One of my alter-egos is a 1930s movie star preparing for a big night out.  I’m soaking in a huge, clawfooted bathtub, while sipping a glass of chilled white wine, hair perfectly coiffed, skin fresh and dewy, surrounded by luxurious bubbles up to my neck.

In reality, my baths aren’t nearly as glamorous.  In my small, London flat, we do have a bathtub (a must-have on my real estate shopping list!), but it’s small.  And kind of uncomfortable.  I can’t have my knees and my shoulders underwater at the same time.

That being said, a warm bath is still one of my go-to habits for less stress, some relaxation, and some pampering me-time.

Do you take baths?

Yes, I know showers are faster.  A shower wakes me up in the morning, but a bath is what relaxes me after a long day.  The slow speed of baths gives you time for YOU, time to reflect on your day, time to do some proper body care, and even time to soak in some herbal goodness.

Herbal goodness?  What about bubble bath!?   Yes, bubbles are fun, but most bubble bath is made from our least favorite cosmetic chemical skin irritant: Sodium Laureth Sulfate!  And unlike a shower gel which just rinses away, you soak in bubble bath for 30 minutes… and who wants to soak in chemicals?

Fortunately for us, there are tons of options for a simple, natural bath with herbal goodness and lots of relaxation power.

So what can I put in my bath?

Oh there are so many options for a DIY beauty fan!  Some are super quick, and others require a bit of preparation … I use all of these depending on how much time I have and my mood.

Essential Oils

Ease of use: super easy

The idea here is just to add 10 drops of any essential oil (or a combination) that you like to the bath water, just before you step in.  Swirl the water around to disperse the oils.  Soak and enjoy!  Essential oils work on your whole body and can be invigorating, relaxing, muscle soothing, aphrodisiac … it all depends on the oils you use!

Try these combinations:

• Lavender and sandalwood for bedtime.
• Ylang ylang or jasmine for an aphrodisiac and relaxing effect.
• Geranium and Grapefruit  or Geranium and Rosemary for energy.
• Clary sage and lavender for all-around relaxation and de-stressing.
• Eucalyptus, lavender and tea tree when you have a cold/flu!

Bath Salts

Ease of use: easy

The easiest method is just to throw a handful of epsom salts into the bathtub while you’re filling the tub.  Then I add my essential oils as usual for some fragrance.

Adding salt to a bath is a traditional remedy for soothing sore muscles and ‘detoxifying’ the body.  Does it work? I don’t know.  But it feels nice.

If you want to get fancier (or make a gift), you can make up a batch of scented bath salts and keep them in a nice container by the tub.  Here are tons of bath salt recipes.

Bath Oils

Ease of use: easy

Bath oils are another easy way to make a luxe bath.  Just pour some scented oil into the tub and bathe.

Personally, I’m anti-bath-oil because 1) I hate cleaning the tub and 2) I can’t deal with a slippery tub when I do a bad job cleaning it…

So I prefer to take a bath with salt & essential oils, then apply scented body oil afterwards as moisturizer.

If you do want to experience a bath oil, I recommend making a scented body oil first.  Apply this body oil to yourself before bathing, then get into the tub.  Voila!  Bath oil, just where you want it!  Check out some of these fabulous recipes for body oils.

Herbal Bath

Ease of use: moderate

So you don’t have essential oils?  You can use actual herbs in your bathtub!  There are a few methods of doing this:

• Brew a strong herbal tea, and add it to your bathwater
• Put herbal tea bags in your bath
• Tie up some fresh or dried herbs in a piece of cheesecloth, and add it to your bath.

Bath Bombs

Ease of use: prepare in advance

Yes, you do have to plan ahead for this one, but it’s so much fun!  Drop one bath bomb into the tub and  it starts fizzing immediately, releasing essential oils and salts into the water.  Check out my bath bomb recipe here!

With all of these options, who needs bubble bath?

Do you take baths? What’s your favorite bathtime treat?  Share your recipes and tips below!

Isn’t it just amazing when you find a vintage recipe that is perfect as-is?

I just love that.  When something that our great-great grandmothers used is still amazing, and works for us today! (Makes my job a lot easier too, not having to adapt the recipes!)

Don’t worry, I’m not talking about using a vacuum cleaner as a hairdryer, like the lady in the picture.  That top tip is best left in the past!

But you can make a really great hair rinse and conditioner in a few minutes.  It’s customized to your hair type, leaves your hair soft and shiny, and has been used by women for generations.  What is this wonder hair conditioner?  Cider vinegar.

Now, stay with me here.

Cider vinegar is used in tons of home remedies.  You might remember we made a refreshing sports drink with cider vinegar.  We also made lovely skin toner.  Elsewhere in internet land, googling “cider vinegar cures” gets you hundreds of miracle cures just using this simple ingredient.  Cider vinegar is where it’s at for home remedies.

I can’t attest to all of those cures … but cider vinegar is a wicked hair rinse – definitely one to try the next time you get a DIY beauty urge!

The Big Question – is my hair going to smell like vinegar?

You might not believe me – but no, your hair will not smell like vinegar.  It might smell slightly while damp, but when your hair is dry it will smell clean and slightly herby (depending on the herbs you use in your rinse).  You just have to try this yourself.  It really works!

How do I make a vinegar hair rinse?

All we need to do is infuse herbs in cider vinegar, or alternatively, add a few essential oils to the cider vinegar (or both!).

• To make your hair rinse, put a few handfuls of fresh herbs (see below for which herbs) in a jar, and top with cider vinegar.  Let it sit for 3 weeks, shaking occasionally.  Strain out the herbs.
• If you want, add a few drops of essential oils to the strained vinegar.
• Put in a bottle, and you’re ready to rinse!

How do I customize a vinegar hair rinse for my hair type?

The secret to the vinegar hair rinse is all about the herbs.

You can choose herbs and essential oils to match your hair type.  Make a combination of herbs that appeals to you!

Here are some suggestions:

• Rosemary – encourages hair growth, good for all hair types
• Sage – supposed to darken the hair, great for brunettes
• Chamomile – encourages golden highlights, good for blondes
• Peppermint – promotes hair growth, invigorating
• Rose – soothes an irritated scalp
• Lavender – good for all hair types, treats itchiness and dandruff

How do I use a vinegar hair rinse?

To use your vinegar hair rinse, you need to dilute it with water.  Normally I use about 1-2 TB of vinegar to 1 cup of water.

The easiest way to do this is to mark a container with a line for vinegar, and one for water.  Leave the container in the shower.  Then just pour in the right amount of vinegar, and top with water from the shower.  Easy!

After shampooing like normal, pour the diluted vinegar rinse through your hair.  Massage it through.  Now rinse it out quickly with warm water and finish with a burst of cold water (if you can!).  Just like Grandma always said, finishing your hair with a cold water rinse makes it extra shiny!

Personally, I don’t rinse my hair very well, I like to leave some of the vinegar in it.  Experiment and see what works best for you.

Have you tried a vinegar hair rinse? What are your favorite herb combinations? How did it work for you?

Facial skincare is an expensive habit.  I should know, Sephora gave me a gold card because I used to buy so many beauty products there!

But yet I still got breakouts and had really oily skin.  I was on a non-stop cycle of trying to find the one miracle product that would sort out my skin.

Not surprisingly, I never found it.

I have a personal theory that when there is too much choice in a type of product, it means that none of them work very well.  (Think about it.  If one of them DID actually work, we wouldn’t need the 150 other options.  We would just use what worked.)

You’ve probably read the studies that expensive moisturisers don’t work any better than their drugstore counterparts.  So what are we paying for?  Some “scientific research” which is questionable in my opinion, celebrities to advertise the products, and a nice big marketing, PR & packaging budget!

So should we just buy the cheapest moisturizer possible?

Not necessarily.  I think it’s also important to consider what ingredients are actually inside your moisturizer.

Most moisturizers, from the cheapest to the most posh, are loaded with unpronounceable chemicals.  And since a lot of what goes on your skin is absorbed into your body – this is a bit scary.

But there is a better way!  We can choose moisturizers with high-quality, natural ingredients which are good for our skin.  

And since we’re always on the lookout for a quick, handmade project – we can make our own luxe facial oils which are good for our skin, our mood AND our bank accounts!

Making your own facial oil is super easy – just pour the ingredients into a bottle, shake, and you’re finished!  Of course, for a really luxurious facial oil, you’ll need to buy some specialty ingredients like essential oils or vitamin E capsules.  But what I love about this recipe is that it’s easy and versatile.  So don’t feel like you have to buy all of the ingredients for this first batch.  Start off with one oil and a couple essential oils.  Then next time buy another oil and make a blend.

All of the ingredients are natural and will be really handy in any of your homemade beauty projects!

Luxe Facial Oil

Basic recipe:

50 ml (approx 2 ounces) of carrier oil

15 drops of essential oils (either 15 of one oil, or 5 drops each of 3 different oils … just make it 15 drops total)

1 Vitamin E capsule (optional)

Combine oils in a dark glass bottle.  Pierce the vitamin E capsule (if using) with a needle and then squeeze into the bottle.  Gently shake to combine all of the oils.  You’re done!

What types of oils should I use?

You can choose oils that are good for your skin type.  Some oils are more ‘oily’ than others, and better for dry skin.  As I have oily skin, I stick to lighter oils.  Also, in aromatherapy different essential oils are better for different skin types.  You can’t go wrong with lavender essential oil, but other oils can help with specific skin conditions.  Here are some of my suggestions, but experiment and see what works for you:

Normal skin:

Carrier oil: almond, apricot kernel

Essential oils:  lavender, rose, patchouli

Oily skin:

Carrier oil: grapeseed, jojoba (I use a combination of the two)

Essential oils: lavender, geranium & patchouli, or rosemary, peppermint and lavender

Dry skin:

Carrier oil: olive, avocado,

Essential oils: chamomile, rose, & geranium

I have more questions!

Where do I buy dark glass bottles?  Try Mountain Rose Herbs (US) or Aromantic (UK).

How long will this last? For at least a year, probably 2 years.  But I like to make it in small enough quantities (like this recipe) so that I can use it up and adjust the ingredients next time!

How do I use it?  Just put a few drops of oil on your hands, rub your hands together gently and massage into your face, concentrating on the drier areas.  I like to do a few minutes of facial massage in the evening when I apply the oil.  Relaxing!

What handmade beauty items are in your beauty routine? What would you like to learn to make? Let us know in the comments!

Have you heard about the Oil Cleansing Method?

It’s practically an internet cult.

The idea is that you wash your face with … wait for it … OIL!  Yes, oil.  When I first heard about the Oil Cleansing Method (or OCM, for short), I thought it was crazy.  That it would never, ever work for my oily, problematic skin.

I’m always up for a homemade beauty experiment, so I gave it a try.  And it’s actually really good.  Really good!  The theory is that like dissolves like, so if you want to dissolve oil from your face, use oil.  And not just any oil, but the classic Castor Oil which as deep cleansing properties.  Then you steam it off with a hot washcloth.  It leaves your skin with a lovely rosy glow and deeply cleaned.

Anyway, if you want to learn more about OCM, check out Crunchy Betty’s post on the Oil Cleansing Method.

My major problem with OCM is that I travel – a lot.  And oil is really messy.  Even in a tightly closed bottle and inside a ziploc bag, I seem to get oil everywhere.

Around the same, time I started noticing advertisements for expensive & upscale  ’hot cloth cleansers’.  It seemed like pretty much the same idea – massage a cream cleanser into your face, then steam off with a hot washcloth.  All for $30 per bottle.

I knew I could come up with a better solution.

If you’ve been around here for awhile, you’ve learned the basic technique of turning any oil into a salve using beeswax.  Like this daisy salve.

Every handmade beauty fan should have some beeswax in the cupboard because it makes regular oils so much more useful!

My idea with this hot cloth cleanser was to use the right proportions of oil for your skin type (mine is oily, so I use more castor oil), add some skin-suitable essential oils, then enough beeswax to make it thick-ish.  Not as solid as most salves.  I wanted a consistency that I could carry in my suitcase and not stress about.  Something I could scoop out with my fingers and massage into my face.  It has to be smooth, thick and smell good.  Oh, and it has to work.

The oils I mention below are for oily skin.  If you’re already using the OCM, use your regular blend of oils.  If you’re new to OCM, either try my blend below, or give it a week or two using liquid oils to learn the proportions that work best – then use that blend in this recipe.

If you need to buy supplies, try Mountain Rose Herbs in the USA, or Baldwins in the UK.

If you can’t be bothered turning on the stove to make face cleanser – try using honey as a face mask instead.  It’s easy and really works!

Hot Cloth Cleanser

makes 100 grams

You need:

25 grams Castor Oil

25 grams Olive Oil

30 grams Cocoa Butter

20 grams Beeswax

7 drops Rosemary essential oil

7 drops Eucalyptus essential oil

6 drops Lavender essential oil

Little jars to package the cleanser

How to make:

In a bain-marie or double boiler, combine castor oil, olive oil, cocoa butter, and beeswax.  Stir until beeswax and cocoa butter are melted.

Remove from the heat.

Stir in essential oils.

Pour into jars.  Let cool.  Then close with a lid, and label (product name, ingredients and date!)

Each jar of cleanser should last for 1 year (of course, you’ll probably use it up before then!)

How to use:

Use your fingertip to scoop out some cleanser.  Rub it between your fingers and then onto your face to melt.  Massage it into your skin with circular motions.  You might want to massage it in for 2 minutes, concentrating on those areas which need deep cleansing (nose, forehead and chin!).  Now run the faucet to get hand-hot water, and soak your washcloth in hot water.  Wring out the washcloth, and place the hot cloth over your face for a couple of minutes.  If it cools off, just rinse it in additional hot water and place on your face again.  Gently wipe off the cleanser with the hot washcloth.  Finish with a splash of cool water.  All clean!

Have you tried the oil cleansing method or a hot cloth cleanser? How did it work for you?

Feel a little silly paying lots of money for salt & oil in a jar?

This is a project that I wrote for Joie magazine last summer, but it’s so yummy that I wanted to included it in Summer Camp for those of you who missed it!

This recipe makes enough for one use of body scrub.  It smells delicious and so summery!  Since this is just oil and sugar, you could make a big batch and scoop some out to use throughout the summer.  It should keep for a couple of months if you keep it away from water.

Mint-Coconut Sugar Scrub

4TB (60 ml) sunflower oil

1 TB (15 ml) raw coconut oil (will be solid at room temperature)

½ c. (100 g) demerara sugar

handful of mint, finely chopped

Peppermint essential oil (optional)

Put the two oils and mint in a double boiler (if that’s too complicated, just put it in a pan on low heat). Heat gently for 15-20 minutes to infuse the mint in the oil. Remove from heat and strain out the mint leaves, reserving the oil. When the oil has cooled, add the sugar and stir well. You can add a drop or two of peppermint essential oil, if you have it. Put in a wide-mouthed container to use in the shower or bath. Use this scrub on damp body skin (it’s too scratchy for your face), then rinse off. The bottom of the tub might get slippery from the oil, so avoid shower aerobics while using any oily scrub!

Note: It’s always important to do a patch test with any new beauty product. Try it on your inner arm, then wait 24 hours to see if any irritation develops. Remember, homemade beauty products aren’t tested on animals – they’re tested on you!

If you’re not into Mint & Coconut, you can also try this Coffee Body Scrub.

If you make either of these body scrubs, either leave a comment with a link to your blog, or add a photo to our Summer Camp group on Flickr!

Here are the 28 “essential” products I was using before the beauty detox.  (28?! “essential”?!  wow. How things have changed in a few months!)

Here were the substitutions I started with.

And here’s what I’m doing now:

• Teeth: I’m still using my sage tooth powder, but I also alternate with a natural peppermint tooth powder I bought at a bio shop in France.
• Body Moisturizer: Almond oil mixed with a few drops essential oil.  I like geranium essential oil.  Or frangipani.  I keep this pre-mixed in a pretty bottle on the counter.  I like that it’s really easy to make, so I can try lots of different scent combinations … for a former product-junkie like me, this is important so I don’t get ‘bored’.
• Body: Shower with castille soap.  Getting a bit bored of this. I think I’ll buy unscented next time, and add my own essential oils!  Using natural crystal deodorant.
• Face – morning: Rinse with water.  Every couple of days, I do a baking-soda scrub.  Just make a paste with baking soda and water, and scrub!  Face moisturizer – just a little coconut oil in dry spots. (My skin is generally on the oily side.)  Ok ok, I haven’t totally given up makeup, but I’m only using Bare Escentuals products, which I think are pretty natural.  I’m not using this toner in the winter, but will probably start again in warmer weather.
• Face – evening: After a bad bout of breakouts, I’ve finally found a routine that works for me.   I’m using the Oil Cleansing Method (google it for more info, I’ll write about it soon) on my face every evening.  I also do a face mask at least once a week, usually a honey mask, but I also use green clay when I feel like my skin needs a deep cleaning.
• Hair: I finally figured out the secret to living shampoo free!  Of course, I still wash my hair (breathe a sigh of relief!), but without shampoo.  You can read the details of natural haircare here.

I admit I cheated a couple of times.

I cheated and used hair dye.  I know, that’s the most toxic of toxic products!!!  But it was a weak moment.  I’ve since bought several types of henna, and am going to experiment with those soon.

I’ve also used real anti-perspirant a couple of times, for stressful work days when I couldn’t take the risk of mine not working.

So what’s next?

I want to make my own peppermint tooth powder.  I’d like to make a wider variety of body creams and scrubs.  And more bath bombs. I absolutely loved these lavender bath bombs, and want to start making them in different scents and shapes.  Now that I’ve got the basics covered, I want to experiment with spa-type indulgences – things that aren’t necessary, but that make bath time fun!

What products would you like a natural alternative for?? Let me know what you want, and I’ll test some handmade versions!

But finally, after a couple of months of bad-hair-days, I have solved the mystery to going shampoo-free.  My hair is soft, super shiny, and has good natural wave.  Amazing!

Before I get to that – let’s quickly recap why you might consider ditching your shampoo.

1) More shampoo = more greasies. The theory here is that normal shampoo is a detergent, so it does a really good job removing oil from your hair.  That’s why your hair is so bouncy & shiny right after shampooing.  But then your scalp freaks out because there isn’t any natural oil, and starts producing oil like crazy, giving you greasy hair … so you wash again, and the cycle continues.

You might have noticed that if you wash your hair daily, you HAVE to wash it daily. But if you start training your hair to go 2 days, or 3 days between shampoos, it doesn’t get all that greasy in-between.

Stopping shampoo has similar results – you still ‘wash’, but with baking soda & vinegar, and your hair stays in a happy balance.

2) Shampoos are loaded with chemicals. Standard shampoos usually contain icky ingredients like Sodium Laureth Sulphate, DEA, and artificial fragrances (which is a generic term that can hide a multiude of sins).  If you want to know more, here are some chemicals you might want to avoid in your beauty products.

3) Simplify your life! One less product to buy, store, carry while travelling.  Plus, needing to wash your hair less often saves tons of time!

4) Think of Grandma – all of this daily hair washing is a relatively new invention.  Somehow people lived for millenia without commercial shampoo, and without greasy, stringy hair either.  Remember how your grandma had her hair ‘done’ only once a week?  Seriously, if you let your hair do its thing, it might surprise you.

So how did I make the transition to no shampoo?

I tried the baking soda and vinegar plan before (see this article for complete instructions) but didn’t have much luck.  Then I switched to all-natural, organic shampoos while I was working up the courage to try it again.  This article from Crunchy Betty inspired me to give it another try.

What did I do differently this time?

* Give your hair an adjustment period before going No ‘poo.  First switch to natural (non-detergent) shampoo.  Then try going 2 or 3 (or more) days between shampoos and let your hair adjust to less-frequent washes.  Then you can eliminate the shampoo completely.

* Patience!  Pick a week when you don’t have any big meetings/events to eliminate shampoo.  You’ll need at least a week, if not 2 or 3, where you’ll have a lot of ‘ponytail’ days.  The first week  I didn’t wash my hair at all, and it was ugly.  Not horrible, I did leave the house, but a bit greasy and definitely not silky and shiny.  After that first week, things improved dramatically.

* Dissolve the teaspoon of baking soda in warm/hot water, and make sure it’s really dissolved!  Then pour it through your wet hair, massage into your scalp, and rinse, rinse, rinse!  At first I was using cold water so the baking soda never really dissolved – and it got all gritty on my scalp.  I suppose that could be an exfoliant of sorts, but not really what I was looking for in a shampoo!

* If you’re still struggling – check your water.  We moved house between my first and second attempts … and the water seems to make a huge difference!  In our old house the water was very hard, and my hair always felt tangled.  In this new house I can rinse out the baking soda and my hair is really soft & smooth.  If you do have hard water, try using boiled-and-cooled water to rinse your hair and see if it helps!

Are you thinking about ditching your shampoo? Have you tried it? Let us know your experiences in the comments!

Men are Horrified by This

You take a quick glance in the mirror and are pleased by what you see. Everything looks good, you’re looking quite pretty tonight … from the front.

But beware!  Everyone else sees you from the back and the side.  Men will immediately notice these little details, and they hate them…

The bra strap hanging out.

The ‘rebellious’ piece of hair

Feet that turn inwards (???)

The unbuttoned skirt (surely she’d notice this one??)

And my personal favorite … Le dehanchement disgracieux (ungracefully sticking out your hip.)

So do I.

I have tried, really I have!  But so far, no luck.  I hit rock bottom the other week when my boyfriend said “You know, your hair really doesn’t look very good.”  Which means it must have been really obviously greasy for him to even notice it!

The rest of my beauty detox is going pretty well.  I’m loving making bath treats (like bath bombs, body scrub and herbal bath bags), infused oils and lovely scented creams.  I’m even dealing with my homemade toothpaste and experimenting with face cleansers.  But my hair has been much less successful.

In internet land, there is a cult of “No ‘Poo” converts who preach wonderfully manageable hair by stopping shampoo completely.  I read a great summary of how to go shampoo free with lots of positive comments.  Unfortunately it hasn’t worked for me.  Here’s what I’ve tried so far:

1) Baking Soda – Following these instructions, I washed my hair with baking soda dissolved in water, then rinsed well.  While rinsing, I could barely get my fingers through my hair it was so stuck together – not a pleasant feeling!  When dry, I liked a bit of the texture it gave my hair (lots of natural curls and no flyaways) but it definitely looked greasy, and not shiny.  I tried this for a couple of weeks, and it didn’t seem to improve!

2) Homemade herbal shampoo – I got this recipe from my Rosemary Gladstar book – it’s a combination of castille soap and a herbal infusion (rosemary and sage for my brunette hair).  Smells good.  Foams very little.  Slightly more clean feeling hair than with the baking soda, but still not very good!  Still left my roots looking greasy.

I read somewhere online that if you have very hard water (which we do in London), you should rinse with distilled (or boiled then cooled) water.  I will try this when I get up the courage to test the baking soda again!

I’m a bit frustrated at the moment.  I love the idea of having low-maintenance hair, and being able to travel without numerous hair products … so I really want this to work!  But so far it has just been a greasy disaster.

Have any of you successfully gone shampoo-free? How did you do it?  Please send any tips & tricks my way.

For the moment, I’m going to start testing organic/natural shampoos from the health food store… stay tuned!

Just like stocking your kitchen pantry with staples, there are some basic beauty ingredients you can keep on hand to make most recipes.  And much like stocking your kitchen, there is a bigger up-front cost but then you can make lots of products throughout the year.  Most of these ingredients are really inexpensive though – the big investment is the essential oils, but those last for ages.

1. Rich body oil – A deeply moisturizing oil for body products, like olive or avocado oil.  Or if you want a slightly lighter oil, try sunflower.
2. Lighter face oil – A lighter oil for facial products, like grapeseed (the lightest, good for oily skin), apricot or almond.
3. Coconut Oil – semi-solid oil with amazing scent, often used in creams and lotions
4. Beeswax – used to thicken creams, balms and ointments
5. Cocoa Butter – also used as a solid oil to thicken products
6. Emulsifying Wax – important if you’ll make a lot of creams, this helps them blend more smoothly.
7. Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) – Useful for so many things, you probably have this on hand already
8. Essential Oils – your favorites.  I suggest starting with lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus if you only buy a few.
9. Vitamin E Capsules – the kind with liquid inside, used as a preservative in products.
10. Rosewater or Orange Flower Water – floral waters used in toners, astringents, creams, lotions and perfumes
11. Cider Vinegar – can be used to make toner, astringent, hair rinses etc.
12. Strong, cheap vodka – used to make perfumes or tinctures which can be added to your products

You can buy everything in your local grocery store or pharmacy, except maybe the beeswax, cocoa butter and emulsifying wax (and maybe essential oils, depending on your local store.)  These products you can order online, I recommend G Baldwin & Co in the UK and Mountain Rose Herbs in the US.

If you watched the Story of Cosmetics and want to clean up your act, here are 9 easy tips on how to green your beauty routine.

1. Inventory what you actually use – Spend a few minutes on a product inventory.  What do you have? What do you actually use?  Rather than throwing out the unused products, maybe you can do a product swap with a friend.  Figure out what your essentials are, and then…
2. Multitask – Lots of times one product can fill multiple needs.  Do you need separate moisturizer for body, feet and hands?  Or separate face, neck and eye creams?  How about using hair conditioner as shaving cream?  Or using some lipstick as a cheek color?
3. Buy less stuff – Buying fewer products helps the environment (less packaging, shipping, chemical production), lessens your chemical exposure, and saves money.
4. Go fragrance free – Fragrance in products is a labeling loophole that allows companies to include chemical compounds not listed in the ingredients!  If you want to lighten your chemical load, go fragrance-free in all of your products (except those made with natural essential oils, or ones you make yourself!)
5. Learn which ingredients to avoid – Check out the Environmental Working Group’s tips to learn which ingredients to avoid.
6. Swap your antiperspirant – You can read at length on the internet about whether antiperspirants are safe to use.  Since antiperspirants block the sweat glands, they might cause toxins to build up under the arms,  rather than sweating them out.  No one knows yet, but to be safe, swap your pore-blocking antiperspirant for a natural deodorant like The Crystal.
7. Replace with a greener alternative – No need to throw out all of your existing products … just use them up, and then replace them with a greener alternative.
8. Get crafty – Try making some products yourself.  Use honey as a face mask.  Make some toothpaste.  Or body lotion.  There are lots of recipes online.
9. Skip the daily shampoo – Shampoo less often – you’ll use less product, save money, and probably improve your hair’s condition.  No need for texturizing hair products when you have a bit of natural texture!

How are you greening your beauty routine? Let us know in the comments.

Bath bombs have become quite popular recently as an alternative to bubble bath.  Bath bombs are like a bath cube, but much bigger and fizzier.  They can be in lots of different shapes, and either contain just fragrance, or fragrance and add-ins like shea butter, cocoa butter, herbs or even glitter!

The fabulous store Lush sells tons of variations of bath bomb.  But they’re easy to make at home for yourself or as gifts.

This recipe was my first attempt at making a bath bomb, and I was really happy with the results.  I’ll definitely be making more of these (and inventing my own scent combos) in the future!

My only criticism was that the little bits of lavender got ALL over the tub afterwards.  I actually put a strainer in the bottom of the tub so they wouldn’t clog the drain.  Just something to be aware of.  The essential oils provided all of the scent, so I think the flower are mainly for appearance.  I will probably leave them out next time!

Lavender Bath Bomb

(makes 1)

Adapted from Grow Your Own Drugs by James Wong

1 tsp. dried lavender flowers

3 TB baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

1 TB. citric acid (you can buy this in a pharmacy)

1 tsp. olive oil

10 drops lavender essential oil

A mould of some kind (I used a silicon cupcake mould, but you could use a cookie cutter, muffin tin, anything!)

How to: First, make sure your bowl and spoon are completely dry. If you get any water in this mix, it will start fizzing. Mix everything in a bowl, until the mixture is damp and powdery.

Press the mixture firmly into your mould.

Let it sit for several hours to try out.  Overnight is even better.  Mine started to get little bubbles on the top as it dried.

Turn out of mould, wrap in foil or plastic, and store in a dry location until ready to use.

To use: Run a bath.  Once the bath is ready, drop in the bath bomb and enjoy the fizzy show!

Have you made a bath bomb?  What scents did you include? Let us know!

1. Face cleanser – I made a cleansing cream, recipe to come soon.
2. Face scrub – almond oatmeal cleansing grains from Rosemary Gladstar’s book
3. Face moisturizer – using a lightweight sage and yarrow moisturizer from the Natural Beauty Book
4. Acne spot treatment – using teatree or lavender oil
5. Facial mask – using honey as a face mask at the moment
6. shampoo – again a recipe from Rosemary Gladstar’s book, recipe coming soon.
7. conditioner – sage vinegar! This is great, I’ll write about it soon.
8. anti-frizz hair serum – don’t need it yet!
9. Sea salt texture hair spray – don’t need it, my hair definitely has more texture with these natural products
10. dry shampoo – have tried sprinkling arrow root powder on my roots a couple of times … has potential.
11. shaving cream – using baby oil
12. shower gel – using Dr. Bronners castille soap
13. body moisturizer – I’m making body cream like this one! More recipes to come soon.
14. ultra rich body cream – not yet
15. hand cream – not yet
16. body scrub – using coffee scrub like this, and a sugar scrub I made, recipe to come soon.
17. perfume – none yet
18. deodorant – using the natural crystal deodorant
19. toothpaste – using sage tooth powder
20. mouthwash – none yet
21. nail polish – just leaving the existing polish on my toes for the moment until I find an alternative
22. nail polish remover – none yet
23. makeup (foundation, concealer, powder, blush, bronzer, eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, lip gloss) – currently only using Bare Minerals foundation and ‘warmth’ powder.
24. astringent/toner – rosewater or Queen of Hungary water
25. self tanner – none yet
26. night time face treatment – made a light facial oil with grapeseed oil and essential oils, recipe to come soon
27. hair color/dye – none yet, will try henna soon!
28. hand sanitizer (does this count?!) – none yet, will find a recipe for this though!

Have better alternatives for what I’m using above? Have you tried any of them yourself? Let us know in the comments!

First, check out the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database.  You can look up any of your existing products to see their rank on the toxicity scale (0-10, 10 being most toxic).  While they don’t state which products to avoid, you can us the information to set your own threshold.   During this beauty detox I won’t use anything higher than a 5 (and hopefully won’t have to use many purchased products at all, if I can help it!).   My biggest surprise was that my favorite NARS blush scored a 7, and contains BHA which is a known immune system toxin, possible carcinogen and has been banned in Europe.  And I used it daily for about 7 years.  Awesome!

Also check out their What Not to Buy list of the top 10 ingredients to avoid in your beauty products.  Did you know that some products still contain mercury and lead??  I thought those were removed years ago.  It’s interesting reading.

Want to learn more about what’s in our cosmetics?  Watch the Story of Cosmetics video.  If you only do one thing, watch this video!

One of the most eye-opening points for me is that while chemicals in beauty products are regulated, we are getting exposure from the chemicals in multiple products at the same time.  So while your shampoo might have safe levels of a chemical, what happens when you also use conditioner, perfume, moisturizer and toothpaste with the same chemical in it??  Your exposure to that chemical just increased.  But the effects?  We just don’t know.

Although this project started as a way to save some money and make homemade beauty products, I’m starting to realize it’s a much more important issue that affects everyone.

If you look up any of your products in the Skin Deep database and have any surprises, let us know in the comments!

My new plan will be to pick a couple of homemade products, and try them for several weeks at a time.  After all, I do have a whole year to experiment.

So, my first ‘stick to it product’ is going to be a homemade toner or astringent.  We’re having warm summer weather here in England, and I really need a decongesting product to keep away the greasies.

This recipe for Queen of Hungary water has intrigued me for awhile.  I found this version in my favorite recipe book by Rosemary Gladstar.  Queen of Hungary water is an old gypsy remedy supposedly invented by the Queen of Hungary (and no, that is not her in the picture, that’s the Queen of Greece, but it was a good image!)  There are many variations including different herbs in a base of either strong alcohol or vinegar.  The recipe I used makes an herbal vinegar, and then dilutes it with a combination of rose water and witch hazel.

The finished product can be used as a facial toner or astringent, but was traditionally used as a cure-all.  According to Nicholas Culpepper, a famous English herbalist:

“The water (containing an infusion of spirits) is admirable cure-all remedy of all kinds of cold and humidity-induced head ailments, apoplexies, epilepsies, dizziness, lethargy, crippleness, nerves diseases, rheumatism, flaws, spasms, loss of memory, coma, drowsiness, deafness, ear buzzing, derangement of vision, blood coagulation, mood-induced headaches. Relieves toothache, useful for stomach cramps, pleuritis, lack of appetite, indigestion, obstruction of the liver, obstruction of the spleen, intestinal obstruction and contraction of the uterus… There are not many remedies producing that many good effects.”

Brilliant! Sounds like it will fix all of my ills.  Ok, maybe not, but it should be a refreshing, soothing skin daily skin toner that just might clear up my skin too.

Queen of Hungary Water

Adapted from Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health

Herb Mix: (use whatever you have on hand, I used these below.  I used dried herbs for everything except the sage and rosemary, since I have lots of that in my garden).

6TB. Lemon Balm

4 TB Chamomile

4 TB Roses

3 TB Calendula/Marigold

1 TB Lemon zest

1 TB dried rosemary (or 2 TB fresh)

1 TB dried sage (or 2 TB fresh)

Liquid

Organic cider vinegar

Rose Water and/or Witch Hazel

Essential oil of lavender or rose (optional

Method:

Place herbs in jar.  Cover with vinegar until completely submerged.  Leave in a sunny spot for 2-3 weeks.

Strain out the herbs (you want to get all the bits out – this helps the product keep longer).  To each cup of herbal vinegar, add 1c. total extra liquid (I used 1/2 c. rose water and 1/2c. witch hazel).  Add several drops of essential oil, if using.  Put into clean, pretty bottle.   Rosemary Gladstar says this will keep indefinitely and does not need to be refrigerated.

How does it smell? Really nice and herby…but slightly vinegary.  I can see how it would make a nice body splash if you made it with vodka instead of vinegar.  I’ve used it as a toner for a couple of days and it feels refreshing and cleansing on my skin.  Will report back after a few weeks of use!

Have you tried any homemade beauty products yourself? Let us know how it went in the comments.