I’m so sad I don’t have a ‘before’ picture to show you of my short, peeling & weak nails. They were a mess just a little over 3 weeks ago, but then I started taking Biotin supplements, and the picture above was taken today! I was skeptical, but my nails went from short and weak to long and strong!
I’m pretty excited about this Homemade Face Moisturizer. Â I’ve been using it for about a week and I’m loving how my skin is looking and feeling. Â I especially love that I know exactly what is in it, and that each ingredient is pure and good for the skin.
I recycled a dropper container that is a great reminder to me of the money I am saving by making my own Face Moisturizer. Â The face product that was in that bottle previously costs about $30.00!
The recipe was linked up to my Anti-Procrastination Tuesday Link Party from the awesome Rebekah at Potholes and Pantyhose.  She did a great, month- long series on homemade products, which is where I got this recipe.  She did a price workup of this and a 2.5 ounce bottle is $.75 cents!  Now that’s a deal! (Click through for the price breakdown.)
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Homemade Face Moisturizer
4 Tbsp 100% Aloe Vera Juice (the drinkable kind)
1 tsp Vegetable Glycerine
6 drops Jojoba Oil
1/4 tsp Sweet Almond Oil
1 Container to keep the moisturizer in.
Measure all into container. Â You may need to use a funnel.
Before each use, shake well. Â This is not a creamy product, it is quite watery. Â Apply using a cotton pad or your clean fingertips. Â It will take a minute to dry, but as it does, it will absorb and leave you with soft, silky smooth skin!
If you need more moisture, just add a bit more of the oils until you get the level your specific skin type needs. Â The above recipe was just perfect for mine.
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Here is some information for each product used in this recipe, from Rebekah’s research:
Aloe Vera Gel
here are just a few things it does besides cool sunburn: kills bacteria, virus and fungus. Â The salicylic acid in aloe vera also acts as a pain killer. Â That explains why it’s so soothing for burns. Â It also has anti-inflammatory properties.
Vegetable Glycerin
A topical remedy for a number of skin problems, including psoriasis, rashes, burns, bedsores & cuts.
Jojoba Oil
Provides all day moisture to skin. Jojoba oil doesn’t evaporate like water based moisturizers can. Â It is theorized, but not yet proven, that because jojoba oil is so similar to human skin oil, it can “trick” the skin into thinking it has produced enough oil and thus balance oil production. Â It is very stable, jojoba oil does not become rancid or lose antioxidants even after long periods of storage. Â It spreads well and is absorbed well. The organic variety is free of pesticides, GMO’s and is sustainably farmed.
Sweet Almond Oil
Almond oil is an excellent emollient and moisturizer. Â As an emollient it nourishes and softens the skin helping to keep it smooth to the touch. Â Almond oil is similar in composition to the oil baby’s excrete to keep their skin and hair healthy. Â This composition is beneficial to protecting and conditioning your skin no matter your age. Â By helping the skin stay healthy it promotes a youthful skin complexion. Â Almond oil is frequently used to treat dry skin. Â It relieves itchiness, soreness, rashes, dryness, irruption and burns. Â Almond oil aides the skin in keeping the proper balance of moisture in the skin which is critical when treating dry skin.
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For an extra special treat to your skin, use this sugar and lemon juice scrub in the video above, then follow up with Homemade Face Moisturizer. Â My 3 little lovelies did this with me on a recent “beauty spa day” and I was amazed at how it even made their beautiful young skin glow!
You may also like:
2 Ingredient Homemade Eye Makeup Remover
Stay tuned for what I have been using to cleanse my face!
Want to have the softest, silkiest legs ever? Â Then make this Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub. Â It is awesome!
Now, the scrub is amazing, but the technique is what brings on smoothest legs ever!
I found this idea on Pinterest, from Gluten Free Navy Wife, and it intrigued me enough that I whipped up a batch and jumped in the tub just minutes after reading it.
Here is what you do:
First:
 Mix up your scrub.
Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
1 1/4 cup Sugar
3 Tbsp Lime or Lemon Juice {fresh is best!}
Put all into a jar and stir.
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Second:
Grab your scrub, a razor, & jar of coconut oil. Â Fill up the tub and soak for about 5 minutes.
Third:
Use the below shaving technique for the softest, smooooothest legs!
~Shave 1st leg using straight coconut oil.
~Take a palmful of your Homemade Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub & scrub that leg, then rinse.
~Shave your leg again. Â Yeppers, you got that right…again.
~Repeat with other leg.
~After your bath, dry off and apply a small amount of straight coconut oil as lotion, or use your favorite lotion.
Additional Thoughts:
~The first time you shave, it will remove the hair. Â After applying the scrub which loosens dead skin cells, the second shave removes that nastiness. Â Rinse your razor often, you will see why. Â Honestly, I was a bit horrified at what came off my legs!
~Why skip shaving gels/lotions and use coconut oil instead? Â Well, it is healthy natural product. Â I do not get bumps on my legs anymore after switching to natural soap and shaving with coconut oil. Â If you think about it, those gels that come in a can and that foam up are full of all kinds of chemicals and artificial ingredients. Â When you go and shave, making small nicks in the skin, those ingredients then go right in and cause irritation. Â It reminds me of when I was allergy tested as a kid…ever have that done? Â They put the irritant that you may be allergic to on your skin, then make a small pin prick- nick, then measure the irritation to determine if you are allergic. Â Goes to show that what you put on your skin topically does effect the body more than one would think!
~My fav razor is a Mach 3 Gillette. Â I have been using it for years. Â Even with all the fancy smancy lady like razors out there, I still prefer my Gillette. Â Yes, the refill blades are expensive, but they last forever and I love how close of a shave I get with this razor! Â Plus, I have a thing for black and silver…
~I also use coconut oil as a lotion.  Why?  Again, the natural factor.  I love how it makes my skin feel.  I love that I don’t have to spend all kinds of money on different lotions full of ingredients that I really don’t want on my skin. I love that it is a minimalist approach, no more beauty lotion clutter in my house!  I buy organic coconut oil at Trader Joes.  This link will take you to the brand I used before TJ’s came to town, it is a great brand and price on Amazon.
~This scrub is awesome for all parts of the body. Â I even used it on my face! Â If you get a little on your lips, at least it tastes yummy!
~I keep this in the refrigerator. Â These pics are of the scrub just out of the refrigerator. Â It is more liquid/oily if it is at room temp. Â Coconut oil solidifies at a certain temp, so the consistency of the scrub depends on the room temperature. Â It works well no matter what consistency, but you can use less if it is in a more solid state.
~I plan on using this technique often–not every time I shave my legs, but whenever I want to give my skin an extra pampering. Â I WILL use the scrub all over quite often, as I love how it makes my skin feel.
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Silky smooth! Â Click here for 6 MORE ways I use it in my beauty routine.
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~I skipped putting lotion on after using this scrub. Â I found after I dried off that my skin was super soft and smooth and didn’t need it. Â In the winter this might change. Â I ran around giddy making my whole family feel my super soft legs. Â They thought I was a bit nutty, but boy does this scrub make me happy!
I can’t tell you how great it has been to no longer choke as I am cleaning from the fumes of harsh chemical cleaners! Â I love that I can assign my daughters different jobs around the house and not worry about handing over bottles of cleaners to them. Â It just is a good feeling.
This homemade disinfectant can’t get any more simple. Â It just uses hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of essential oils for scent, which is optional.
For heavy duty disinfectant jobs, like raw chicken, I’ve read all over the Internet about a this study, which uses a hydrogen peroxide and vinegar, in two separate spray bottles.
“It doesn’t matter which you use first – you can spray with the vinegar then
the hydrogen peroxide, or with the hydrogen peroxide followed by the vinegar.
You won’t get any lingering taste of vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, and neither
is toxic to you if a small amount remains on the produce. As a bonus: The paired
sprays work exceptionally well in sanitizing counters and other food preparation
surfaces — including wood cutting boards. In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University, pairing the two mists killed virtually all
Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and
surfaces when used in this fashion, making this spray combination more effective
at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any
commercially available kitchen cleaner. “
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Homemade Disinfectant
Hydrogen Peroxide
10-15 drops of essential oil (optional–for scent)
Spray bottle
I chose Lemon essential oil as my scent. Â I LOVE any citrus scent! Â You can order the oil I used here on Amazon.Â
I am on a roll in making homemade cleaners as I am tired of paying the prices of organic cleaners. Â I wanted an easy way to label them, so I got my daughters alphabet stamp kit out and made a bunch of labels. Â You can find links to more of my cleaning recipes below!
Between my cancer history and my daughters asthma issues, I am passionate about getting as many chemicals out of our home as possible. Â Making my own cleaners is a super easy way to make a HUGE difference in cleaning up the air in our home.
Homemade Glass Cleaner That Smells Great
Awesome Homemade All Purpose Cleaner
Under The Kitchen Sink Cleaner Organization
*update-an opaque bottle is a must for hydrogen peroxide. Â Guess I will have to go shopping. Â I’ve read that a small spray bottle top can fit right onto the bottle that the hydrogen peroxide is sold in, so that is my plan!
Why am I passionate about making my own cleaners?
~it is inexpensive
~they don’t contain harsh chemicals
~it is easy
~my daughters asthma instantly got better when we switched to organic cleaners
~I have history of cancer, twice, so the less chemicals my in my body the better
~it is eco friendly
~the ingredients used in one product can often be used in other products which makes it cost effective
Recipe For Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
from Why Not Sew {click through for step by step pics}
1 bar of soap (any kind you want, I used Ivory)
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of washing soda
a big pot (that holds more than 2 gallons)
2 empty gallon jugs/containers
Grate your bar of soap into your pot.  Fill one gallon jug and pour water into pot with grated soap. Cook until the grated soap dissolves. Add the Borax and washing soda. Bring to a boil. It will coagulate. Turn off the heat. Add 1 gallon of cold water. Stir well. Pour 1 gallon of your detergent into each container.
Now you have 2 gallons of homemade laundry detergent. I use 1/2 cup per load. With the prices of detergent being outrageous, I feel really happy every time I make a batch of this.
This won’t make many, if any, suds. Suds don’t equal clean. It took a while to get that into my head. This detergent cleans wonderfully!
Hints From Why Not Sew:
* I now just keep my detergent in the pot I cook it in with the lid on. When I run out I make up a new batch in that pot and it’s ready to go. I like saving the step of transferring into the jugs.
*the detergent should thicken / coagulate when it cools. Usually within 24 hours! Â
Sometimes I get an idea to write a post and think, “do people REALLY want to read about this?” But then, I think about what motivates and inspires me when reading other blogs, and sometimes it is the most simple posts (like this one on cleaning baseboards from Simple Notebook) that get me movin’!
It was lust at first site and love at first use. I looked for awhile on the internet for the perfect stick vacuum, and decided on a Electrolux because: had all of these things!
, too!! Love.}
