Lip Gloss Sticks (or Solid Lip Gloss)

Here's another version of lip gloss that I've tried and loved. I think it's a little simpler than the liquid version I posted earlier. I really like them both!

For this all you need is some non-petroleum "petroleum" jelly (click here for my recipe) and some sort of color. I used a mica pigment from Coastal Scents (available here). I think a small chunk of lipstick would also work, or maybe some Kool Aid powder or powdered beet root, although I have not personally tried either of those. 

I didn't measure this, but I probably used about a tablespoon of the jelly. Not that it really matters tho...since all you're doing is adding color to it, use as much as you want. :) When you're filling lip balm tubes, a little goes a LONG way, so I'd start small.

Put the jelly in a small glass bowl and microwave for about 30-40 seconds. Stir in any un-melted chunks until smooth. 

Add your color to the melted jelly and stir. I probably used about 1/2 a teaspoon of this pigment, but this is very much "to taste." Not that you should be EATING it, but put in as much pigment as you need to get to the color you want. :) I used the Crome Carmine pigment from Coastal Scents. Just a heads up..."carmine" is a reddish pigment derived from scale insects. If that freaks you out, use something else. :) The process it goes thru thoroughly removes any insect, so it's not exactly like you're smearing crushed bugs straight on your lips. Plus, when you think about all the things that are in regular lipstick (fish scales, anyone?), this probably doesn't sound quite so bad. ;)

I guess I didn't get any pics of stirring in the color or filling the tubes, but it's basically the same process as my tinted lip balm, so check out that post if you'd like pictures. :) Work quickly to fill the tubes before the gloss hardens. 

Let the tubes sit (either at room temp or in the refrigerator) until solid all the way through. This lip gloss will be solid at room temp, but will melt against your lips into a rich, glossy balm. 

The pigment I used made a rich rose gloss with a strong, gold-glittery overtone....very pretty!! 

And here are my lips again...haha. I really like the gold tones! Very shimmery. 

And there you have it! Another simple, natural, petroleum FREE, lip gloss!! :)

Liquid Lip Gloss

As I mentioned in my non-petroleum "petroleum" jelly post, I've been wanting to try my own lip gloss, but without using vaseline. I couldn't really find a recipe for what I had in mind, so I experimented and came up with my own lip gloss recipe. :) Since I made this up as I went along, it's not very exact...but hopefully it will give you some inspiration as you make your OWN lip gloss! :)

I used:

~ Approx. 1 tablespoon non-petroleum "petroleum" jelly (click here for the recipe...you could try using vaseline if you'd rather not make your own. I'm guessing it would work out about the same)

~ Approx. 1 tablespoon castor oil (sorry, I didn't exactly measure...I just used what looked like about equal amounts)

~ Color - I handmade my color using Ultra Silk mica (a mix of mica and titanium dioxide) and red iron oxide (both bought from Coastal Scents). If you don't want to make your own color, you could use a pre-mixed mica pigment (I've bought several of these from Coastal Scents and have been impressed with them!) or you could try a little Kool Aid powder or dried beet powder...those are both things I've seen used in other recipes, but I haven't tried myself. If all else fails, I'm guessing a small chunk of lipstick would do the trick as well! :) 

First I mixed my color, using my mortar & pestle to grind the red iron oxide into the ultra silk mica. If you're using iron oxide, you will need to mix it using something like a mortar & pestle or coffee grinder. I've tried mixing it with just a spoon or toothpick, and while it LOOKS well blended, when you try to apply it you'll find lots of little un-mixed bits that will leave bright red streaks. Not too cool.

I think I used about 1 teaspoon of ultra silk mica, and just a FEW grains of red iron oxide. It doesn't take much, and you can always add a little more if it turns out too pale at first. 

I was going for a very pale pink...it was hard to photograph, but I liked it! The ultra silk mica has a shimmery/pearly finish which was really pretty with the soft pink color. 

Next, put roughly equal parts of jelly and castor oil into a small glass bowl, and then microwave for about 40 seconds. 

If there are any unmelted chunks when you take it out of the microwave, stir them in until it's all smooth and liquid. 

Add your color and mix. 

Stir until smooth.

I got my lip gloss containers from Elements Bath & Body. 

Use a plastic pipette (I ordered mine here) or dropper, fill the lip gloss tubes. You will need to work quickly as it gets really hard to work with as it cools. If you need to, you can stick it back in the microwave (pipette and all) for 5-10 seconds. 

I wound up with more than I thought, and had to run grab a third tube. :)

I really like this soft pink color!!

Next, put in the reducers, if your bottles came with them. 

Just push 'em in! :)

And there you have it!! :) Simple, natural lip gloss, NO petroleum products needed!! :)

These would make really nice gifts!

Here's a shot of my lips (do you have any idea how hard it is to take pics of your own lips?! Haha) wearing this lip gloss. It goes on thick and creamy, and lasts for quite awhile (at least for me). It doesn't leave a lot of color on, but it has a really pretty shimmer. 

It's very pale...but I like it. :) 

Non-Petroleum "Petroleum" Jelly

I've been reading lately about the bad side effects of petroleum products on our health....the bad thing is, petroleum is in EVERYTHING!!! Vaseline, baby oil, mineral oil, lip gloss, anti-biotic gels....start reading labels, and you'll be amazed! So I was excited to find a recipe recently for a NON-Petroleum jelly. The recipe I found called for olive oil, but since I've been wanting to make lip gloss (most of the recipes I've found called for petroleum jelly) and I didn't want it to smell/taste like olive oil or have a green tint, I decided to substitute castor oil since it's pretty clear and has a similar consistency to olive oil. It worked out really well! 

You will need:

- 1/8 cup beeswax (grated, or pastilles...I used white pastilles so the jelly would be white/clear. You can  use yellow beeswax too if you don't mind the yellowish tint)

- 1/2 cup castor oil (or olive oil) 

Pour into a small glass jar.

Use a small saucepan of water as a double boiler.

Boil and stir until all the beeswax is melted. 

Remove from heat, and let sit until cooled and hardened thru. 

Simple, huh?! :)

When it's solid it is maybe a little harder than vaseline, but it melts to the touch and feels just like vaseline to me! It's SUPER moisturizing!! 

Homemade Deodorant that WORKS!

I've been looking into natural and/or homemade deodorants for awhile now...reading reviews and comments from people who have bought/made them, trying to find information about commercial deodorants and the effects of their ingredients. I still don't feel like a have a real handle on that, but I'm trying to head towards more natural products for our family. I tried a few different recipes for homemade deodorant which either didn't work, or did work but smelled bad/funny. I wanted to find something that was natural, but still WORKED and DIDN'T make me smell funny. :) I know, I know...that's asking a lot. But I finally found one that seems to fit the bill! I adjusted the recipe slightly, but the original recipe is as follows:

- 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder

- 3 tablespoons baking soda

- 3.5 tablespoons coconut oil

- 1.5 tablespoons beeswax (either grated flakes, or pellets/pastilles)

- 12 drops tea tree oil

- 10-12 drops any other essential oil or oils you prefer (optional...only add up to another 10-12 drops combined)

- 3 drops castor oil (optional...just helps it glide on better)

I made this recipe just as given above, using extra virgin coconut oil. I found I really didn't like the smell of that oil (I'm not a big coconut fan) and every deodorant I've tried with tea tree oil has really bugged me...I just don't like that smell! However, the deodorant DID seem to work...so I decided to try the recipe again using my more refined coconut oil (cheaper, AND no smell) and omit the tea tree oil. Below is my adapted recipe.

What you'll need:

- 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder 

(which I didn't have, so I substituted cornstarch instead...seems to work well!)

- 3 tablespoons baking soda

- 3 tablespoons coconut oil

- 1.5 tablespoons beeswax (grated or pellets)

- 10 20 drops essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice (optional)

- 3 drops castor oil for extra glide (optional) (UPDATE: Now that I've made this recipe several times, I'm adding about 1 teaspoon of castor oil. It gets rid  of the dry, itchy feeling I was dealing with at first. Just don't add too much more than that, or your deodorant won't harden well)

- Cleaned deodorant container (or whatever container you'd like to use)

Put all ingredients except essential/fragrance oils into a small glass jar.

Place the jar in a small saucepan of boiling water...this acts as a double boiler. 

Mix up the ingredients as well as possible...this will get easier as they start to melt. :)

Keep stirring....

...until everything is smooth and melted. :)

Remove from the hot water and add essential or fragrance oils. I usually use essential oils in things because they're natural and good for you....but this time I used a fragrance oil from Elements Bath & Body. I know it's synthetic, but I wanted a really good smelling deodorant so I fudged. :) By all means, use your favorite essential oil if you'd rather avoid the synthetics! 

UPDATE: 

I've also made this using various essential oils. I really like citrus oils...lemon, lemon & lavender, lemongrass, or the Citrus Bliss blend from doTERRA smell wonderful. 

Works very well and still smells good! 

Pour into a cleaned out deodorant container (fyi, these containers are SUPER hard to clean out!! Deodorant is NOT made to be washable, and the left-over gunk in the containers stays true to it's original purpose!! After trying every soap and cleaner I could find, the thing that worked best was pouring some GooGone into the container, putting the lid on, shaking it up, and letting it sit for awhile. Then I rinsed it out and washed it with soap...the GooGone took most of the leftover deodorant right out!!)

I actually made a smaller version of this recipe (I think I did 2 tablespoons of the main ingredients instead of 3, and pared everything else down accordingly), but it didn't make quite enough to fill up my container, so I would go with the 3 tablespoons recipe. :) Let the deodorant harden either at room temp or in the refrigerator until it's solid all the way thru. 

Once it was solid, I cranked it up to the top. :)

And there you have it! I haven't had any problem with this melting at room temp...you might have to keep it in the fridge if you house is really, REALLY warm, but otherwise it should be fine at room temp. :) I've been wearing this deodorant exclusively for the last couple of weeks and although we haven't exactly been in the middle of our warmest weather, I've been in some situations where I've definitely been able to put this to the test (UPDATE: It's been a fairly hot summer so far, and I've been gardening. I'm still using my homemade deodorant. Case closed). :) I have worked up a sweat but this kept me 100% BO free, and I feel like it worked better as an antiperspirant than my commercial deodorant! That was a surprise as I didn't expect it to do much as an antiperspirant...but it worked well for me! The first few times I used it, it felt really dry and itchy when it went on...I started rubbing a drop of either castor oil or sweet almond oil over the surface before applying the deodorant...I only do that every few uses, and it took care of the dry feeling (UPDATE: As mentioned in the ingredients list, slightly upping the amount of castor oil in the recipe helps get rid of this feeling). :) Don't screw it up very far before applying, as it gets soft with your body heat and you may wind up getting on a lot more than you wanted. :)

Nourishing Sweet Almond Oil Lotion

Here's another of my anti-dry-winter-skin experiments. :) I got the recipe from my sister-in-law and added some fun scents to make it my own.

You will need:

1/2 cup sweet almond oil, or else 1/4 cup sweet almond oil and 1/4 cup grape seed oil

(after I took the picture I decided to use half sweet almond oil and half grape seed oil, so that's why the grape seed oil isn't in the picture. Either way works well)

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup beeswax (either grated or in pellets)

1 teaspoon vitamin E oil (optional)

Essential oils or fragrance oils for scent (optional) 

She told me you can also add 2 tablespoons of a body butter (shea, coco, mango, etc.) if you'd like, but I didn't in this batch. Just another option. :)

Put the almond oil, coconut oil, and beeswax in a glass jar. If you're using a butter, add it at this time too. 

Fill a small saucepan halfway with water, bring to a boil, and set the jar into the water (like a double boiler). Boil and stir until all the beeswax has melted. 

Add vitamin E oil (I have 1000 i.u. tablets and it takes about 4 tablets to get a teaspoon of oil).

Add any essential oils or fragrance oils. I usually stick with essential oils to keep my products 100% natural, but this time I used a fragrance oil I got from Hobby Lobby along with my vanilla oil. It was a lovely combination!!!!

Let sit and harden. 

I stuck mine in the fridge to help it harder a little faster. 

Once it's set all the way thru, scoop it out of the jar and into a bowl or stand mixer. 

Whip on high with either an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer until light and creamy. 

Keep whipping until there are no hard little lumps left. 

Put into a small container and use as needed. :) A little goes a long way with this lotion. It's very different than the whipped body butter I posted before...it leaves you a little oily, but it absorbs quickly and is definitely more of a lotion than a body butter. I really like it...it feels so light and soft and makes my skin feel so hydrated and nourished...plus I LOVE the scent combination I used!! Give it a try. :)