Popular Posts

Showing posts with label essential oils. Show all posts
Showing posts with label essential oils. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Rosewater face cream


I have been making this face cream for a few years and really love the way it makes my skin feel.  The last batch I made this fall, I shared with some friends.  They have really liked it and wanted to learn how to make their own.  I thought it would be good to post the recipe for y'all to try if you were inclined.  This particular recipe calls for rosewater that I make in the spring of each year when the roses are in bloom.  If you want to read that post it is on my blog.



This cream can be varied depending on what you want.  The oils in the recipe can be changed depending on your skin type and the essential oils can be mixed and matched depending on the scent you want to achieve or the action you want on your skin.  I use grape seed oil since it is not as "oily".

This is my recipe adapted from Rosemary Gladstar's recipe:

Rose face cream

2/3 cup rose water
1/2 cup aloe vera juice

Mix these two and keep at room temp.

Prepare the oil/beeswax by mixing the following in a sauce pan.

2/3 cup grape seed oil
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 tsp Lanolin
3/4 oz beeswax (grate and add to oils)~make sure to weigh because if you get too much your cream wont turn out.

Heat oils enough to melt the lanolin and beeswax.  Take off heat and let cool. ** This is important because the two mixtures have to be close in temp in order to incorporate together and not get separating.  Sometimes it helps to heat up the liquid by setting it in some water.  Right before mixing the oils and the liquid, add 5 vitamin e capsules (just the fluid inside) and your essential oils.  I use 10 drops bergamot, 8 drops rosewood, and 5 drops geranium bourbon essential oils to each batch.

As you incorporate the liquid into the oil use a hand blender to whip it up.  Once fully whipped, place in your containers and use.  This has kept for month out of refrigeration....but you need to make sure the containers you will be using are sterilized.  It make a pretty big batch so I do keep the extra in the refrigerator until I am ready to use it.  If it does separate on you, just mix it back together and next time try to get the temperatures equal before mixing.

Hope y'all enjoy it as much as we do.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Essential oils that we use all the time



We are almost out of tea tree oil and I am thinking about placing an order for more. While I am at it I will take a look at my stock of oils and see if we are getting low on anything else.  There are essential oils I like to have on hand and essential oils that I don't like to be without because we use them a lot.  I thought it might be nice to list those oils and how we use them.

Tea Tree is number one around here since we use it on a daily basis.  

It is antibiotic, antiseptic, antiviral, bactericide, expectorant, fungicide, insecticide and sudorific. 

Although it may cause irritation on sensitive areas of skin, along with Lavender it is just about the only oil that many recommend to be used neat or straight from the bottle without dilution.

Its most important usage is to help the immune system fight off infectious diseases. Activates the white corpuscles to form a defense against invading organisms and helps to shorten the duration of illness. 

Indicated for influenza, cold sores, and gingivitis. 

Helps to ease otitis. Reduces pus in infected wounds. Clears blemishes caused by chicken pox and shingles. Useful with minor burns, sores, sunburn, ringworm, warts, tinea, herpes and athletes foot. 

Helpful with dry conditions of the scalp as well as dandruff.

Need I say more?  We use it in our udder wash for the goats daily, I put it in some salves, we us it in a rub for colds or I put is in a diffuser in the winter when sickness is going around, and we put it neat on sores and pimples.....I know there is more but this all I can think of for now.  The one issue is that it kind of has a pungent medicinal smell.

Lavender is right up there with tea tree and we use it often in our house.

It is analgesic, antidepressant, antirheumatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, bactericide, cicatrizant, decongestant, deodorant, diuretic, fungicide, sedative. 

Soothes the spirit, relieves anger.

Lavender has a sedative action on the heart, assists in bringing down high blood pressure, relieves insomnia and muscular spasms and rheumatic pains. This is the first essential oil one should reach for in the case of minor burns and sunburn, keep a bottle in the kitchen (away from open flame!). Useful with menstrual problems, bronchitis and headaches, helps lower blood pressure. Useful in a diffuser in the delivery room to calm and relax everyone in the room. 

May be useful with nausea, vomiting and colic. Keeps insects away. Purifies the air. Promotes growth of new skin cells, great healing effect on burns and sunburn, acne, psoriasis, boils, fungal growths and scarring. Lavender is one of the safest essential oils to use with children and the elderly
I use it extensively in salves and in a carrier oil to help promote calmness in human or animal.  I out it in lotions and creams for our face as well.  We also try to grow lavender herb for oil infusions and to dry the flower heads for different uses.

Cinnamon leaf oil~ used for aroma infusion and for cleaning preparations in our house.

Used as an insecticide, emmenagogue, antispasmodic, antibacterial, aphrodisiac and antifungal particularly against Candida and Aspergillis. Indicated for tooth care. 

Eases colds and breathing difficulties. As an inhalation, it is excellent for exhaustion, feelings of depression and weakness. It is a very effective antiseptic, digestive and anti-rheumatic and is regarded as one of the strongest antiseptic oils. Useful for preventing infectious and contagious diseases.

Not recommended for skin care. Traditionally used in clearing warts. 

Eucalyptus Oil~ I use this in a chest rub that I make or with a carrier oil and diffused into the air  Most of the time this is used in the winter and spring months in our house.

Expectorant, decongestant, insecticide, analgesic, antirheumatic and antiseptic. 

Inhibits proliferation of the cold virus. Deters mosquitoes and other insects. Cools emotions, aids concentration. 

Effective in all types of fever, lowers the temperature, makes breathing easier, loosens phlegm. It is one of the most valuable oils for treating the respiratory system. According to research, the spraying of a 2% emulsion containing eucalyptus oil kills off 70% of local, airborne staphylococci.  Clears up sinus congestion.

Palmarosa Oil~  I use this extensively in lotion and salves

Antifungal and antiviral. Indicated for bronchitis, birthing, regeneration of the skin, and regulating oil production of the skin. Useful in treating skin infections.

Peppermint~  I love the smell of peppermint and use this oil a lot for cleaning around the house.

Cooling, analgesic, antispasmodic, anesthetic, decongestant, emmenagogue, expectorant, febrifuge, insecticide and stimulant. 

Should be kept away from eyes, likely to irritate skin and mucous membranes. Best avoided by pregnant women and nursing mothers as it could discourage flow of milk. May antidote homeopathic remedies.

Helps people become clear headed and refreshes the spirits. Helpful for people who are unable to concentrate or who have mental fatigue. Said to relieve states of anger, hysteria and nervous trembling, excellent for depression.


Rosemary~ We use for headaches and to clear our thoughts.

It is analgesic, antidepressant, antirheumatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, cicatrisant, digestive, diuretic, hypertensive and rubefacient.

Not suitable for people with epilepsy or high blood pressure. Avoid in pregnancy since it is an emmenagogue. Might antidote homeopathic remedies. 

It's an excellent tonic for the liver and gall bladder. Helps lower high blood sugar. Used in shampoo and hair treatments, it helps stimulate blood circulation to the scalp, thus being beneficial for promoting hair growth.


I use other oils but this is a list of  what we use the most as far as essential oils.  The highlighted text above was copied from an essential oil web site.  


Last thing, please use essential oils with caution and at your own risk.  Read up and know what you are putting on our body.  Essential oils soak into your body and system quickly so be careful to use only organic or wilcrafted oils for body purposes.  


Very last thing, nothing in this post is meant to help you treat or diagnose any problems you may have, it is listed basically to tell you what we do in our home.