Homemade Cosmetics You Can Eat
An ancient Greek goddess, Cosmeos (whose name means harmony and balance), gave mortals the gifts of herbs, flowers, and simple secrets to nourish the body and soul. The modern word, Cosmetic, stems from her name.
She personified radiant health from inner harmony and balance. She never masked what she was or how she looked. She fed her inner beauty with gifts of the Earth. Her beauty was as unique as the flowers growing wild on a hillside and as powerful as the granite bones of the mountain. Cosmeos still yearns to flower in each of us, though much misunderstood in the modern day world of beauty. Her life force resides inward, in that spark of the eyes and radiant glow of her skin. Her teachings are not about what to paint on one’s face or how to arch the curve of the eye brow; but lessons in lore of plants, of health, and of play. She teaches to “take time to smell the flowers,” and even further, to want you to rub those flowers all over you! She doesn’t want you to take your herbal work too seriously. She shows that nourishing yourself with lovely herb baths and fragrant facials is as healing as tinctures and pills, and that the gentlest cup of tea can be the most potent remedy for the hardest cases.
Making your own “all natural” cosmetics is a culmination of ancient wisdom and modern trial and error. Many of these recipes have come in moments of inspiration, others took hours, generations of labor over the exact proportions and effects. Tiny tweaks turn a good remedy into a product of excellence. May these recipes serve to enhance your inner harmony and bring out your own unique, radiant beauty.
And let’s face it. The modern woman eats up to 9 lbs of lipstick in her life. And that is aside from the lotions and potions (and chemicals that go with them) that get absorbed through her skin. Edible cosmetics are not only tasty but also contain only natural, edible ingredients. Instead of using synthetics, preservatives and potentially dangerous ingredients for preservation, replace them with natural substances that you can consume, and also taste delicious!
Herbal Massage Oil
1-2 oz herbal formula (recipes below)
1 pint of apricot or almond oil.
Place herbs in wide mouth jar and pour oil over the herbs. Be certain the herbs are completely covered by the oil.
Let sit in a warm place for two weeks, shaking the herbs and oil mixture every day.
Or: place herbs and oil in a double boiler and slowly heat the mixture. Bring to a low simmer (Do Not Overheat the oil or you will end up with burnt massage oil). Keep on low heat for about 30 to 45 minutes.
After desired length of time, strain herbs from oil. Use a fine sieve with a piece of cheese cloth placed in it so that no herbal particles get mixed in with the strained oil.
Optional, can carefully add a few drops of your favorite essential oils and mix in well.
You now have one of the finest herbal massage oils available. Made with the pure essences of herbs extracted in high quality fruit and nut oil, your massage oil will serve both as an excellent lubricant for massages and as a nutrient for the skin.
Dry Skin Formula
2 parts Roses
1 part Chamomile
1 part Comfrey
1 part Lavender
1 part Calendula
Oily Skin Formula
2 parts Comfrey
2 parts Calendula
1 part Sage
1 part Lavender
1 part Witch Hazel bark (not the extract)
1/2 part rosemary
Mix the herbs together and scent with your favorite essential oil. Follow directions above. Please note: I suggest you add essential oil both while you’re mixing the dry herbs and at the very end of the recipe when you have strained the herb from the oil. It gives a deeper, richer scent.
Creamy Massage Oil
This richer, thicker oil is really half way between a cream and massage oil. I especially like it for massaging the face, hands, and feet.
How to Make:
Make herbal oil using recipe above.
To each cup of herbal oil add the following:
1/4 cup Cocoa Butter
1/2 cup Coconut oil
1 tsp Lanolin
Warm over low heat just until all ingredients are melted together.
Scent with your favorite essential oil.
Herbal Baths/Showers
Bathing in herbs is truly like immersing one’s body in a giant cup of tea. All the pores are open and receptive. The skin, our largest organ of absorption and elimination, absorbs the healing essences of herbs and you emerge renewed, refreshed.
How to Make:
Place a large handful or two of the herbal mixture (see formulas below) in a muslin bag, handkerchief, or large tea ball. Tie the container onto the nozzle of the tub and turn water on HOT. Let the hot water stream through the herbs making a strong, healthy “tea”, then adjust water temperature. I like using cloth bags for the herbs so I can use the herbal bag for a wash cloth while bathing.
For shower, tie herbal container unto shower nozzle. When soaked through, untie it, and use as your wash cloth.
Stimulating Formula:
3 parts Peppermint
1 part Sage
1 part Rosemary
2 parts Calendula
1 part Bay leaf
1 part eucalyptus
Relaxing formula:
2 parts Lavender
2 parts Roses
2 parts Chamomile
1 part Hops
1 part Comfrey
Bath Salts
A simple, delightful recipe, bath salts add trace minerals to the bath water, soften the water, and gently cleanse the skin. Bath salts are made from a combination of mineral salts. Most people are surprised, and some mildly offended, to learn the major
ingredient in most bath salts is Borax. Borax is a natural mineral salt mined in only a few places in the world. Put it in a large box with a picture of the 20 mule team on the front and it’s used for laundry) put it in a small, fancy jar and it’s used as a cosmetic.
Ingredients for Bath Salts:
2 cups Borax
1/8 cup Sea Salt
1/8 cup White Clay
Essential Oils to scent
To Make:
Mix borax, salt, and clay together. Use a wire egg whisk to distribute all the ingredients evenly.
Scent with your favorite essential oil. The mix will absorb a lot of oil so buy your scent in a 1 oz bottle.
Cover with a porous cloth and let sit several hours to dry. Mix with egg whisk again. Package in glass bottles or fancy tins.
Body Powder
This is the nicest powder recipe I know of. It is a natural deodorizer because of its absorbent properties, can be scented with any scent you like, and is simple and inexpensive to make.
Ingredients:
1 cup White cosmetic grade Clay
1-2 cups Cornstarch
Optional: Essential Oils
Optional: Lavender and Rose flowers
To Make:
In a large bowl, using a wire whisk, mix the clay and cornstarch together.
Add essential oil. It will absorb quite a bit, so buy your essential oil in 1 oz bottles.
If you wish to use herbs, finely grind the lavender and roses (or other herbs) to a fine powder. Sift. Then grind again. They must be as powdered as possible or they will give a gritty feeling to the powder. A coffee or seed and nut grinder will work fairly well.
Cover the body powder with a porous cloth and let sit for several hours to dry. Package in powder containers, spice jars with shaker tops, or fancy tins with handmade feather dusters.
Home Health Care Products
Tooth Powder & Paste
This is an excellent homemade toothpaste/powder:
1/2 cup clay – very fine, white clay – sieve it several times
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda (optional) non aluminum kind
1 tsp myrrh powder – sieve it several times so it is a very fine powder.
* An essential oil such as Anise, peppermint, or spearmint oil to taste
If you wish, you may sweeten with vegetable glycerin. This is the sweetener most natural tooth paste manufacturers use. Personally, I find sweet toothpaste offensive, however, some folks find it better tasting.
To Make Tooth Paste
(1) Mix clay with sea salt, baking soda and myrrh. Use wire whisk or sifter to blend well.
(2) Add a few drops of essential oil. Keep this tooth powder in a glass jar by the sink. It is effective, tastes fine and is “cheap”. (You can make a year’s supply for about $2).
(3) Mix clay, myrrh, salt and soda with water to make a paste. Stir in glycerin to taste and a few drops of essential oil. You can actually buy tubes in backpack supply stores, so you can have homemade tooth paste in a tube (for the more conventional).
(4) For pyorrhea/gum infections and decaying teeth add additional myrrh and a bit of golden seal to the formula. This is an excellent daily formula for any one suffering from gum problems.
Be sure all powders used in your tooth paste/ powder are finely ground. You don’t want any granulated particles in your tooth products.
Herbal Shampoo
This is a nice simple shampoo recipe that leaves you a lot of room to create the perfect formula for your hair type. It is best followed by an herbal vinegar rinse such as the Queen of Hungary’s Water. Use it as a hair rinse before it’s been diluted with aloe or rosewater in its straight vinegar/herb form.
To Make:
Make 8 oz of strong herbal tea using one of the following formulas or your own favorite hair mixture. Let cool and strain well.
Slowly add to the cooled tea 2 0z of pure liquid castile soap. This may be a bit difficult to find these days. It is usually available in natural food stores. If you can’t find a pure castile soap ( olive oil based liquid soap), choose a non-detergent, mild liquid soap.
Now add in small amounts those specialty items that make you shampoo personalized for your hair type such as: jojoba oil, rosemary oil, vitamin E, lavender oil, etc.
Formulas for Dry Hair:
1 part Nettle
1 part Comfrey
1 part Calendula
Formula for Oily Hair:
1 part Witch Hazel Bark (not extract)
1/2 part Rosemary
1 part Yarrow
Formula to Brighten Golden Hair:
1 part Chamomile
1 part Calendula
1 part Comfrey
Formula to Brighten Dark Hair
1 part Rosemary
1 part Comfrey
Fungicide Powder For Athlete’s Foot
This is certainly not a cosmetic item, but is a very useful home health formula to know about. It is an excellent remedy for athlete’s foot and other types of fungus. Make some and keep it on hand.
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup clay
4 tbsp goldenseal powder
4 tbsp black walnut hull powder
2 tbsp chaparral powder
1 tbsp myrrh powder
* Tea Tree oil, a few drops
This is an excellent formula. Combined with herbal foot baths and used with an herbal liniment such as Kloss’s liniment, (Lesson Three) and/or salve, almost all cases of athlete’s foot will clear up.
Lip Gloss
An 1800’s ladies home etiquette book inspired this recipe, A few things were added over the years, adjusted proportions, and changed the flavors, but the recipe is the base for all lip glosses on the market. It is extremely easy to make and is a wonderful project to make with kids. The only problem with making lip gloss is that you always will make too much. Have a lot of containers on hand and be prepared to give it away to all of your friends.
Ingredients:
1 cup Apricot kernel, Almond oil, or Grape seed oil
1/4 cup Beeswax
1 tablespoon Honey
Natural Flavoring Oil (this cannot be a flavoring extract because extracts are in an alcohol base and do not mix well with oil). For example: Orange, Peppermint, Spearmint, and Anise oil all make really wonderful flavors for lip gloss.
* Optional: Alkanet root. The root of this lovely garden flower yields a beautiful coloring agent that dyes the oil to a red color. Alkanet also adds healing protection for the lips. Alkanet is not the easiest herb to find
How to Make
(1) Gently heat oil and melt the beeswax in it.
(2) When the beeswax is completely melted, remove from heat and stir in the honey and flavoring oil. Add enough oil to give a nice flavor. Each flavoring oil will require different amounts. So add a few drops, stir and taste.
(3) When flavored correctly, take one tablespoon of the mix and put it in the fridge. It will cool quickly allowing you to test the consistency before pouring into your small containers. If too hard, add more oil; if too soft, add more beeswax.
(4) Pour into containers, and let harden.
To add Alkanet:
(1) For each cup of oil, add 2-3 tablespoons of alkanet. Stir over a low heat for 10 minutes. For a rich red colored lip gloss, the oil should look almost black in the pot. For a soft pink colored gloss, the oil should look a deep rich red. The color changes once it has been poured. When the desired color is reached, strain the oil through a cheese cloth. Discard the herbs and return the oil to the pan.
(2) Continue with steps 2
* The above formula is marvelous, simple, and works wonderfully. However, you can add any number of items to enrich or personalize your balm. For instance, Vitamin E oil, Paba, medicinal herbs, Vitamin A, Cocoa butter, Coconut oil, etc.
Whipped body butter
Customize your own with any essential oil of your choice.
½ cup shea butter
½ cup cocoa butter
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup Fractionated Coconut Oil
30 drops EO’s
15 drops Grapefruit oil*
15 drops Wild Orange oil*
Instructions
Measure all butters and oils in glass jar.
Fill a large skillet/saucepan with one to one and a half inches of water. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, add the glass jar to the center of the saucepan to melt and combine ingredients.
Stir every few minutes until the ingredients are melted and combined. (10–15 minutes) Tip: Use a popsicle stick to stir for easy cleanup.
Once everything is melted, remove from heat and let sit for 5–10 minutes. Add desired essential oils.
Once essential oils are added, let it rest in a cool place (such as the refrigerator) until it has set.
Once chilled, take out of refrigerator. With a stand or hand mixer, start on low and slowly turn the speed higher until the lotion becomes light and fluffy (around 3–5 minutes).
Note: Store mixture in a glass jar and keep in a cool place. If needed, re-fluff the body butter by whipping it back up to the desired consistency with a hand mixture.
Ingredients
1/4 cup Plant Therapy Shea Butter unrefined/crude or refined (41g)
1/4 cup Plant Therapy Mango Butter or Cocoa Butter * (41 g mango butter or 34g cocoa butter)
1/4 cup Plant Therapy Carrier Oil ** (42g)
1 1/2 tsp arrowroot flour starch optional*** (5g)
36 drops Plant Therapy Essential Oil optional****
Instructions
Place a glass bowl on top of a saucepan partially filled with water over medium heat. Place the butters in the glass bowl, and allow them to fully melt.
If you're planning to use arrowroot flour in your body butter, in a small bowl, whisk the flour into the carrier oil. Set the mixture aside. If you're not using arrowroot flour, skip this step.
Carefully remove the bowl (and melted butters) from the heat source. Add the oil (with the arrowroot flour, if using), and stir to combine the ingredients.
At this point, the oil mixture should be cooler (along with the bowl). If not, allow it to rest for a few minutes. Then place the mixture in the fridge and allow it to solidify (about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on location in the fridge and fridge temperature).
Once the mixture is opaque and a bit firm (not solid as a rock), remove the bowl from the fridge. Add the essential oil of choice, if desired.
If you used cocoa butter in your body butter, then whisk the mixture with a fork until it appears "whipped." If you used shea and/or mango butters in your body butter, then you can use the same technique with a fork, or use a stand mixer to "whip" the mixture.
Scoop the body butter into a jar with a lid. Place the lid on the jar. Store the body butter at room temperature (out of sunlight). This mixture should last about six months, if bacteria isn't introduced to the mixture via dirty hands.
To Use:
After bathing, apply a small amount of body butter to your fingertips, and then massage the butter on your skin/body. Apply as needed.
Recipe Notes
*Mango butter will yield a softer body butter. Cocoa butter will yield a thicker body butter that smells a bit like chocolate. You can also use shea butter again, if desired, instead of using mango or cocoa butter.
**I like sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, or grapeseed oil.
***If you're concerned about the final product feeling too greasy, then I recommend adding this optional ingredient. The arrowroot cuts through the greasy feel that's often associated with body butter.
****My personal favorites: lavender, geranium (Egyptian), frankincense (Carteri). Another option is to use a pre-blended synergy, like: Love Vanilla (my favorite), Soft Skin, or Tranquil. I use a 1% dilution in my body butter. Before using any essential oil, I recommend reading the back of the bottle for specific dilution recommendations--just to be safe.
Ingredients
1 tbs of organic rose water
4 tbs of organic cocoa butter
10 tbs of organic apricot kernel oil
1 tbs of organic beeswax pellets
10 drops of lavender essential oil optional
Containers
Glass Salve Containers- You can also find glass cream containers or bamboo jars on amazon.com
Instructions
Combine all the oils, cocoa butter & beeswax to your double boiler (basically put an aluminum bowl or pyrex in a pan filled with water) on low heat until they are melted.
Add the rose water, mix well.
Once all the ingredients are melted, take your bowl out of the heat and put it in another recipient bowl filled with cold water, ideally with ice to speed up the emulsification process.
Start mixing with an electric hand blender like this one until you get a liquid cream consistency.
To whip this butter and make it fondant, put the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Then, use the hand blender to mix the cream again.
Add the essential oil if desired. it does help with preservation time.
Pour in a glass jar container and use within 2 months.
Yield: 100 ml cream jar.
Vanilla and Cacao Homemade Body Butter
2 tablespoons beeswax
1/2 cup coconut oil (find organic coconut oil in bulk here)
add 1/2 cup raw cacao butter
1/2 cup Shea butter
1/2 Madagascar Bourbon vanilla bean (about 6 inches), split lengthwise (find organic vanilla beans here)
add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Ingredients2 tablespoons beeswax1/2 cup coconut oil (find organic coconut oil in bulk here)1/2 cup raw cacao butter1/2 cup Shea butter1/2 Madagascar Bourbon vanilla bean (about 6 inches), split lengthwise (find organic vanilla beans here)1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)InstructionsMelt beeswax & cacao butter over a double boiler. Whisk this occasionally to avoid burning.When the beeswax and cacao butter are completely melted, add coconut oil and Shea butter. Stir to combine.When all the ingredients are completely melted, whisk well to thoroughly combine. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool slightly.Whisk in the seeds (scraped from the inside of the vanilla bean), along with the almond extract. Again, set aside to continue cooling for 1 hour.Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the body butter for 1-2 minutes to increase volume.Scoop into 4 ounce jars with a spatula (the warmth from your hands will start to melt the butters) and let cool completely to solidify.Store in a cool dark cabinet to prevent oils from , and store leftovers in the fridge or freezer for long term storage.
