If you are interested in making your own homemade beauty treatments try to find a location in your home where you can focus on your herb craft without too many disturbances. If you are lucky enough to have a pantry located near your kitchen this would be ideal. I've used the coffee table in my office/guest room which is out of the main traffic pattern of my home to make some simple beauty treatments.
Storage Containers
I like to use 4 ounce dark amber, glass bottles with rubber stoppers to
store liquid cosmetics and herbal medicines such as toners, tonics, and
tinctures. For more solid beauty creations, such as lotions and salves,
you can use a wide-mouthed 4 ounce clear glass jar with a screw on lid.
Make sure to label each bottle and jar as your beauty potions all look
very similar once they are placed into their various containers.
Businesses such as the Dollar Store or the 99 Cent Stuff store have a multitude of unique plastic and glass containers which can be used to store your homemade herbal beauty treatments. I’ve even found decorative, small glass jars at my local Big Lots store. A few online options for purchasing storage containers are as follows:
Burch Bottle & Packaging
430 Hudson River Road
Waterford, NY 12188
800-903-2830
website: www.burchbottle.com
SKS Bottle & Packaging
Website: www.sks-bottle.com
Specialty Bottle LLC
5200 4th AVE S
Seattle, WA 98108
Website: www.specialtybottle.com
Sunburst Bottle Company
4500 Beloit Drive
Sacremento, CA 95838
916-929-4500
e-mail: info@sunburstbottle.com
website: www.sunburstbottle.com
Creams and Lotions
Creams have the consistency of thick cold cream and are applied
externally to your body by rubbing them into your skin. Creams are
usually an emulsion made of a blend of ingredients such as oil,
beeswax, lanolin, glycerin, and essential oils.
If you want to make your own creams but don't have the time or inclination to make them from scratch you can purchase aqueous cream from your local pharmacist. Aqueous cream is fragrance and dye free. To make your own cream add 6-8 drops of essential oil to 1/2 cup of the aqueous cream.
My local craft store (Crafts & Stuff) sells 16 ounce bottles of a shea butter based lotion to which essential oils and/or coloring can be added to make your own unique lotion blends. The same craft store also sells empty 2 ounce plastic bottles for decanting your lotions into which can then be given away as gifts to friends and family.
Here are a few suggestions for making your own shea butter/essential oil lotion blends. Use approximately 8-10 drops total of whatever essential oils you decide to use to every 2 ounces of lotion.
Essential Oil - Quality
lavender - calming
lemon with clove - invigorating
peppermint - refreshing
rosemary with patchouli - sensual
I have tried making herbal creams from scratch on 2 separate occasions.
It was an interesting experiment to say the least. My kitchen looked
like it was attacked by the mad scientist after I was done with my
creations. They ended up in the trash as they resembled something from
outer space! But I have friends that make herbal creams and lotions for
all their family and friends to give away during the holidays with
great success. I guess I am just all thumbs! So I cheat and use the
shea butter lotion mixed with essential oil method mentioned above with
fantastic results!
Lip Balm
Here is one recipe for a home made lip balm that I actually made without blowing up the kitchen!
Honey Lip Balm
1 cup sweet almond oil
2 ounces grated beeswax
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon essential oil
I looked in my herb closet and found a quart size glass canning jar. I placed this in a pan half filled with water and turned the heat to medium high. I placed the sweet almond oil and beeswax into the canning jar and used a pot holder to hold the top of the canning jar to swirl around the oil/wax mixture as it was melting. After the oil/wax mixture was completely melted I removed it from the pan of hot water (don’t forget to turn your stove off!) then I stirred in the honey and then carefully added in the essential oil. This is not a very high tech method but it worked and I didn't have to tell my husband that I ruined another pan!
When you have finished making the lip balm, pour it into small containers and let cool before covering with lids. This recipe will make approximately 8 ounces of lip balm which is quite a lot. Since I’m not planning on opening my own herbal beauty business, I cut the ingredients in half then poured the finished lip balm into two, two ounce wide mouth plastic storage jars with screw on lids. I keep a jar of the lip balm in my purse and the other one in my bathroom’s medicine cabinet to use anytime my lips feel dry. I used rose geranium as my essential oil but other essential oils, such as peppermint or orange, can be used depending upon your own personal preference. If you like a creamier consistency for your lip balm use a little bit less beeswax or add a bit more almond oil.
Take care,
The Backyard Diva
