How to Make Homemade Aftershave + 3 Recipes

 
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row of bottles filled with natural homemade aftershaves - bay rum, juniper woods, and cedarwood vetiver

Learn how to create your own natural homemade aftershave with herbs, spices and other healthy ingredients. I also include 3 aftershave recipes to get you started: Bay Rum, Juniper Woods, and Cedarwood & Vetiver. Several months ago, my husband requested that I create some natural aftershave recipes for him. In preparation, I spent a long while browsing through the Badger & Blade forums to get a feel for what discerning shavers liked and didn’t like … Continue reading →

Why do you need lye to make soap? (FAQS)

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Learn why you need lye to make soap and how to handle it safely. Our great great grandmothers made soap without having to use a caustic chemical, so why do we? The short answer is that our grandmothers manufactured their own caustic chemical of sorts, called potash, by combining hardwood ashes and water. This created an extremely strong alkaline substance that was considered ready when it would dissolve a chicken feather. The caustic wood ash solution … Continue reading →

Sweet Orange & Frankincense Homemade Natural Deodorant Recipe

 
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Learn how to make this non-toxic homemade natural deodorant recipe that features sweet orange and frankincense essential oils, along with herbal infused coconut oil for extra skin-soothing properties. This recipe makes a cream style natural deodorant that you store in a jar and spread on with your fingers. You only need a small amount to be effective! The creamy base is made up of shea butter, beeswax and coconut oil, while baking soda and arrowroot … Continue reading →

Honeysuckle Orangeade {a refreshing herbal summer drink recipe}

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goat curious about glass of honeysuckle orangeade

Honeysuckle Orangeade is a refreshing summer drink recipe with the added benefits of honeysuckle herbal tea. It’s easy to make, kid-friendly and was so well received by my family, I barely got photos of it before they drank every last drop. My goats also seemed fascinated! :)   I was inspired to make this recipe (and more fun summer drink recipes like it!) after going through the Herbal Tea Kick Start Guide, a course created … Continue reading →

Soap Making 101: How to Make Cold Process Soap

 
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bar of handmade soap with red, white and blue flowers

While there are other methods of making soap (hot process and melt & pour), this soap making 101 tutorial provides a basic overview on how to make your own all natural cold process soaps. It will be added to my Natural Soap Making page along with other helpful links and recipes; so be sure to bookmark or pin it for easy reference. Making soap is one of my favorite hobbies. There are so many ways to personalize … Continue reading →

Honeysuckle Rose Salve Recipe

 
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a tin of honeysuckle rose salve

This salve captures the essence of two well-loved summer flowers – roses and honeysuckle. Roses are often used in skin care recipes for their cooling and anti-inflammatory properties. Honeysuckle flowers, while better known for treating flu and viruses internally, can also be used as a skin soothing component in skin care formulations. A touch of rose (or geranium) and jasmine (or ylang ylang) essential oils are included in this recipe, to give the salve an added boost of summer scent. … Continue reading →

Sage & Apple Cider Vinegar Face Soap Recipe

 
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Sage & Apple Cider Vinegar Face Soap Recipe

This herbal vinegar face soap recipe features sage for its astringent and anti-inflammatory properties, plus chlorella, a nutritious algae that has impressive acne fighting and anti-aging skin benefits. It’s especially helpful for those with normal to oily, or acne-prone skin. Sage & Chlorella – for potential skin benefits & natural color This face soap recipe features sage (Salvia officinalis) for its astringent, bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties. (source) Sage can also be used in oil and water infusions … Continue reading →