RASPBERRY JAM SALT SCRUB!

Exfoliation is key to maintaining smooth skin. It removes oil and dead skin, which allows moisturizer to absorb more easily.

The exfoliant you choose depends on your recipe. Fine exfoliants work well for the face and large exfoliants work well for the body, especially dry areas like elbows and feet.  It’s also based on personal preference – the best way to find out what you like is to experiment.  Here is one wonderful exfoliant that you can begin your experiments with as you gain great looking skin.

RASPBERRY JAM SALT SCRUB

Pink Himalayan Salt is hand-mined from ancient salt beds within the Himalayan Mountains. They have been protected from pollution and impurities since their formation thousands of years ago.  Pink Himalayan salt is believed to be the purest form of salt available. This salt is known for it's stimulating and soothing properties.

BEET ROOT POWDER

Beet Root Powder is full of vitamins, and folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron and vitamin C.  Applying Beet Root Powder to your skin regularly will help to slough off dead cells, making your skin soft and supple.  

RASPBERRY SEED OIL

Raspberry Seed Oil is packed with essential fatty acids. When applied, it feels lightweight and absorbs quickly.  This oil is high in vitamin A and essential fatty acids, both key ingredients in skin care. Linoleic, alpha linolenic, and oleic acids all help protect, while replenishing moisture. The oil also contains vitamin E, which helps to condition and plump your skin.

POPPY SEEDS

Poppy Seeds are commonly used in exfoliants and scrubs, they create a delightful visual addition to your products.  Linolenic acid present in poppy seeds is very useful in treating eczema.  Poppy Seeds contain some niacin and folate, but they are a better source of minerals. Just 1 teaspoon provides measurable amounts of calcium, iron and zinc.  You may not get much of these nutrients when used in a scrub, but they do make it look very nice. 

RASPBERRY JAM FRAGRANCE

Last, but not at all the least, is the inclusion of Raspberry Jam Fragrance Oil.  It smells divine, why not make this scrub your midnight snack and make your skin look glowingly healthy at the same time!

RASPBERRY JAM SALT SCRUB

Carpe Diem!

BLUEBERRY JAM SUGAR BODY SCRUB!

BLUEBERRY JAM SUGAR BODY SCRUB

Let me begin this post by saying that this scrub smells so good you may want to eat it on a slice of toast!  But don't, it's much better used on your legs, feet, elbows, or anywhere else on your body where you may have dry skin, caloused or flaky skin.  It's full of beautiful ingredients.  I invite you to come and take a look at them with me if you will...

SUGAR AND SUGAR CANE

Sugar, regular fine sugar.  A benefit to using sugar vs salt is that sugar has small granules which are generally gentler on the skin than salt granules.  Salt granules can cause microscopic tears in the skin.  Another good reason to use sugar is that because of sugar's natural humectant properties, scrubs made with sugar are more hydrating than scrubs that are made with salt, which can strip skin of natural oils.

JOJOBA BEADS

Jojoba beads, they are made from jojoba oil, and are made in a smooth round bead of varying sizes for different uses.  As they are manipulated on the skin, they dissolve leaving your skin hydrated and moisturized from the jojoba oil itself.

POTASSIUM COCOATE

Potassium Cocoate is the potassium salt of coconut fatty acid.  It's an all natural liquid surfactant made from 100% whole coconut oil and potassium hydroxide. Because of the flash foaming properties of potassium cocoate this product is great for use in liquid soaps, shampoos, and scrubs. This product contains glycerin as a natural moisturizer.

FRACTIONATED COCONUT OIL

Fractionated Coconut Oil is a liquid oil derived from Coconut Oil. It oil is comprised of short chain fatty acids, and is extremely stable with an almost indefinite shelf life. This can be used in products such as lotions, balms and massage oils. It is a light, penetrating oil, wonderful for handmade moisturizing products as it doesn't leave that greasy feeling. It is also a great carrier for essential oils.

BLUEBERRY JAM SUGAR BODY SCRUB

Be good to yourself, be good to your body!  Take care of yourself so you can take care of others!

Carpe Diem!

CLEANSING CHARCOAL FACE SCRUB!

CLEANSING CHARCOAL FACE SCRUB

I came across this recipe a short time ago and was very impressed with the ingredients involved.  First of all, the base of this scrub calls for a liquid castille soap.  I chose to use Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild liquid castile soap for this one, which makes it very gentle on sensitive skin.

DR BRONNER'S CASTILE SOAP

The oils in this scrub include Hazelnut Oil and Tamanu Oil.  The benefits of hazelnut oil are that it absorbs easily into to the skin when applied topically and it may help correct oily skin. It is a mild astringent that can help tighten pores and regulate the excretion of oils by the skin. 

HAZELNUT OIL

Tamanu oil benefits extend to a wide range of natural treatments for acne and acne scars, eczema, psoriasis, stretch marks, age spots, skin rashes, general scarring, dermatitis and anti-aging. 

TAMANU OIL

White kaolin clay is widely used in cosmetics today, and is considered to be an excellent cleanser and exfoliater.  It helps to remove impurities by drawing excess sebum from the skin. When mixed with water it also can draw toxins from your skin.  White kaolin clay is the gentlest of the clays and thus great for sensitive and dry skin.

KAOLIN CLAY

Jojoba beads, in this formulation, work as a gentle exfoliater.  The jojoba beads are made from jojoba oil; it is solidified into perfectly round circular beads. When they're massaged onto the skin, they dissolve as they are manipulated. The benefit of this is that they're all natural and they're not abrasive to your skin.  The jojoba oil itself is considered to be one of the best oils for moisturizing skin   Jojoba Oil contains many essential fatty acids, powerful antioxidants and vitamins.  Jojoba Oil is naturally gentle and non-irritating, making it perfect for basically every skin type; it balances oily skin, soothes sensitive skin, hydrates dry skin and is said to help heal acne and breakouts.

JOJOBA BEADS

Activated charcoal is the obvious ingredient in this scrub, and it's purpose is to draw out bacteria, poisons, chemicals, dirt and other micro-particles by bringing them to the surface of the skin, thereby helping you to achieve a flawless complexion and fight acne. Charcoal is not metabolized or absorbed by the body.

ACTIVATED CHARCOAL

Tea Tree Oil is a popular choice for treating acne because of its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It's thought to calm redness, swelling, and inflammation. It may even help to prevent and reduce acne scars. 

TEA TREE OIL

So, I present to you a choice whether or not you desire to give this new product a try.  I have used it, my skin is aging and I have large pores, and I do like it.  I wouldn't use it for my skin more than once or twice a month, but I do believe it may help someone dealing with oily skin and perhaps dealing with acne or scarring from previous acne breakouts.  I personally like the idea of giving my skin a super cleansing treatment once in a while.

CHARCOAL SCRUB

Carpe Diem!

SEAWEED & CUCUMBER FACE MASK!

Seaweed & Cucumber Face Mask

This Seaweed and Cucumber Face Mask is full of skin-loving ingredients and is good for a variety of skin types. It’s created by emulsifying oils with water, and then adding a mixture of dry ingredients like sea clay and spirulina powder.

Seaweed

The seaweed extract is dispersed in fractionated coconut oil, which is also light on the skin. They leave the skin feeling hydrated but not oily.

Sea Clay

The mixture of kaolin clay and sea clay create a thick but spreadable texture that is not overly drying. This mask is good for normal and combination skin.

Spirulina

Spirulina powder is added for color and skin benefits – it’s an algae rich in vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants. It has a deep green hue, which gives this face mask a beautiful color.

Cucumber Seed Oil

This recipe also calls for avocado and cucumber seed oil.  Cucumber seed oil actually has a lot of beneficial nutrients in it!  It contains phytosterols, tocopherols, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. Here are some of the nutrients:  B-vitamins, Linoleic acid, Magnesium, Oleic acid, Omega 6 fatty acids, Potassium, Sodium, Stearic acid, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E.   Cucumber seed oil is an amazing anti-aging oil!  It reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles due to its powerful antioxidant content.  It contains Vitamin E in the form of alpha tocopherol and gamma tocopherol, which fight off pro-aging free radicals that cause premature aging of skin.

Avocado Oil

Avocado oil is rich in fatty acids and is excellent for moisturizing the skin. In addition to vitamin E, avocado oil contains potassium, lecithin, and many other nutrients that can nourish and moisturize the skin.  Avocado oil is said to help relieve inflammation from psoriasis and eczema.  The antioxidants and vitamins in avocado oil may help to heal the dry, irritated, and flaky skin associated with eczema and psoriasis.

Seaweed & Cucumber Face Mask!

Why not give it a try today!  I did, and I loved it, especially for a summer mask, it was very cooling on my skin.  I think it may be from the tiny bit of ginger essential oil that is added to the formula which does a wonderful job of covering up the somewhat fishy odor from the spirulina powder.


Carpe Diem! Lil and Bill

TWO MORE EWES!

Rainey and Windy

This post is a bit late in coming, but it's been really busy here at the farm lately.  These are the two latest sheep we acquired for a total of six, and they're beauties!  They're Katahdins, and we purchased them from our local veterinarian, Dr. Ben Ousley who owns and runs Cross Country Animal Hospital here in Lawndale.  

Soon we will be acquiring a ram from the same source for our herdsire.  We're hoping for some beautiful babies in the Spring!  

Katahdin sheep are called haired sheep, and they lose their wool every year therefore they don't need shearing.  It makes for a good choice for us as we're new at this farming thing, and very new at caring for livestock.  We don't have all the necessary tools in place as yet that would make it easier to both catch and work on the animals.

Rainey

There she is, a beautiful specimen!  We're still trying to get her to trust us, it's taking time and patience, but I know we'll get there eventually.

Windy

Isn't she gorgeous?  I just love her regal look.  I can't wait to see what her babies will look like.  We're still working on taming her also.  It took the two of them several weeks to integrate into our existing flock, but they are beginning to hang out and graze together quite often.  So, I'm thinking that if it's taken them that long to trust each other, it will take longer for them to begin to trust us, but it will happen.

I can't wait to get our ram here, and will be sure to put some pictures up of him also.  It won't be long now!

Carpe diem!  

BLUEBERRY THYME SOAP - STORMY OCEAN WAVES!

Blueberry Thyme Soap - Stormy Ocean Waves!

I saw this recipe online at one of my favorite soaping sites, and thought it was so pretty I must give it a try.  It has all the great ingredients of a good homemade, handmade soap like, castor oil, coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, sweet almond oil and sunflower oil.  I loved the texture that the added red sandalwood powder gives, and of course, the blueberry thyme fragrance is just delightful.

My soap didn't turn out quite as pretty as it should have because I neglected to read the instructions carefully enough and I added too much black oxide making the soap much darker in color than it should have been.  Hence the name Stormy Ocean Waves.

It was fun to make, it's always fun to try out a new soap recipe.  The excitement of having to wait to unmold and cut into bars to see how it turned out makes the process so much fun.

Blueberry Thyme Soap - Stormy Ocean Waves!

I have this loaf for sale at the Shelby, NC Foothills Farmer's Market.  Stop by and give us a look see.

Carpe Diem! Lil and Bill