Lotion bars are of one of the best treatments around for repairing dry, calloused and sore hands! They also make great gifts for those who work or play hard with their hands. In our house, they’re invaluable for healing the damage that being a rock mason does to my husband’s hands. In this recipe, I combined 4…
This cooling creamy palm free cucumber soap recipe is naturally colored with powerful French green clay and is perfect for those with overheated, itchy, or sweaty skin! This cold process cucumber soap is a palm-free alternative to my original Cucumber Borage Soap. When creating this recipe, I started with my standard base of skin loving olive…
Learn how to make this skin soothing lotion – it’s perfect for smoothing over rough, dry, or flaky skin! Plantain (Plantago spp) is a beneficial green weed that commonly grows in yards and driveways. You can use the leaves to make a fantastic infused oil, that can be incorporated into salves, lotions, creams and soaps. It’s…
Goldenrod is an edible and medicinal plant with many benefits! Learn how to turn it into salve, tincture, tea, and more! It blooms right around the time ragweed pollen starts causing trouble, so is often unjustly blamed for causing allergies. The fact though is that goldenrod pollen is heavy and spread by insects, instead of the…
This recipe is a terrific way to use up extra homemade kombucha. (If you’re not sure what the heck “kombucha” is or how you’d go about making it, check out my friend Teri’s article to learn all about it.) Besides its possible health benefits, kombucha (a fermented tea drink) is reportedly great for your skin too….
This all-natural DIY elder leaf salve is easy to make and useful for treating bruises, strains, old injuries or wounds. The idea for this elder leaf salve came from one of my all-time favorite books, Making Plant Medicine, by Richo Cech. He states that oils and salves made from fresh elder leaves “make a useful…
I can’t wait to share this recipe with you today! I’m so in love with these little shampoo bars. Not only do they leave my hair soft and shiny, but they work perfectly for hands and body too. (Bonus: they’re also working great for bathing my dogs!) For this recipe, I started with my usual…
This luscious DIY anti-aging face cream recipe contains fresh basil leaves, nourishing hempseed oil, and skin softening mango (or shea) butter. A while back, I ran across a fascinating scientific study showing a test cream that contained basil extract demonstrated some pretty significant anti-aging effects when applied topically. The moment I finished reading through it,…
I often get questions on my milk soap making posts as to whether it’s possible to hot process soap with milk in it. The short answer is: Yes, with some care taken, you can hot process milk soap. For the longer answer, I’m going to take you step-by-step as I make this Milk and Honey…
Considered by some to be nothing more than a weed, the common violet actually has many health benefits to offer us. The edible flowers and leaves are: When I think of ways to use violets, I try to remember that they are primarily cooling, soothing and moisturizing. So, if you have a dry, itchy throat…
This homemade deodorant is specially designed for women. It contains herbs that are used to promote lymph flow and prevent or treat issues with inflamed or cystic breast tissue. Instead of applying a chemical laden, potentially toxic-to-your-breasts product under your arms each day, try this healthy herbal alternative instead! To make this deodorant, you’ll first…
While Honey & Dandelion Soap is one of the most popular cold process recipes on my blog, I’ve often gotten questions about how to make it using a crock pot (hot process) instead. Since dandelions are popping out like crazy around here (hooray!), I thought this would be a good time to make some up…
This recipe uses common oils and canned goat’s milk from the grocery store to make a wonderfully creamy soap that costs around $1.50 per bar to make! (See below for the full price breakdown.) Click HERE for a hot process version of milk soap that you can make in your crock pot. Food grade lye…
I made this soap last year, at the end of a long, cold winter. I was excited and ready for spring and had even planted out some pansies and broccoli and then…. we got a surprise late snow that stuck around for several days. I moped about it for a short bit, but then figured…
This yummy mint chocolate lip balm is flavored with peppermint essential oil and real chocolate chips. It makes a great last minute stocking stuffer too! (Which is especially helpful if you’re the world’s worst procrastinator like me – who hasn’t made a single Christmas gift yet. Eep!) Mint Chocolate Lip Balm Recipe Yield: 14 to…
This recipe builds upon my milk soap making tutorial, which you can find HERE. With a few simple tweaks, you can turn a plain, unscented bar into a deliciously scented milk chocolate mint soap! To make this, you’ll need: Tip: To keep the cocoa powder from clumping or streaking in the soap batter, mix it…
This simple balm contains just three ingredients and is perfect for soothing dry, scraped, or irritated skin. It’s gentle and safe enough to use on all of your family members, including the dog! You can read the full recipe HERE at HobbyFarms.com.
This tutorial will teach you how make your own creamy, skin-nourishing milk soap! Pretty much any cold process soap recipe that calls for water, can be made with milk, or a milk substitute instead. You just need to take a little different approach to make sure you don’t scorch the milk or overheat your soap. If…
This carrot soap is gentle and mild, making it perfect for those with sensitive skin. To make this, you’ll need to first prepare a carrot puree. (Alternately, you can use carrot baby food.) To make the puree, slice a large carrot into rounds and simmer in a covered pot of water. When tender, spoon the…
Old-fashioned pine tar soap has traditionally been used to help with psoriasis, eczema, and other skin afflictions. Some also use it for treating flaky scalp and dandruff. Its smoky campfire-like scent makes it a popular “manly” soap, but can be equally enjoyed by all. Because pine tar itself has a really strong aroma, I added…
