Cosmetics Recipes

Many of the same ingredients, techniques, and equipment used in making soap can also be used to make your own cosmetics. You won't ever have to pay those high prices for creams and lip balms again. The only difference will be products with natural ingredients and no chemicals. This means that they will be gentler to your skin. (Of course, it also means that the cosmetics won't last for years-so use them!)

One of the news magazine shows had an interesting piece on those fancy cosmetics counter promises. $100 creams that were supposed to create incredible results. Their conclusions were that these creams were mildly effective in retaining moisture. They, however, were no better than something a person could make themselves at home. The advantage of manufactured cosmetics is that they last longer, are prettier and make you feel like you are doing more. As far as long term results it seems clear that you don't need to spend those high prices. Make a few things yourself, maybe have a couple of drug store brands you like, and you will look as good as if you had spent twenty times as much.

A final note before the recipes start. It has been the experience of many that changing what you use periodically can be of benefit. Just like shampoo, you need different qualities for different environments (seasons) and conditions. This is a great opportunity to throw a homemade brew into your cosmetics mix. So, the next time you finish a jar of cream or bottle of toner, sterilize it and fill it with your own creation!

The variety of toners you can make is up to your imagination and resources (for availability of materials). Using vinegar as a base, just dilute with an herbal infusion to get the particular qualities you desire.

Basic Herb Vinegar Face Toner

Ingredients

	1 part vinegar
	6 parts herbal infusion (try sage, lemon balm, lavender or elderflower)

Instructions: Make infusion like tea and when cooled mix with vinegar. Saturate a cotton ball and use to clean off traces of a face mask or makeup after regular cleaning.

Never use undiluted vinegar as it will burn your skin. Diluted it effectively and gently restores the skins protective acid mantle. It also has antiseptic properties.

Sunburn Relief Gel

Ingredients

	2 Tbsp. Aloe Vera gel (or amount from one "leaf")
	5 drops lavender essential oil

Instructions
Mix essential oil with aloe and put directly on sunburned or mildly irritated skin.

Make in small amounts as above and use immediately.
Fruit Facial

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1 apple-cored, chopped, with peel on
1/4 cup finely ground almonds
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 banana
1111/2 packet unflavored gelatin

Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a blender, except gelatin. Add gelatin and blend for an additional 20 seconds. Let sit for 10 minutes. Apply to face and neck. Leave on for 20 minutes and rinse with warm water.

This should last for three days in the fridge. Use on first and third day and discard remainder.

Facial Scrub

Ingredients

1 tablespoon ground oatmeal
1 tablespoon ground dried lavender blossoms
1 tablespoon ground thyme leaves
1 tablespoon ground almonds
4 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions
Grind all dry ingredients finely and mix until uniform. Add essential oil and mix well. Store in a glass container. Use 1 1/2 teaspoons with enough water to make a paste. Gently massage into skin and rinse thoroughly.

Do not use if your skin is very sensitive. It's a great exfoliant.

Skin Cleanser

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Instructions
Mix ingredients. Apply to face gently and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Excellent for dry skin.
Night Cream

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
1 tablespoon shea butter
2 teaspoons grated beeswax
1 tablespoon rosewater
1/4 teaspoon lecithin
oil from two capsules of vitamin E
3 drops chamomile or lavender essential oil

Instructions
Melt oil, butter, and beeswax in heatproof glass measuring cup, over boiling water or in microwave. (low heat) Remove from heat just before beeswax is completely melted. Finish melting by stirring in warm oil. Add the vitamin E oil and lecithin and stir in between additions. Mix rosewater and aloe together and slowly add to main mixture. Continue stirring with a small metal whisk. Once mixture is cooled, add the essential oil and stir. Store inside drawer or cabinet. Try to keep away from sun and heat.

Use nightly-especially in cold or dry weather.

Scented Toner

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh or dried lavender buds
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 cups vinegar

Instructions
Put herbs in a jar with tight cover. Cover herbs with vinegar and set in sunny window for two weeks. Strain out plant material and dilute with 1/2 cup distilled water. Pour into sterilized bottle.

Apply with cotton ball morning and evening after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Lip Repair

Ingredients

3 teaspoons grated beeswax
3 teaspoons avocado oil
1 teaspoon glycerin
1/8 teaspoon lecithin
1/2 teaspoon honey
contents of two vitamin E capsules
4 drops tea tree essential oil
5 drops grapefruit essential oil

Instructions
Melt beeswax in avocado oil-use a double boiler. Remove from heat and add vitamin E and lecithin. Combine honey and glycerine and then add to mixture. Finally, add essential oils. This will start setting right away so have a glass jar ready.

As you use up any commercial cosmetics, make sure to save the containers. A nice wide mouthed cosmetic cream jar would be great for this recipe. Use it each night before bed to prevent chapped lips.

Ingredients

1 1/2 parts cocoa butter
1 1/2 parts grated beeswax
3 parts olive oil

Instructions
Melt the cocoa butter and beeswax slowly in the microwave, or over a double boiler. Add oil and stir well. Cool slightly before pouring into containers.

After all the ingredients are melted, you can add a few drops of peppermint flavoring oil. If you want a softer balm, add more oil. If you want a harder balm, add more beeswax. Simple!

Lemon Mint Toner

Ingredients

1 peppermint tea bag
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup witch hazel
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions
Place tea bag in boiling water and steep for 15 minutes. Discard tea bag and allow liquid to cool. Add witch hazel and lemon juice and store in glass container in the refridgerator. Apply daily after cleansing face.

This toner is best on normal or slightly oily skin. It will remove any residue of dirt or make-up and close pores.
Basic Cold Cream

Ingredients

1/2 cup mineral oil
1 ounce beeswax
1/4 teaspoon borax
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon distilled water
essential oil scent, if desired

Instructions
Heat oil and wax in double boiler. Dissolve borax in water and boil. Add to wax in a thin stream, stirring vigorously in one direction. When mixed remove from heat and check temperature. At 140º, add scent. At 120º, pour into jars.

Makes one cup of cream.
1880 Toilette Recipes in Adobe (.pdf) format
Although very interesting, many of these recipes are unacceptable to use due to the nature of the ingredients. Substitutions can be made in some cases. For example, if a recipe calls for spermaceti (wax from sperm whales) you can use cetyl palmitate or jojoba oil (easier to obtain). This is a large file (913kB), but prints out well.

Getting Started � Make Your Own Lip Balms

Lips can be sensitive to the actions of the sun, wind, dry air, bacteria and salty foods. They require extra protection. There are many different fats, waxes and Vegetable Oils which can be used to make a lip balm base and different active ingredients which can be added to create particular kinds of lip balm. The waxes protect the lips while the Vegetable Oils soften them. The lip balm base needs to contain more wax than the base ointment so that it will remain hard even on a warm summer's day and so it doesn't deposit too much fat on the lips.

Base Lip Balm

Recipe 1 (for Jars) Recipe 2 (Jars and Lip Balm Cylinders)

33gr Beeswax 65ml Vegetable Oil 2 ml Essential Oils* 28gr Beeswax 20gr Cocoa butter 50ml/gr Vegetable Oils * 2 ml Essential oils (40 � 50 drops)

*Orange Lemon, Mandarin, Lime, Grapefruit, Anise, Fennel or a small amount of Peppermint. We use large amounts of Essential Oils to compensate for heat evaporation.

Method:

Heat all the ingredients except any Essential Oils in the beaker or stainless steel cup immersed in a pan of hot water (double boiler).
Stir and melt fully.
When everything has melted, add 30 drops of each Essential Oil (or 60 of a blend of them).
You can pour this product into a glass jar or professional lip balm cylinder.
When pouring into cylinders, pour up to 3/4 full, allow to cool and then, after 10 minutes, top up (the contents will have contracted slightly).
Leave for a few minutes before putting on the lids.

Different kinds of lip balm can be made through the addition of other fat-soluble ingredients (see below). For every e.g. 5ml of anything else which is liquid you will need to remove 5ml of the Vegetable Oil. Most of the additional ingredients, apart from Essential Oils, will need to be heated with the main ingredients.

Here are some examples of what you can add to the base lip balm to make the type of lip balm you want:

Lip balm for sun protection - add Tiosol (10ml for sun factor 12, or 5ml for sun factor 5-6)

Lip balm with Zinc - add 5ml Zinc Oxide (do not reduce the amount of Vegetable Oil)

Tea Tree lip balm (for sore lips) - add 1-8ml Tea Tree Oil and 1-2ml Lavender Oil as your Essential Oils

Vitamin lip balm - add 2ml Vitamin E and 5 drops of Carotene.