My hands always get so dry in winter. It’s awful- they get cut from the smallest things just because of the dryness. I know I’m not alone in that. Having a good moisturizing body butter makes all the difference. This peppermint body butter is perfect for winter, and it feels so luxurious and amazing. I can’t get enough of it. Best of all, it only costs $6 to make.

Usually a lotion this luxurious feeling costs so much more than that- often upwards of $25. And you can’t always trust their ingredients. Most lotions you can get in the store are mostly water- so they don’t do much for moisturizing and you have to use them multiple times a day. And that’s not even considering all the preservatives and unhealthy ingredients they usually have.

This amazing moisturizing peppermint body butter works so well all you have to do is put some on at night and you’re golden. And every ingredient is healthy, natural, and good for your skin.

Ingredients:

• Cocoa butter: high in antioxidants, great emollient (prevents loss of moisture), high concentrations of nutrients our skin needs
• Coconut oil: moisturizes skin more efficiently than water or petroleum based lotions, naturally antibacterial
• Almond oil: deep moisturizer, soothes irritation
• Beeswax: locks in moisture, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory
• Peppermint essential oil: for scent
• Beetroot powder (optional): naturally gives the lotion its pink color in the stripe

Tools:

• A double boiler, real or makeshift (I just use a small pot placed over a saucepan)
• Two small mixing bowls (I love my mix and measure bowls)
• A hand mixer, or a whisk and a persistent arm

DIY Peppermint Body Butter Recipe

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Ingredients

• Heaping 1/4 cup cocoa butter
• 2 tablespoons almond oil
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon beeswax
• 10-20 drops peppermint essential oil
• 1/4 teaspoon beetroot powder

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Instructions

1. Melt your cocoa butter, almond oil, coconut oil, and beeswax over medium heat in a double boiler, or a pot placed on top of a saucepan with a few inches of water
2. Once melted, pour half the mixture into a mixing bowl, and place in the fridge. If you don’t want to add color to your lotion, skip steps 3-4.
3. Add the beetroot powder to the remaining oil mixture on the double boiler. Let simmer, mixing occasionally, for about 5 minutes. You can leave it on longer for a stronger color.
4. Once the mixture starts to turn pink, turn off the heat. The beetroot powder will settle on the bottom of your pot. Carefully pour into a mixing bowl, stopping before you pour in the beetroot powder leftovers. Dispose of the extra mixture from the pot.
5. Place both mixing bowls in the fridge for 15-30 minutes
6. Once the mixtures have hardened but are not completely solid, remove from the fridge and whip with a hand mixer, adding 5-10 drops of peppermint oil per mixing bowl as you mix.
7. Add the lotions to two separate ziplock bags, one for white and one for pink. Snip the corners.
8. Use the ziplock bags to place the lotion in an airtight jar. Alternate white and pink for a striped effect.
9. Store in a cool, dry, place, and use on your dry skin!

I love this homemade lotion! My favorite part about body butters that are mostly cocoa butter is how they just melt on your skin. They are so easy to rub in and absorb. And this lotion is really a great moisturizer.

Do you love the smell of peppermint as much as I do? Because I really just can’t get enough of this awesome peppermint body butter! I love it so much I made some for 14 family members this year for Christmas! The house smelled so great that day.

And really, there’s nothing cuter than that pink stripe!

Let me know how making your own peppermint body butter goes for you!

Supplies Used In This Post

The post DIY Peppermint Body Butter Recipe appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

You probably have been in the pumpkin spice spirit for a good two months already… fall inspires it in us all. While I’m not personally a fan of the pumpkin spice latte (although I know many of you will think I’m insane) I still love the smell and taste of pumpkin spice. It’s a brilliant blend of spices. And now that smell has become synonymous with autumn.

Well I was inspired to make an all natural pumpkin spice lotion last week. The idea popped in my head when I was trying to think of a new body lotion to put on the site, because I’ve only made one other lotion: my cocoa butter body lotion. And I just knew it was going to be amazing.

I also had fun experimenting with natural colorants for this recipe. This lotion has a nice orange tint to it- courtesy of paprika. Simple and effective- I love it!

So not only is the lotion all natural, has a nice orange hue, and smells like pumpkin spice. What’s not to love?

All the ingredients are great, healthy, and natural. Here is the benefit of each:

• Cocoa butter: high in antioxidants, great emollient (prevents loss of moisture), high concentrations of nutrients our skin needs
• Almond Oil: deep moisturizer, soothes irritation
• Coconut Oil: moisturizes skin more efficiently than water or petroleum based lotions, naturally antibacterial, full of antioxidants and nutrients your skin needs
• Beeswax: locks in moisture, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory
• Paprika: gives lotion orange color
• Essential oils (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and clove): For scent, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory

And here is how you make it:

I am so happy with this lotion. When I showed it to Lars he got super excited and pretty much tried to steal it from me. I wish I had taped his reaction. This stuff is really that good.

I mean just look at it.

So creamy and luxurious. I’m really getting the hang of these homemade beauty products. I don’t feel like a beginner anymore. And it’s pretty exciting. That being said- this one is so easy to make that it’s fine if you are a beginner.

Can’t you smell it already?

The best part about this lotion- you can use it year round! When you’re missing fall, just put a little on and you’ll be dreaming of crunchy leaves and sweaters. It’s truly lovely.

Let me know how making pumpkin spice lotion goes for you!

The post Homemade All Natural Pumpkin Spice Lotion appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Pretty much since high school I have had permanent dark circles under my eyes. No amount of sleep or moisturizer can help them. The only thing that really helps is concealer. So I decided to try to make an eye cream recipe that was designed to help with dark circles.

Now I’m not saying this cream is a miracle worker. I do think it’s made a small difference on my dark under-eyes in the few weeks since I’ve been using it. The best part about this cream, however, is how refreshing it is to put on in the morning. I just love it. So even if it can’t completely fix my dark circles, it does help with puffiness and preventing wrinkles.

This recipe makes about 2 ounces. For eye cream, that really goes a long way. I can’t foresee running out of it in the near future. And it only costs $1.45 to make! If you’re used to buying eye cream, you know that is a steal!

Each of the ingredients were selected to make this cream great for dark circles, moisturizing, and preventing wrinkles:

• Almond oil: Deep moisturizer, soothes irritation, reduces dark circles
• Shea butter: Natural moisturizer, non-comedogenic, good source of vitamins for skin, anti-inflammatory
• Green tea: Full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, reduces development of wrinkles, helps with rosacea
• Beeswax: Locks in moisture, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory
• Vitamin E oil: Antioxidant, natural moisturizer, anti-inflammatory, helps preserve shelf life of lotion
• Peppermint essential oil: Adds the refreshing cool feeling, smells great

And don’t worry, it’s really nice and easy to make.

Like I said before, this stuff is SUPER refreshing. The peppermint just wakes you right up. It takes a around a half hour to sink in, so don’t worry if the area around your eyes looks oily right when you put it on. It will absorb.

I just can’t get enough. And luckily I won’t have to because it will last me such a long time. Isn’t it amazing what green tea can do?

Let me know how making your own eye cream works for you!

supplies used in this post

If you love this cream and spoiling your skin, you should also check out my aloe vera moisturizer!

And not to mention my anti-inflammatory Aloe Vera Face Wash!

The post Green Tea Repairing Eye Cream for Dark Circles appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

On my quest to use all natural cosmetic products, I knew that sunscreen was going to be a necessary product to make. My skin often gets itchy just from using the store-bought kinds, and it leaves me feeling icky. Not to mention, it is usually polluting a water body. You also want to be on the lookout for the endocrine disruptor, oxybenzone, used in many store bought sunscreens.

Anyways, a few weeks ago I spent all afternoon in the park with my boyfriend and his family. It wasn’t a very hot or super sunny day but I didn’t have any sunscreen on because I hadn’t made any yet. Someone brought out a bottle when we noticed we were getting a little toasty. I read the ingredients label and it had so many bad ingredients that I opted not to use it. Well, sunscreen is tricky isn’t it? Because I ended up with a mild sunburn. So- the choice is- run the risk of skin cancer from the sun, or the list or risks that come from ingredients in harmful cosmetics? It’s definitely a trade off.

Well- there’s no need to decide! Just make your own- it is natural, good for your skin, and it won’t harm your body or the environment! Plus- it is mostly waterproof! What’s not to like?

It costs $7.46 to make 6 oz of this sunscreen. For sunscreen- that’s not a bad price at all!

If you are acne prone, this sunscreen is not non-comedogenic and it could cause you to break out. I also have an acne friendly facial sunscreen recipe that is non-comedogenic.

Before I started making my own cosmetics I had no idea that oils could have natural SPF in them. It makes sense when you think about it. This recipe uses both oils and zinc oxide to achieve a higher SPF level. If you want to learn more about natural sun protection- this is a great article.

So if you leave the zinc oxide out- this recipe will naturally have an SPF of about 20 or so. That is my unprofessional estimate based on the oil SPF ratings.

I like to explain why I use each ingredient in my cosmetics:

• Coconut Oil: Natural SPF of about 2-8, antibacterial, natural moisturizer, full of antioxidants and nutrients your skin needs (you can get it here)
• Almond Oil: Natural SPF of about 5, deep moisturizer, soothes irritation (You can get it here)
• Beeswax: Makes sunscreen waterproof, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory (You can get it here)
• Shea Butter: Natural SPF of 3-8, natural moisturizer, good source of vitamins for skin, anti-inflammatory (You can get it here)
• Vitamin E Oil: Antioxidant, natural moisturizer, anti-inflammatory, helps preserve shelf life of sunscreen (You can get it here)
• Red Raspberry Seed Oil/ Carrot Seed Oil: Natural SPF of about 30-40, anti-inflammatory (My favorite essential oils are from Rocky Mountain Oils, and I love their Carrot Seed Oil. You can also get these on amazon here and here.)
• Zinc Oxide: Sun protection (You can get it here)

It’s so easy to make- all you need to do is melt the oils together in a double boiler or a pan placed on top of a pot of boiling water.

They should only take a few minutes and a little bit of stirring to combine.

Ta da! Melted and combined! You are half way there!

Then mix in the zinc oxide and essential oils, and pour into your desired container. It really is that easy. Why doesn’t everyone do this??

This recipe is adapted from Real Food RN:

*Note: The beeswax and shea butter make the sunscreen thicker- if you want a sunscreen that is easy to squeeze through a bottle you should use the lower amounts, but it may make the sunscreen less waterproof. If waterproof sunscreen is your priority, stick with the larger amounts.

I used this sunscreen on a day at the beach and it passed the test- no sun burn! I wasn’t laying out in the sun- but I was playing in the water and out on a sailboat for several hours. The water didn’t rub it off and I didn’t get burnt. I am a fan. And my skin was moisturized after.

I wouldn’t recommend using this on your face if you are prone to break outs. Don’t worry- I’m not going to leave you high and dry. You can find my recipe for acne-friendly facial sunscreen here.

Try making your own sunscreen and let me know how it goes for you!

supplies used in this post

The post How to Make Homemade Sunscreen (SPF 30-40 and good for your skin!) appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Every time I make a new beauty recipe I can’t believe how awesome it turns out. And this one is no exception. Man, it is incredible. It is so silky and luxurious. Also, did I mention, it smells like chocolate? I can’t stop smelling my skin after putting it on. It’s pretty hard to keep myself from eating it out of the jar.

Store bought lotions can smell good too, but they can also be expensive and often have harmful chemicals and preservatives in them. Just take a look at the 13 worst toxic ingredients to avoid in cosmetics list I compiled. Sure makes you want to stick to natural products. Everything in this lotion is beneficial for your skin. And it only cost $4.02 to make.

Like I said, this lotion is super luxurious. It is an incredible moisturizer and a little goes a long way. And it was super easy to make. Seriously, why even bother with store bought lotions?

Don’t the ingredients look fabulous before they are melted together?

All the ingredients in this lotion are good for your skin:

• Cocoa butter: high in antioxidants, great emollient (prevents loss of moisture), some natural UV protection, high concentrations of nutrients our skin needs (get an organic unrefined cocoa butter for the full benefits- this is the one I use)
• Almond oil: deep moisturizer, soothes irritation, reduces dark circles
• Coconut oil: moisturizes skin more efficiently than water or petroleum based lotions, naturally antibacterial, full of antioxidants and nutrients your skin needs (make sure to get an organic, non-refined, cold pressed oil to get the full benefits)
• Beeswax: locks in moisture, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory
• Vitamin E oil: antioxidant, natural moisturizer, anti-inflammatory, helps preserve shelf life of lotion

Some makeshift double boiler action

So, here is how you make this awesome chocolatey lotion:

Isn’t it a beautiful color when all the oils are melted together?

I’m telling you, your kitchen is going to smell like a bakery when you make this. It is heavenly. And when it’s done, just remind yourself that it is not food! Resist the temptation to eat it. Because you definitely will be tempted.

When I finished this lotion I asked Lars to smell it and he said it smells like cookies or cake. Who can complain about that? Certainly not me!

Cocoa butter is also supposed to be able to treat eczema and other skin rashes. So not only does it smell like chocolate and moisturize your skin, it can help reduce inflammation and irritation.

My skin is so silky smooth. And smells like chocolate. And has no harmful chemicals on it. And all for the price of $4.02. I don’t think you can beat that.

Try this recipe out yourself, and let me know what you think!

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Not ready to invest in ingredients yet but want to try this lotion out? You can get it in my etsy shop!

The post Silky Cocoa Butter Body Lotion appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.