My new love..... Fruit Extracts!

Finally, I can get all the benefits from my beloved fruits and veggies without having to deal with all the peeling and juicing. Not to mention the shelf life! I am in total bliss. I just ordered a slew of them and I have some info to share. My experiences with the ones I have ordered have been rather remarkable. It takes very little, around .5% but make sure to check with the distributer on how strong it is.

  You should research each option and find what works best for what your creating. My two top picks are Watermelon and Strawberry thus far. The benefits for any age and skin type are astounding. You have to incorporate them into the heated water phase in order for them to dissolve completely. Excellent for toners and lotions.
Also, use them in their raw, powdered form and take facial scrubs and masks from "eh, pretty good" to "holy S**T this is perfect". All you have to do is take a chance and try something a little different to make something really great.



I found this recipe and it sparked my new interest...

Toning Mask

• 1oz Rhassoul Clay(28.4g)
• .5 oz Yogurt powder(14.2g)
• .5 oz Sea Kelp Powder(14.2g)
• .01 oz Papaya Extract (.3g)

Grind down all the ingredients until they are ultra fine and well mixed. Then you store in an air tight container or bag until ready to use.
Always cleanse your face prior to adding a mask. Just take two tsp into a small bowl or hand and add a few drops of water. They recommend distilled and I would even suggest Aloe water or juice. Mix and spread over face and neck. Not your eyes of course. Let it set for 20 minutes and then rinse. Always follow with toner or moisturizer of your choice.




There are very simple things you should to do have great skin,

• Cleanse
• Exfoliate (gently & sparingly)
• Toner or astringent
• Moisturize (even oily skin)

These steps will cure almost every skin problem there is. Nothing magical or chemical needed in most cases. I for one can not use soap on my skin, breaks me out every time. So I had to try a different approach to manage my skin.

Fancy Face

• .5 oz Kaolin Clay
• 1 tsp finely ground almonds
• 1 oz colloidal oatmeal
• .5 oz honey powder
• .5 oz powdered milk
• 01.oz  Strawberry extract

 Store in a dry, air tight container and use as directed above. I use this regularly and love it. My complexion changes with the weather but is other wise normal. I used to just mash fresh berries but this way keeps me from having to do a fresh batch every time.

Oh, me so Oily

I found this one and I have tried it on my oily days and it prevailed for me. Do not use unless your skin is oily or it will over-dry and damage your face.

• 1oz french green clay
• 1oz finely ground oats
• .01 grapefruit extract
• .01 papaya extract

Use the same as the above recipes. Follow with a non oily moisturizer suitable for your skin.

I hope one of these work for you and I hope you take it and make them your very own. I get my extracts from NDA, lovely company with amazing products. I went ahead and linked the ingredients to the suppliers that I use of my my own choice. The first mask came from a book that is a blast to read and covers such a wide spectrum of the Beauty world, Idiot's Guide to making Natural Beauty Products. The latter two are of my own creation and heart. Thanks for stopping by~

Luxury Spa Bath Bomb Recipe~

I have been making bath bombs for a few years now. They were the first product I ever made when I first decided to venture in to the vast and fun world of bath & beauty products from years of soy candle making. I used a very simple recipe and I got exactly what I had anticipated. A very mediocre bath bomb. Nothing special, but from the ingredients I used I could have expected nothing better. 
 I used various molds, stars, flowers, summer shapes and so on. Very cute. Packaging them was a joke. They crumbled and fell apart just from customers picking them up to smell them and setting them back down. I had used clear tubes, the kind from Wilton for wedding favors. So I compiled all the info I could from other recipes and failed batches and came up with the supreme bath bomb recipe. The good thing about these is that it doesn't take a bath bomb the size of a newborns head to get the bath treatment your looking for plus a little extra.

Herbal Bath Bombs

All bath bomb recipes have the three same main ingredients, Baking Soda, Corn Starch and Citric Acid. It's always a good rule to use 2 parts BS per 1 part CS and CA. That way you can make whatever size batch you want too. The added ingredients after that make your bath bomb worth all the mess you make creating them. Here we go...

Ingredients

• 1cup Baking soda (arm & hammer is practically clumpfree)
• 1/2 cup Corn Starch
• 1/2 cup Citric Acid (powdered)
• 4 tbs coconut oil (Virgin or 76)
• 2 tbs melted butters (shea, cocoa, mango etc..)
• 3 tbs salts
  
• Alcohol 91% or higher
• few drops White Tea extract (water soulable)
• 2 tsp Jojoba Beads (I get mine from elementsbathandbody)
  
• 2 tbs Kaolin Clay 
• essential oil or fragrance
  
• Mica powdered colorant or natural colorants**
  
• Whisk
• molds**
  
• Spray bottle**
• Patience
• Herbs are optional (lavender, rose, chamomile...)

Process

Combine all your dry ingredients. It's a good idea to sift them as your pouring just to avoid any uncolored spots in your finished product. Kaolin, salts, beads go in now as well. Make sure you whisk and blend well. The citric acid can stir up an unpleasant dust so use caution if that happens. I tie a bandana around my nose till I add the wet ingredients. 
If you are going to add powdered/ dry colorant, do that now and mix till desired shade is achieved. Remember, it will darken when wet.

Melt your butter in 20 sec burst till melted and let it cool while you add the coconut oil. It doesnt have to be solid. Drizzle around and work it like bread dough. At this point a untinsel will just be sticky so use your hands. Wear gloves, this makes a mess. Once that is mixed in add your butter(s) the same way. 

If adding liquid colorant add now. A few drops here and there and work it in. What you see is what you will get with the liquid dyes. Food coloring will work too.

Fragrance~ this is really up to the person making them. I go a little over board but I like my baths to be scented. I want to aroma on my skin when I step out of the tub. Not just a fleeting scent that is lost quickly in a tub of water. I use about 4-6 mls of scent per batch. If I am using essentials I use half of that. It's up to you. Sprinkle it in and work it in.

**Making your alcohol spray. I use the highest percentage I can find, at the moment it's 91%. I prefer 93%. Pour it in your spray bottle. I add the white tea extract to this. I use a small 2 ounce spray bottle so I only use a few drops of the extract. Don't use to much or it will turn the alcohol brown and your bombs will turn brown as well. Shake well and spritz your mixture till it holds together after you give it a squeeze.

**Molds- Anything will do, from ice trays, mini muffin pans, candy or soap molds. I use a meat baller and various cute ice trays. I even rob my little girls play-doh molds. Silicone works good but the hard plastic ones are best. Cookie cutters have never worked for me though. 

When you mixture is holding together firmly, you are ready to mold. Mash in the mix with much pressure. Making sure to get every corner of your shape so they don't crumble when you take them out. Keep spritzing as needed to keep it holding together.
**If adding herbs, you can sprinkle them into the mold prior to adding the mix and it looks beautiful when they are done. Same can be done with sea salts, jojoba beads and glitters. If using a meatballer, get a scoop full, mash and clean the excess of the outside and then gently tap it on three sides then release. Sit round shapes in an egg carton for safe keeping. 

After your molds are full put them in the freezer for about 45 min. Take them out of the freezer and they will unmold with ease onto a cookie sheet. Turn your oven on warm and set them a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. I have a gas stove so I always crack the door a little because it gets a little too warm. Take them out and let them cool and package how you like. I use foil wrappers and take out boxes for most of mine these days. You can find all types of ideas online or your local craft store. Get creative with it and most of all have fun.

 These bath bombs with soften your skin and have you smelling wonderful. The extra time you spend freezing and baking makes them hold up longer and will not crumble so easy. 

Don't forget to visit my Facebook to see the latest creations, recipes and more.

Bring Spring!

 Even though there is about two inches of show still left outside and my daily uniform still consists of my fluffy robe and fuzzy socks, I know it's going to be over soon. I am getting antsy and ready for the hustle bustle of new life, fresh air and fresh ideas. Repeating myself has never been something I enjoyed so creating new and different products and reenventing what I do is always a must. Keeping the favorites of course but new and fresh are words that apeal to my creative side.
  I have been racking my brain on what to do new this year and I have been creating a new soap loaf every night this week. Coconut milk and all natural fruit extracts such as papaya, apple, banana and strawberry are going to be my focus this season. It's all about the fruit, and milks of course. I think this year I will be using more yogurt in my products. The benefits of all these ingredients are astounding for your skin. Not to mention it's helpful to all skin types so no one is left out.
  I have had to take some time of to take care of my self this winter and I am dying to start bringing back my craftiness. Etsy has been closed while I have been dealing with this as well, I hope to have it back up and running at 100% very soon but I have to pace myself and take it one day at a time right now. My health is getting back to greatness and I have so missed this part of my life. Felt like an eternity passed since I been on here. I will leave you with a picture of a few
of my newbies and will be back with more as they are created. With much love, by me. Thanks for stopping by~

Rainforest~ Masculine and sexy, I love this scent. Black coriander and peppermint

Bubble Milk Bath Bomb~ (:whew, that's a mouth full:) With added jojoba beads and Pink Himalayan salts

Lemongrass & Coconut Scented~ coconut milk & Aloe juice recipe with added Banana and Cucumber extracts