Honey Oat Lotion

With all the hiking I've been doing in the chilly, winding dry air combined with all the moving and cleaning I've been up to, my hands have been unbelievably dy. Like, so severe that you could easily see a layer of dead skin on top, the skin was cracked, and my knuckles constantly bloody. That dry. Ouch and gross. So I've been in need of some quality, heavy duty lotion to fix this. Many of you already know that I am not a fan of buying store bought beauty products of any kind (so many chemicals! so expensive!), and that I really enjoy creating alternatives. But what you probably didn't know is that I am often terribly lazy about getting around to making something, especially when I really need it. So, I'd been using a tiny bottle of all natural lotion Will bought for me in the winter to keep in my purse (mostly for his benefit, because his hands were always dry when we were out and about in the winter) and pouting about it. Because who has the time to experiment making lotions? Well, lucky me (and you because hello recipe), I did recently. And I managed to find something that I really like that works wonderfully.

This is by far my favorite of all the beauty recipes I have shared here so far. I'm sure I probably say that every time I post a new recipe for you and, rightly so; there have been so many great ones so far. I especially love the great body scrubs I've posted: Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub and Moisturizing Cinnamon Honey Salt Scrub, and I use both often. But this lotion is something I am already using everyday and I love that. I has a permanent place beside the hand soap on my kitchen counter. It is the perfect ending to a sink full of dishes and it's had made all the difference to the health of my hands. They are no longer cracked and dry from all the washing I give them (I'm a clean freak, sorry hands). It doesn't get much better than that.

The combination of ground oats and coconut oil in this recipe means that the lotion ends up feeling smooth and thick and frothy. It rubs into the skin shockingly well, without leaving an oily layer behind — like you might experience with using coconut oil alone. It is fast to make, with few ingredients that are all beneficial for the skin. Lightly scented, you can personalize this lotion easily to suit your tastes and preferences. See the full recipe below.




HONEY OAT LOTION | yields 14 FL OZ

For the Lotion                                            

1 cup oats
1 1/4 cup coconut oil (solid)
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup mint rosemary green tea, optional

Instructions                                                

1. Measure out 1 cup of oats and place in a food processor. Process until oats become a fine, smooth powder. It may be easier to achieve the desired consistency by dividing the oats in two and processing the oats in two separate batches.
2. Measure out the coconut oil and place in a mixing boil. It is important that the coconut oil be completely solid for this step. Using a hand mixer, beat the oil starting on the lowest setting — breaking up large clumps and creating a smooth consistency — then gradually increasing the speed of the mixer to high. Beat the coconut oil for 1 minute on high, until smooth and fluffy. It should look a bit like whipped cream.
3. Let the whipped oil sit while you make some tea. This step is optional, and you may choose to use essential oils instead or simply enjoy the scent of the honey and oats alone. Green tea has great antioxidant properties and is great for the skin, and the scent of green tea, mint, and rosemary together is lovely so I recommend it. I used a tea bag titled Moroccan Mint, by Stash Tea, which is a lovely green. Before brewing, I carefully opened the bag and stuffed a tablespoon of rosemary inside, then secured the bag closed again. Pour 1/4 cup boiling water over your tea bag and let steep until completely cooled.
4. Slowly combine the oat powder with the whipped oil. Begin on low speed with your hand mixer, and add the oats in in small batches — combining thoroughly each time before adding more. Once all oats have been added to the oil and blended in completely, again increase the speed on your mixer to high and beat for 1 minute. The combined result should closely resemble pancake batter.
5. Add a tablespoon of honey to the mixture and combine. Add in the tea as well. Just be sure that it is entirely cool before doing so (very important!), as you do not want to melt the oil and ruin your work. Place it in the freezer for a few minutes before adding, if needed.
6. Beat everything together one last time, for good measure.

Enjoy! Stay moisturized.

xx Emorie

Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub

I've mentioned before that I've really enjoyed making all of my Christmas gifts in the past and so I was planning on doing that again this year. I've got a few posts lined up to share with you what I've been busy crafting. If you're on the look out for fun, easy, and unique DIY gifts, hopefully I can give you a few ideas. This scrub is definitely something that will show up in a few people's gifts. It can be packed up so pretty, smells heavenly, and works wonders on skin. I just have to share it with some of my favorite people!

Do you remember the cinnamon honey salt scrub I made a few months back? I've been pretty obsessed with homemade body scrubs since then. I mean, they are simple to create (usually with things you already have in your kitchen), smell great, work better than any body scrub I've ever purchased, and fairly cheap. I like this sugar scrub even better than the salt scrub I made. It's a bit gentler and lots sweeter. I love vanilla this time of year, it's a really warm cozy scent. A nice exfoliation with this scrub in a hot bath sounds like the perfect end to a cold winter day to me. 

Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub

Ingredients:

3/4 cups raw cane sugar

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup coconut oil solid

1/3 cup almond or olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla extract or a few drops essential oil 

Directions: 

+ Combine the raw cane sugar and the regular sugar in a large bowl and mash it together with room temperature (solid) coconut oil. This looks just like butter and sugar does creamed together. A fork works best here, to evenly distribute the coconut oil and leave no large lumps.
+ Add the honey, almond or olive oil, and vanilla stirring with a spatula until combined.
+ Finally, stir in the brown sugar. Add more vanilla, if desired, until you reach a scent you are satisfied with.

Storage and Usage: 
+ Store in little glass jars. These can be packaged up nicely for gifts; create a label for the lid of the jar and tie some pretty ribbon around.
+ If desired, top the scrub with a few sprinkles of brown sugar and/or coconut flakes before packaging.

+ To use the scrub, apply to dry or damp skin rubbing gently for a bit and rinse off.



Enjoy exfoliating and moisturizing!
xx Emorie

Natural Beauty: Coconut Oil

A first in a series where I share natural ingredients that I have found to work remarkably for beauty purposes, far better than any expensive concoction you can buy.

Coconut Oil is a great for a lot of reasons. It is said to be anti-fungal, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, as well as having soothing properties (this can be attributed to the presence of caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, etc. found in the oil).  And you can use it for everything! I keep a jar of Coconut Oil on my bathroom counter with a little spoon tied to the lid for easy scooping, and I never bother putting it away in a cupboard because I use it so often.

Here are my top Coconut Oil uses

As a face-wash 

I have had the most problematic skin, let me tell you. I'm about as sensitive as you can get in the skin department, and my skin likes to overreact to the smallest things. So when I had problems with acne as a teenager, everything I tried only made the problem worse. That's because most topical acne treatments are full of some real nasty, harsh chemicals. Salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, they all even sound awful. And they ate at my skin. Now that acne isn't much of an issue for me, I've finally found something that my skin, and all skin loves. That's how life works, though, right?

Because it is gentle, but also antibacterial, Coconut Oil is great at fighting acne. And yes, oil is great for cleaning your skin. When you use a store-bought cleanser or soap on your face, it strips your skin of it's natural oils. When you clean with oil, all that junk in your pores will be absorbed by the oil, while letting you hang on to your natural skin-produced oils that are so so so good. No more dry skin! And because you are no longer stripping your skin oils, you won't over-produce oil to compensate. No more oily skin!

Since I've been using Coconut Oil, my skin has been very happy. It is no longer dull, I have a nice natural glow and evened out skin tone. My redness and irritation have reduced drastically. And I rarely ever have to use a moisturizer anymore. Coconut Oil is also great at removing makeup, especially stubborn eye makeup (water proof mascara anyone?).  Most days I wash my face by simply rubbing a nickel-sized amount of Coconut Oil all over my skin and then rinsing it off. On days when I need a little exfoliating, about twice a week, I do the following:

When exfoliating, I like to begin with clean skin; usually I'll do this right out of the shower, but if I have any makeup on or just worked out, I do rinse it with some coconut oil and water first. Other wise, begin with dry skin. Mix equal parts baking soda and Coconut Oil together in you palm. I do a quarter-size amount of each, which gives me enough mixture to exfoliate my face, neck, and chest. Once you mix the two together, the coconut oil will melt from the temperature of your hand, so work cautiously and gently rub the mixture all over your skin in a soft circular motion for a few minutes (rub it on your lips too! they'll get so nice and smooth). Once you're done, simply rinse of with warm water really well and pat dry with a towel. You want to make sure you rinse thoroughly, if any baking soda stays on your face, it could dry out your skin. Your skin should feel a little oily, but don't worry, your skin will quickly drink it up, and it will love it!

As a deep condition for hair

My other favorite way to use this great stuff is in my hair. I'll take a big old glop of it and work it all the way through my hair, paying special attention to the roots. I personally don't like putting it right on my scalp, because I don't use shampoo (more on that later) it would stay a little too oily for my liking. But if you do wash your hair, go for it! It is great for your scalp, especially if you ever get a dry, itchy scalp- it will be very soothing. It's great at kicking dandruff's ass too! For a deep conditioning mask, leave coconut oil on for at least 30 minutes (I tend to go for an hour or even more) and then shower as normal. Oh how my dyed ends thank me.

Other things I use Coconut Oil for

• As my saving grace against dry cracked skin in the winter. Especially my hands. It's my favorite because my skin soaks it up pretty fast. Rub a bit on your skin just like you would body butter. Just not too much! A little goes a long way.
• As a lip balm
• A a defrizzer/detangler for my hair. Put a tiny bit on the tips of your fingers and smooth that hair out!
• The ONLY THING that can tame my dry cracked heals, with the help of one of those foot cheese grater looking things
• As  body scrub (mixed with sugar)
• As an eye makeup remover
• As a "primer" under my "makeup" when I wear some
• And of course, you can eat it/cook with it! Silly.

I recommend this list for more ideas of how to get all of the wonderful benefits from Coconut Oil. Next, I want to try making my own deodorant from it!