The Natural Beauty Workshop

Organic Soy Lecithin

Soy Lecithin is one of my favorite "secret" ingredients.  This soy based additive can be used to adjust the texture of balms, body butters, and lotions.  Soy Lecithin adds a creamy, adhesive texture which is especially beneficial to lip balms and lipsticks.  In lotions, creams, and other skin care formulas, Soy Lecithin makes an excellent alternative to Lanolin.  For vegan formulators, Soy Lecithin can be very handy.

FromNatureWithLove.com is pleased to announce the addition of Organic Soy Lecithin to our line of USDA Certified Organic Ingredients.  Soy is an ingredient that is particularly prone to genetic modification and the use of chemical pesticides.  In fact, a large portion of American, non-organic soy products are derived from genetically modified organisms, making the use of Organic Soy products preferable to many natural skin care and health enthusiasts.

Organic Whole Milk Powder

Another great addition to FromNatureWithLove.com's expanding line of Certified USDA Organic Ingredients, Organic Whole Milk Powder allows formulators to create to incorporate Organic Dairy into their skin care recipes.  Organic Whole Milk Powder can be used to create a wide range of skin care treatments and formulas.  Skin softening Milk Baths can be created by simply adding Organic Whole Milk Powder to warm bath water, or it can be combined with Organic Honey Powder and Organic Essential Oils to create an extra special bathing experience.

Organic Whole Milk Powder is also an excellent ingredient for use in fresh facials, masks, and cleansers. The lactic acid contained within Organic Whole Milk Powder can provide extremely gentle exfoliation, a wonderful solution for those with very sensitive skin. Combine Organic Whole MIlk Powder with an Organic Hydrosol, and an Organic Exfoliant such as Organic Grapeseed Powder, Organic Raspberry Seed Powder, or Organic Rosehip Seed Powder to create a fresh cleansing scrub for normal skin types.

Natural Deodorants

Forgive my blatant pun, but all too often deodorants get the short end of the stick when it comes to our personal beauty routines.  For something that most people apply to their body every single day, it is surprising that many of us are willing to settle for a mass produced stick of deodorant, when making your own customized, all natural deodorant is quick, easy, and affordable.  Simply create a base for your Deodorant using Oils, Waxes, Butters and Additives, then scent it with a customized blend of Essential Oils.

Deodorant Base
A Deodorant Base can be created similarly to a Balm Base. Combine 1 part Vegetable Butter, 2 parts Vegetable Oil, and 1 part Wax to create a base. Next, add 1 part Baking Soda, and 1 part Cornstarch or Dry-Flo to lend absorbency and deodorizing ability to the base. Depending on the Butters, Oils, and Waxes you choose, you may need to adjust the proportions to acheive an ideal consistency.  You may want to package your first batch of Deodorant in a wide mouth jar to make it easy to use regardless of its texture.  If the recipe you create yields a very hard Deodorant, you can package in Stick Tube or Deodorant Containers.

Essential Oil Blend
The majority of your Essential Oil Blend should be composed of Essential Oils that you will enjoy smelling throughout the day.  Some personal favorites of mine include: Jasmine Absolute, Rose Essential Oil, Vanilla Absolute, Ylang Ylang Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, and Bergamot Essential Oil. Creating your own, personal blend will make your Deodorant a pleasure to use every day.

Many Essential Oils contain deodorizing properties that can help to enhance your Deodorant Base. Cypress, Myrrh, Lemongrass, Spruce, and Pine Essential Oils contain components that can help to add extra deodorizing power to your blend.  Tea Tree, Niaouli, Nerolina, Juniper, and Ravensara Essential Oils are known for their antiseptic properties.  Adding an antiseptic Essential Oil to your deodorant is another way to enhance its deodorizing abilities.

Check out our recent post on creating Essential Oil Blends for Natural Deodorants for sample blend recipes. 

Remember to reasearch your chosen Essential Oils well before adding them to your recipe.  Make sure that the Essential Oils you are using won't conflict with any medical conditions that you may have.  While the exact percentage of Essential Oil can be adjusted to suit your personal taste and tolerance, I would recommend using a total of around 2% Essential Oil in your Deodorant Formula.

More Deodorant Recipes
There are many more recipes available for creating handmade, Natural Deodorants.  One of my favorite bloggers, Amy Karol, recently posted this recipe of her own.  Recipes for Herbal Stick Deodorant and Herbal Deodorant Spray are available at FromNatureWithLove.com's Recipe Database.  You can also find a great recipe for Solid Deodorant in the Database.

Yuzu Essential Oil

The fresh, citrus scent of Yuzu is refreshing, uplifting, and unique.  This small, greenish yellow fruit originates in Asia, and is a popular food item in Japan, Korea, and China. With a similar aroma to Grapefruit, Yuzu Essential Oil makes an exotic, but versatile addition to Essential Oil blends and natural skin care formulations.

Like Grapefruit or other citrus Essential Oils, Yuzu Essential Oil can cause photo-sensitivity.  Make sure to keep this in mind while creating and using recipes that include Yuzu.  This fragrant Essential Oil blends wonderfully with Rose, Geranium, Ylang Ylang, and Vanilla.  Citrus Essential Oils, such as Yuzu, are also great for creating energizing blends.  Try combining Yuzu Essential Oil with Cypress, Patchouli, Basil, and Mandarin.  This aromatic blend can help to add a spring to your step when you are feeling low or listless.

Yuzu Essential Oil is also becoming a popular ingredient for use in perfumery.  Yuzu makes an ideal top note and adds a touch of tart and sweetness to both floral and oriental blends. 

Lavender Lover's Kitchen Soap

A classic ingredient in provincial cooking, Lavender makes a perfect aroma for the kitchen.  This gentle kitchen soap is made with all natural Liquid Castile and a blend of fragrant Lavender Essential Oil and antiseptic Naiouli Essential Oil.  This gentle hand soap can help to disinfect and refresh your hands after cooking or cleaning.

Lavender Lover's Kitchen Soap
Makes about 4 ounces

Ingredients
4 ounces Aloe Castile Shower Gel Base
1 teaspooon Lavender Bulgaria Essential Oil
1/8  teaspoon Naiouli Essential Oil

Directions & Packaging
In a small mixing bowl or cup combine Aloe Castile Shower Gel Base and Essential Oils. Stir the mixture well before pouring it into a bottle with a Pump or Disc Cap. Brushed Almunimum Bottles are a my recommended choice for this soap, but it would also look nice in a PET Plastic Bottle. Lavender Lover's Kitchen Soap makes a great gift when accompanied by Lavender Lover's Body Polish.

Lavender Lover's Body Polish

For those who love the classic aroma of Lavender, this salt scrub should send them into euphoric bliss. This fragrant Body Polish is made with fine grain Dendritic Salt to provide gentle buffing and exfoliation to the skin. The addition of all natural Castile Shower Gel helps the moisturizing scrub rinse away easily, leaving behind beautifully polished skin.

Lavender Lover's Body Polish
Makes about 6 ounces

Ingredients
3 ounces Avocado Oil
1 ounce Aloe Castile Shower Gel Base
1/2 cup Dendritic Salt
1 tablespoon Lavender Buds Powder
1 teaspoon Lavender, Bulgaria Essential Oil

Directions
In a small bowl or cup, mix the Avocado Oil, Aloe Castile Shower Gel Base, and Lavender Essential Oil together. Next, add the Dendritic Salt and Lavender Buds Powder. Stir the mixture well, making sure to break apart any clumps of salt. After the mixture is thoroughly combined it can be spooned into jars.

Usage and Packaging
Body Polishes are essentially the same as a classic Body Scrub.   The difference between the two is that Body Polishes use a finer grain exfoliant, making the scrub gentler.  Body Polishes can be used all over the body, but are still too harsh for most people's faces. To create a facial scrub you'll need to use an even gentler exfoliant such as Baking Soda, Milk Powder, or Oatmeal.

Lavender Lover's Body Polish looks adorable in 2 oz. Flat PET Jars with White Lids.  If you are giving the Body Polish as a gift, try tying it up with a piece of purple ribbon and fresh sprig of lavender.

CO2 Extracted Oat Oil

FromNatureWithLove.com is thrilled to add this high quality Oat Oil to our line of CO2 Extracts and Carrier Oils.  CO2 Extracted Oat Oil can be used in oil based formulas and oil and water emulsions to lend the wonderful properties of oat to your product.  Just like an oatmeal bath helps to soothe and calm irritated or sensitive skin, products made using CO2 Extracted Oat Oil can do the same.  Lotions, creams, balms, body butters, soaps, and hair conditioners are just a handful of the many formulas that can benefit from the use of Oat Oil.  It is an excellent emollient, and can help to improve the texture of skin by increasing elasticity and moisture.  This high quality CO2 Extracted Oat Oil can be incorporated at a small percentage, between 1 and 5 percent, to your favorite skin and hair care formulas.

Carrot Products

Carrots make great skin care ingredients for the same reasons they make great additions to the dinner table.  They are packed to the brim with beneficial nutrients, antioxidants, and beta carotene.  This bounty of skin care properties makes the carrot a very popular plant in the personal care industry.  Carrots are used to create Essential Oil, CO2 Extracts, Macerated Oil, and Hydrosol.  The dried roots are even powdered to create a gentle, nourishing exfoliant.

The reason Carrot Products are so popular is that both the Carrot Seeds and Roots contain properties that can help to improve the skin's condition and appearance.  Carrot Seed Products can increase circulation, help to combat the formation of wrinkles, and increase elasticity, all while working to repair and tone skin's texture.  Carrot Root Products are rich in Vitamins A & E, making them great for use in both skin and hair care formulations.  Carrot Oil, for example, is a great hair conditioner, providing moisture to the hair while helping to improve scalp condition.  Because of the wide variety of Carrot Products available, it is possible to find an ingredient for almost any type of skin or hair care formula.  I've listed a little information on some of the most popular Carrot Based Ingredients:

• Carrot Seed Select CO2 Extract - This potent CO2 Extract has a similar appearance and texture to an Essential Oil.  It has a mild aroma and can be used in any oil soluble formulation including facial creams, body lotions, balms, butters, or salves.
• Helio Carrot Root Total CO2 Extract - Unlike most carrot products, this CO2 Extract is made from the carrot's root.  Helio Carrot Root Total CO2 Extract has a deep orange color that can dye the skin if used directly.  Rich in Vitamins A & E, this potent CO2 Extract should be used in small amounts in oil based formulas such as hair conditioners, body butters, lotions, and soaps.
• Carrot Seed Essential Oil - A classic Carrot Seed Product, this Essential Oil is a wonderful ingredient for use in facials, creams, serums, and massage blends.  Carrot Seed Essential Oil has a slightly sweet, woody aroma, making it usable in simple formulations and diltuions.
• Carrot Root Powder - This creamy orange colored powder makes a beautiful additon to soaps, scrubs, and facials.  Rich in vitamins and nutrients, Carrot Root Powder can also be used as a nutritive base for masks, ubtans, and other exfoliating skin treatments.
• Carrot Oil - High in betacarotene, Vitamins A & E, and provitamin A, Carrot Oil is a nutritive addition to creams, lotions, serums, and hair care treatments.  This oil has a rich, orange color that can tint the skin slightly when applied directly.  To avoid this, simply dilute Carrot Oil in another Carrier Oil. When added to balms, salves, and body butters, Carrot Oil can help to soothe and moisturize dry skin and eczema.
• Organic Carrot Seed Hydrosol - This gentle Hydrosol has a very mild aroma, which is pleasantly sweet and herbaceous.  Organic Carrot Seed Hydrosol makes an excellent facial toner when used directly.  It can also be added to water based formulas or emulsions such as lotions and facial creams.

Natural Skin Care for Babies

When it comes to skin care for little ones, my philosophy has always been "less is more".  Babies can be sensitive to much more than older children or adults.  Like adults, their bodies absorb chemicals and active ingredients from substances that they come into contact with.  However, since their systems are so tiny, even small amounts of irritants can upset their delicate balance.  The younger the child, the more important it is to keep their little bodies away from harsh chemicals and potential allergens.  Using Organic Ingredients whenever possible may be especially important when formulating products for children and babies. 

It is also important to bear in mind that babies and children are in a constant state of change.  Their allergies and sensitivities can change without warning, developing and then disappearing again as they grow into adults.  This makes patch testing on children and babies very important.  Whenever you introduce a new formula to their routine, make sure to patch test a small amount on their skin.  Wait 24 hours to see if there is any reaction before applying the product liberally.

To learn more about natural skin care for babies, check out this informative article in FromNatureWithLove.com's Information Library: Pure and Simple Skin Care for Baby.  This detailed article will provide you with some basic techniques, recipes, and staple ingredients to help you and your baby enjoy pure and natural skin care throughout their first year. 

Liquid Castile Soap

One of the first mass produced soaps in the world, Castile is traditionally made into a bar soap, and is made entirely from Olive Oil, water, and lye.  Although most Castile soaps today still include a hefty portion of Olive Oil, many Castile recipes include other Vegetable Oils such as Hemp Seed Oil, Coconut Oil, or Sunflower Oil.  These simple, vegetable based soaps produce gentle, all natural bars of soap that are often cornerstones in handmade soapmakers' recipe books.

Our Liquid Castile Soap is made from similar ingredients, but has been liquefied to create an all natural liquid soap base that can be used as is, or included in a wide range of natural formulations.  Unlike most liquid soaps, our Liquid Castile Soap Base contains no chemical preservatives, sulfates, or other synthetic additives, making it one of the gentlest liquid soaps available. 

FromNatureWithLove.com is proud to carry three varieties of all natural, Liquid Castile Soap Base.  Each base is made from a combination of Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Aloe Vera Gel, Water, and Rosemary Oil Extract. 

• Our conventional Liquid Castile Soap is made from conventional ingredients, and has a thin, watery texture, and characteristic aroma of classic castile soap.
• Organic Liquid Castile Soap Base is made with the same recipe as our conventional base.  However, the ingredients and process used to create this base are Certified USDA Organic.
• Our Aloe Castile Shower Gel Base is a unique variation of classic Liquid Castile Soap.  Vegetable Gum/Glycerin Extract, and Jojoba have been added to the recipe to produce a thicker, more gel-like Castile Soap.  This base also carries a slightly lighter natural aroma than classic Liquid Castile Soap, making it easier to scent.  Aloe Castile Shower Gel Base makes an excellent addition to thick scrubs and other formulations where classic Castile would be too thin.

Liquid Castile Soap Bases can be scented with either natural Essential Oils or synthetic Fragrance Oils.  In our experience, Liquid Castile Soaps tend to blend more easily with Essential Oils.  While most skin safe Essential Oils can be used to scent Liquid Castile Soap, we have found Lavender, Peppermint, and Lime Essential Oils to be our favorites.  Essential Oils can also be added to Liquid Castile Soap with the soap's purpose in mind.

• Tea Tree, Naiouli, and Citrus Essential Oils can be combined with Liquid Castile Soap to make an excellent dish washing soap. 
• Naiouli, Peppermint, and Lemongrass can be used to scent a Castile based foot scrub. 
• Lavender, Rosemary, and a few drops of Peppermint Essential Oil can be used to create an invigorating, all natural, Castile shampoo. (Make sure to accompany any Castile Shampoo with a vinegar rinse to remove any excess residue that Castile could leave behind.)

As always, be sure to take care with the dilution of the Essential Oils being used in your Liquid Castile Soap creations.  An overdose of Essential Oil in your shampoo, for example, could be very unpleasant, or even dangerous.  A good starting point for these kind of formulas is a usage rate of about 2 - 4 %.  However, some Essential Oils may require extra dilution.