Natural Make Up And Affordable

May is National throw out your old makeup month. It's time to assess what you have had hanging around your house, purse and make up drawer. It's amazing how we long we will save cosmetics.

Let's face it, cosmetics aren't cheap and we just don't want to give up our favorite lipstick. Ok, so women are make up junkies and I'm one of them. Being a make up junkie, it's been a struggle, it's taken me years, and a few eye infections to force myself to dispose of the old make up and find an alternative to those gooie patsy foundations and nasty chemical infested eye shadows.

The road to recovery has be an enlightening experience. First I had to admit I had a problem and then find a way to fix it. Thanks to mineral make up, I no longer have to worry about shelf life. And the bonus is it's a completely natural product. Mineral makeup has a natural spf and generally wears longer. With a little practice and experimentation it is easy to apply. You can easily get great coverage.

Here are a few guide lines for disposal of your makeup, it's hard to give up that perfect shade of lipstick, but keep in mind that it probably is contaminated and shouldn't be applied to your skin.

Mascara-3months
Powder eye shadow-2years
cream eye shadow-6 months
eyeliner pencil-3 months
sunscreen-6 months
skin care products-6months
liquid foundation-6 months
loose or pressed powder foundations-2 years
Lipstick or gloss-2 years
nail polish-2 years

When purchasing your cosmetics, remember they do expire, so try to buy in smaller quantities, to insure you will use them within these time lines. Think of all the money you will save by purchasing only what you will need.

For a great Mineral makeup click on the picture above, they have exceptional quality products at a reasonable price with fast shipping. You can purchase samples so the guess work is taken out of ordering your shade or color.

Good luck with your road to recovery!

Free Recipe Petroleum Free Lip Gloss

Using petroleum based lip glosses like those commonly found in drug and grocery stores can actually dry your lips. You can easily make your own natural lip gloss. Your lips will thank you!

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1.5 tablespoon cocoa butter
3 teaspoons grated beeswax
15 drops avocado oil Few drops of vitamin E oil.
Add 25 drops of your favorite essential oil (I use orange or lemon)
AAAAH, forgot to add orange or lemon my cause sun sensitivity, but they have great properties. So if you use orange or lemon essential oil limit your sun exposure.

Directions:
Melt the coconut oil, cocoa butter, and beeswax in a double boiler. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the avocado oil, vitamin E and essential oil. Pour the balm into a sterilized containers. Wait for lip gloss to cool and seal tightly, store your excess in refrigerator or share with family, friends, and neighbors. Shelf life about 6 months when stored properly. You can order your organic ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs. Please go to banner on left side of this page.

Earth Day Respect Mother Earth

It's Earth Day today, and among all of the activities, there is a silent partner in all of the hype, it's Mother Earth. You are standing on her. She allows us to live and thrive on her creations, giving us the resources to live abundant lives, we're supplied with food, water, sunshine, air and all of the necessities to exist from her.

I find it kind of odd that we take one day out of the year to remind ourselves to respect her presence, when without her we wouldn't be here. She sustains our lives.

The human race has given her many challenges in the last 100 years, and she still gets up every morning with sunshine, she regenerates herself so others may enjoy her beauty, I think she's getting tired, as would anyone.

Take the steps to help her, it's very simple, reduce, reuse, recycle and educate yourself and others, 4 very important rules to live by.

Mountain Rose Herbs Bulk Organic Herbs, Spices, Teas, and Essential oils

Mountain Rose Herbs

Since 1987 Mountain Rose Herbs has consistently delivered exceptional quality certified organic products with a strict emphasis on sustainable agriculture. ...

They offer product information on organic medicinal herbs, herbal capsules, extracts, essential oils, and aromatherapy.

We absolutely love this company, where would we be without them, still searching for an honest, reliable organic distributer. Their Carrier Oils, Butters and Essential Oils are Awesome. You can click on their banner and visit them, most of the items they sell are organic certified, some are wild harvest.

They are a great source for products and information. We are greatful for them and they to deserve a great big THANK YOU from us.

Free Recipe for Natural Gardener's Lotion Bar

Spring is here, and it's time to get in our gardens and start planting those beautiful NATURAL wonders. This recipe is highly moisturizing, it contains beeswax, which creates a natural barrier against the elements.
PREPARATION: Start with a sanitized surface, sanitize any utensils you will be using, including containers you will be using, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Natural products need special care during preparation and storage as you are not using a broad spectrum preservative. Vitamin E works as a mild, but effective preservative, if product is handled properly.
Storage life approximately 6 months, when properly stored.
EQUIPMENT:
Weight scale which has ounces, I prefer digital
Glass microwave safe measuring cup
Meat or Candy Thermometer
7 - 1 oz containers, (small muffin pans, ice cube trays, heart shaped ice cube trays are really cute)
INGREDIENTS:
1 oz Avocado oil
1 oz Sweet Almond oil
1 oz Apricot Kernel oil
1 oz Refined or Unrefined Shea Butter
1 oz Cocoa Butter
1/2 oz Mango Butter
2 oz Beeswax
20 drops Vitamin E oil
*28 drops Tea Tree essential Oil
Combine oils (do not put vitamin E or essential oil in at this point), in microwave safe dish heat to 150 degrees, approximately 45 seconds depending on microwave.
Add your beeswax to oils and stir, place back in microwave and heat until beeswax is almost completely melted, stop the microwave about every 10 seconds, make sure you stir each time, you do not want to over heat your oils, they can start on fire and excessive heat can destroy oils natural properties .
Once your beeswax is completely melted remove from microwave, be careful container can be very hot, add your butters and stir for about a minute, making sure all oils have incorporated with one and another.
Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, add your essential oils and vitamin E, stir for about another minute, pour into your molds and allow to fully cool, pop them out of container and WAAAAALA you have a Lotion Bar.
Wrap them in air tight container, refrigerate, you will have enough to last you the entire summer and maybe give some away too.
Directions for use: place lotion bar in hands as you would a bar of soap and rub desired amount onto hands.

*You may substitute your favorite essential oil for the Tea Tree Essential oil

Tea Tree Essential Oil:
Properties: Analgesic, antibacterial, antibiotic, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, antiseptic, antiviral, balsamic, cicatrisant, decongestant, diaphoretic, expectorant, fungicidal, stimulant (immune), and vulnerary.

NATURAL INGREDIENTS YOU BE THE JUDGE

Informed consumers are the main reason we believe having NATURAL products are so important. This would be why we are giving you the tools to make an informed decision on what you put on your body.With a little information, you'll know the difference between products that are truly NATURAL and those that just say they are. Believe it or not, there are so many personal care products that label themselves as NATURAL even though they aren't. This happens because, there are few regulations from the producers or government on what is and isn't NATURAL.
Please read your labels.
The ingredients on the package are very important. Learn how to decipher ingredients and identify parabens and other non-NATURAL INGREDIENTS, so you can decide for yourself what products are truly NATURAL. Do your own research. I'm sure you have plenty of products laying around, have some fun and start entering the ingredients in your search engine and see what you find. Oh my, I think you'll be surprised. Here are a few websites you can look up ingredients on.
One of the most amazing things I found was, that, most commercial bar soap isn't soap, it's detergent and mostly synthetic, so all those years I was bathing in basically laundry detergent, of course until I started making natural soap.I have had plenty of arguments over the word NATURAL. And Springbrook Soap Co defines NATURAL as;(present in or produced by nature, not artificial or synthetic ). Again, do your own research.
Then make an informed decision for yourself. Tell others about your finding, some will, some won't agree, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was the synthetic market and it won't be changed in a day.Changing our commercialized market can start with just one person, you. It gets really exciting when you tell a friend and you realize you are helping the world align one vision of what NATURAL is, and hopefully living a healthier NATURAL life on a healthier Earth. Take the time for sharing your new found NATURAL life.http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/toxic_cosmetics.cfm
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-210.html
http://www.mbm.net.au/health/cosmetics/c.html
The next site you can enter an ingredient or product name and it will score it's hazard level. Check out your favorite baby products, it's shocking.
http://cosmeticdatabase.com/wordsearch.php?query=annusWatch for natural preservatives such as:
Grapefruit seed extract phenoxyethanol
Potassium sorbate
Sorbic acid
Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
Retinyl (vitamin A)
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)
Happy hunting for a NATURAL, healthier life
http://www.springbrooksoapco.ecrater.com/

WHOLESALE SUPPLIES PLUS

Here's another one of my favorite sites for ordering supplies. I check their blog on a daily basis, she has such wonderful things to share from recipes to heart felt stories. Debbie you are an inspiration to all of us that purchase from you. Wholesale Supplies Plus has a huge line of Soap Making Supplies and Candle Making Supplies along with Fragrances, Essential Oils, And Packaging Materials For Business Or Personal Use. Their prices have remained stable in such an unstable market. I use a lot of their essential oil blends, they are wonderful, and great for making natural body products. Their fragrance oils are yummy. Thanks for your hard work, it helps all of to realize our dreams.
Springbrook Soap Co
Visit them at: http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/

BITTER CREEK CANDLE SUPPLY!

I have to share an awesome supply company with you, they have a huge line of Candle & Soap making supplies, wax, additives, molds, containers, jars, dyes, fragrance oils, accessories, soaps, lotions, soybean wax and more...We have purchased from them for years, they have lightening fast shipping. You can purchase cosmetic bottles from them to put your handmade natural products in.
www.candlesupply.com/

Free Recipe For Natural Sunburn Relief

Using Natural ingredients in your body care products insures you know what you are putting on your skin. I always have an Aloe Vera plant growing in my home. It is also a great for your under eye puffiness (avoid direct contact with eye). The natural healing and soothing properties are so beneficial to your skin.
2 Tbsp. Aloe Vera gel (or roughly the amount extracted from one fresh leaf)
2 Tbsp. brewed Chamomile Tea or Green Tea
3 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions
Mix essential oils, tea and aloe in a clean glass container. Apply with fingers directly on sunburned or mildly irritated skin. Use immediately. Do not store.
Please be sure to visit our online store at http://www.springbrooksoapco.ecrater.com

Free Recipe for Natural Sunblock

Experts say "If you can see your shadow, you need sunblock." Did you know the active ingredients in sunblock often dissipate after 6 months? Always use a sunblock, but, don't purchase in bulk or save that last little bit in the bottle for next season. Buy as you go, in order to always have a fresh batch, or, make your own.
Note: This recipe will leave a white nose "lifeguard style."
1 Tbs zinc oxide
1 1/2 tsp light sesame oil
1 Tbs rose water
Mix together the zinc oxide and sesame oil. Heat the mixture gently, using a double boiler, and stir well to mix. Remove from heat and slowly add the rose water, as you continue stirring. Allow to cool completely, and store in a clean container with a tight lid, in the fridge. Yield: 2 oz. Keeps: Up to 10 days in the fridge. Here's a tip save your empty lotion bottles, you can use them to store your natural products in, make sure you clean and sterilize them, before reusing them.

Free Recipe Homemade Body Polish

When polishing or exfoliating your body it is important to remember your skin is the largest organ in your body. What ever you put on it will be carried into your blood stream, so keep it as natural as possible.
Cleansing body polish
1/2 cup fine sea salt
1/4 cup sweet almond Oil, or other body oils(olive oil works fine) (Kukui Nut Oils is awesome for it's ability to absorb into the skin)
1/4 cup handcrafted soap( finely grated)
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon essential of your choice (lavender is relaxing)
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Store in small plastic jar that you can keep in the shower.This scrub acts as a cleanser, scrub and moisturizer all in one.
Directions for use: Apply to dry skin(otherwise the salt melts instead of scrubs). Rub and scrub anywhere you need to exfoliate and moisturize. I do this in the shower before turning on the water, of course this must be rinsed off. Have fun and enjoy the results.

Natural Health and Beauty

In today's world of contamination, it is our goal to make our products as green as possible. We strive to find the finest ingredients to insure a healthier product. Our goal is to produce products that are preservative free. When we think of all the chemicals we have put on our bodies for decades, assuming they were safe and just recently finding their true effects, it is alarming to believe that with all the knowledge we have, we continue to use chemically treated products. We can use natural products without a problem if we realize that some must be refrigerated or used with in a specified time to prohibit bacterial growth, a small price to pay for a safer product in the long run. How many of us have, health and beauty products that have been around our homes for years, and we use them, well just think of what it takes to make that product stable for that long, think about how long that product has been on a shelf, how long it sat in a warehouse waiting to be delivered. HMMMMM, not a pretty thought.
Recent studies have shown that we may actually acquire more toxins through skin absorption and inhalation than through the food that we eat. Our skin is the largest organ of our bodies and it's quick to absorb anything that touches it. When you rub chemicals on your skin, they can pass straight through and enter your bloodstream within minutes. If you are the type of person who consumes natural foods and avoids foods with preservatives, then you should also apply this practice to your body care routine. Our products are people, earth, animal and environment safe. Most products are 100% natural and we make them in small batches to ensure quality and freshness. We use vitamin E as a natural preservative and our products do not have mineral oil or petroleum, no harsh detergents, no drying alcohol, no formaldehydes or lanolin (highly allergenic) and are sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
& sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) free.
We are constantly researching and working on ingredients to deliver the greenest products possible. We continue to keep our pricing reasonable, with the average consumer in mind, you don't have to spend a fortune to get a quality natural product.