Skin Care Questions- - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[HouseofPeace]

Originally Posted by loveandgarbage 

My skin is looking pretty great, but I'm one of those lucky women whose skin looks better during pregnancy. I've posted about this in another thread I think, but for my belly/thighs/butt/boobs I made a whipped body butter. Can post my recipe if anyone is interested. I buy bulk supplies from Mountain Rose Herbs to make my creations and whereas they're a tad pricey, the quality is so, so worth it.

I should get back into doing raw honey masks! My skin was so soft when I used to do that.

PLEASE post recipes!  i make cold cream sometimes, but have slacked off....  and while it's pricey, it's worth it to me cause i tend to buy the more expensive nicer brands anyways.... i'm spoiled and can't handle the smell of old oils or off ingredients!

[loveandgarbage]

Whipped Belly Butter:

You'll need a mixer (I have a stand-up cuisinart) and a double boiler (I fill a large pan 1/3 of the way with water, then hook in a glass Pyrex measuring cup-- I think mine is 1 qt)

Ingredients:

-1.5 cups of hard butters (I used a mix of shea and kokum; cocoa butter would also work)

-1/2 cup coconut oil

-1 cup oil (can be anything, even olive if you have it on hand; I used mainly sweet almond, apricot seed and avocado with some of my pricier oils added in, like borage, evening primrose, hemp seed, and rosehip seed)

-blend of essential oils

Melt down the hard butters, coconut oil, and other oils in the double boiler over medium heat. Stir often. When thoroughly mixed, take off heat and let cool. It needs to be almost solid again (and white-ish) before mixing. You can put the measuring cup with the concoction in the fridge so that it cools faster. Transfer mixture to the mixer and beat on medium speed. While beating add in essential oils. If your skin is sensitive you might want to go easy and only add 10 drops total. I add about 30. This time around I added carrot seed, rose geranium, clary sage, helichyrum and lavender. It takes about 2 to truly "whip up" the butter. It makes about a quart. I store mine in a glass pyrex bowl with a cover.

[Jenny01]

Did your skin clear up?  If so, when?  If not, what are you doing?  

I had really bad acne on my face, which started to clear up around the 20 week mark.  Now I only have one or two zits at a time which is nice!  I did start to use a locally made patchouli face cream made with all natural ingredients around this time as well and I use it twice a day.  I'm not sure if it contributed to the clear skin, but it's supposed to be good for acne so possibly.  I'm just happy it's clearing up!

Also- skin isn't just face, how are people's bellies and bodies doing w/ skin?

Belly has been a bit sore/stretched feeling this week, so I started using coconut oil before bed and that helped quite a bit.  Other than that, no other skin complaints!

[HouseofPeace]

yay for the whipped belly butter recipe (and that most people aren't in the teenage acne phase anymore)

i tried to use cocoa butter sticks in previous pregnancies but found them annoying.  i could totally whip up something (i have an immersion blender i use for these projects) for the final stretch.  so yummy.

i've taken to doing mayo treatments (homemade) on my hair once a week and the rinsing it w/ a borax solution.  it's so soft and shiny now- i'm glad to have found something that is detangling, gentle, and doesn't destroy my curls!

[Adaline'sMama]

so ladies, where do you buy these hard butters?

[loveandgarbage]

I get most of my oil/butter stash from Mountain Rose Herbs. Their quality is top notch and decently priced (okay, it actually seems pricey but if you comparison shop it's really not too bad).

[HouseofPeace]

oh you shouldn't have sent me there.  now i'm having lust issues w/ so many things i could spread on my tired aching swelling body!!!  and there's nothing my husband gets more annoyed by than my bulk orders for various beauty products i create.  though he seems to not mind the consequences very much.....

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/

go, look, and dream.....

[loveandgarbage]

Yeah I have a hard time keeping my order under $100. It's like... am I really saving money by making my own stuff? Haha. I have to say, though, their essential oils are the best I've ever tried!

[kellybeth]

i save so much money by making my own EO's and growing my own herbs and spices. i've never used mountain rose herbs personally, but i know a lot of other herbalists who don't grow their own who use them. i saved up for a copper distiller years ago and it makes excellent essential oils and herbal waters. it's a beautiful piece of machinery.

[loveandgarbage]

Having my own distiller is a dream of mine. My friend and I have talked about going in on one (after realizing how much money we spend on hydrosols).

[kellybeth]

Originally Posted by loveandgarbage 

Having my own distiller is a dream of mine. My friend and I have talked about going in on one (after realizing how much money we spend on hydrosols).

it's the best! since i already had the fresh herbs, and was spending so much on local essential oils & waters for my business, i figured i would just go ahead and take the plunge. it definitely paid for itself in less than a year. my new dream is to build a new soap shack, since i moved and don't have one anymore.

[HouseofPeace]

Originally Posted by loveandgarbage 

Whipped Belly Butter:

You'll need a mixer (I have a stand-up cuisinart) and a double boiler (I fill a large pan 1/3 of the way with water, then hook in a glass Pyrex measuring cup-- I think mine is 1 qt)

Ingredients:

-1.5 cups of hard butters (I used a mix of shea and kokum; cocoa butter would also work)

-1/2 cup coconut oil

-1 cup oil (can be anything, even olive if you have it on hand; I used mainly sweet almond, apricot seed and avocado with some of my pricier oils added in, like borage, evening primrose, hemp seed, and rosehip seed)

-blend of essential oils

Melt down the hard butters, coconut oil, and other oils in the double boiler over medium heat. Stir often. When thoroughly mixed, take off heat and let cool. It needs to be almost solid again (and white-ish) before mixing. You can put the measuring cup with the concoction in the fridge so that it cools faster. Transfer mixture to the mixer and beat on medium speed. While beating add in essential oils. If your skin is sensitive you might want to go easy and only add 10 drops total. I add about 30. This time around I added carrot seed, rose geranium, clary sage, helichyrum and lavender. It takes about 2 to truly "whip up" the butter. It makes about a quart. I store mine in a glass pyrex bowl with a cover.

Had a friend over and made a batch (for 3 people) of this amazing and delicious stuffs!  Next time i'll do it solo, and must get a mixer.  if you make this w/ an immersion blender, you will burn out the motor!  and whipping by hand is tedious even if you're rotating between 3 arms.

also, my friend didn't like any of my essential oils (rose geranium, clary sage, lavender, cedarwood, or jasmine to name a few, and i didn't want peppermint on my belly!!!) so we left it unscented.

cocoa butter, raw sunflower oil, jojoba oil, olive oil and coconut oil!  but unscented, it's still amazing and i'm loving it!  it's not completely 'whipped up' but is really nice anyways.

THANK YOU!!!

[loveandgarbage]

YAY, I'm glad you like it! Also the essential oils you listed are some of my favs! I've been putting clary sage in my hair because I love how it smells but my kids hate it :(.

[lovebeingamomma]

I have combination skin, I use a warm washcloth (water only) to gently exfoliate, and than I use straight up coconut oil.  I rarely get breakouts.  I've been doing this for 5 years now.  It's the only moisturizer I use in general, on the kids, and even on my lips.  What's nice is it's perfectly safe (and healthy!) to ingest, in the case of kids licking their lips ;)