Thursday, January 31, 2013

How to Make Vegan Foaming Milk Bath



Legend has it that Cleopatra maintained her beauty with daily milk baths.  This is the vegan version of her timeless beauty ritual.  Soy milk is hydrating for the skin and helps promote healthy new cells.  Dead sea salt has numerous therapeutic properties.  It relieves symptoms of psoriasis, osteoarthritis and tendinitis, reduces muscle aches and pains and helps detoxify skin.  White clay helps draw impurities from your skin yet is so gentle that is often used on babies.  Baking soda has a softening effect on the skin.  Epsom salt helps relieve aches and pains.  


Ingredients
·         ·         ½ cup Dead Sea salt
·         ½ Sea Salt
·         ½ cup white clay
·         ¼ Epsom Salt
·         ¼ cup baking soda
·         ½ cup soy milk powder
·         12 drops Cedarwood EO
·         12 drops Sweet Orange EO
12 drops Ylang Ylang EO


Instructions

Combine all ingredients, except for essential oils, in mixing bowl or blender.  Mix well.  Gradually add essential oils and thoroughly mix to combine.


Directions for use
Place 2-4 scoops under running bath water.  Soak and relax!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

How to Make an Exfoliating Body Butter Bar - Valentine




Rub it and love it!  Just in time for Valentine's Day!  Chocolate and vanilla and almonds combine to not only make this an extraordinary bathtime experience, but the exfoliating quality softens dry skin and can help reduce the appearance of cellulite.  Made with real vanilla beans, almonds and organic raw cacao. Perfect for couples super sensual massage or solo self-pampering!


Ingredients
·         48g (40%) Cocoa Butter
·         36g (30%) Shea Butter
·         12g (10%) Palm Kernel Oil
·         8g (15%) ground vanilla beans & ground almonds
·         6g (5%) ground adzuki beans
·         ½ tsp raw cacao powder


Instructions
Combine cocoa butter, shea butter and palm kernel oil in double broiler over low heat and heat until completely melted.  Stir in grains (ground vanilla beans, almonds and adzuki beans) and raw cacao powder.  Allow to sit until mixture become cool but remains in thick liquid form.  Briskly stir to redistribute grains.  Quickly transfer to molds and place in refrigerator until completely set.  Remove from molds and enjoy!


Directions for use
After bathing, rub bar over wet skin and massage in circular motions, concentrating on particular areas of dryness or cellulite.  Rinse and towel or air dry.  Exit tub/shower with caution as floor may become slippery.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Cleaning with Soap Nuts - Natural & Chemical-Free




Conventional laundry detergents and cleaners contain toxic ingredients that can be harmful not only to you and your family, but to the environment.  Organic natural laundry detergents and cleaners can be so expensive that they are financially inaccessible to many communities. Soap nuts offer an economical (to say the least) and an organic environmentally friendly alternative to cleaning.

“Soap nuts are found in both the eastern and western hemispheres, but are native to India and Nepal. They have recently become a popular environmentally friendly alternative to chemical detergent, and are a gentle option for those with allergies to chemicals in regular detergents. Soap nuts contain saponin, a natural detergent. The soap nut shell absorbs water and releases the saponins which circulate as a natural surfactant in the wash water, freeing dirt, grime, and oils from clothing.” (Mountain Rose Herbs)

You can purchase a 1 pound bag of organic soap nuts from Mountain Rose Herbs for $6.00 (I purchased mine on special so it was even cheaper).  You can also search the internet for other sources. In this video, I use up to 10 soap nuts (although you need less for the laundry).  Based on the price of a 1 pound bag and the weight of 1 soap nut, I was able to determine the incredible cost of cleaning with this method:

1 bag of soap nuts – 454g (1 pound); cost per gram  -$0.013
10 soap nuts ~ 40g
Cost for cleaning with 10 soap nuts = $0.53!

Soap Nuts For Laundry
Place 6-8 soap nuts in a muslin bag or plastic diffuser.  Place at the bottom of your washing machine and start water.  You may optionally add 5-7 drops of essential oil (I like Lavender, Lavender/Sweet Orange or Lavender/Tea Tree) to running water.

Add clothes or sheets or towels and wash as normal.  Remove soap nuts prior to placing clothes in dryer.

The same soap nuts can be used until the shells become worn (5-8, maybe 10 times for small loads).

Soap Nuts Cleaning Solution

After you have used your soap nuts for the laundry, give them a second life by making this safe and effective cleaning solution.

Place 10 soap nuts in 3 cups (32 ounces) of water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Once boiling, reduce heat medium and continue to boil for 20 minutes.  After soap nut shells soften (after 10-15 minutes) you can use a fork to break open soap nuts to release more of their natural saponins.  After 20 minutes, strain soap nuts from liquid (but do not discard).  Your liquid amount will be reduced from boiling so add more filtered or distilled water to make 32 ounces.  Add essential oils of your choice (10-14 drops of blend of your choosing).

Place in spray bottle and use as you would traditional cleaners.  Refrigerate any unused portion.

Soap Nuts Scouring Powder

After you’ve used your soap nuts in the laundry and to make cleaning solution, Grind soap nuts into a fine powder and add equal parts baking soda.  Use as you would conventional scouring powder.


All this for 53¢!

Blue Green Zing Smoothie Recipe


I try to eat well.  All in all, I do a pretty good job.  But with running two businesses and a 2 ½ year old (although most of the time she’s running me) the one vital food group that often gets neglected is getting enough fresh greens.  Dark green leafy vegetables are probably the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food.  The added parsley and ginger give it a nice “zing” and the blueberries make it super yummy.  So super yummy that even a 2 ½ year old will drink it!

Ingredients

½ cup frozen blueberries
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 ripe banana, cut into chunks
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
4 kale leaves, stems removed
½ cup fresh parsley
1 cup yogurt (vanilla or plain; dairy or non-dairy)
1 cup apple juice

Directions
Add in order listed above and blend until smooth.  Makes 2 servings (share with a friend or go green crazy and enjoy all on your own!)

Citrus Spice Holiday Blends - Herbal Tea Recipe




~ 1 part Rooibos tea
~1 part Tulsi ("Holy Basil")
~ 1/4 part dried orange peel
~1/4 part cinnamon chips
~whole cloves to taste
(for 1 cup I used 3 whole cloves)
Steep in boiled water for 10-15 minutes and enjoy!

*For 1 cup, 1 part=1 tsp.

Citrus Spice Holiday Blends - Essential Oil Blend



~ 2 parts Sweet Orange essential oil
~ 2 parts Cinnamon essential oil
~ 2 parts Clove Bud essential oil
~1  part Clary Sage essential oil
Combine and diffuse using desired method.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Serenity Sleep Tea Recipe


This tea is great for promoting and sustaining restful sleep.  It has herbs that not only help you get to sleep and stay asleep, but can assist in reducing ongoing insomnia.  It can also help your body alleviate and cope with stress, one of the major causes of sleep disruption.


To make 1 serving, 1 part = 1/8 tsp.  For larger batches, use whatever measurement you like as part and use 1 Tablespoon combined herbs per 8 ounces of water.
**To learn more about each herb and to order from Mountain Rose Herbs, click each herb in recipe.**


Ingredients
​•8 parts dried Valerian Root (calmative and tranquilizer without grogginess the next morning)
 8 parts dried Skullcap (reduces stress, anxiety and nervous tension, promotes inner calm, and counteracts insomnia)
• 4 parts dried Chamomile (sedative and sleep aid)
• 3 parts dried Lemon Balm (useful for treating nervous disturbances of sleep)
• 2 parts dried Stevia Leaf (sweetener and alternative to sugar)
 2 parts dried Holy Basil (Tulsi) (adaptogen, assisting the body in coping with stress, whether physical, psychological, or environmental)
• 1 part dried Lavender (useful in treating insomnia and anxiety and the scent promotes relaxation)



Combine all ingredients in cup (or if you made a large batch, use 1 tablespoon combined herbs per 8 ounces of water) and steep in boiling water for 10-15 minutes or until most leave sink to the bottom. Sip, enjoy, relax, sleeeeep sleeeeeep …..


Natural Vegan Air Freshener Recipe


The following recipe is for a safe vegan gel air freshener using essential oils and culinary seaweed. I created this essential oil blend to remind me most of what of love about this Autumn season, but you can create any blend you like.

Ingredients
3/4 cup distilled water
-1/4 cup unflavored vodka
-2 tsp agar agar
-18 drops Sweet Orange essential oil
-16 drops Lime Peel essential oil
-10 drops Clary Sage essential oil
-6 drops Petitgrain essential oil
1.  Bring water to a boil (I first boiled my water and then measured it out so that I wouldn’t lose any in the evaporation process).  Stir in  agar agar and continue stirring until agar agar is completely dissolved.
​2.  Remove from heat and stir in vodka.   Add essential oils and stir to incorporate.
3.  Pour gel mixture into any decorative “re-purposed” container and place in refrigerator until set. 
4.  Display with pride in a room.