Make Your Own Facial Scrubs and Cleansers

Make Your Own Facial Scrubs and Cleansers

Make Your Own

There are some of us who need something extra or something different than what is offered on the market. It is a good idea to know what the different ingredients are that go into a facial scrub or mask or any kind of product that you put on your face does. A rule of thumb is that if you can eat it then it can be put on your skin. At least that should be the way everything is made today.

Most things have an oil or base to them. There are many kinds of bases that you can use. Almond Oil, Grapeseed Oil, and most Vegetable and Nut Oils that you cook with can be used.

You can also use Vegetable Butters, such as Cocoa and Shea butters. These are solids and would be good in facial creams.

You can also use these for aromatherapy. When you make your own you can be sure that you know exactly what you are putting on your face. There are many essential oils that do different things that you can choose from. Peppermint, for one, will open pours and cool the skin.

It is also easier to make these and put them in decorative containers and give them as gifts. You know what your friends and family likes and prefers.

Buying pre-made gifts can be very expensive. Make your own and save money. Which is better? Most people that I know like gifts that are home-made. I like them because it isn't just what ingredients or products that go into it, it is the love that is put into making the finished product. It is also better because you know what kinds of chemicals or ingredients you are putting into you labor of love. Here are some great Facial products that you can make yourself and with all natural ingredients. Get your children involved and have a Party as you make these wonderful gifts. Everyone enjoys saving money and making things to give. Enjoy!

Apricot Rose Face Mask and Scrub

This makes enough for a single use.

1 apricot - organic is best

2 tablespoons finely ground oatmeal

1 drop rose essential oil

Directions:

Take out the seed of the apricot and mash it up in a bowl.

Add the oatmeal and blend well, then

add the rose essential oil.

Rub the paste all over your face, scrubbing gently around the nose and chin.

If there's any leftover in the bowl, treat your hands to a hand mask!

Leave on for 10 minutes, then rinse well with warm water. Gently pat skin dry with a towel.

Acne Blend

This is an excellent recipe for clearing up acne.

Ingredients:

.75 oz. of jojoba oil

8 drops tea tree essential oil

6 drops bergamot essential oil ("bergaptene free" )

4 drops lavender essential oil

Directions:

Mix the above oils to a clean bottle or jar. Shake the container gently before each use. Apply this oil to the face every evening, about one half hour before bed. The oil blend works best with massage. When massaging, rub the oil into the face, being careful to work around any cystic acne (massaging cystic acne may make it worse). To treat this type of acne, massage the oil in a circular motion around the pimple. This will increase blood circulation to the area and help to flush out the toxins. For daytime use, these essential oils can also be mixed into a base of plain, unscented skin creme (not lotion). Continue use of the oil even after the skin has cleared up - adding a few drops of carrot oil to the original blend can help reduce spotting caused by previous breakouts

An Exfoliating Fruit Mask for All Skin Types

Fruits contains natural hydroxy acids (AHA) that make your skin smooth and soft while cleansing it deeply.

AHAs are an important ingredient in many skin creams and moisturizers because they help exfoliate the skin. Increased exfoliation, or renewal of the skin cells, gives skin a younger, more vibrant look. But exfoliation can also cause skin irritation, so honey's natural moisturizing ability makes it a perfect accompaniment to any AHA products.

Ingredients:

1/4 Mango

1/2 tsp. Lemon,

Grapefruit or Orange Juice

2 drops of Lemon Essential Oil

Directions:

Puree the mango in a blender and mix it in a bowl with the juice of your choice. Add the essential oil. Apply on the entire face and leaveit on for at least 10/15 minutes. Rinse well with tepid or warm water. ***DO NOT go into direct sunlight after applying this mask. Citrus, like any Vitamin C treatment, are skin sensitive and can cause pigmentation when in contact with sunlight. It is best advised to use this mask at night.

Angel Water Skin Toner

You will need:

1 cup apple cider vinegar

5 tablespoons rose petals

4 tablespoons sage leaves

3 tablespoons lavender blossoms

2 tablespoons rosemary

3/4 cup rosewater

Directions:

Heat the vinegar and pour it over the herbs. Place the mixture in a quart jar and cap it with a non metal lid. Shake daily for ten days. Strain and add the rose water

Clay Mask For Oily Skin Types

Ingredients you will need:

1 cup of lemongrass

8 cups of boiling water

1/2 cup white clay

1 tablespoon of peppermint extract (optional)

Directions:

Steep the lemongrass in water for 20 min. cool, then stain. Place clay in shallow container. Mix in enough lemongrass liquid to become paste-like. Apply mask to clean face allow it to dry. Rinse with warm then cool water. Left-overs can be frozen or refrigerated.

Facial Scrub 1Basic Scrub:

1/4 C rolled oats

1/4 C powdered milk (buttermilk or goats milk works great)

1 TBSP plain or sea salt

Extras added to above:

1TBSP cornmeal (for extra exfoliation)

1TBSP rose petal powder

1TSP neem powder (for problem skin)

Put all ingredients in food processor and process until fine. Add fragrance/essential oils drop by drop while processing. To Use: place TBSP amount in palm and wet (water/hydrosol/floral water) until paste-like. Gently, massage into skin and rinse well. Note: I use this on my skin daily and modify as needed. Other additives could be: powdered lemon or orange peel, powdered lavender buds, etc.

Facial Scrub 2Sea Salt 1/8 cup

Oatmeal (the kind you get in the grocery store is fine)

1/2 cup Unscented Shower & Bath Gel 2 oz.

Bergamot essential oil 10 drops

Lemon essential oil 15 drops

Ylang Ylang essential oil 5 drops

Directions:

To make the Facial Scrub mix all Ingredients in a nonbreakable container, you will want to cut up your Oatmeal first in a blender or something of that nature so the pieces are not so big. If you need more of an exfolliant effect add some Whole Poppy Seeds

Facial Scrub 3Friday Night Facial

A once a week facial is a wonderful treat for your skin. I have a very simple regimen for Friday nights before bed. It's not as exciting as my Friday nights were when I was younger, but my skin sure appreciates it more!

The Steps:

Cleanse: Use a gentle, non-soap cleanser such as oatmeal or a mild soap. Rinse well and pat skin dry with a clean towel.

Steam

Mask

Moisturize

A Couple of Masks

1.  Green Clay Mask

Tablespoon Green Clay 1/2 - 1 Tablespoon Water (enough to make a thin paste) Apply to face and allow to dry then gently wash off

2.  Honey, Vinegar and Almond Mask

Use this mask for facial toning and softening. Great for very dry skin. 

2 tbls. honey 1/4tsp.vinegar 1/2 sweet almond oil

Heat honey until honey is soft and pliable. Add oil and vinegar. Mix well until you have a smooth consistency. When it is cool enough, apply to face. Leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water

© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere

My Mom's Holiday Turkey/ChickenLiver And Noodles Recipe

My Mom's Holiday Noodles And Sauce Recipe

This is my Homemade Checken Noodle Soup.  I do not have a picture of my Mom's Thanksgiving Noodles.

This recipe has been in my family for a long time. My daughter went to make them and asked all her friends for their recipes. She told me that they just were not the same as the ones that she is used to eating.  Then she came to me and asked me how we do it.  She should have asked me in the first place ......but you know how when you think that everybody else does it the same way as you .....you just never think about that.

We have them every Thanksgiving.  In fact if you forgot to make these Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them.  They are good on the Mashed Potatoes and also just by themselves. You can make them with Chicken giblets too or just Chicken livers. They taste best using the giblets though as the skin on to neck adds to the flavor.

My Mom's Thanksgiving Egg Noodles

After removing the giblets, liver and neck out of the Turkey or Roasting Chicken rinse them off and put them in a 3 quart pot.

Add about 4 cups of water and 2 or 3 boullion cubes.

Bring to a boil and them lower it down to a simmer. Simmer this for 45 minutes.

Remove the neck, liver and giblets. Let them cool for about 10 minutes.

While these are cooling you add 1/2 cup chopped onions and 1/2 stick butter.

Take as much meat off the neck as you are able and add it to the liquid you removed them from. Chop up the liver and add that to the liquid too. You may do the same with the giblets but I give them to my animals.

Bring the liquid back up to boiling and then add 2 cups of noodles (any brand or flavor will do) and boil for 10 minutes. Just make sure that you have about a cup of liquid for the juice in the noodles.  Sometimes they can dry out and I just add more water and bring it back to a boil and get the noodles the consistency that I like....which is softer than al dante.  You may prefer it that way or not.

If you are using chicken livers by themselves you need to add more butter or the noodles will soak up too much water and they will be dry.

Enjoy!

© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere

Perfect Soup For A Cold Winters Day-Cabbage Soup

Perfect Soup For A Cold Winters Day-Cabbage Soup

On a cold winter's day when people are stuck in their homes because of snow what is better than a big bowl of hot soup to warm you up? Once you get this started sit down and dream in the winter about your gardens that you want to have.

There are many soups that qualify for this but the one that I am going to be writing my recipe for is the classically simple Cabbage Potato Soup. A big chunk of Chewy Crunchy Bread would go right nice with this hearty soup.

Now most times I will use a ham bone or ham hock or something similar, but this time I won't. I didn't have that when I made this soup so I improvised with thick slab bacon.

So now that I got your mouth watering for this deliciously simple to make dish here is the recipe.

6 slices of thick bacon cut into 4ths

I small head of Cabbage chopped into bite sized pieces

I large Potato Cut into bite sized pieces

3 Carrots sliced

1 Small Onion cut into small bite sized pieces

Put all into a Crock Pot, Slow Cooker or large pot. Pour in enough water to cover, Cook in Slow Cooker or Crock Pot for 4 hours. Boil on the Stove for 45 - 60 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Serve in a large bowl with a chunk of the bread that is linked above. While waiting for this deliciously simple soup to get done you can play games with the family. What a cozy way to spend time with the family on a cold winter’s day.

© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere

How To Make Sugar Free Apple Cranberry Butter and Apple Nectarine Butter

I was honored to be able to go to the local Knight's Of Columbus traditional apple butter canning and Steak and Egg Breakfast. When we arrived about 6:30 in the morning they had their set up seen on the right already going. They used canned apple sauce for their butter base, but below I am making my apple butter with fresh apples from a local farm. They also had the big grill heating up to cook the breakfast on.

At about 9 o'clock they started grilling the steaks. They also cooked scrambled eggs in a large iron skillet and also another one for the Home Fries, Coffee was wating inside the Hall. It was delicious and all the men got a great morning meal. There were three of us women. I have always wanted to learn how to can. I don't do very well with just reading but am more of a hands-on learner. This was the perfect opportunity to learn how to can as I can watch and help. This is were I learned the Apple Butter is not preserved in a hot water bath. I loved that and it was very easy.

We had set up everything in an assembly line with the lady who does it every year and I filling the jars with the hot apple butter. Then the other lady was wiping off the tops of the jars with any spillage and then there was one of the Knight's who was putting the lids and rings on the jars and setting them on the table upside down. This is done so that the bottom of the jars can get sterilized again with the hot air that is left at the top of the jar. After about 5 or 6 minutes he went back and turned them upside right. We made about 12 dozen or so jars of Apple Butter.

It was a great time, great food and fun and I hope to go back next year and do some more helping!

What I found was that the recipe is season to taste so be sure to take a teaspoon at a few intervals to see if you like it.

Here is my basic recipe.

Peel, core and slice about 1/2 bushel of apples. I used Granny Smith and another apple for baking. This is up to you how tart you want your apple sauce.

I put the slices in the food processor to get it down to cooking consistency. (grainy)

Now these other ingredients will be up to you as to how sweet you want your apple butter.

I added 1 bag of Cranberries that I chopped fine in the Food Processor.

I cup of Honey

I cup or more of Molasses

3 Tablespoons of Vanilla Extract

1/4 cup of Cinnamon

I found this was still too tart and so I added 1 cup of Splenda. That was just right. it still had the tang of the cranberries but wasn't too tart  --at least for my taste.

I used my roaster to cook this down, but you can do it over a fire with apple wood for smoking. I cooked it at 325 degrees for about 4 hours and stirred it every 15 minutes scraping the top of the pan as it tends to stick at the top of the mush.

Canning

 You will need canning Jars, lids and rings, Large Mouthed funnel, and Ladle  all sterilized.

Before you plan to can the butter, you will need to boil the lids so that the rubber becomes pliable and will seal the jars properly.

Line up your jars and ladle enough butter to just below the neck of the jar.  Wipe off any residue from around the top of the jar.  Place one lid onto the jar and screw on the ring tightly.  Turn the jar upside down and leave there for 5-6 minutes.  Then turn it upside right.

That's it!  Easy! 

This and Grape Jelly are the only recipes that you can can that doesn't include a hot water bath process.

Apple Nectarine Butter.

 It's the same as the above only ommit the cranberries and Splenda.  I used about 6 frozen cut up Nectarines for this and they had the peels on.  I just put them in a blender and then added it to the apples and boiled it down.  This isn't as tart as the Apple Cranberry Butter.  It is not a smooth as you would buy in the store because of the bits of the Nectarine Skins.  I only used them because when I thaw out fruit that I froze it becomes mush and figured to try it in the Apple Butter.

© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere