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How to Make Your Own Homemade Sunscreen

2012-05-02T23:01:49Z

Homemade Sunscreen

Three reasons you should make your own:

Cost: Compare Jason Natural sunblock $11.29/4 oz. to making your own: $4.25/5 oz
Control your ingredients: zinc oxide offers the best sun protection with a low hazard rating (per EWG). You can create a high or low SPF when you make it yourself.
Four ingredients and 30 minutes is all you need.

Instructions: Melt ½ oz beeswax, 2 oz shea butter, and 2 oz coconut oil using the double boiler method (Pyrex or glass container with ingredients, sitting in a pot of boiling water until mixture is melted).

Remove from heat. Add 1 oz (2 TBS) zinc oxide to melted mixture and using a stick blender, blend until all zinc oxide is well-blended. Pour into a glass or plastic container. Sunscreen is ready when solidified.

This is approximately 30 spf – I wouldn’t add more zinc oxide than the recipe calls for unless you can handle the extra “whiteness” which might be difficult to rub into the skin. Use less zinc oxide for a lower spf.

For a video and more summer skin care recipes, see the My Buttered Life ebook.

10 Tips to Make Your First Massage a Relaxing Event

2012-04-30T22:49:29Z

Last weekend my mom won a door prize: an appointment for a free massage from a licensed massage therapist.

She was dismayed and tried to swap the gift for another winner's gift, but that woman didn't want the massage either.

I can totally relate. Two years ago my husband presented me a gift certificate for a massage as a Mother's Day gift and I almost cried... and those weren't tears of joy. I had this huge fear of having someone other than my spouse touch my exposed skin, even if I was fully covered. Do I chat during the massage or am I required to be completely quiet? If an hour of full relaxation was the plan, I could think of 101 other ways to achieve that. I also didn't want to be "her" - the woman who had to have her weekly spa treatment to survive motherhood.

Not wanting to waste the gift, I swallowed my pride and went.

NOW I get it. Massage therapists have a method to their work, and deep tissue massage truly relieves the pain in the upper back, shoulder and neck area that I get from working at a computer a couple hours at a time. It is absolutely WORTH IT.

Here are 10 tips to get over the fear of the first massage:

There is no "stupid question" when it comes to a massage. If you have any questions about what the massage therapist will be doing, ask her.
A good massage therapist will ask you what areas of pain you are experiencing or what you expect from the massage. My MT asks me at every visit: "are we working the upper back again?" because that is what I ask for almost every time.
Your massage therapist will obviously need to have full access to your skin, so removing all clothing but underwear is recommended. She'll leave you alone to disrobe, lie on the massage table face down, and cover yourself with a sheet.
Get comfortable (often you begin by lying on your stomach on the massage table), fully comfortable, because once she starts, you'll want to keep every muscle relaxed for best results.
Relax, let the massage therapist move your limbs for you, and talk only to give feedback.
A good massage therapist will ask you what level of pain you can handle (if doing deep tissue massage). Let her know, and definitely feel free to tell her to lighten up if the massage is painful. A massage therapist is often strong and her work on your back (and legs and feet) is to your benefit, yet a slow, gentle pressure is very effective in the overall treatment.
If you're prone to being ticklish, know that this only lasts a few seconds.
If you have a favorite oil for your massage therapist to use, bring it and ask if she'd be willing to use it for you. She may be concerned about the oil on her massage sheets, or she may have a preference for using an oil with the right "grab," but a high quality oil (like jojoba) may be worth bringing with you.
Drink plenty of water, and if you feel sore after a massage, apply ice. Salt baths are also recommend following a massage.
After the massage, get up slowly, especially if you feel lightheaded.

Thanks to Debi, Debra, Teresa, Kathy, and others for their contributions to this Facebook post.

Shea Butter: From Tree to Butter, a Video

2012-04-27T21:25:46Z

This is probably the best education about shea butter you'll ever receive.

This video, filmed in West Africa, shows two women harvesting shea nuts in a rural village in Mali. Their conversation is included, with English subtitles. You will have a new appreciation for shea butter and the African people who work the harvest.

How to Recycle Lipstick into Tinted Lip Balm

2012-04-24T19:06:47Z

Let's say you have a few unused lipstick tubes laying around. They are likely too bright, too brown, too red, too pink, or just too-not-you.

Recycle them!

Here's how:

If you've seen my video "how to make lip balms" on YouTube, you'll be happy to know that throwing lipstick into the pot of melted lip balm (equal amounts of coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax, with a tad more coconut oil if outside temps are cooler than 70 degrees) is all you have to do:

For a stronger color, add at least as much lipstick as lip balm liquid. I could have (should have) added more lipstick in my mixture for a more colorful tint.

Melt everything. At this point, add drops of a favorite essential oil (I chose peppermint) to flavor your lip balm.

Use a dropper to drop into lip balm tubes AND into your empty lipstick container.

And you have a nourishing lip balm with added color and scent.

Summary:

Cleaning Your Face with Oil (Oil Cleansing Method)

2012-03-30T22:20:45Z

It sounds about as counter-intuitive as feasting on Twinkies in order to lose weight, but the oil cleansing method is an effective way to clean your face.

The reason it sounds off is because we're assuming that oil is the problem when it comes to pimples, blemishes and other forms of "dirty" skin issues. And so we pull out the scrubs and soaps and start the battle of getting rid of oils that are clogging our pores.

But here's what your skin is really doing:

your skin is trying to re-lubricate itself with your natural oils to protect itself.
the pimples, blackheads and other skin afflictions are the result of hormones, bacteria, and what goes into your body.
scrubbing with soap that dries out the skin, or exfoliating products that contain fragrances and colorants, only worsens the problem.

And so, because oil disolves oil, you need to apply oil to your face in order to clean it.

Here's how:

Rub oil into your face for approximately two minutes. Drape a warm, damp wash cloth over your face until it cools. Wipe off the oil. Add one or two additional drops to moisturize the skin. (source)

Here's Crunchy Betty's rule of thumb in choosing the correct oil for your skin type:

Oily skin: Use 2/3 castor oil to 1/3 carrier oil. (Or measure out 2 tsp castor oil and 1 tsp carrier oil.)
Normal skin: Use equal parts castor oil and carrier oil. (Measuring out 1-1/2 tsp castor oil and 1-1/2 tsp carrier oil.)
Dry skin: Use 1/3 castor oil and 2/3 carrier oil. (Again, 2 tsp carrier oil and 1 tsp castor oil.)

Check out her oil cleansing blog post for carrier oil options and detailed instructions, should you need them.

My face feels amazingly supple and nourished when I oil cleanse. It takes time to get used to the habbit, but it's definitely worth it.

Here are what others have said about their oil-cleansing experience:

Sharon M. via Facebook: "It feels counter-intuitive for oily skin, but it works great. It also takes my makeup off ever so easily. It doesn't irritate my eyes if I accidentally get oil in them."

Amy Yu, Founder of Poochi & TouTou:

I have combination skin- oily and dry. I have had terrible acne with lots of whiteheads. People always tell me NOT to use oily products for oily skin, but I can tell you they are wrong!! After I've started using oil cleansing, my skin has gotten a lot better! If you rub the oil on the face for about 3 min, you can clearly see the whiteheads and whatever dirt coming out of the pores. And you can even feel it on the your fingers... I've used oil cleansing as a first step for more than 6 months (once a day when i clean my face at night), and my skin has gotten 90% better from last year. No kidding!

Jamie Kiffel-Alcheh, editor-in-chief of VitalJuice:

I'm personally passionate about oil cleansing. My skin is extraordinarily sensitive, and I had been breaking out from everything--including natural products--for several years. The breakouts left marks for weeks. Desperate, I read about oil cleansing and decided to try it. That was nearly a year ago. My skin is completely transformed. I almost never break out, and if I do, it clears up within a day. I constantly get compliments on my skin. I have even noticed fine lines seem to disappear. I tell everyone I know about this little-known skin care method!

Do you oil cleanse? How has it changed your skin?

How do you color lip balm and can you color hard lotion bars?

2012-03-19T20:44:00Z

Question via email:

I found your site from a Pinterest board. Just wondering how you colour
the lip balm and bars if you didn't want a natural look. My daughter
loves pink! Will colouring it change the consistency?

Answer: I've colored the lip balm with something called carmine (it's insect
material but you might not have wanted to know that!). Here's a video I did on that:

You could also go to fromnaturewithlove:
http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/?affiliate=34177 (it's my affiliate link
- I highly recommend the products and I also get a cut if you purchase
through the link) and look for their mica powders. Some are safe for the
lips and some are not. Just make sure whatever colorant that you use, that
it's not a water based colorant because there is no water in the lotion - it's all oils/wax.

BUT, I would only tint a lip balm and not a lotion bar, or your body
will become that color!

Here's my carmine-tinted lip balm mixture:

What's the best way to keep hard lotion long term?

2012-03-18T20:35:00Z

Question via email:

I was wondering, after I've made lotion bars, what's the best
way to keep them?  Should I freeze them if I don't intend on using them
right away?  Are they ok just at room temp?  I made some with shae
butter, beeswax and grapeseed oil.  Any advice is appreciated!

Answer:

No need to store them other than in parchment paper, and if it's an indefinite period of time,

stored in a dark place.

If you don't plan to use them for several months, you could simply refrigerate

them (wrapped), although I'd only do that if it's really warm in your area.

Can expeller-pressed coconut oil from Tropical Tradition be used to make hard lotion?

2012-03-17T20:18:32Z

photo source

Question via email:

First let me say that this is the absolute BEST lotion I've ever used! I have very dry heels and eczema on my hands. I cannot believe what one use of your hard lotion has done for my skin. THANK YOU!!!

Now I'm thinking I'll make my own and had a question about the coconut oil. I buy expeller-pressed coconut oil from Tropical Traditions and wondered if you thought I could use it in making hard lotion. I can't wait to make this for Christmas gifts next year!! I also am highly anticipating the bug lotion.

Answer: You can certainly use any type of 76 degree coconut oil with the same great results. I've personally used Tropical Traditions' coconut oil; it makes a wonderful lotion bar with the scent of coconut oil coming out even stronger in this high-quality coconut oil.

Repeat Customers Receive Free Add-on

2012-03-07T16:13:00Z

Attention buyers:

The second (and subsequent) time you visit MadeOn to make a purchase, make sure to mark yourself as a "repeat customer" on this follow up page (it pops up right after your order is placed):

Then you'll see this page. Choose an add-on! It's that simple.

Zinc (aka Zit) Stick: to be or not to be?

2012-02-29T02:46:40Z

Some of you may have seen my plea for guinea pigs in early February:

I ended up with 50 zinc testers.

Turns out, acne doesn't have an easy answer, like I had hoped. Here's an example of the survey results:

Although some people were helped by the zinc stick, it's not something I want to pursue unless there's a real demand for it. On the other hand, there's potential, as a few testers have run out of the sample and are asking for more.

So here's what I plan to do: if there's enough of a demand, I'll offer it for sale at a reduced price for awhile (email me if you're one of those demanding it). I'll also add it as a free sample add-on for repeat customers (email me if you're not familiar with how this works). Fair enough?

In the meantime, those of you who struggle with acne need to check out Crunchy Betty's e-book, Food on your Face. I read it last month and the introduction alone should have prepared me that not all skin can be dealt with in the same way. Crunchy Betty is the expert when it comes to acne, blemishes, pimples and oily skin. She offers a variety of solutions, from a baking soda wash, to easy toners, and even a few natural make up hacks that include food (I'm anxious to try the activated charcoal and aloe vera gel for a natural mascara). She also has a section on the oil cleansing method, which I've dabbled with and believe works well. She also suggests a zinc supplement (confirming my belief - zinc is good both outside and inside the body). There's much more. Sound intriguing? Click here to view more details

(Full Disclosure: After purchasing and reading her e-book, I decided it was a great one to share, and I've also added myself as an affiliate to promote Crunchy Betty's book.)

So there you have it: acne doesn't have an easy answer (or we all might have actually enjoyed jr. high!), but with Crunchy Betty's e-book, and the opportunity to keep using the zinc stick for free, maybe we'll conquer a few more pimples.

If you have any ideas or success stories, do share below!