My favorite facial oil? Baobab oil!

I have discovered this perfect facial oil some months ago and I can assure you that Baobab oil is really very good oil for your skin, hair, lips, nails and even for dental care.
Baobab oil is rich in vitamins A, D, E, F, improves the elasticity of skin and healing damaged skin. The oil is easily absorbed into the skin without clogging pores and after  few minutes you feel  your skin smooth and touchable.
Personally I use this pure oil  as an additional cleanser and moisturizer after washing with my natural soap and my skin feels happy.
Every morning I hear compliments of my colleagues: O, Natalia, your skin is fresh and beatiful !

And 54 years old woman feels proud and happy.
Still no wrinkles :)

Beauty Drink and Face Lotion

Internet provides a lot of information about wonderful benefits of Cucumber :

http://visual.ly/7-wonderful-benefits-cucumber-healthy-skin
http://www.livestrong.com/article/488045-why-is-cucumber-good-for-the-skin/
http://www.naturalnews.com/036769_cucumbers_health_benefits_rehydration.html

I can add that in my life I have an excellent experience and more than 30 years use Cucumbers to keep my skin happy.
In my garden I have really my own BIO-products and  it is very easy to make the Cucumber Beauty Drink or refreshing Face Lotion. Indeed our skin likes to get a treatmet from inside and outside.

Believe me if you will drink this Beauty Drink daily during 28 days your skin face will be completely refreshing and regenerated.

Black Soap for Real Men: Batch N°2

I knew it, I knew it !
Real men love my Black Soap 

 The Batch N°2 "Black Soap for Real Men" was ordered and is ready now!

A bit improvement is visible.
 

Natural Facial Soaps

I get used to use the soaps to remove the make-up and to keep my skin clean. Of course not the industrial/commercial soaps but natural handmade products.
I know quality of my skin and developed my own recipies. Right combination of different natural oils and natural ingredients helps to create different soaps with perfect qualities.
My Natural Facial Soaps maintain protective lipids, leave skin clean, comfortable, refreshed and never taut or dry. I find that my own soaps are the best skin cleansers I have ever used.
After cleansing my skin loves the ice cold natural lotion with lower PH to keep PH balanced. It is a perfect easiest "lifting" of the face. I am  absolutely satisfied with my face skin. I mean: I don't really wear much make-up, just decorative cosmetic for my eyes and lipstick everyday,  so it's nice to have my skin looking great without having to fuss with tons of creams.
When people find out I'm 51, they are very surprised. I get many compliments on how great my skin looks and how young I look at my age.

For me also is very important the estetic look of my soaps. I am not a fun of colored decorated "cupcake"  soaps. By my opinion: what is not eatable should not look as a food. An elegant gentle form what is suitable in your hands and makes positive emotions is the best choise.
 

Calendula toner

 

Calendula is a very nice flower with particular healing properties: contains a large amounts of valuable substances, vitamin C, essential oils, tannins, malic acid and salicylic acid. Calendula is used in cosmetology  to make decoctions, infusions and tinctures, facial masks. These delicate flowers contain active substances that help fight skin aging and prevent a negative skin problems. I grew Calendula flowers from organic seeds this summer in my bio-garden and now is the time to make a toner.

Today is very sunny day and I picked the flower tops when they were in full blossom. Put the flower tops in a glass jar and cover with boiling water. I put the jar into the own 70 C for 20 min. Once the  infusion has cooled I strain the liquid into a fresh bowl and it is ready to be used.

This homemade toner is perfect for either using as a conventional toner after cleansing, or as a quick fix sprizer for a wonderful and refreshing skin boost.

Once this spray is made up it needs to be kept in  the refrigerator and used within 1 month.

Rose hydrolat

It is the flowering roses time. I enjoy their color, fragrance and of course would like to use the qualities for my homemade cosmetic. How to make the hydrolat I already posted in my blog. The same method I have applied to produce the Rose hydrolat. My last improvement to use the plastic sac with cold water for better condensation process.
Read more about Rose hydrolat qualities http://www.naturesgift.com/hydrosol/RoseHydrosol.htm:

Rose hydrolat is wonderful in homemade skin care products. It can be used by itself as a toner, used to moisten a mask, or used in place of water in lotions or cosmetics recipes. Rosewater stimulates the skin, heightening the blood flow. Experts disagree about using it on extraordinarily sensitive skin. Rosewater controls and balances sebum production, making it useful for both dry and oily skin. It can balance and restore the skin's Ph and helps tighten pores. Its antibacterial properties help fight acne giving troubled skin a gentle, rather than a harsh treatment. It is reputed to be useful in the treatment of all sorts of dermatitis. Suzanne Catty recommends blending Rose Hydrosol with Cistus Hydrosol as an anti-wrinkle treatment.

In Bulgaria, there is much scientific research being done about the therapeutic and medicinal benefits of Rosewater indicates that Rosewater, taken internally. is effective against strep and staph infections, among many others. Rosewater has been recommended as a gargle or throat spray for sore or inflamed throats.

Rose Hydrosol is a wonderful woman's tool for healing. It may be used externally, as a facial or body spray, or in a compress. Some recommend taking a teaspoon of the hydrosol to calm stress and anxiety. Others recommend a rosewater douche as a treatment for low libido (low sex drive); it seems to act on both the body and the psyche to gently bring down barriers. Catty recommends taking Rose Hydrosol internally to help balance female hormones. She writes that by helping balance the endocrine system it can combat PMS, menstrual cramps and moodiness, as well as assist during menopause.



Face Cleanser Miledi

This recipe doesn't require heating. Add the ingredients to a desinfected jar and stir until it is a homogenous solution. Fill the cleansing liquid into a pump foamer bottle. Aloe Vera oil, Glycerin make this face cleanser very good for the normal or sensitive skin type. Milk Acid stabilises the PH=5 what is ideal for the skin.

- Distilled Water 190g
- Aloe Vera oil 10g - humectant
- Glycerin 14g - humectant
- Xantan Gum 3,5g - thickener
- Natural liquid soap 36g - cleansing agent
- Milk Acid 2g
- Grapefruitkernextract 18 drops - preservative
- Orange EO 10 drops
- Grapefruit EO 10 drops
- Thee tree EO 3 drops

P.S. Good cleanser but is a bit too thick. For next recipe I will use less oil (7g), less Glycerin (5g), less Xantan Gum (1,2g).

Grapefruit Skin Benefits

I never thought that grapefruit applied directly can also give you beautiful skin.

Like other citrus fruits, grapefruit is rich in vitamin C, which is necessary for collagen production in the skin and it has lycopene, a known cancer-fighting chemical. It also protects skin from UV damage. Since most visible signs of skin aging are the direct result of sun damage, this is one more layer of defense to add to your skin-care regimen.
Grapefruit also has unique phytochemicals (a.k.a. bioflavanoids) that help promote skin health and general health. Grapefruit also has a phytochemical known as naringin which helps to reduce toxins in the liver, which results in healthier skin.

So, healthy liver = healthy skinJ. I start to drink handmade natural grapefruit juice every day and have a very good pleasant feeling. I would like to drink daily 28 days and after evaluate (believe in!) a positive changing. Today is the third day.

The anti-oxidants in grapefruit will fight free radicals in the skin that can cause lines, wrinkles, discolorations and other blemishes that can make you look older than you are. Grapefruit juice also has restorative properties that can help tone skin, even out skin color, and safely and gently cleanse skin.  People who have oily skin usually find that their problems with oily skin clear up very quickly after they start using a grapefruit cleanser and toner.

We can make own grapefruit cleanser, toner or mask at home very easily and cheaply. Using red grapefruit will give your homemade cosmetic products a pretty pink color.  We can also use grapefruit to keep the skin on the rest of your body, including your feet, soft and smooth. 

The easiest and cheapest grapefruit cleanser is a fresh grapefruit juice. I love to rinse my face only with this juice and let it dry. The remnants of juicers are very tasty and useful to make a mask. Pure grapefruit pap for a mask is quite acid PH=2, that is why I add 2 spoons of dry milk. PH changes and PH=4 is the best for the skin. Also the mix is thicker, so easily to apply as a mask. 

 

A simple grapefruit sugar scrub made from sugar, a little oil, and fresh grapefruit juice will gently exfoliate our body and leave your whole body smelling sweet.  This sugar scrub is great for our feet during the summer because grapefruit juice has natural anti-bacterial properties and it will cleanse our feet as well as soften then and give them a healthy natural tone.

Natural Grapefruit Sugar Body Scrub
This is a great smelling, body scrub that not only makes your skin feel great, it helps detoxify your skin, and makes you feel and smell great all over. Combine:

150g of sugar,
25g jojoba oil,
25g liquid natural soap (I have own handmade Castile soap)
10 drops essential oil of grapefruit,

Sources:
http://www.pittmandavis.com/articles/citrus/grapefruit/eat-grapefruit/grapefruit-benefits/grapefruit-can-give-you-beautiful-skin.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/88638-grapefruit-skin-benefits/

29/07: If you want a natural lifting of your skin just drink one glass of the grapefruit sap daily. After 30 day your face will be 5 years younger and some wrinkles will disappear.
Unfortunately I can't confirm that it is easy to lose some weight. My experience shows that drinking one glass  of the grapefruit sap daily do not support losing weight.

Nettle hydrolat homemade

Herbal distillates (floral water, hydrosol, hydrolate, herbal water and essential water) are aqueous solutions of  essential oils usually obtained by  steam distillation from aromatic plants. These herbal distillates have uses as flavorings, medicine and for the skin care.  Usually a PH=5-6 and it makes them suitable for use as facial toners.

A hydrolat is produced by the distillation process, so that in effect we have two distinct products from distillation of plants, i.e. essential oil and distillate, (hydrolat). In this process steam is passed through plant. The heat of the steam bursts open the membrane of the oil receptacles in the plant and the volatile plant oil molecules are released into the steam. The steam rises and takes with it hydrophobic, and hydrophilic molecules. When this mixture of water and various other molecules of the plant components separate back into liquid by means of being condensed, it produces two types of natural chemical cocktails. These separate into hydrophilic molecules suspended in water, (philia – a tendency towards or liking) making hydrolats, and hydrophobic molecules (phobia – aversion to), making essential oils.

Nettle hydrolat is suitable for oily and combination skin – moisturizing, regeneration and toning up, particularly for taking care of head skin and hair. Nettle hydrolat balances fat level, strengthens hair and facilitates blood circulation enhancing hair growth. Nettle hydrolats can be added to homemade cosmetics (creams, masks, gels) as well as applied pure on hair and face as everyday tonic, compresses and refreshment. Contents (INCI): Nettle Hydrolat (Urtica dioica (Nettle) Distillate), Potassium Sorbate. So how to make the nettle hydrolat?

Clean and cut nettles and put it in a fit device for distillation. Wait approximately 30-40 min and collect your homemade fresh Nettle Hydrolat. 

Because distillates are produced at high temperatures and are somewhat acidic, they tend to inhibit bacterial growth. They are not however sterile. They are a fresh product, like milk, and should be kept refrigerated:

 

ops ...it seems in my refrigerator more cosmetic products than food :)

Cleansing Milk with Cream

Cleansing milk is oil in water type of emulsion designed to remove facial make up and clean facial skin. The thing that makes it different from a soap, cream or lotion is that milk is a natural emulsion of fats and water.
Today I made and  already succesfully tested the cleansing milk with cream. Very easy mixture:

- 60 ml rose water,
- 1 tablespoon apricot kernel oil,
- 3 tablespoons cream.

Mix the oil and cream in a bowl with a mixer.Stir the rose water and pour into a bottle. Store in the refrigerator and use within a week. My can be used every day. It is especially gentle on sensitive or dry skin. Cleansing your skin with milk is one of the most luxurious treats you can give to yourself. I find that once you experience how soft, smooth and clean your skin feels, you may never want to wash your face with anything else.