store in a dry, dark place for 4-5 weeks. You can occasionally shake the flowers around if you like. When the time is up, slowly strain the oil into a clean jar using a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth.

Now your oil is ready to use! It can be added to salves, massage oils, facial oils, lotions or soap bars!

Happy harvesting.

/by