Easy Body Scrub Recipe

An easy to make body scrub that stays solid in your jar. Just scoop out a bit when needed.

Ingredients:

2 cups Epsom salt
3/4 cup Raw sugar
1/2 cup Coconut oil
1 tablespoon unrefined cocoa butter
2 tbsp Sweet Almond oil or Fractionated coconut oil or Jojoba Oil
1 teaspoon glycerin
1/8 tsp of T50 vitamin E oil or 1 capsule VE
20-30 drops of Essential Oil of Choice

Instructions:
Instructions are easy - just mix the salt and sugar together in a medium sized bowl. In another bow, thoroughly mix the oils together and melt in a double boiler or in a pan sitting in another pan with water in it, until almost completely melted - don’t let it burn. I usually put my oils in a 4 cup Pyrex pitcher and then set that in a larger pot with water in it. Then stir the oils over the heat until oils are almost completely melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until still hot, but not burning. When oils reach about 100 degrees, then add your essential oils, otherwise, the essential oils will burn off and be of no effect. Let the mixture cool, and then store in jars. If the mixture is too runny, add a bit more epsom salts, if too dry, add a bit more FCO or Jojoba or Sweet Almond Oil.

Citrus Salt Scrub

1/2 cup of Finely ground Dead Sea Salt or other Salt
1 oz Whipped Shea Butter
1 oz Fractionated Coconut Oil
30-40 drops (approximately 2ml) of Citrus EO
Optional Colorant if you prefer a particular shade
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the Fractionated Coconut Oil and Shea Butter. Mix these well, until thoroughly combined. Next, stir in the Dead Sea or Fine Salt. Add the colorant and essential oil and mix once more. Spoon into a sterile jar.

The best way I have found to use this neat recipe is to step into the shower and scrub all over with this mixture. THEN turn the water on, shower and rinse. After showering, moisture your skin with a nice shea butter skin lotion. To preserve your recipe for longer use (if not using a preservative), use a clean spoon or spatula to scoop out one serving at a time instead of taking the jar into the shower with you where you’re sure to get water into it!

Herbal Steam Facial

2 handfuls herbs or flowers
6 cups boiling water

Coarsely chop the herbs or flower and place them in a bowl. Slowly add boiling water to herbs or flowers.As you lean your head over the bowl, cover your head and the bowl with a thick towel. Now, simply close your eyes and dream of your favorite quiet place for about 10-15 minutes. Afterwards, just splash your face with lukewarm, then cool water. Herbs and flowers that are great to use include lemon balm, spearmint, chamomile, parsley, violets, rose petals, peppermint, sage, lavender. Always use caution when using hot water, and if you have any allergies to the flowers/herbs, use common sense.

You could also use a drop or two of Essential Oils of the above herbs/flowers. Pure Essential Oils can be found at TLC NATURALLY - just click on the name and browse all the essential oils and the homemade soaps that are made at TLC NATURALLY.

Want to make some cheap and easy bird feeders? This is a very simple way to keep your fuzzy friends happy during the winter, and give your whole family a wonderful and scenic source of enjoyment.

Needed:

Milk Gallon Jugs
Knife

Take the empty milk gallon jugs and where the indent is on the milk jug, cut that part out - it’s about fist sized. Then remove cap, punch out 2small holes in the on the sides near the lid to run string or yarn thru for hanging. Replace the cap, punch a few holes in the bottom of the jug to let rain water drain off and then fill with bird seed. Hang the newly made bird feeder out in the yard where you can best watch the flurry of activity that will soon grace your bird feeder.

~Pam~

Missouri Crafts Network 

Coffee soap
Ingredients:
8 oz wt Canola Oil
8 oz wt Coconut Oil
8 oz wt Olive Oil
8 oz wt Hydrogenated Soybean Oil (Crisco)
12 fl oz Water
4.5 oz wt Lye (sodium hydroxide)
1.5 oz of Columbian Coffee - (Oregon Trails)
1 T coffee grounds

This wonderfully Expresso Coffee smelling soap is the coffee lover’s dream. The luscious, wonderful smell of fresh ground coffee will fill you with delight - even if you don’t like coffee! It is also a great soap that washes away those nasty fish, garlic or onion odors! And for the gardener - oh my!! It is a wonderful treat!

Try making some coffee soap today! You’ll be glad you did.

Here’s a great recipe from one of our sponsors for Missouri Crafts Network - get ready for Valentine’s Day!!

Just in time for Valentines Day! 
A scrumptious, yummy chocolate lovers delight! The following will make a 2# batch. Percentages are given to calculate different sizes.

11.2 ounces (35%) Coconut Oil
11.2 ounces (35%) Olive Oil
3.2 ounces (10%) Castor Oil
6.4 ounces (20%) Unrefined cocoa butter
12.2 ounces distilled water
4.6 ounces sodium hydroxide
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder (1 TBSP PPO)
1 ounce Sweet Orange EO (0.5 ounces PPO)

Mix lye and water together until dissolved. Add cocoa powder to lye water and mix until blended. Allow lye mixture to cool to room temp stirring occasionally as needed to incorporate cocoa powder. Gently heat oils until just melted. Add room temp lye solution and stir with stick blender until well blended. Once soap reaches a mild trace, add in FO and continue to stick blend until thick trace is reached. Pour into lined wooden mold and place in preheated 200F oven. Cook for two hours. Turn off heat and leave soap in oven for another 24 hours. After 24 hours, unmold and cut.

This makes a very nice chocolate soap and the orange EO goes very well with it. ~ April of Sweet Lotus Creations

Blessings & Health

Pam
Missouri Crafts Network

 This is a great recipe for making a nice shea butter facial/hand cream.

Ingredients:
1 oz beeswax
1 oz sweet almond oil (or oil of your choice)
0.75 oz shea butter
0.5 oz cocoa butter
add fragrance or EO  if wanted

Melt your beeswax in a double boiler (or pan on top of pan will work). Once the beeswax is melted, just add your cocoa butter, then shea butter and after that is almost melted, add your sweet almond oil (or use jojoba or olive or almond).  Once that is all melted, remove from heat, let cool a bit and then add your essential oil or fragrance oil.

Pour your mixture into a decorative jar or bottle and when cooled, it will make a nice semi-solid cream.

Shea butter is a wonderful anti-aging/anti-wrinkling agent and has some wonderful qualities!

Got a recipe you’d like to share? Please post it!

Pam

Missouri Crafts Network

TLC Naturally 

An easy to make all Veggie soap that is great on your skin!

Vegetable Soap

50 Ounces Olive Oil
17 Ounces Coconut Oil
18 Ounces Any All Vegetable Shortening
11.5 Ounces Lye
32 Ounces Soft Water

Temperature - Lye Water 95-98 degrees ats 95-98 degrees

Instructions:

This is the big TIP - The night before making your soap, measure the lye and water into a container, stir until dissolved and then…..put it in a SECURE place where no one will get to it!

NOW, Soap Making Day….heat up a pot of water to boiling and place your cooled lye water into it. Warm it up to 98 degrees. Place your fats/oils in a pan and heat them to the right temperature.

When are at the correct temperatures, pour fats into a bowl and pour lye water into fats, as yo stir constantly or grab your handy dandy stick blender and give it a whirl. Soap will trace fairly quickly when using the stick blender. After it comes to trace, it’s time for you to add dried flowers, herbs, essential oils or whatever you choose. Stir again to mix thoroughly.

Pour this glob into your greased mold. I usually cover the top of the mold with a blanket and let it sit for 12-24 hours. After this time you can unmold it and cut it as desired and then stack it so that the air can circulate between the layers. Leave soap in a room temperature area for about 3-4 weeks. Should be ready to use after that.

For more info - check out our recipes at Missouri Crafts Network Soap Category!

~Pam~

Nerve Remedy - Soothing Lavender Milk Bath

2 packages Powdered Milk
12 oz Powdered Goat or Any other Milk
16 oz Dead Sea Salt
9 ounces Epsom Salt
1/2 tsp. Lavender Essential Oil

Mix all ingredients together slowly, seal the container and let sit overnight. Next day, just repackage, or you can use a little bit immediately for your own bath if you choose! This is a wonderful blend of lavender and milk, a soothing bath mixture fit for a queen…I wouldn’t be surprised if Cleopatra didn’t use this mix!

Simple but Elegant Bath Salts

1/2 pound Epsom Salts
1/2 pound Baking Soda
1/2 pound Sea Salt
1/2 tablespoon Sweet Almond Oil or Jojoba Oil or Oil of your choice
1 - 2 teaspoons essential oil(s)

Mix all ingredients in large bowl and then knead with hands until well blended.
You only have to let this mix dry out a couple hours before pouring it into fancy jars, labeling it, and tieing it all up with a pretty bow to give away to a dear friend.