Wool socks and Patchouli...my trip down Granola road

Bronzing Chocolate Body Butter

2010-06-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with homemade self-tanners. The black tea and oil was a failure, as it stained my shower brown.
The most recent experiment is a Bronzing Chocolate Body Butter. I made my normal body butter (see older post for recipe), heavy on the Shea Butter, and added in a heaping tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 scoop of bronze mica, 1/2 scoop of gold mica and 1/2 scoop satin white mica. I added these in at the end, when I added in the arrow root powder. The essential oils I used this time were orange and lemon. So basically I smell like a chocolate orange. Yum. And yes, it does actually taste kind of good, but I wouldn't recommend eating it, unless you like mica in your tummy.
It is a little stickier than normal at first, but if you are wearing shorts it is no biggie. It definitely does give a subtle tan, and you will glow like a movie star. I thought my dog would try to lick it off my arms, but he doesn't seem interested. Good. Don't wear anything white against it, it will rub off a little. I try to only wear it with my darker color skirts, and usually only put it on the parts of my body that will be exposed. Make sure you rub it in well to avoid streaks. I don't bother washing my hands after, I just wipe off my palms with a tissue.
So there you go, give it a try!

Skin Care.....Simplified

2010-01-15T08:43:00.000-08:00

So after all this lotion making and what not, I have actually narrowed down my skin care products to about 5 or 6 total. While I like lotion, I have found that I hate being cold after a shower, so I now oil up in the shower before I towel off. I don't have to be cold, and the towel takes care of any oil that didn't soak into my skin. I have always had dry skin, and since I have been doing the oil in the shower routine, I haven't had one single patch of dry, itchy skin.

The new routine!

Facial Cleansers:

Morning: Oatmeal Sugar Scrub (Finely ground oatmeal, dry milk, white sugar)
Evening: Oil Cleansing Lotion (See previous post)

Moisturizers:

Wrinkle-fighting/Uplifting Oil (Sweet Almond,Apricot Kernal, and Grapeseed Oils; Carrot Seed, Geranium, and Clary Sage Essential Oils) Carrot Seed and Geranium have wrinkle fighting properties, Geranium and Clary Sage have anti-depressant properties, Clary Sage also helps with controling acne.

Toners:

Witch Hazel and Rose Water: 1/2 and 1/2 of each. You can also add a few drops of liquid glycerine for softness.

Body Care:

Liquid Castile Soap: I like the Hemp Almond scent, and I sometimes dilute this since it is a little strong. I use this for my body cleansing, and sometimes for my face.
Body Oil: Same oil mixture as for face, but I used Orange and Cinnamon Essential Oils for a yummy scent. Orange and Cinnamon can be irritating to very sensitive skin, so be careful.

Ok, so thats it! As you see, it could really be two less, since you could use the Oil Cleansing Lotion for your whole body, or Castile on your face, and you could use the same formula for your face and body oil. You could simplify it even more by using only one type of base oil, say Almond or Apricot. I only use all three so I can have the benifits of the different fats, and to use up the oil I have sitting around. Oil can go rancid, so you do want to use it up.

All of these products were made by me with supplies from Zenith Supplies Inc in the Ravenna area of Seattle. www.zenithsupplies.com. Making your own skin care products is a great way to make sure that your products are personally customized to your skin care needs, and you will save a ton of money.

Newest skin care tricks

2009-12-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

So you know how I love to use oatmeal and dry milk to wash my face with. Well, I recently added sugar to the mix. It adds additional exfoliation and as it dissolves gives the paste a nice texture that feels a little more like soap.

Here are two recipes I just tried from Natural Beauty at Home by Janice Cox:

OLIVE OIL CLEANSING LOTION

1 tsp castille soap (I used 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp water (I used rosewater)
2 tbsp glycerin or honey
1/2 cup olive oil (I used almond oil)
Mix all ingredients together in a blender or by hand until smooth and creamy.
To use: put a small amount into your hand and massage into your skin. Rinse well with warm water.

ARROWROOT CLEANSING JELLY

2 tbsp arrowroot powder
2 tbsp glycerin or honey
1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients, heat in a double boiler until thick and clear DO NOT BOIL. It will have the consistency of pudding. Let cool completely and put in a jar. If it is too thick thin with a little water.

ALMOND OIL LOTION

1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup almond oil (I used a mix of grape seed, apricot and almond)
1 tbsp beeswax
2 tsp lecithin (optional)
scent

Heat oil and wax (and lecithin) in a glass bowl set over a pan of water until the wax is melted. Stir frequently with a whisk. When wax is melted turn off heat but continue to whisk until lecithin is mostly melted. Place bowl in an ice water bath. Heat water and baking soda in the microwave for 45 seconds and mix to dissolve. Slowly add to oil while mixing. Continue beating as it cools. When it has cooled down quite a bit, add the essential oil scent. You can also add a tsp or so of arrowroot powder at this point to help cut the greasiness. Let it cool completely before you package it. It will thicken as it cools.

Homemade Beauty Workshop

2009-08-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

I will be giving a workshop on how to make your own beauty products on September 2 at 7 pm. The cost will be between $10 and $15 to cover ingredients, and you will go home with lotion, lip balm, a face moisturizer, a face wash, and perhaps some mineral makeup. If you are interested please email me at sheatheviking@gmail.com and I will send you a skin care questionnaire to fill out.

Beer, it's not just for breakfast anymore!

2009-08-06T06:44:00.000-07:00

Besides making ugly people attractive, beer is also excellent for your hair! I'd heard this many times, and recently decided to give it a try. I poured about 1/2 a can of cheap beer into a bowl and let it get warm. Then, in the shower, I bent over, put all my hair in the bowl, and up-ended it on my head. I did not rinse. While I did smell pleasantly yeasty till it dried, there was zero smell when dry. It made my hair beautifully shiny, and since I didn't rinse out it gave my hair great frizz control and hold, and was definitely more curly.

Try these hair cocktails next time you wash!

2 oz flat beer
2 oz warm (not hot!) water
1 oz apple cider vinegar
3 drops rosemary extract

Mix together in a bowl, and in the shower bend over, put all your hair in the bowl, swish it around, then up end on your head. Massage into your scalp, leave on for about 2 minutes, rinse with luke warm water.

Or
4 oz flat beer (try putting it in the microwave for 30 seconds)
1tsp honey

Same as above.

To use as a styling aid:
Either just rinse with straight beer or beer and water then leave in, or pour some beer in a spray bottle. Mist on hair and style. Don't worry, the smell goes away when your hair is dry. Keep in fridge.

Hair Care

2009-07-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have been cursed/blessed with curly hair. I recently read a book called Curly Girl by a lady who specializes in curly hair at her New York salon. She suggested that the no shampoo (No-Poo) method of hair care is the best for curly hair. Shampoo strips hair of natural sebum, so you have to load on the conditioner which weights it down. Not to mention most shampoos and conditioners are full of nasty chemicals. This stripping and artificial moisturizing either makes your scalp produce too much or too little oil. It also wreaks havoc on curly hair. She suggests a routine scalp scrubbing with conditioner. So I decided to give it a try.

I have not used shampoo in two months. The first two weeks were a little weird while my scalp adjusted, but now my scalp and hair feel, look, and smell clean, my hair is super soft and healthy, and my curl has doubled.

Here's the routine:

No more shampoo! Let your boyfriend use it. Wet your hair thoroughly, then take a little conditioner on your fingertips and massage into your temples, the hair around your face, your part, your crown, basically give your whole scalp a good massage with your fingertips and conditioner. Next put a little more conditioner on your palms and smooth it over the mantel of your hair (the hair that is most exposed) Use your fingers to comb it through. Leave on for a minute or two, then rinse.

Rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar once a week to restore ph and make your hair really soft and shiny.

Make sure you choose a natural conditioner that is free of parabens, sodium laurel sulfate, and other nasty things.

My skin care routine

2009-07-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

So, here's what has been working great for me. I have mostly dry skin with clogged nose and chin pores and redness around my nose and chin. But from what I have been reading, even those with oily skin or acne will see great benefits from using an oil cleanser as part of a double cleansing routine. The whole point is to not strip your skin of it's natural oils, so it doesn't feel the need to overproduce oil. See previous post and my next post titled Recipes to learn how to make the products I use.

Morning:

I wash my face with ground oatmeal and warm water, massaging it into my skin until it is creamy then rinsing off. Followed by a splash of witch hazel & rosewater toner, and then I moisturize with an oil combination (see Geranium oil cleanser/moisturizer in previous post).

Evening:

I massage the Geranium Oil Cleanser onto my face, then cleanse with the All Purpose Castile Soap Cleanser. Then I use an organic cotton ball with a squirt of witch hazel & rosewater toner to clean off any residue. Moisturize with the Nighttime Coconut Oil Moisturizer or Geranium oil.

Body:

Before every shower I skin brush. Since I have been skin brushing my skin is silky soft and smooth, and as an added bonus my cellulite is going away! It is pretty amazing! I use the All Purpose Castile soap cleanser for my body, face, and hands, and even use it to shave my legs. After my shower I use a little bit of the Yummy Cake Lotion (see next post) or an almond/olive oil combo. It is pretty oily so you only need a little.

And that's it! Pretty simple, and my skin has never looked or felt better. This is all with products that I made myself for very little money.

Adventures in natural living....

2009-06-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

So, as some of you now know, (some are very tired of me telling them!) I have made a decision to try to live more naturally and decrease my toxic load (http://www.riverhillwellness.com/toxicload.htm) As I am learning everyday, you can't do anything in our world today without being exposed to something quite nasty. Since I can't go live in the forest and compost my own waste (fun!), I have to try to eliminate toxins in manageable ways. I decided to start with my personal care and cosmetic products. The catalyst was a book called "Drop Dead Gorgeous" by Kim Erickson all about the nasty toxic ingredients in the dozens of personal care and beauty products I use every day. Needless to say, it was pretty eye opening.
So, I spent a Saturday afternoon going through my bathroom cabinet and boxing up pretty much everything to donate to a women's shelter. After reading through the list of carcinogenic ingredients found in almost every lotion, shampoo, etc, I felt like I had basically been rubbing myself down with cancer every day for the past 15 years. Neutrogena face lotion-out! Shampoo-out! Talc filled makeup-out! Mascara full of coal tar-out! At the end of this, I had nothing left but the expensive Joico hair mask that I refused to give away (I admit, I still use it once a month. I think of it as living on the wild side).
Faced with looking unkempt and frumpy, I scoured the library for books with recipes for homemade skin and hair care products. What I found was a treasure trove of inexpensive, fun and natural products that you can customize to your own needs. Luckily, in Seattle we have Zenith Supplies http://www.zenithsupplies.com/ where you can get all your ingredients at a great price. They carry oils, salts and herbs in bulk too so you can stock up.
So, I have experimented with several recipes and found some that work and some that don't. The problem with homemade products is shelf life. I've had to toss out a moisturizer and a hair gel that went bad after a week and a half. I'm gradually learning what works best and have figured out to just keep it simple, and cut recipes in half if possible. I don't feel like keeping my lotion in the fridge, since Rich might mistake it for a science experiment gone wrong and toss it.
I will post recipes as I try them with my tips and hints. I recommend starting with some simple oil mixtures, they last for a long time and are super simple.

Here are the basic ingredients I suggest you start with:

Essential oils
Base oils
Butters and waxes
Distilled water
Rose water
Witch Hazel
Apple cider vinegar (organic, unfiltered)

First, go to http://www.dreamingearth.com/essentialoils.html, http://www.aromaweb.com/essentialoils/default.asp,
or http://www.aworldofaromatherapy.com/essential-oils-atoz.htm to figure out what essential oils will fit your needs. For the sake of money saving, I try to get essential oils that I will use in almost every product, so that I am not wasting money on something I will only use once or twice a year. My favorites are: Tea Tree, Lavender, Clove, Rosemary, Carrot Seed, Evening Primrose, Lemon Eucalyptus, Peppermint and Myhrr.
Tea tree can be applied directly to pimples, and works great. Only use as a spot treatment though, it can burn if you put it all over. Tea tree also goes into my house cleaning products for it's anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Lavender is also anti-bacterial and is great to combat the antiseptic odor of tea tree. It goes into all my hair products to make my hair smell nice.
Clove is fantastic in body lotion, and if you use it in a recipe with cocoa butter it will make your final product smell like cake....yummy! Just go light on it, too much can irritate the skin. It is also very good in mouthwash, as it has antiseptic properties.
Rosemary is an uplifting oil that is great for skin and hair. I put it in all my hair products with lavender. I also make an herbal infusion with fresh rosemary and dried lavender as a curly hair mist. Do not use when pregnant! Rosemary also helps to extend the shelf life of your products.
Carrot Seed is wonderful for mature or dry skin. It is listed in many homemade wrinkle fighting preparations. I use it in my facial oil.
Evening primrose oil has a fatty acid that does wonders for skin. Anti-inflammatory, it is good for eczema, acne, dry, rough, or sagging skin, and is thought to help fight signs of aging. Goes into facial oil.
Lemon Eucalyptus is noted as being the most effective at repelling mosquitoes, even over citronella. I made a bug spray with it and peppermint, and my friends say they didn't get a single bite after an evening by the lake on the grass.
Peppermint, as we all know, is great to refresh and pick you up. I use it in my mouthwash and insect repellent.
Myrrh can also be used in insect repellent, but I favor it in my mouthwash. It is great for your gums, and they say you can put it right on any sores in your mouth, though I haven't had the need to try this yet.

Next you need your base oils. I favor coconut oil, sweet almond oil and apricot kernel oil. Jojoba oil is supposed to be the best, but I find it too expensive for my budget. Remember, coconut oil is solid at temperatures below 76 degrees, so don't put it in anything you need to remain liquid! I use coconut oil in lotions and lip balm. Almond and apricot I use in lotion, lip balm, and as a facial oil. I also put a little almond oil into my liquid soap. Remember, oil can remove oil, so don't be afraid to use oil on your face! These oils will not clog your pores or cause acne. In fact, it is suggested that if you stop stripping your skin and use natural, chemical free oil your natural oils will balance out.

If you are going to make lotions and lip balms you will need cocoa butter and maybe olive or shea butter. I find it adds thickness and a wonderful aroma to my lotions.

Vitamin E capsules. Vitamin E acts as a mild natural preservative and is very nourishing to the skin. You can buy liquid Vitamin E if you like, but I like the gel caps. Pierce with a clean needle and squeeze out the oil.

Bees wax is a must in lotion and lip balm. I buy it in bulk pellets. Try to get the unbleached or yellow kind.

Distilled water is the only water you should use for your preparations! It is free of bacteria and chemicals that can ruin your preparations!

Rose water is the by product of making rose essential oil. If you have organically grown roses you can make your own. It is expensive, but I bought just a 2 ounce bottle and mix it with my witch hazel as a toner. Witch hazel is a great toner.

Fresh rosemary for infusions, and dried lavender as well.

Baking soda and white vinegar are the best household cleansers around. I also use baking soda as a exfoliater.

Regular oatmeal is the best face cleanser I have found. Grind it in a coffee grinder or blender till it is a nice powder.

Liquid Castile soap. Available at Target or PCC in bulk. I like the Almond Hemp from Dr. Bronner, and the Peppermint scent is great for hand soap and house cleaning.

Clean glass jars and bottles and little tins or containers for lip balm Plastic contains nasty chemicals that can leach into your products, so for anything with oil in it store it in glass. I still use plastic spray bottles for water based things, but you can choose to go all glass for safety sake.

Measuring spoons and cups, wire whisk, Pyrex glass bowls, and a small pan. You want your glass bowl to fit inside the pan with at least two inches of room in the bottom of the pan, more if possible. When you use this as a double boiler you don't want the water to touch the bottom of the bowl. All melting will be done in a double boiler.

Is this post long enough yet? Now that you have your ingredients it is time to get started. Make sure you have a clean working space, clean towels, and sanitized equipment and containers. Keeping your products free of contamination is very important.

2 tablespoons=1 ounce!

Basic Recipes: Please play with these! Feel free to leave out any essential oil or add your own. Just be careful to check the essential oil guides for warnings and dilution recommendations.

Oil cleanser/Moisturizer in one

1 oz sweet almond oil
1 oz apricot kernel oil
3-5 drops tea trea oil (optional)
3 drops rosemary oil
20 drops carrot seed oil
10 drops Geranium oil
1 capsule Vitamin E oil

Add essential oils and Vitamin E oil to 1 oz of base oil, roll jar in hands to agitate, then top off with remaining oil. Use as part of a double cleanse. Apply to dry face, then follow up with the oatmeal cleanser or castile soap cleanser. Remember, oil removes oil! This is great for removing makeup. After cleansing and toning apply as a final moisturizer.

Oatmeal cleanser (my favorite!)

1 tsp oatmeal powder, add enough warm water to make a paste, gently massage onto your skin and rinse. Make sure to get it all off from around your hairline or it will look like you have monumental dandruff. This is perfect for travel since you can just put it in a plastic bag. It also slightly exfoliates.

All purpose castile soap cleanser (face, hands, body, shaving)

2 oz liquid castile soap
1-3 oz distilled water
1 tsp almond oil
5-10 drops essential oil (lavender, rosemary, etc)

If you find this too strong, increase the water to 3 oz.

Facial Peel

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey

Massage very gently onto your face, avoiding the eyes, and leave on for two minutes. Rinse with warm water. Take care to wear sunscreen after this as it can make you more sensitive. Don't do more than once a week.

Basic Toner

2 parts witch hazel
1 part rose water

Apply with an organic cotton ball after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Acne toner/Hair rinse

2 oz apple cider vinegar (ACV)
2 oz distilled water
5 drops rosemary essential oil

Apply with a cotton ball. You can play with the dilution of the ACV according to your skin's sensitivity. Undiluted ACV is to harsh for most skin. The smell will fade as it drys. Make in larger quantities to use as a hair rinse. It will leave your hair soft and shiny. Only use this toner once or twice a week. It is also excellent after a sunburn.

Green Tea toner

1 bag plain green tea
4 oz boiling water

Pour water over tea bag, let sit for 10 minutes, remove bag. Let it cool and pour into a clean glass jar. Apply daily by splashing on your face with clean hands, but use it all within a week or keep it in the fridge. Green tea is great for the skin and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Simple Coconut Oil Night time moisturizer

1 oz coconut oil
5 drops lavender oil
10 drops carrot seed oil
5 drops rosemary oil
2-3 Vitamin E capsules

Best if kept in a small glass container, I like the small jelly jars. Place the coconut oil in the sanitized container you will be keeping it in, and if it is sold heat in microwave for 5 second intervals until it has just liquefied. Do not over heat! It only needs to get above 76 degrees to melt. Add the essential oils and Vitamin E and mix well. Allow to cool before capping. Apply before bed and wake up with smooth soft skin. Avoid putting too much around the eyes. I like to blot that area with tissue after applying to soak up any excess.

Next: Let's get cooking! Lotions, hair products and lip balms.

Dog Art

2008-10-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a very cool dog art print from Chetart, in a Japanese style. He has lots of great prints with your dog breed. Mine is a toy fox terrier. And if he doesn't have your breed, just convo him and he will make it for you. That is what he did for me. Check him out http://www.chetart.etsy.com/

I also was lucky enough to come across Throw Me a Bone. Doc does the coolest pop art posters of dog breeds I have ever seen. Again, there was no toy fox terrier, so he had me send him a picture of my dog, and he made one for me. It is the cutest thing. Make sure you take a look at his site http://www.throwmeabone.etsy.com/

Love Yeti Plush

2008-10-07T14:19:00.000-07:00

Buy him now at http://www.kungfumonkeyrobot.etsy.com

He makes a great tooth fairy pillow!

2008-10-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Favorite sites

2008-10-07T14:13:00.001-07:00

Some of my favorite weird sites are great for just forgetting anything serious. Check them out!
http://www.geocities.com/bob_chob1/monkeys/index.html Robot Monkeys are evil!
http://icanhascheezburger.com/ The LOL cats will make you spew milk through your nose.
http://www.engrish.com/ You gotta love the Japanese.
http://www.kitschy-kitschy-coo.com/ fun stuff

Plush You

2008-10-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

Make sure you check out Schmancy's Plush You! show starting October 10. What a great place to get all of your plush therapy! I'll be there (just looking, but hopefully as an artist next year!) this Friday, October 10th from 5:00 to 9:00. Here is the official blog http://plushyou.blogspot.com/

What's this blogging thing?

2008-10-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

I guess it is time to join the (what century are we in?) Here is my hand at a blog.

Let's start with my personal website; http://www.kungfumonkeyrobot.com. Of course, I barely made this with the help of Go Daddy, so it is not the world's most sophisicated website. But hey, you get the idea.

More importantly, from there you can visit my Etsy shop; http://www.kungfumonkeyrobot.etsy.com and actually buy something! Amazing how that works.

I'm a part of Team EtsyRain, a group of Etsy sellers in the Seattle, Washington area. If you are a local crafter or Etsy seller, I heartily suggest you check them out at http://etsyrain.blogspot.com/. They host many meetups and events, and it is a great way to network and make new friends!

Some of my personal favorite member shops are:
http://www.ACraftyArab.etsy.com She makes beautiful note cards in Arabic and Farsi.
http://IMakeCuteStuff.com Her comic book necklaces are super cute!
http://www.oneeyedcollie.etsy.com Super fun jewelry.