Fresh-Picked Beauty

My version of a popular brand's Let The Good Times Roll facial cleanser

Tis' the Season for gift giving and there are two ways to get that done.  You either buy the special gift or you craft it yourself.  I love to make my friends special beauty treats and I could not help myself from coming up with my own version of a very popular facial cleanser called Let the Good Times Roll.  This festive beauty product is great for gently scrubbing your skin to a smooth and healthy glow. I used all the same ingredients, but I swapped out their listed ingredient of talc for  the kaolin clay I had at home. I also left out the Gardenia Extract and the only fragrance I added in was from pure vanilla extract.  Since I had received a sample of the store's product I was able to play around with it and recreate the texture almost perfectly.  The store put popped corn on top of their version and I did the same thing, however I am pretty certain it is just for "looks" and unless you are gifting this to a friend, you can leave the popped corn off.

Most of these ingredients are available from your local grocery store and you can get glycerine and clay from Mountain Rose Herbs. Fresh-Picked Beauty's version of Let The Good Times Roll Facial Cleanser 50 grams Maise flour (cornmeal) 20 grams Kaolin clay 15 grams Polenta Pinch of Cinnamon Powder 30 grams Glycerine 15 grams Corn Oil 6 grams Vanilla Extract 3 grams Popped Corn        Combine the Kaolin Clay, Polenta, Cinnamon Powder and Maize Flour in a food processor and grind to a very fine powder.   It needs to be a fine powder in order to create a gentle texture for your face and body.   Drizzle the Glycerine, Corn Oil and Vanilla Extract over the powdered ingredients. Mix very well to form a smooth and creamy paste.   Form mixture into a round cake or a ball.  Top with Popcorn for gift giving or leave it off and just store it in an airtight container for up to a month in the fridge. Do not use your fingers to get the product out, always use a clean utensil.  To use, moisten your face with a bit of warm water.  Place a teaspoon sized amount of the product into your palm and add enough warm water to create a creamy paste.  Massage into your skin using circular motions for several minutes. Rinse with warm water.  Enjoy & Green Blessings.  This information is for educational purposes only, it is not intended to treat, cure, prevent or, diagnose any disease or condition. Nor is it intended to prescribe in any way. This information is for educational purposes only and may not be complete, nor may its data be accurate. As with all herbs, do not take internally unless working with a qualified and expert practitioner. Keep away from children.  I am an affiliate with Mountain Rose Herbs, please review my disclosure page for details. Shannon Buck and Fresh-Picked Beauty strongly recommend that you do not rely solely on the information presented on this website and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before using or consuming any type product. Anything you find on this website still needs more research to establish the potential effectiveness and safety of any ingredient and/or suggestion.  Before you consider using anything you find on this website, you need to consult with a medical professional to help you weigh the pros and cons of using natural ingredients.  You also need to review all the available safety data for each ingredient before you use it.  Herbs and natural ingredients have been used successfully for many years, but as a precaution, I suggest that you consult a naturopathic doctor, licensed herbalist, or holistic health practitioner who is qualified to guide you in the safe use of herbs and natural ingredients. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. I am not in any way Affiliated with Lush or Cosmetic Warriors Ldt in any way whatsoever nor do I know their actual recipe for any of their products, I am simply using a list of published ingredients and creating my own version.

I receive a ton of emails asking me to create a natural deodorant recipe,  and I spent some time this summer tinkering around with a few ideas for one.  I knew I needed to develope a recipe that would neutralize stinky underarm odor, absorb as much wetness as possible and impart a natural and pleasant aroma using essential oils. 

First I searched the internet for companies that were already selling some proven natural deodorant products and discovered that basically they all contained baking soda (neutralizes stinky underarm odor), arrowroot powder (absorbs wetness) and some essential oil (imparts a nice smell to your pits).  I made several batches and some turned out good and others turned out clumpy and gritty. 

I finally came up with a recipe that contains Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Baking Soda, Arrowroot Powder, Kaolin Clay, Vitamin E, Geranium Essential Oil and Cedarwood Essential Oil.  I really like this formula.  It goes on smooth, absorbs quickly, absorbs wetness and smells AWESOME!! It is still slightly gritty from the baking soda, but that goes away after your pits dissolve it.  I have been wearing it for about 3 weeks now and while I still sweat, I feel drier and don't stink!!  When I work out at the gym, I simply reapply the deodorant and I am good to go for the rest of the day. 

So, here you are my wonderful readers...Fresh-Picked Beauty's Geranium & Cedarwood Natural Deodorant.  

You will need 20 grams of Shea Butter, 15 grams of Mango Butter, 20 grams of Baking Soda, 20 grams of Arrowroot Powder, 2 grams of Kaolin Clay, 1.25 ml of Vitamin E Oil, 10 drops of Geranium Essential oil and 8 drops of Cedarwood Virginia Essential Oil.

You have heard me say it before, but I REALLY like buying my ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs.  They really do have the BEST stuff at AWESOME prices!!

I chose Geranium and Cedarwood to fragrance my recipe, but you can mix and match your favorite.  Keep the essential oil to about 18 drops total.  You might try Rose+Sandalwood, or Rosemary+Spearmint, or Vetiver+Lavender.

Add your Shea Butter and Mango Butter into a small glass measuring cup and melt it in a simmering water bath. Remove from the heat.

Mix in the Baking Soda, Arrowroot Powder and Kaolin Clay. Mix well.

Mix in the Vitamin E Oil and the Essential Oils. Mix well.


Pour into your clean storage container (a 4 ounce canning jar works great). Chill in the fridge until hardened. While mine was setting up, I stirred it every 10 minutes so that the baking soda did not settle on the bottom.

To use: spread about 1/8 teaspoon on each armpit. Reapply if needed during the day. 

Cheers!

Shannon

My recipe for Crème De la Rose is for a sumptuous all-purpose thick and rich moisturizing cream that can be used on your face, body, hands and feet.  You can even massage a tiny bit into your split ends! I added in rose hydrosol which is wonderful for all skin types.  Both macadamia nut oil and medowfoam seed oil are highly prized for being wonderful at helping the skin regenerate.  These oils are highly protective and easily absorbed into the skin leaving it silky, supple and moisturized. Rosehip seed oil is extremely high in essential fatty acids and works to hydrate skin and protect it from dryness.

Nothing is harder than trying to get cocoa butter out of the jar it comes in! Thank goodness that Mountain Rose Herbs offers convenient Cocoa Butter Wafers for sale.  Expeller pressed, unrefined, Certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified, these little one inch discs are creamy-white and melt so easily!! They are good for food and cosmetic making.....so pop one in your mouth and enjoy the deep rich cocoa butter flavor! Trust me, I have eaten plenty over the past weekend!!

If you want to buy some today, or tomorrow, or the next day after that, head over to Mountain Rose Herbs. Click HERE to be taken to their website.

Have you got the new Mountain Rose Herbs catalog yet? If not, you can get one for FREE!!! Just head over to their website and request one!! Click HERE!!!

You can CLICK HERE for their digital catalog!!

On page 47 of the new Spring & Summer 2013 Mountain Rose Herbs Catalog there is a recipe for Coco-Calm Lip Balm.  I thought I would share it with you!! There are over 20 awesome recipes in the new catalog.

photo credit: Spring & Summer 2013 Mountain Rose Herbs Catalog

Coco-Calm Lip Balm
by Mountain Rose Herbs

1 tablespoon organic unrefined coconut oil
4 organic cocoa butter wafers
2 tablespoons organic sunflower oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon beeswax
10 drops organic lavender essential oil
5 drops organic clary sage essential oil
a few drops of vitamin E oil 

Place chopped beeswax and oils in a small pot or glass measuring cup and gently heat in the top of a double boiler until the beeswax has melted.  Once melted, remove from the stove top and add essential oils and vitamin E oil. Immediately pour the mixture into lip balm containers.  Allow to cool completely before placing the caps onto the lip balm containers.  Makes enough to fill 10 lip balm tubes, 6 of 1/4 ounce plastic jars or three 1/2 ounce tins or plastic jars. 

Thanks Mountain Rose Herbs for this recipe!!!

My kids finally started back to school! Yeah!, I have time to concoct some beauty recipes to share with you.   I hope everyone had a fun summer!

I was in the mood for a face mask today and decided to craft a Chocolate Buttermilk Clay Mask using some natural unsweetened cocoa powder, organic buttermilk powder, Rhassoul clay and aloe vera gel. It only took me a few minutes to whip this decadent beauty treat up. 

I chose unsweetened cocoa powder because it is loaded with skin nourishing and protecting antioxidants, plus it smells heavenly and delicious. Buttermilk is rich in skin smoothing lactic acid and can help to gently exfoliate and brighten up any complexion.  Rhassoul clay from Morocco is extremely rich in silica, magnesium and potassium which are important minerals for the skin. Finally, aloe vera gel is very soothing and protecting to the skin. 


Chocolate Buttermilk Clay Mask
makes enough for 2 facials
1/2 tablespoon Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon Buttermilk powder
1/2 tablespoon Rhassoul Clay
1 1/2 tablespoon Aloe vera gel

Mix together the dry ingredients in a small bowl.

Stir in the Aloe vera gel to form a paste.


Spread half of the mixture over your face. Relax for 20 minutes or until dry. Gently remove with warm water and then mist your face with your favorite hydrosol. Store the other half of the face max in a tightly closed container in the fridge and use within 3 days.

Cheers!
Shannon