Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (7 page)
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Authors: Sophie Uliano
Yields:
approximately 4 oz. of cream
Application:
use on heels, knees, and elbows when they feel very rough and dry
Storage:
4-oz. dark glass jar in the fridge
Shelf life:
3 months
6 tbsp. apricot oil
2 tbsp. beeswax
1 tbsp. virgin coconut oil
1 tbsp. cocoa butter
1 tsp. anhydrous lanolin
*
½ cup lavender infusion
**
2 tsp. vegetable glycerin
½ tsp. borax
35 drops orange essential oil
25 drops geranium essential oil
1.
Heat the apricot oil, beeswax, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and lanolin in a bowl set on a large saucepan of boiling water, until the wax has melted.
2.
In another pan, warm the lavender infusion, glycerin, and borax until warm.
3.
Remove both the bowl and the pan from the heat and allow them to cool for 10 minutes or until the oil mixture begins to thicken. Dip your finger in to see that both the oil mixture and the infusion mixture are body temperature.
4.
Time to move fast! Pour the oil mixture into a blender. Remove the plastic plug top from the top of the blender and blend. After 10 seconds, begin to slowly drizzle the infusion into the blender. After you have poured in half the infusion, stop the blender and scrape down the sides, making sure that all the ingredients stay in the mix. Add the remainder of the infusion. You may need to scrape down the sides a few times before everything is well blended.
5.
Add the essential oils and blend for another 10 seconds.
6.
Swiftly pour the cream into the glass jar.
7.
You will need to make sure that you scrape all the cream out of the blender (I recommend wiping out the blender and bowls with paper towels, which you can then compost). Then put everything in the dishwasher on the hottest cycle. The creams and waxes can be pretty hard to hand-wash off, so you’ll use a lot less water by flinging them all in the dishwasher.
Spicy Holiday Sugar Scrub
Because of its spicy aroma, this sugar scrub makes a wonderful holiday gift. It’s an incredible exfoliating potion for skin that gets dry in the winter.
Yields:
approximately 8 oz. of scrub
Application:
massage onto damp skin (during a shower), twice a week. Use circular motions to exfoliate dry/dead skin, then rinse.
Storage:
8-oz. dark glass jar in a cool, dark cupboard
Shelf life:
6 months
¾ cup organic sugar
2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. dried rose petals
2 tsp. grated orange zest
1 cup sesame oil
1.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, making sure that everything is well mixed.
2.
Spoon into your jar.
Minty Foot Scrub
This is a perfect salt scrub for exfoliating all that dead, dry skin, and works really well when used with a foot file. It also makes a lovely gift.
Yields:
approximately 8 oz. of scrub
Application:
use whenever your feet are in need of a bit of love!
Storage:
8-oz. dark glass jar in cool, dark cupboard
Shelf life:
6 months
6 oz. sea salt or kosher salt (if you want to get really fancy, you can use pink Himalayan sea salt)
1½ cups sweet almond oil
30 drops peppermint essential oil
15 drops tea tree essential oil
1 tbsp. dried mint leaves, crushed (optional)
1.
Fill the jar with the salt.
2.
Slowly pour the almond oil over the salt and gently mix it in with a teaspoon.
3.
Let the oil and salt settle for 5 minutes.
4.
The oil should just cover the salt, so add a little more if you need to (the salt will soak up a lot of the oil).
5.
Mix in the essential oils and dried mint.
How to use:
Soak one foot in a large bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. (I place one large towel under my bowl and one over my knee, as it can get messy.) Cross the soaked foot across your other knee. Scoop out a generous dollop of the foot scrub and, starting on the top of your foot, massage it in, using circular motions. Work the scrub up to your ankle and around your toes and heel. Rub a
small dollop of the scrub on a foot file to use for extra-rough skin on your heel. Rinse off in the bowl, dry off, and repeat with the other foot.
Double Mint Foot Lotion
This tingly, refreshing lotion pairs beautifully with the Minty Foot Scrub. Mint is antiseptic, antifungal, and cooling. It helps tremendously with tired, achy, and swollen feet.
Yields:
approximately 4 oz. of lotion
Application:
use when your feet are hot and tired
Storage:
4-oz. dark glass jar in the fridge
Shelf life:
3 months
2 tsp. cocoa butter
2 tsp. beeswax
2 tbsp. sweet almond oil
1 tbsp. wheat germ oil
2 tbsp. mint infusion
*
2 tsp. emulsifying wax
20 drops peppermint essential oil
5 drops tea tree essential oil
1.
Heat the cocoa butter, beeswax, and almond and wheat germ oils in a bowl set over a pan of boiling water, until the beeswax has melted. Remove from the heat.
2.
Place the mint infusion in a small bowl over the pan of boiling water, add the emulsifying wax, and heat until the wax has dissolved.
3.
Dip your fingertip in both the oil and the infusion mixture to check that they are a similar temperature (if the oils have cooled down, heat them up a little).
4.
Slowly
add the infusion mixture to the oils, whisking vigorously.
5.
Add the essential oils.
6.
Spoon into your jar and, when cool, screw on the lid.
Delightfully Cooling Deodorant
Natural deodorants can be so expensive, so I was relieved to find a recipe that really works. It also smells wonderful.
Yields:
approximately 4 oz. of deodorant
Application:
use in the morning and before you go out in the evening
Storage:
4-oz. dark glass bottle with a sprayer closure, in a cool, dark cupboard
Shelf life:
1 month
1 tsp. vegetable glycerin
½ cup witch hazel
½ cup aloe vera juice
3 tsp. zinc oxide
*
20 drops bergamot essential oil
10 drops grapefruit essential oil
1.
In a measuring cup, combine the vegetable glycerin and the witch hazel.
2.
Add the aloe vera, the zinc oxide, and the essential oils.
How to use:
You will need to shake before using. The spray will leave a non-staining white residue that will wear off during the day.
DIY NAILS
I have always been envious of girls who have the knack for painting their own nails perfectly. I’m okay with my left hand, but my right (because I’m right-handed) can be a disaster. Over the past few years I have gotten better, and now I can perform a very decent manicure and pedicure as long as I use a pale-colored polish. I’ve also realized that if I cut my salon visits down to a quarterly trip, I can save enough to buy a very nice pair of eco-friendly designer boots or shoes, or I can earn brownie points by stashing away an extra few hundred in my retirement account.
I recommend learning to do a weekly DIY manicure and pedicure and then visiting the salon every three months to give your cuticles and hangnails a good going over. I actually found that when I started going to the salon less, my cuticles didn’t grow so fast and furiously—I think they’re happier when left to do their own thing.
PEDICURE
- Prepare a large plastic bowl or tub with warm water. Place it on a towel and add 10 drops of tea tree essential oil.
- Trim your nails with a nail clipper. Toenails should always be slightly longer than your toe. They look terrible if clipped too short, so be careful.
- File them in one direction only and buff around the edges with a nail-buffing block.
- Soak your feet in the warm water for 10 minutes. Use the Minty Foot Scrub (see “Do It Beautifully”) to exfoliate dry skin.
- Use a rough grit file to file away any rough skin on your heels.
- Rinse and dry off your feet and massage the Double Mint Foot Lotion (see “Do It Beautifully”) into them. Use your thumbnails to push your cuticles down—this often works better than a cuticle stick.
- Clean off your nails with a nontoxic polish remover—I love the polish removers from SpaRitual (www.sparitual.com)—or white vinegar.
- Apply a clear base coat of nail polish, followed by two coats of a pale pink (unless you’re really adept at painting), and finish with a top coat. I always use nontoxic polishes and love both SpaRitual and Zoya (www.zoya.com) polishes.
WINTER TOES
In the winter months, I allow my nails to breathe—and save money—by letting my toenails go bare. If you want to get rid of that horrid yellow stain that results from wearing polish (especially dark colors) all the time, you need to give your nails a rest. In the winter, I rarely have my toenails on display, and if I have a special romantic evening coming up, I’ll give them a quick coat of a pearly pink polish and whip it off straight after.
I recommend these weekly practices for winter maintenance. If you keep them up, you’ll eventually see baby pink nails appearing. This is exciting, as it means fewer visits to the salon. And you may even want to show off your pearly shells in summer sandals when the time comes. There’s nothing prettier than well-kept au naturel nails—especially when they’re paired with a healthy tan.
• Make a paste with 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Stand in the shower once a week and massage the paste into your nails before you turn the water on. Leave for five minutes before rinsing off. It’s a good time to apply a facemask, as you’ll get it all done at once.
• While sitting at the kitchen table, pour some 3% hydrogen peroxide into a small plastic container and dip your toes into it, one foot at a time. Leave your toes in for as long as you can. When you’re done, push back your cuticles with a warm, wet washcloth.
• Invest in a good buffing/shining block. Each time you perform one of the above treatments, give your nails a good buff and shine.
Nail and Cuticle Conditioning Oil
It really helps to regularly condition and nourish your nails with therapeutic oils. It’ll help your cuticles become more pliable and thus easier to push back, and it’ll help eliminate skin peeling (which can happen after a manicure if the manicurist is a little too cuticle-clipper happy) and hangnails.
Yields:
approximately 4 oz. of oil
Application:
apply daily to your nails with a cotton swab (after a few weeks, you’ll notice a huge difference)
Storage:
2-oz. dark glass bottle in a cool, dark cupboard
Shelf life:
6 months
2 tbsp. sweet almond oil
1 tsp. vitamin E oil
4 drops sandalwood essential oil
2 drops cypress essential oil
1.
Blend all the oils together in a small bowl.
2.
Use a funnel to pour them into your bottle.
Whitening Peppermint Toothpaste
This is so easy and inexpensive to make. It will make your teeth shiny and your mouth tingle.
Yields:
approximately 1 oz. of toothpaste
Application:
use morning and evening
Storage:
1-oz. dark glass jar in a cool, dark cupboard
Shelf life:
1 month
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vegetable glycerin
2 tsp. hydrogen peroxide
6 drops peppermint essential oil
1 tiny pinch powdered stevia
*
(it’s so concentrated that you will only need as much as goes on the tip of a teaspoon)
1.
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together to form a paste.
2.
Spoon into your jar.
Mint Zinger Mouthwash
I rarely buy mouthwash. Most of them contain a high percentage of alcohol, which alters the pH of the mouth and is associated with increased risk of mouth and throat cancer. They also contain harsh detergents, and sorbitol and saccharin, which cause bladder cancer in animals. Finally, most lurid-colored mouthwashes contain synthetic colors, aromas, and flavorings, which alter our healthy mouth flora. The alternative/healthy ones can easily be made at home for a fraction of the price. This mouthwash is antibacterial and will help conquer bad breath!
