DIY Cocoa Butter Bars

 The last couple of days I have been researching gel nail allergies. I think it started from watching one video on youtube and then just snowballed. A few years back I considered buying a gel nail set- they have a lot of options on Amazon (many many sketchy ones, wouldn't get those). I think I decided against it because I have weak, always chipping and splitting nails and I don't want to damage them further. Also I don't want to go through the removal process each time I want to change colors. I just want my nail polish to last a full three days with no chipping/shine, and gel would be overkill for what I want. But checking the pictures of the allergies (you can see them on Google), I am glad I never started. I would likely have ended up with uncured gel and allergies. Anyway. let me stop rambling about nail allergies and talk more about these cute Cocoa Butter bars I made yesterday. 

I've had my Plant Therapy Cocoa Butter sitting around for a long time and really need to use it up. I have been too lazy to whip it up with Shea Butter, other oils, and scents. I haven't whipped any since I did a really huge batch and I used it all up ages ago. I have been taking the big chucks of cocoa butter and using them though. I guess that's the way I really like to use Cocoa Butter so I figured I would take all the little chunks, melt them down and make them cuter and easier to use.

I melt them in a "double boiler". Just a glass pyrex dish with the Cocoa Butter in a sauce pan with a pot of boiling water to melt it. That's the best way to melt your oils and butters. It's just more gentle. Anyway I melt it down, it didn't take long. Poured it in some silicone chocolate molds I bought forever ago on Ebay. And let them cool. I did pop it into the fridge after awhile to help it solidify quicker. 

That's it! These will take a while to use up..and when I finally do I will definitely make more. I find these are amazing on dry, skin. I think it softens even better than Shea Butter. Especially good for dry heels, dry hands, just dry skin in general. Although it doesn't melt as easy as Shea which can make it slightly more work to apply- I think it's worth it for the softness though.

Avocado Oil

 Did you know it's chocolate ice cream day? I just mixed up my very first ice cream base. I've been wanting to make ice cream for years. Only just now did a recipe pop up for me in my long list of things to make. I need to let it chill overnight and then I will be all ready to put in the ice cream maker to churn tomorrow.  Exciting stuff, for me at least. 

Anyway Avocado Oil. I like to play with different oils in my Shea Butter mixes and skin care/body oils. Most of the time I will just pick up an oil in the grocery store rather than order because it's cheaper and food grade so must be safe, although in one of the books I had they recommend not using food grade oil. I'll probably keep on using it because I don't see any real issue with it.

Avocado is definitely a pricier oil. It's definitely a richer, more hydrating oil the most as well. It's supposed to calm and heal itchy dry skin, hydrate and moisturize and protect against UV damage. It's also really great for hair, specifically dry hair. 

I tried it on my face. And it was not for me. It clogged up my facial skin and caused breakouts so I discontinued using it on my face quite early on. 

If you are a DIYer, this oil is great in Shea Butter mixes. Lately I've been mixing into my little Shea Butter mixes with Almond oil and essential oils. And it really kicks up the hydrating/moisture level up a notch. Especially compared to the Fractionated Coconut Oil I was using before. I haven't used it a ton in my hair, but my hair loves it! It really is nicely hydrating. 

It's a little more on the pricy side but considering how little I need to use per batch I mix up and the benefits, I think it's worth it. 

I had a small bottle from Now...which was very different to this oil. That one just looked like oil, this one is light green in color and just thicker overall. There is a big different in quality. I would definitely stick to picking this up in the grocery store.

I should probably get a bottle to keep in the kitchen for cooking too! 

Plant Therapy Cocoa Butter Crude Review

 I'm not going to have a chance to blog later, so I'm blogging early. On Cocoa Butter. I love Cocoa Butter. It's excellent for your skin, full of anti-oxidants that are heart healthy, smells like heaven, and makes chocolate. I don't use it often because it's really solid at room temperature so not as easy to work with as some other butters like Shea. It's really a "project" butter unless you are just using it on your face or as a spot treatment on elbows, knees, etc. 

Plant Therapy claims:

Cocoa Butter is the best butter for skin applications. Being rich in Vitamin E, Cocoa Butter reduces dryness, lubricates the skin, and is soothing to all skin types. Its rich, creamy texture, makes it ideal in formulations for lotions, creams, balms, and soaps. 

Our unrefined Cocoa Butter is high quality and has a natural rich, sweet chocolate aroma. It is in its raw state and has not been processed or refined. Please note that this butter is hard and will soften at body temperature or when gently warmed.

Cocoa Butter Crude has been prepared to food grade standards.

I started out with Palmer's pure Cocoa Butter sticks but I can't find those anymore. Went on to use the sticks by CocoCare (think that's the brand), then bought a batch from a cosmetic supplier (thin texture, not very good quality), to this one from Plant Therapy. The Cococare was my favorite, it just was more Cocoa-y and thicker than the other Cocoa Butters. But I can't find that anymore either.

I think this Cocoa Butter is second up. It's not as "thick" as the Coco Care. But it smells amazing and really softens your skin. 

I always get the unrefined version. Plant Therapy has a refined unscented Cocoa Butter, which I can assure you I will never try. 

I've used it in two projects. Cocoa Butter Body Butter Bars. And a whipped butter that had Shea Butter and a bunch of other great for your skin oils. It works wonders for scars, skin irritations, dry patches, stretch marks, etc. 

My DIY Butter. Makes the Cocoa easier to apply all over.

This will run you $25 for a pound which is pretty pricey.

My only real "problem" with the butter is we don't where where it's from. Is it fair trade? Free from child labor? Is it from Africa...South America? Who knows. That's the only thing that really keeps me from purchasing again and highly recommending.

DIY Cocoa Vanilla Body Body Butter Bars

 I almost always have a DIY I am using or have tried or working on trying...but I don't usually blog it all. I'm going to try to write posts for them...that way I can keep track of the things I've tried to make. I can easily forget some of the things I've tried and I've actually gone back and found some of my own DIY's that I find helpful for when I forget exactly what I did...like my bug spray I made years ago. I mixed all kind of essential oils and ended up with a mountain dew smelling spray that was amazing. Years later I've forgotten what I blended...but not to worry. I wrote a post on it. 

Anyway I did this DIY a few weeks ago. 

All it is is Cocoa Butter and some essential oil. Essential Oil optional. No measuring. Just make however much you want. For dilution of the oil, you will want to check the max rate you can safely use. 

Just melt the Cocoa Butter. I used a double boiler. It's a more gentle heat source and won't destroy any of the good properties of the Cocoa Butter.

I added some Love Vanilla essential oil. I'm not sure if it made a difference. If you use good quality Cocoa  it will smell like a yummy chocolate bar. I liked it though and would definitely throw it in my Cocoa Bars again. It smells exactly like this pic:

But better. 

Then once it was all melted, I just poured it in the molds and refrigerated until Solid. The first one I used was a half one and I was worried because it was kind gritty. The other one's I've used have been fine. 

They are already all gone. It feels exactly like you are moisturizing with a chocolate bar. It's not greasy, makes your skin super soft, and moisture lasts all day! It's a decadent experience 😁

The only "problem" is because they are Cocoa Butter it takes a little more effort to melt. Especially if it's cold or your body leans more cold like mine. I might add a little Coconut Oil to the next batch. Just to see if I can make them a little softer now that Winter is Coming.

I love these..so easy to make. And you can scent them anyway you like. I want to do some with peppermint, rose, and orange later on down the line. 

Mine had a little leftover cocoa powder left in them from last time I used the mold. It doesn't hurt anything! 

The Ordinary 100% Virgin Organic Sea Buckthorn Oil Review

I was going to write this post last night but I got caught up in the new Netflix series "The Baby-Sitters Club". I used to read the books as a child and I LOVED them. I wanted to find a group of friends to start a Baby-Sitting club so bad. I used to get the books from the Library or spend my allowance on the books. That's where most of my allowance went. When I saw they were doing a show, I was...kinda excited and didn't expect to like it so much. So I kinda binge watched last night...and will be finishing it up tonight later on. 

Anyway...Sea Buckthorn oil. 

The Ordinary claims:

This formulation contains 100% pure Sea-Buckthorn Fruit oil that is sustainably-sourced, organic, unrefined and virgin in origin. This exceptional Sea-Buckthorn Fruit oil is derived from the pulp of the Sea-Buckthorn berry. This oil contains a high concentration of rare palmitoleic acid (Omega 7) for nourishing & protecting the skin. It also offers other fatty acids like palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linolenic acid and linoleic acid as well as antioxidants like tocopherol (Vitamin E), carotenoids and lycopene that all help to protect the skin from free radical damage and to maintain the skin’s normal barrier function.

Our Sea-Buckthorn Fruit oil is completely unrefined and imparts a natural scent due to its high palmitoleic acid (Omega-7) content. This scent is not an indication of rancidity. Sea-Buckthorn Fruit oil that does not have scent is likely to have been highly refined and, therefore, would contain less active compounds and would likely offer impaired benefits. The formula's intense natural orange-red hue is due to its high carotenoids and lycopene content. After application, the colour of this oil will remain on your skin until it is washed off. Please use a very small amount or dilute with other products for easier application

I just want glowy skin. And this is the oil that will give you glowy skin.

A couple months ago, I was really into learning about skincare. I won't follow most of those tips, but I still love learning. One thing that was universally recommended was Vitamin C. Apparently it's a miracle for skin and something everyone should be applying daily. They have a few different serums, washes, skincare in general that contains Vitamin C, but I like natural skincare and was happy when I came across the magic that is Sea Buckthorn oil. It has a lot of naturally occurring Vitamin C. No synthetics necessary. 

The first time I used this stuff I wasn't ready.

 It is highly concentrated. Everything I touched turned orange, my face even had an orange tint. And I was scared to sleep with it, I didn't want to stain my pillowcase. Or my clothes. 

The next time I used it, I made sure to dilute it. I tried Shea Butter and Castor oil mixed with just a drop. Still orange and you have to be careful so I make sure if I'm using it I put it on well before it's time to go to sleep. Diluting it helps...A LOT.

But...the mess is worth it for the glow I wake up to. It truly is.

I've been experimenting to make the process much less messy. I've added it into my own DIY Shea Body Butter's and mixing it into my DIY Face Creams.

I think it would be an excelling addition to body scrubs as well. I don't mix those up often.

One more thing I almost forgot, a teeny bit goes a long way so likely this 1 ounce bottle will last forever. It is a little more pricy than some of the other oils on the site at 14.90. I think it's worth the price. 

Ingredients: 

Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil

It has a learning curve and the potential to make a mess, but I think this is one of my favorite oils I've tried in a long while!  

DIY Room Spray/Fabric Refresher

Tomorrow is my Friday. It's also Pay Day and we are headed into a four day weekend. I can't wait for the weekend! In the meantime, I blog. A DIY. Which I actually find really helpful for myself. A couple years back I made a DIY Bug spray and thought I didn't remember the mixture but I found it in my own blog post. #winning

Anyway today I'm posting my room spray/fabric refresher. Remember when Febreze came out. I was a little obsessed with that stuff and I aways had a stock of it. Especially living in a dorm room. I would clean my room and spray lots of Febreze and inhale. The only thing about it is that the ingredients are probably not the best thing to breathe into your lungs.

Now I have an alternative. It does have alcohol which I don't think is the best thing to inhale...but it's only small amount. And you can sub it out with Witch Hazel.

It's super easy. I use a 2 ounce spray bottle. Glass is best but I definitely recycle plastic bottles and make it plastic. I just use about an two teaspoons of alcohol. Add around 14 drops of essential oil. You can use more or less depending on your preferences. And fill the rest of the bottle with water.

Shake, Shake, Shake, and spray. 

You can use any essential oil you prefer. I think my favorite for room spray would be citrus oils  because they are very up lifting. I even spray it on my blanket/sheets. It's like crawling into a scented heaven. Although it would probably be better to use a calming blend for that purpose. 

It does have water in it (which anytime you use water in a DIY, you should use a preservative to prevent nasties from growing it in) , due to that it would probably be best to use it up within 3 days or store it in the refrigerator for up to a week or two. If you can I would recommend using distilled water or boiled and you can always half the recipe for smaller amounts. 

I'm a rebel so I don't.  But I know I should.

That's it, super easy, cost effective, and customizable. 

DIY Shea Sea Buckthorn Anti-Age Facial Moisturizer

I'm waiting for some food to digest before I play another round of Just Dance....and in between I just made another batch of all natural face cream.

I whipped it up in minutes. I've tried many times over the years to whip shea butter..but it never stays soft like I want it to. I think I've finally figured out the easiest way to do it. And it all came about because I bought The Ordinary's Sea Buckthorn Oil and was tired of messing with the strong orange staining. So I figured diluting it in some Shea Butter might help. 

And it has. 

I was also thrilled because I could combine all my favorite things on my face at once.

I make small batches. In a tiny glass jar, but it would make more sense to at least use a larger container. Shea Butter and oil get's everywhere when I make it. And I ALWAYS overfill it. But I will probably do it again next batch because I'm hard headed.🤷🏾‍♀️

Anyway...I start with adding Shea Butter to my too tiny glass jar. Make sure it's clean and sterile. I spray mine down with alcohol after washing it out.

Then I add a bit of grapeseed oil. It's just one of my favorite oils for the face. I have Coconut and Avocado oil but I save it for the body butters. My face can't take those oils. I just stir it in. Start with a little at a time. You can add it until you area at the texture you want. It's super easy to stir together. I just use the back of a clean makeup brush.

Then I added five drops of Sea Buckthorn oil. I love it, just hate how messy it can be on it's own. It really does help brighten skin though, so it's kind of worth the mess. 

Then I added some of the Anti-Age oil I got from Plant Therapy. Just three drops. And it makes it smell really nice- although the scent took some getting used to. I used it for my first batch..and will use it every other batch. I want to experiment with more oils, so this batch was 1 drop of Cistus, 1 drop of Lavender, and 1 drop of Geranium. 

Mix it well. Then use daily/nightly. I like to use it when my face is still damp, you only need a tiny amount. That way it keeps the oiliness down and absorbs really quickly.

I'm loving it! Will probably keep using this recipe for a few years to come. I have a lot of Sea Buckthorn oil to get through. 

Of course, you don't need to use exactly what I did, use what you have. 

Happy Experimenting! 

DIY Bath Salts

I had an amazing week and an amazing weekend. I went out of my birthday and turned up...which means my bodywas hurting the next day. Not as bad as last year surprisingly. It just kind of feels like I've done about 200 squats...I like the dance floor though. If i don't do a few simple things it can last as long as a week. The best thing I've found is a bath with epsom salts or sea salts. 

Or dead sea salts. 

And you can easily buy them, but recently I've been trying to DIY it myself. Which is much more cost effective. And more fun because you can control the scent you make!

It's easy. I just picked up dead sea salts in my local drugstore. Pour them in a old container, you can make as little or as much as you want.

Then I add a little carrier oil. You can use whatever you like. I've been using grapeseed because that's what I have. I really like it because it's not super oily. But you can use Coconut/Avocado/ Olive, or anything you want. 

Then just add whatever Essential Oils you like. Last time I used a Lavender Sage Essential oil blend from Eden's Garden. I loved that! This time around I used Eucalyptus, Lavender, and Rosemary. I used a total of 20 drops.  But it's best to do a little research on the proper dilution because all oils are different.

Shake, Shake, Shake!

And let it sit for a little while. That usually helps the oils really blend.  Today I used what I made immediately. I didn't have time to let it sit.

You can probably add coloring to it, as well as dried flowers to make it fancy. But so far I'm keeping it plain. 

And that's all! Easy and cost-effective! 

DIY Strawberry Yogurt Mask

I've been really into masking these days. A couple of weeks ago I made flax seed gel for my hair. And I had some leftover so I made a mask out of it. I should have done a post on that mask but I'm sure I will make it again so will probably make a post then.

This time, I had some strawberries and plain yogurt and thought why not do a mask. I've turned into a  mask DIY-er. Who needs store bought mask when you can go in your kitchen and make the most amazing masks?

Yogurt is supposed to be great for your skin. Hydrating, smoothing, the different acids gets rids of dead skin, and it helps make your skin glow.

Strawberries have naturally occurring salicylic acid which is good for acne. And they also pack a Vitamin C punch. So I just mashed a strawberry with a little yogurt and applied to my face. 

It smells so good. I was in strawberry heaven for quite awhile since I left in on for at least 30 minutes. Maybe more.

I don't know if I noticed brighter skin. But my skin was much smoother for sure.

I loved it. I think next time I would add some honey or clay as well and see how I like that. 

Definitely would make this again and if you happen to have the ingredients I think this is one you should try too! 

DIY Apple Pie Face Mask

I have a ton of different clays that I really need to use up. DIY Face Masks are pretty much the best way to use it up.  Plus it's super fun to use up what I have around the kitchen on my face! So a couple weeks ago I was playing around and came up with this mask.

It's just bentonite clay, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, a little water, and some honey.

I start off with about a teaspoon of clay. Add a tiny bit of vinegar. The first time I made this mask I used mostly vinegar and I found it was way too harsh and makes my eyes water. So just a tiny amount of vinegar to barely moisten the mask. The vinegar makes the mask fluffy.

Then I add water and mix, mix, mix, mix. I eyeball the water. So when I get to the consistency I want- I stop. Then I add a little honey and cinnamon and mix.

I probably wouldn't recommend cinnamon if you have sensitive skin. But I like it.

I apply it with a free foundation brush. Let it dry. And rinse off.

After my skin is super fresh and clean. Pores look a little better. I moisturize my skin really well and that's all!

It's my go to mask these days.

DIY Deep Conditioning Rhassoul Clay Cubes

I tried these out about a year ago. Or more. I really liked the ones that you can buy from Anita Grant. But I don't always have Anita Grant money- the shipping combined with the pounds to dollar rates can be killer. So I decided to try and make my own. 

I actually made a bunch of different kinds the first time I tried. Ones with Argan Oil, some with Walnut, some with Coconut Oil, some with Babassu. And I actually really liked the idea of them. I sat a bunch in the fridge and found they don't really last as long as I would like and they are a little hard to get the texture right so they don't melt. So I'm still experimenting.

Also the scent was a bit hard to get right! I ordered a ton of different fragrance oils before I discovered I really loved just using essential oils. Something about the artificial scenting just didn't vibe with natural scents of the Cocoa and Shea Butter.

So on to todays experiment.

I started by adding Rhassoul and Bentonite clay. Rhassoul is a little less drying and I like to combine it with the Bentonite which is super good for drawing out impurities. About three tablespoons in all!

Then I added Vatika Oil. Which is basically enriched Coconut oil. I'm low on regular Coconut Oil. I think I added a little over a two tablespoons  and mixed it until smooth. Actually I think I went a little overboard and should have added a lot less because they came out a bit softer and meltier than they should be. Whoops.

I also added some rosemary and peppermint essential oil-because I like a little scent. I think I added five rosemary and five peppermint. It doesn't smell very strong- just a slight scent. 

Then I melted some Cocoa Butter. Probably not enough and mixed that in too. It was kind of liquidy at the time. I should have added more the clay. But I just went ahead and put in into the molds I bought off eBay. I was too lazy to clean off my little plastic spoon. You can't use metal- because metal reacts with the clay.

Popped them into the freezer for a little while. Then popped them out the molds and was left with some super cute clay hair mask cubes. 

All I have to do when I'm ready to use is add some super hot liquid- tea, coconut water, plain water. You can add some honey. Really whatever you would like. Until you have a mud consistency. Smooth it through sections of hair- you can comb through. Let is set at least an hour. 

See? All melty-but cute!

And then I have super clean, curls popping, ready to drink up some moisture hair. I think I will go ahead and use a few tonight to see how I like this particular mix.

In the meantime, if you would like you can check out my old review on the Anita Grant ones.

DIY Scented Oils

If I had known scenting oils was as easy as it is, I would have started a long time ago. After you get all the ingredients, it literally takes seconds.

Here's what I do:

Sweet Almond Oil 16 oz from Natures Garden for $3.99

1. Grab Your Oil- You can use any oil you want. Sweet Almond, Apricot, Walnut, Argan. You can use them straight, or you can mix them. I used Sweet Almond and threw a little Walnut in. Usually I add a bit of Castor Oil, but it slipped my mind this time. I use a brown glass container. If you are using essential oils to scent it, it's best to go for glass. If you are using fragrance oil, you can use plastic. 

2. Grab You Scented Oils- Like I mentioned you can use essential oils or you can just use fragrance oil. I prefer essential oils, because some of them have additional benefits to them. For example, Eucalyptus oil helps with muscles aches and soreness. Just try to stay away from citrus oils if you will be using during the day because they are photosensitive. Also make sure you research to check on dilution ratios. This go round I mixed Eucalyptus with Grapefruit. I got a bright, citrusy scent. And it really does help with aches and pains.  Each oil has it's own properties, for instance Lavender is great for stress relief, Tea Tree is great for acne, and Frankincense is great for wrinkles.

You can also scent with fragrance oils. They come in a wide range of scents and are cheaper than essential oils. Just make sure you check the dilution ratios. You can get fragrance oils in most craft stores, order online, and I've even seen a few in Walmart. The don't have the benefits of essential oils, and the downside is you have no idea what ingredients are in them because they are "trade secrets". It's up to you what you want to use, I prefer essential oil.

3. Mix it all up.- Give it a good shake! And give it a sniff to see if you like it! I find with most oils they need to settle a couple days, then I will sniff and adjust accordingly. This time it was perfect, but I think I would add Lavender next time and see how that turns out. 

Making your own scented oils is all about experimentation. But it's great because you can customize and make exactly what you like! You can use it as a massage oil, or just a regular old body moisturizer. The best thing about it, is you know exactly what you used. 

Would you mix your own oils? What scents would you mix up? 

Let me know in the comments!

Random: Made another batch of cannoli, this time with Ricotta Cheese. Last time I made them with Mascarpone. I think next time I would mix Mascarpone and Ricotta to get the best of both worlds.

Mmmmmm!

DIY Cocoa Shea Body Butter

It seems like every time I turn around I hear of another diagnosis of cancer. I recently watched a documentary on organic food and it said that 41% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer. Such a high number!! What's surprising is that all the diagnosis I hear of have been young people, around my age or a little older. I can kind of understand cancer affecting those over 70, since cancer is a cell mutation and it makes sense that something may go wrong with a cells DNA that has been replicated over and over for years (don't mean to sound callous). But why is it affecting young people more and more? Is it the food, air, personal hygiene products? I don't know. All I know is I have tried to reduce the amount of "junk" I use on my body. Which includes lotion. I used to want all the Bath and Body Works/Body Shop lotions and pretty smelling products. Now, I'm over it (I still use makeup with junk in it- can't help myself!). But here's how I make my own Body Butter.

It's not like the emulsified stuff you find in the stores. It takes a little longer to absorb, and it's not the yummiest smelling stuff on earth. But it get's the job done! You can make it smell better by using refined oils and butter's but I prefer the benefits of using the virgin or unrefined stuff. More healing properties and less messed with. Who wants Shea Butter that has been bleached? Not I!

Anyway, the best thing about making your own is you can add anything you like. And you can adjust it depending on your preferences. This particular batch is a little more solid, but still melts easy. I like it more solid because I feel like a little goes a long way. When it's softer I tend to use a lot more than necessary and end up greasy! 

I start by placing the Cocoa and Shea Butter in my container and then placing that in a bowl of hot water. You can use the microwave, but I like the hot water method better. It's a more gentle way of heating the oils. I used a stick of Cocoa Butter (1 ounce) and two heaping teaspoons of Shea Butter.

You can always melt it in a bigger container and whip it, but I've never been able to whip it and have it stay whipped. It ends up as the same hardened texture anyway. You may have a better outcome though...

Then I add a heaping teaspoon of Coconut Oil and about 7 teaspoons of a liquid oil. This time I used Jojoba, Walnut, and Sweet Almond oil. You can use basically anything you have. You can add Olive or grapeseed, it's really whatever your prefer and whatever you have on hand. You can add one oil or several varieties if you want. Just don't forget to stir it up a little.

 Fragrance oils.

Essentail Oils

I popped it in the fridge to cool. I should have then added essential oil or fragrance oil but I completely forgot. So this time I have unscented, which smells like Shea Butter and Coconut Oil. I prefer essential oil to fragrance oil, only because fragrance oils probably don't have the best ingredients. But who really knows since they don't really have to label it. I have a small collection of fragrance oils so I do use them, but in the future I would probably stick with essential oil because I think they are better for you. Lavender is a great one to start with, or peppermint oil. I would use about 10 drops of essential oil and adjust based on your preferences in the future. 

And there you have it, Cocoa Shea Body Butter. Good stuff! 

I still like to buy natural lotions but I always have a little I made myself on hand!

Note: If you scent with essential oil, be careful not to use a citrus. Citrus oils are photosensitive and can damage your skin if you put it on and then go in sunlight. Sometimes I do use citrus oils but I make sure any skin I've applied it on is not exposed to sunlight or only use at night! 

DIY Bug Repellent Spray

I hate bug bites. Especially mosquitos, because I have no control in not scratching. I scratch until it bleeds and scabs over. Or at least I used to. Nowadays I have found things to put on after the bite (peppermint oil) that make the itching go away almost immediately. But while peppermint oil helps after the bites, I needed something that would prevent the bites altogether. Back in the day we used Avon oil. But that stuff has a strong scent that I'm not the biggest fan of. I used to use OFF, but that stuff stinks and I prefer using something with ingredients I know. No Deet spray for us. 

So I got to googling and everybody knows citronella candles do a pretty good of keeping the mosquitos away. And so does the essential oil. And you can use the oil to make your own spray.

Here's what I used:

7-15 drops of Citronella (adjust based on your preferences, Citronella is Strong)

4 Drops Peppermint

2 Drops Eucalyptus

2 Drops Lavender

Half bottle Distilled (or boiled water), Half Witch Hazel or Cheap Vodka

1 ounce glass bottle (adjust accordingly if you have a larger bottle)

I don't always stick to these quantities and I have played around with changing the mixture. It's up to you and you may find that you can make a great bug spray with just the citronella and one other oil. Alternatively you can add the essential oil to sweet almond oil, apricot oil, or grassed oil and have an oil repellent that's also moisturizing. 

If you plan on using on children under 10 I would skip the mint and eucalyptus oil and research the other oils to make sure you are OK applying  to children. 

We took it with us to the family reunion and everyone that used it didn't get even one bite. The whole night. And most didn't even respray. I did. Mostly because I wasn't taking any chances and plus mine came out smelling pretty nice. Almost like Mountain Dew. Most people the smelled it thought it smelled amazing. I even had a couple offers to purchase some if I started selling it.

This is an alternative I have found works for me. It may work great for you, or not at all depending on your area and the type of bugs you have. If you are in an area that has Zika or any other horrible virus  you may want to use a DEET spray just to be certain you don't catch anything!

My Essential Oil Collection

I've been into more natural oils for a little while now. It all started with The Body Shop's Tea Tree oil, which I reviewed a couple years ago. I actually didn't even really like that oil. It came pre-diluted, but I soon realized I could buy pure Tea Tree and just dilute it myself. And into the essential oil rabbit oil I fell. I bought bottles of lime, tangerine, grapefruit, tea tree, and lavender. That was a couple years ago. I used those bottles up. I don't even remember how I used them but apparently I did. I've since bought more essential oils. I love reading about them and learning what they are good for. These days I mostly use them to diffuse on an oil burner because they smell really nice!

This is my collection.

1. Tisserand Lavender Essential Oil- I didn't always love the scent of Lavender but it has really grown on me in the last couple of years. It's a very relaxing, pleasant scent and I love adding it to any body care products I make. It's very calming and relaxing so it's great to smell before bedtime. I don't find this very strong in the diffuser though, but maybe I need to try adding more?

2. The Botanical Societies Lemongrass- I love the scent of Lemongrass. This one is strong and smells so uplifting! I paid $7 for it at TJ MAXX. I've never heard of this company and can't find a website for them. I really wish they would give more information on the oil, like where it's from and the Latin name.  This is a nice one to add to bath water.

3. Tisserand Eucalyptus Oil- I paid $5 for this one from TJ Maxx. I love it mixed with Lavender, Grapefruit, and Peppermint. Recently I felt like I was coming down with a cold. I inhaled this a couple times and my sore throat felt better almost immediately. I did the same the next day and never even got sick. I love Eucalyptus. 

4. The Botanical Societies Peppermint- Peppermint essential oil is amazing. It banishes headaches. I just inhale it a couple times and my headache runs for the hills. It also helped settle my stomach not too long ago. And I used it to stay alert when I drove from Maryland to South Carolina at night. When I felt myself getting drowsy I inhaled this and it perked me right up. I love peppermint oil and will never be without this one! I don't remember how much I paid for this one.

5. The Botanical Societies Rosemary- Rosemary smells very medicinal, but it's supposed to be excellent for stimulating hair growth. I've been using it lately in my eye makeup remover to see if I can get some growth, But otherwise I don't use it much. It's an excellent oil though so I'm going to try to use it more. I paid $6 for this one.

6. Plantlife Allspice- This is not a very popular oil but I love the way it smells. It smells like...all spice! It's supposed to be great for pain relief but it can be irritating to the skin so it is best diluted. I got this for $2 on clearance! It was too good a deal to pass up.

7. Aura Cacia Sweet Orange- This is sold in my local healthy grocery store. Aura Cacia oils are nicely priced and you can always print a $1 coupon. Which is what I do. I paid a little less than $3 for this. It smells exactly like an orange and is delicious diffused. Love it! I love how much information they give on the website too! 

8. Tisserand Tea Tree- Tea Tree is a very clean smelling oil. You can use it for cleaning and it's great on all types of wounds. This works so much better for me than The Body Shop one. A lot of people use it as a spot treatment on acne. I haven't had much luck using it that way but it's worth trying. 

9.The Botanical Societies Pathcouli- I love patchouli mixed with almost anything. It's a very unique scent. I love to add this to the diffuser. Smells delicious! I paid $6 for it, which is a steal because Patchouli is a more expensive oil. 

10. Aura Cacia Lime- I love the scent of Lime and this one smells exactly like a Lime. I tend to use this as a room spray. It's very freshening and uplifting. 

11. Grapefruit Essential Oil- I have no idea where I got this. It was a nice large quantity for a nice price. I think I ordered it from a wholesale supplier. It smells just like grapefruit should.  I love to mix it in with different things. Definitely a fave..I just wish it had a dropper!

So there you have it! My little collection. There are more I want  (lemon, frankincense, etc) but I do want to read and learn more about the ones I have and how I can use them. As always, essential oils should be researched before use. Be careful applying them to your body, and never ingest them!

Have you tried essential oils? How do you use them? Which are your faves?