As you know, I dearly love mornings on our farm. The animals are happily snoozing in the first warming rays of sunshine and the garden, oh, it is a lovely, magical place and shimmering light and glistening dewdrops.
It’s my favorite place to wander for the morning light captures things I miss during the blazing heat of midday.
Slowly but surely I’m turning it into an herb garden with all sorts of wonderful things I can use in herbal teas, medicines, and skin care products. It’s so fun to see it filling up with bergamot, peppermint, rosemary, sage, comfrey, rose geranium, and fennel.
I learned last year that I simply must have flowers in my garden so I’ve got a few lovelies growing: hollyhocks, nasturtiums, cornflowers, Johnny-Jump-Ups, lupines and a few others I can’t remember the names of.
All this growth and color has inspired me tremendously in creating my own homemade skincare products.
I have extremely sensitive skin and for years I moved from one product line to another trying to find something that wouldn’t hurt me. I knew people made their own skincare products but always assumed you had to have special appliances and skills to make them. How wrong I was!
Over the last year I’ve done a massive amount of research, pouring over books and recipes and ideas, collecting ingredients bit by bit. It’s been so fun getting in the kitchen mixing and testing until I found the combinations that worked best for me. It’s like making mud-pies for grown-ups.
I made and used homemade deodorant from a medieval recipe and loved the heavenly scent and that it actually worked.
For the past few months I’ve been using my own moisturizer and found it so soothing and healing.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been using my own cleanser and toner as well and the difference has been incredible. My skin never hurts now and issues that I’ve had for years are clearing up at long last. It feels so good knowing I’m putting stuff on my skin that is healthy enough to eat.
Here are the recipes that I use each day using simple things like yogurt, cold-pressed oil, flower waters, and essential oils. Next up is shampoo, chapstick, and emulsified lotion.
Have you ever made your own toiletries?
Homemade Face Cleanser
Ingredients:
1/4 plain yogurt
4-6 drops rose geranium essential oil
4-6 drops lavender essential oil
Directions:
- Whisk all ingredients together, bottle and refrigerate between uses.
- When ready to use, dampen face with lukewarm water, pour about 1 tbsp of cleaner into hand, rub together with other hand and apply all over face. Rub gently all over then rinse well with lukewarm water. Use damp face cloth to gently rub face to make sure all impurities are removed. Follow with toner and moisturizer.
Homemade Skin Toner
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp rose water
2 Tbsp orange flower water
Directions:
- Whisk ingredients together, bottle and refrigerate between uses. (You don’t have to refrigerate flower waters, but they’re wonderfully cooling to the skin when chilled.)
- When ready to use, dip clean cotton ball in toner and apply to entire face. Follow with moisturizer.
Homemade Face Moisturizer
Ingredients:
1/4 cup cold-pressed oil such as apricot seed, sweet almond, or jojoba
4-6 drops rose geranium essential oil
4-6 drops lavender essential oil
Directions:
- Whisk ingredients together, bottle and refrigerate between uses. (You don’t have to refrigerate oil moisturizers, but it’s just handy to have all three products in the same place.)
- When ready to use, dip teaspoon into oil and collect about 1/8 of a tsp. Pour into hand and rub hands together. Smooth over face, massaging into the skin. If you’ve applied too much, simply remove excess with a clean cotton ball.
Oh you are clever Krista. Your extensive research has clearly paid off. I went back to your post with your homemade deodorant as I am very seriously considering making some to use. It sounds so good 🙂
Thank you so much, @wanderingsheila:disqus 🙂 I feel like I’m just getting started, but I love what I’ve learned so far. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the deodorant! I’ve got a couple other deodorant recipes to try, and I will let you know how they work out. 🙂
What exquisite photos, Krista. I’ll have to give these recipes a try. I hope all is well. Have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Thank you so much, @OnePerfectBite:disqus 🙂 I hope you enjoy them and find just the right things to make your skin feel heavenly. 🙂
this is so great! I am always looking for natural skin recipes. xx Alecia http://www.likesof.us
I’m so glad, @aleciazasiebida:disqus ! 🙂 I just love the difference in how my skin feels and looks. 🙂
Gorgeous recipes! I love your morning glory photo. Reminded me of my darling parents, who always grew them!
Thank you so much, @lizposmyk:disqus 🙂 Morning glories delight me too. We had heaps of them growing in Washington State and I love seeing them here too. 🙂
You have the prettiest flowers in your garden!
Thank you, @joanneeatswellwithothers:disqus I’m not a very experienced gardener so these beauties actually growing and thriving thrilled me. 🙂
ok i’m sold! this seems so obvious! why don’t we all do it!? happy making – and smelling good too!
http://mlleparadis.blogspot.com
I know, @9d73767d10227efff04c7307e331304c:disqus !!! I still can’t get over how easy and inexpensive it is. 🙂
How great to treat faces and bodies the same way we do our tummies! I love that not only have you gone the length of doing the research, but you’ve shared it, and in doing so encouraged many. Thanks Krista!
I’m so glad it’s something you’re interested in, @132fe8be674f43d4508b19c8db8df791:disqus 🙂 You are most welcome!!
Ooooh – fantastic! Can’t wait to share these with my health blog readers – we’re all always looking for ways to get away from commercial, chemical products!
That’s great, @inspiringtravellers:disqus 🙂 I will share more in the weeks to come. 🙂
Once again, I’m glad I returned to this post on my computer rather than my phone. Those flower photos are stunning! I’ve been enjoying the morning light on this side of the globe too – my son’s preschool is just a few blocks away, so I have the pleasure of seeing the sun play through the trees as I walk him there and back every morning. It’s just not the same at noon. The only toiletry I’ve made is a simple baking soda shampoo. I mix a few tablespoons of the soda with a couple drops each of lavender and tea tree oils with just enough water to let the mixture make through my squirt bottle, and rinse with apple cider vinegar in lieu of conditioner. I’ve been quite happy with it, both in terms of how it feels and how little it costs 🙂
Your walk to your sons school sounds absolutely beautiful, @rachelfriesen:disqus 🙂 I love the sounds of your hair care regimen! I’m so intrigued by all these different and oh so healthy ways to care for ourselves. 🙂
OOhh!! I just love all the flowers. My garden is full of them as well, though I haven’t had morning glories in years. I do love nasturtiums though!!
Love the idea of the homemade products!! So many times I find them better, healthier and cheaper than those from the store. Will have to give these beauties a closer look. And I’m checking out the deoderant too!
I’m so glad you like them, @kimlivlife:disqus 🙂 I hope to make a new batch and try some new recipes this coming week. 🙂
Beautiful blooms and I am so inspired by your homemade skin care. My skin is super sensitive and I know that that the “junk” I buy from the store isn’t helping. Thank you for sharing these “recipes”!
You are very welcome, @monet_anecdotesandapples_com:disqus I hope you are able to find something that works beautifully for you. 🙂
Interesting, than you for the recipe 🙂
You are very welcome, @ebb77cd9f6714a6c03d039eb072f2afc:disqus 🙂
Great home recipe ideas. Soundss like the research was a lot of fun too!
Thank you, @6e04e5cb15f9260ba7d2b9c95064a63f:disqus ! 🙂 It was very informative and inspiring to be sure. 🙂
I have always been fascinated by the use of herbs and recently went to a talk on Medicinal Herbs, so found this post very informative.
Oh how fun, @LindyLouMac:disqus ! I just ordered another book of recipes and techniques and I’m so excited to try them out. 🙂
I love these skincare recipes!
lavender oil is gorgeous.
I love lavender so much, @GourmetGetaway:disqus 🙂 It is good for so many things. 🙂
Beautiful photos as always, Krista. I am going to try some of these, I want to know – do you find the moisturiser leaves an oily residue?
Thank you, @60277fdd6e406aefa37ee2edcf9458ac:disqus 🙂 I find that if I use too much it leaves a residue, but if I only use a few drops and let it “soak in” for about 10 minutes, all is well. 🙂
Lavender oil is lovely. I personally enjoy using apricot kernel oil because it’s so light and easily absorbed by the skin. It works well with oily skin because it doesn’t leave a greasy or oily feeling after you wash it off. Rosehip seed oil is also a very potent oil as it’s very effective for scarring such as acne scars or stretch marks. I use these recipes a lot in my own books (http://www.amazon.com/Mia-Gordon/e/B00CKMD9XQ/) so I hope it helps! 🙂 Thanks for sharing.