Friday, December 11, 2015
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Monday, November 23, 2015
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Organic Body Butter
In my pursuit to change to Organic I was very discouraged to find "natural" & "organic" on many products that were not really either! So I decided to jump on the net & get a recipe & make it my own. I soon found out that wasn't so easy.
I have tried many recipes & had lots of...., well we will just call them science experiments gone wrong. I had batches turn out with chunks in them, too thick (no really it can be too thick, it left a powderish residue on my skin), too thin, & some that separated. Besides being very frustrating, it was expensive! I've been asked many times how I make my body butter. I finally got some time to write it down. I hope this helps.
SO, before we get to the recipe let me give you a few pointers that will hopefully help you save some money & time.
- If you only use oil/butter & water they will separate.
- You can use oils & butters & keep them in the fridge & they stay together. It is more expensive to do it this way & is very oily/greasy.
- I use a wax, water, & oil/butter blend. I have found this is a wonderful blend, but it is a little finicky. The wax has to be COMPLETELY melted, your oils have to be hot when combined with the wax or it will cool off the wax & you will have chunks of wax in your finished product. Your water also has to be hot, or it too will cause chunks.
- When you put your lotion/body butter in the container you are going to keep it in, if it is not completely cool, DO NOT put your lid on it. It will get condensation in it, & the condensation can cause mold.
- Also when you put your lotion/body butter in the container it's good to have it in a container that you can see through (dark glass works best) so you can look for any air pockets. Air pockets can also form condensation & form mold.
air pockets
I'll start by breaking down the ingredients.
- I use wax in my lotion because it makes a nice barrier for the skin & acts as an emulsifier (helps keep everything blended). I don't use bee's wax because I have clients that are allergic to bees, & I don't want to chance cross contamination, so I just don't use it. Also I like to say that it's vegan, & I feel like bee's wax is an animal product. The last reason is because I don't like the honey smell that it adds to the cream, unless that is the scent I am going for. I don't use anything that has been deodorized, or processed unnaturally. I get my emulsifying wax from Organic Creations. I love it! It is all veggie & is smooth & creamy.
- Butters/oils; you can use any butter & or oils that you would like. I always use coconut oil because it is kind of an in between. I love mango butter, shea butter, cocoa butter, grape seed oil, camellia oil, calendula oil, just about any oil that is organic. I like to do a blend of butter & oil.
- Water: be sure you use either distilled or very filtered water. Tap water WILL cause the cream to mold.
- Preservative: I have used grapefruit seed extract in the past but it has a very short shelf life. I now use silver & I love it. It keeps the water portion stable. I haven't had any mold using it.
Now, keep in mind this ratio. Especially if your like me & not good at math.
1 Part wax
1 Part oil/butter
3 Parts water
Here is an example: if you are using 1 cup wax you will need 1 cup oil/butter, 3 cups water.
I like to do a blend of oil & butter. It doesn't matter how much of each you put in as long as the finished melted blend is the same amount as the wax.
I start by melting my wax. I like to get an even amount, because it makes it easier for me to add the right amount of oils & water.
 |
| Solid emulsifying wax |
Next I heat the water. Good & hot but not to boiling point. If your wax & oil blend starts to get thick before your water is ready you can heat it up a little. You can also reheat if your oil blend cools it off. Just remember the wax & butters need to be completely melted.
For this batch I had 4.5 cups wax
4.5 cups oil blend. I like to use mango butter, coconut oil, & grape seed oil.
Once your water is hot you can add your wax/oil blend to the water. It magically turns white & is about the consistency of milk. The bubbles will be thin, I pay attention to the consistency of the bubbles. I like to whip my butter before putting it in containers. The bubbles will get thicker as the air is whipped into the cream, & as it cools down. I know that it is ready to put into containers when the bubbles are cloudy and creamy. If you whip too long it gets harder to pour.
 |
| This is right after I mixed the water, wax & oil blend. See how thin & clear the bubbles are. |
Just a note about your preservatives. I wait to add them until my cream is all melted & the consistency that I want it & has cooled down a little. It's not good to reheat after you have added your preservative. Your preservative shouldn't be heated (especially in a microwave), it will effect how well it works.
Next I like to add vitamin E. Not only is vitamin E good for your skin it helps keep the oils stable. So I wait for the cream too cool off a little before I add it. Vitamin E is very thick so it doesn't blend well at first.
After I added the vitamin E
Next I whip it with a hand blender. After it cools down a little I like to add my silver & essential oils. I don't add them when it's hot because I don't want to damage the oils or lessen their effect.
Just as a reminder, don't put your lid on until it is completely cooled off & make sure there isn't any air pockets.
This is what the body butter will look like if there isn't any air pockets
I hope that you can perfect your own personal recipe. I will never buy store bought lotion again.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if you tried to make your own & how it turned out.
Here is a link to my store if you would like to buy some of mine. https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlissfullyOrganic?page=2
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Friday, October 2, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Does it matter what you put on your skin?
Our skin is tough right? It regenerates itself, dead skin falls off, it's all good. It's not like we absorb anything into our blood stream through our skin....right?....wait...right?
Well, lets look at our skin for a minute. It is actually our largest organ. Yep, that's right it is an organ. It is composed of 3 basic layers; the epidermis, dermis, & hypodermis (or the subcutaneous fat layer). Your skin is made of many components including water, minerals, lipids & proteins.
The epidermis is the outer layer, the layer we can see and touch. It is comprised of translucent cells that produce keratin. Keratin is a protein that protects you from toxins or other potentially harmful factors in the environment. It also contains the cells that produce melanin, it controls your appearance, & helps you to retain water.
The middle layer is the dermis. It contains two important proteins, elastin, & collagen. These two proteins contribute to the strength & texture of your skin. They keep your skin from wrinkling. & drooping. The dermis also contains nerves, sweat glands, hair follicles, & blood vessels.
The hypodermis layer, is the innermost layer. It is made of fat & collegian cells that help protect your organs.
The epidermis has 7 layers. But, the outermost layer dies off & we shed dead skin cells daily. When something comes in contact with our skin, it can be absorbed thru the epidermis. All 7 layers can be penetrated thus entering the dermis where,whatever comes in contact with the skin; water, soap, moisturizers,.. can then enter the blood stream, or lymph & circulate to other areas of the body. How quickly something passes through the epidermis determines the overall absorption. Surfactants like sodium lauryl-sulfate, SLS(a chemical used in most soaps to make it lather) increases the skins penetration of water soluble substances. So although it is thought that we only use small amounts of soap so we shouldn't be effected by this chemical, we should think about the fact that SLS increases the absorption of what we are putting on our skin.
The powers that BE say we only use about a nickel sized amount of soap a day, so the toxins that are in the product, in that small amount, shouldn't hurt us. The chemicals are accepted as safe because we will not be using enough to cause a reaction.
*Only 1 product at a time is considered though. If we only wash ours hands once a day, or we only wash our hair (with a pea sized amount), we aren't having enough exposure to SLS to harm us. I don't know about you, but in this filthy world, I wash my hands many times a day. I don't wash my hair everyday, but on the days I do wash my hair, that is not the only soap I come in contact with.
OK, so now we know we absorb stuff through our skin, it can enter either the lymph or the blood stream, either way, what ever we absorb goes to other organs in our body.
I have several health issues. I have PCOS, endometriosis, & fibromyalgia. I am over weight & suffer from pain every day. I became so sick to just the smell of lotions & soaps that I couldn't stand to use them. I thought, what am I going to do? I can't NOT bathe. So, I started making my own soap.
Making soap is tricky, you have to use either lye or SLS to have a lathering soap. I was terrified of lye, but refused to use SLS. I had heard many negative things about lye as well. But, weighing the pros & cons lye won over SLS hands down. I don't like cold processed soap, that is just my opinion. I tend to have drier skin when I use cold processed soap. I do like making it, there are so many things you can do with it.
Lye is an ash that combined with sodium creates a lather & a nice soap. I prefer hot processed soaps, because I like that the lye goes through a more thorough sapoonification process. I also like hot processed because it doesn't have to sit out as long, it is more moisturizing, & holds the scent better.
What about lotion, or moisturizers? Most contain petroleum, (crude oil from decomposing organisms), mineral oil (or liquid paraffin, which is in the group 1 carcinogens), phenoxyethanol (a preservative that is now used in Johnson & Johnson BABY products, instead of the formaldehyde that they were using) is glycol ether, glycols are a series of chemicals (paint, lacquer..) The material saftey data sheet (MSDS) says that it is harmful if swallowed, (good thing babies don't put their hands & feet in their mouths after mom puts lotion on them) inhaled or absorbed through the skin, & that it causes reproductive damage. Good thing they changed their ingredients right? They also use Carbomer (synthetic high molecular weight polymers of ACRYLIC acid) used as a thickening agent. There is little reaction to it,because it is so "plastic" that your body doesn't know what it is or HOW to react to it. They also use sodium hydroxide in their baby lotion. Which is lye, unsapoonified. Lye that is unsapoonified is DANGEROUS. It can burn the skin, cause blindness. Why is it in baby lotion? OK, I'll stop picking at J&J. It just unnerves me that they make "safe" products for babies, & that people blindly accept them as such. So yes, I make my own lotion as well. Our skin is important. It protects whats on the inside. Yes, it renews itself, but it renews itself based on what you use, eat, drink, digest, & absorb. Know what you are putting on your skin. It's so important. Would you bathe in bleach? Would you use lacquer to moisturize? I am hoping that you say no. It's toxic, it's dangerous, I don't want that on my skin. You should wear protective goggles, gloves & a mask when handling sodium hydroxide. Why would you use a lotion that contains that ingredient? When sodium hydroxide is combined with water it heats up to temperatures over 200 degrees. That is how cold processed soap is "processed or cooked". I don't understand why it is in lotion.
It matters to me what I put on my skin. Not even for vain reasons. The health problems that I have are only made worse my absorbing chemicals that I apply on my skin, eat, & even clean with. Why would you want to use chemicals when nature provides everything we need. If I can't pronounce it, it doesn't go on my skin or in my body. I have become so toxic from products that I have used in the past, I am still suffering the effects. BUT, I am determined to renew my skin, & health. There is no permanent cure in this world, but I want to know that I tried. I want to help others. I educate myself, & I like to share what I have learned. That is why I am starting this blog. I intend to share what I have learned about essential oils. Carrier oils that are good for the skin. Natural pain relievers that can be applied topically, & with good results.
I'm on twitter https://twitter.com/Blizfulorganics
Instagram https://instagram.com/amytheorganic1/ & etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlissfullyOrganic?ref=hdr_shop_menu
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