Everyone knows when fall comes around that it’s time for all things pumpkin! Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie, or even pumpkin spice lotion. I’ve been wanting to make a pumpkin scrub for a while now because pumpkin is amazing for your skin, and I finally got around to it. And seriously, it is my new favorite pumpkin anything.

This scrub is all natural and full of ingredients that reduce inflammation for your skin. It feels and smells amazing. It is a nice gentle exfoliant that gets rid of that extra dead skin and reduces inflammation to boot. Pumpkin lovers rejoice!

I love using skin products that are healthy and natural. Making your own products ensures that you are getting something healthy that is good for your skin. And you can save money on them too!

So if you’re ready for a little fall themed spa day, keep reading to see the full tutorial.

I like to explain why I chose the ingredients in my products, so you can understand what this awesome scrub does for your skin!

If you click any of the ingredients you will find either the exact product I used in this recipe or one that I recommend.

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin: Full of vitamin A which soothes inflammation, and vitamin C which is an antioxidant that remedies damage from free radicals. Enzymes in pumpkin help break down dead skin cells for extra exfoliating power. Vitamins E and T help reduce inflammation.
• Sugar: A natural gentle topical exfoliant that gently removes dead skin to make way for newer healthier cells. A natural source of glycolic acid that also helps exfoliate.
• Turmeric: A power house for reducing inflammation. Full of cucurminoids which are powerful antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties.
• Essential oils (optional): For scent, and can have added benefits depending on which oils you use. If you want the pumpkin spice feel for this mask, use 1 drop cinnamon essential oil, 1 drop ginger, and 1 drop nutmeg.

And you’ll need a few supplies:

• A mixing bowl
• A spatula
• Small air tight jar

I promise that it is super easy to make. You can watch how it’s done in the video below.

Keep on scrolling for the full recipe!

This stuff is a real powerhouse. Each ingredient has powerful benefits for your skin, with the pumpkin and turmeric combining to make it a great anti-inflammatory. Soothing inflammation is one of the best things you can do for your skin.

Since this mask is so effective at exfoliating, you’ll want to follow up with a good sunscreen to protect those new cells from damage!

This scrub seriously feels amazing. The texture and feel are super luxurious.

It feels like a $50 spa treatment, and for less than $2 for you to reproduce. Chances are you have all these ingredients in your kitchen already!

Looking at these pictures kind of makes my mouth water. You’ve gotta love a skincare product that is healthy and natural enough to eat!

Seriously though, this scrub is so easy to make that you have no reason not to! Your skin will thank you.

Let me know how making your own pumpkin face scrub goes for you!

supplies used in this post

The post Homemade Anti-Inflammatory Pumpkin Face Scrub appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Green tea is amazing for your skin. It’s no secret that I love this awesome ingredient! That’s why I wanted to make a new face wash that made use of green tea. It is great for people with sensitive skin, and it is naturally anti-inflammatory. Plus the green tea can reduce the appearance of pores and make your skin look fresh and happy!

As someone with sensitive skin and redness myself, I like to be careful about what I put on my skin. Making my own face wash helps me to be confident that I know exactly what goes into my products and also know that they are healthy for my skin and most importantly, safe. (And it doesn’t hurt that it also usually costs less to make things myself).

I’ve previously made a honey face wash, and an aloe vera face wash. I loved both (and I still do). But I’m loving using green tea in my recipes so much lately that I wanted to make another. And this green tea and honey face wash does not disappoint!

In combination with my green tea face scrub, this seriously is amazing for my skin. But don’t be intimidated- it’s super easy to make. And even better, it only costs $4!

This recipe only has natural ingredients that are good for your skin. If you want to know where to buy these ingredients, just click on the name of the ingredient. Here’s why I chose them:

• Green Tea Powder: Full of antioxidants and vitamins your skin needs, anti-inflammatory to reduce redness and irritation, the caffeine in green tea helps tighten skin and reduce the appearance of pores
• Honey: A natural humectant (draws moisture into the skin), naturally antibacterial, full of antioxidants
• Soapwort Extract: Has a high concentration of natural saponins (help clean your skin), gentle suds, gentle natural face wash
• Avocado Oil: Full of vitamin E and antioxidants that are healthy for your skin, natural moisturizer
• Essential Oils: Can have different benefits depending on the oil. I used chamomile in this recipe, but lavender, tea tree, and geranium are all also good anti-inflammatory oils.

Since the face wash has so much honey, it may feel a little stickier than you are used to, but it doesn’t make it any less amazing! When you wash it off you’ll see just how wonderful it is. Your skin will thank you!

I’m in love with this amazing face wash. Try making it yourself and let me know if you love it too!

supplies used in this post

The post Homemade Anti-Inflammatory Green Tea Honey Face Wash appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

A few years ago, when I discovered how unregulated the cosmetics industry is, I started making my own natural beauty products. I wanted to avoid nasty additives and ingredients that aren’t properly tested. I didn’t want to mess around with my skin, so I did lots of research. I’ve since fallen in love with certain ingredients that I find myself going back to over and over.

Since then I’ve gone from following tutorials and making other people’s recipes, to making small changes to those, to creating my own recipes from scratch. I’ve got a ridiculously large stockpile of different oils, butters, clays, and waxes. You don’t need to get as large a stockpile as I do to make your own stuff though! You can use a few simple ingredients to replace pretty much any of your personal care products.

So, these are my 10 favorite ingredients that I LOVE to put in my homemade natural beauty products:

1. Aloe Vera

Aloe will get my top spot pretty much forever. It’s a nice lightweight, non-greasy moisturizer. It is naturally anti-inflammatory, full of antioxidants, and it reduces redness and irritation. I like to use an all natural aloe vera gel, but lots of people just pop a leaf off their own aloe plant and use it straight from there.

Some of my most popular recipes feature aloe: my aloe vera moisturizer, aloe vera face wash, and aloe vera sunburn soother.

2. Avocado oil

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about why avocado oil is so popular lately. It might be my favorite carrier oil. It feels less greasy than some other oils and it is rich in vitamin E. I often add vitamin E to my recipes, so using avocado oil means you’re getting that already.

I’ve used avocado oil to make a green tea face scrub and my aloe vera sunburn soother.

3. Beeswax

Beeswax is great for so many reasons- I don’t know how those bees do it! Between beeswax, honey, and being amazing pollinators, they really are some of the most useful creatures out there.

Anyways, beeswax is an awesome ingredient in homemade recipes. It basically forms a protective barrier over the skin which keeps the moisture in. It can also help make some lotions semi-waterproof. And it’s an emulsifier, which means it allows oils and waters to mix when making homemade natural beauty products.

I’ve used beeswax in pretty much everything… but some of my favorites are my homemade sunscreen that’s good for your skin, my green tea eye cream, and homemade all natural lip balm.

4. Coconut oil

Coconut oil has to make the top ten of most natural beauty mavens. Although, I think it’s being overshadowed lately by avocado oil. Regardless, coconut oil is much beloved, and for good reasons.

It is naturally anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, and it is a GREAT natural moisturizer. It’s supposed to be one of the best oils for your hair because your hair absorbs it easily. Plus it smells amazing. Because it is solid but soft at room temperature it can balance out the texture of a lot of lotions.

Some of my favorite recipes with coconut oil are my peppermint body butter, homemade hot oil hair treatment, and my all natural lip balm.

5. Cocoa butter

If you’re a chocolate lover, you’re bound to love cocoa butter. The amazing chocolate scent gets me every time. Plus it melts at skin temperature, so it makes a great ingredient for thicker lotions and body butters. Cocoa butter is a great emollient (prevents moisture loss) and is high in antioxidants. When its cold enough, it whips up to a wonderful texture.

Some of my favorite recipes with cocoa butter are my silky cocoa butter body lotion, my pumpkin spice lotion, and peppermint body butter.

6. Essential oils

I’m not one to talk about the health benefits of essential oils, but they do make great ingredients in homemade natural beauty products! Whether its just for scent, or to add some extra benefits to your products, they are a great addition. I am a huge fan of Rocky Mountain Oils, because I believe they have the best oils for the best price (if you want to know more reasons why I love RMO, you can click here).

Essential oils have different beneficial properties depending on which oil you use. Lavender is one of my favorites because it not only smells amazing, but is a great anti-inflammatory oil. You can add essential oils to most homemade natural beauty products, but some of my favorites are my homemade soothing scalp mask for dandruff and irritation, my aloe vera face wash, and pumpkin spice lotion.

7. Green tea

Green tea is amazing for your skin, whether you drink it or put it directly on it. I love using recipes with green tea in them because it does so many great things for your skin. It is naturally anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants. It also has a small amount of caffeine which can tighten pores.

My favorite products with green tea are my green tea face scrub and my green tea eye cream.

8. Mango butter

I’ve only recently started experimenting with mango butter and now I’m wondering what took me so long! It’s a wonderful emollient oil that is solid at room temperature. It has a faint scent of mango (yum), and it does a great job at moisturizing. It’s also non-comedogenic, which means it is highly unlikely to clog pores and cause acne.

I’ve only featured one recipe so far with mango butter, but it is a great one! It’s my miracle mango moisturizer.

9. Jojoba Oil

Jojoba oil is very cool, because it has properties of both an oil and a wax. It’s a great lightweight, non-greasy moisturizer. It is also non-comedogenic, which means it is highly unlikely to clog pores and cause acne. If it were less expensive I would use it all the time. Because it is a wax it also helps emulsify and improve the texture of lots of homemade personal care products.

Some of my favorite recipes with jojoba oil are my all natural facial sunscreen and my aloe vera face moisturizer.

10. Argan oil

Argan oil is definitely one of my favorites, but it ranks a little lower because it is pricey. If it were more affordable, it would be one of the main ingredients that I use in the bulk of my recipes. I often use a small drop of it on my face for a simple moisturizer.

Argan oil is great because it moisturizes your skin without leaving you feeling greasy. It is absorbed quickly. It is also non-comedogenic, which means it is highly unlikely to clog your pores and cause acne. The silky soft feel of argan oil is one of the reasons I love it so much.

I’ve used argan oil in my anti-frizz aloe vera hairspray and my homemade beach texturizing hairspray.

So there you have it- my top ten ingredients for making your own natural beauty products! What do you think? Are you ready to stock up? Good luck!

The post Top 10 Ingredients for Making Your Own Natural Beauty Products appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Exfoliating is an important part of any skincare routine- it removes dead skin cells to help refresh your skin and make it look brighter and healthier. You know what else is amazing for your skin? Green tea! It is full of antioxidants and vitamins that help give your skin a healthy glow. That’s why a green tea exfoliating scrub is so healthy for your skin.

Not only that, it feels fresh and invigorating. This green tea scrub smells amazing and can help you relax. I absolutely love using it, and my skin always looks fresh right after. It’s gentle enough to be used on both your face and body. The avocado oil is a great ingredient that makes the scrub moisturize while it exfoliates.

Even better than that, it costs less than $1 to make, and takes about 5 minutes. This fabulous green tea scrub is so easy, there’s no reason for you not to try it!

I like to explain why I choose the ingredients in my recipes, so here’s why I used each one:

• Green tea: Full of antioxidants and vitamins your skin needs, anti-inflammatory to reduce redness and irritation
• Sugar: Gentle exfoliation to remove dead skin cells
• Avocado oil: Full of vitamin E and antioxidants that are healthy for your skin, natural moisturizer
• Essential oils (optional): I used pine essential oil because it is highly anti-inflammatory, and can help relax muscles. I also found the scent complimented the scent of the tea nicely

And it’s super easy to make! It only takes about 5 minutes. You can see the process in these pictures, and keep scrolling for the full recipe:

This scrub is so great! I can’t get enough of the smell. It does a great job of making me feel refreshed and relaxed. I always feel so luxurious when I use it. It truly gives you the spa feeling for a price that is unbeatable!

My skin loves it even more than I do. I like to exfoliate about once a week and it keeps my skin looking fresh and healthy. I seriously can’t get enough of this amazing scrub.

The scrub should stay good for about 3-4 months.

Let me know how making your own green tea scrub goes for you!

Supplies used in this post:

The post DIY Green Tea Scrub for Healthy Skin appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

About a year ago, I decided to search as much as I could to find the best source for essential oils. I read reviews, I read articles about essential oils, and I bought and used the oils myself. I searched until I decided I found the best quality oils for the best price.

There are a few essential oils companies that popped up often in my search- but some of them are multilevel marketing companies. Not that there is anything wrong with that- but it just means that their oils are slightly more costly to include the fee for the consultants, so they were ruled out. Other companies were ruled out by price, or quality, or both.

So after lots of scouring and testing, I’ve found what I consider to be the best source for essential oils:

Rocky Mountain Oils

And I’m going to tell you why they’re so great. So what makes Rocky Mountain Oils better than the rest?

1. sourcing

Rocky Mountain Oils sources all their ingredients from trusted suppliers that meet their stringent guidelines. They source organic ingredients as much as possible. They source their ingredients from all over the world, so they are grown in their native environments. This means their ingredients are the highest quality by being grown in the best possible environment.

2. quality and purity

RMO’s essential oils are always the best quality. They are either steam distilled or cold pressed, which are the best methods for extracting oils. They never contain adulterants or additives, and are completely pure.

Their oils are from the first distillation or pressing. This means that their oils retain the most therapeutic qualities and scents from the ingredients. Oils that come from second or third distillations are like making a second or third cup of coffee using the same grinds- they do not retain the same taste, smell, quality, or benefits of the first cup (or distillation).

3. third party quality testing and transparency

RMO obsessively analyzes all their oils to make sure they meet their standard of quality. Every batch goes through more than 4 types of quality testing, including testing by third parties that have no stake in providing falsely positive information. Even better than that, their testing results for any batch are all available for customers or potential customers to read themselves.

4. customer service

RMO has a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you aren’t happy with your purchase for any reason, you can get a complete refund within 90-days, no questions asked. The oils can be opened and used, and they will pay your return shipping fee. Their customer service is absolutely top notch.

5. price

Not only are their oils the best quality, they are also the best price point. They sell directly to consumers to keep overhead costs lower and keep the price affordable to you. Their shipping is free for any orders within the US, which provides huge savings.

The post My Favorite Source for Essential Oils appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

When you accidentally spill on your carpet, it’s like you’re watching it in slow motion. And if you’re anything like me, you’re scrambling to fix it! Luckily, I’ve found an easy solution that works every time. It’s all natural, green, and costs less than 30 cents.

My homemade carpet cleaner and this homemade carpet stain remover make the perfect combo! You can easily use both to keep your carpets fresh, clean, and unstained!

All you need to remove a stain is to use the chemical reaction of baking soda and vinegar, and it will lift the stain right up! It’s like magic. It works so well, I was confident enough to stain my own new carpet on purpose to make this video:

And just to make things a little easier, in case you don’t like watching videos, here is how you do it:

Can you believe how easy it is? This carpet is my favorite in our home, and I use it all the time because it’s in my office, which is my favorite room in the house. I wouldn’t risk it unless I KNEW I could get the stain out for sure. This stain remover works for me every single time.

And, let’s admit it, it’s fun to make baking soda and vinegar react and fizzle. That’s just an added bonus.

Well, what do you think? Try this out at home and let me know how it goes for you!

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Summer is here- which unfortunately means sunburns. If you have very pale skin like me, even if you are responsible with the sunscreen you can still get burnt. So you gotta find sunburn remedies when you do! Luckily I’ve come up with this amazing sunburn soother recipe to help lessen the pain and discomfort and help the sunburn heal. It’s all natural and easy to make too! Plus it makes a great healthy moisturizer, so you can use it even if you aren’t burnt.

I absolutely love aloe vera. It’s one of my favorite ingredients- and with good reason. Not only is it soothing and anti-inflammatory, it’s also a healthy and lightweight all natural moisturizer. It feels refreshing and wonderful- especially on sunburn! The problem is a lot of those aloe vera gels you buy in stores are less than 10% aloe, so you’re not really getting the benefits! Well this moisturizer is full of REAL aloe vera and other great ingredients that help soothe sunburns.

If you love aloe nearly as much as I do, you should also check out my other posts on aloe vera. I have a whole skincare system made with it: aloe vera face wash, aloe vera toner, AND aloe vera moisturizer. Aloe is so great for your skin!

All the ingredients in this recipe are designed to help with sunburn:

• Aloe vera gel: anti-inflammatory, soothing and cooling, lightweight moisture
• Coconut oil: serious moisture for damaged skin, anti-inflammatory
• Avocado oil: healthy hydration filled with fats, minerals, and antioxidants your skin loves
• Witch hazel extract: astringent to tighten and heal skin, anti-inflammatory (I’m very particular about where I get my witch hazel, because it’s hard to find one of good quality and purity. I absolutely love Mountain Rose Herbs Witch Hazel)
• Beeswax: used to emulsify the lotion but also provides a protective layer on the skin
• Peppermint essential oil (optional): cooling and soothing

You’ll notice the word anti-inflammatory in there a lot. That’s why this sunburn remedy is so effective- each of its ingredients helps reduce pain and inflammation from your sunburn to provide relief and promote healing. Together they are a great combination!

Ultimately the goal is not to get sunburnt, so you should check out my homemade sunscreen recipe to help you with that!

I mean, just look how creamy and amazing this stuff is! And it is so healthy.

I know I designed this as a sunburn remedy… but I just can’t help using it for more than just sunburn relief! The soothing cooling feeling is addictive. And the light coconut peppermint smell is so refreshing.

Your skin will really love this stuff. All the ingredients are amazingly healthy for your skin.

Let me know how this sunburn soother works for you!

supplies used in this post

The post Aloe Vera Soother for Sunburn Relief appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

This homemade mango moisturizer is my new favorite thing ever. It is healthy, lightweight, all natural, and my skin just can’t get enough.

I’ve just run out of my aloe vera moisturizer, so I figured it was time I whipped up a new one. I only recently have started using mango butter in my recipes, and it is a powerhouse ingredient. It is a natural emollient filled with lots of fatty acids that your skin loves- and even better, it is safe for acne prone skin!

I am so impressed with this powerhouse moisturizer! It is as luxurious as any expensive moisturizer I’ve ever tried- and it costs as little as $2.50 to make. It is so effective at moisturizing I need less than a pea sized amount to moisturize my whole face. Now that’s an amazing deal!

I like to explain the purpose of each ingredient in my recipes:

• Mango Butter: non-comedogenic moisturizer, natural emollient (attracts moisture to the skin), full of essential fatty acids (I used this one but I also like this one)
• Vegetable Glycerin: great natural moisturizer, makes the moisturizer feel more lightweight, acts as a natural preservative in high enough amounts (I used this one but this one is great if you don’t want such a large quantity)
• Beeswax: helps thicken and stabilize, while also being a great protective layer for the skin to keep moisture in (I used this one)
• Soy Lecithin: a natural emulsifier, which allows the mango butter and vegetable glycerin to mix and creates a nice texture (I used this one but I also like this liquid version)
• Acacia Powder (optional): makes the lotion feel a little thicker, natural emulsifier (I used this one but I also like this one)
• Essential oils (optional): for scent, and can also have different beneficial properties (I love lavender or orange for this recipe)

And the tools you’ll need are:

• a hand mixer, I like to use one with a whisk attachment
• an immersion blender, or lots of patience*
• a double boiler or makeshift double boiler (pot placed on top of pot of water)
• an airtight container to store your lotion

*If you can give this recipe a week, you don’t need the immersion blender. I’ll explain why in a minute.

This recipe can be made a few different ways. If you want to use liquid soy lecithin, you don’t need to use an immersion blender at all. But if you use soy lecithin granules (like I like to!), you either need an immersion blender or some patience.

Soy lecithin granules need to dissolve in water to work as a good emulsifier. Since glycerin is the “water” ingredient in this recipe, you’ll want to dissolve them in the glycerin. Except they dissolve much more slowly in glycerin than in water. I did a test to see how long, and it took me a full week for my granules to dissolve.

So anyways, if you’re less patient, you can also use an immersion blender on the granules to make sure they get mixed properly. That’s what I did, and it worked wonderfully. But it does require extra tools.

All right- let’s get to the recipe!

I really love this mango moisturizer. It makes my skin feel super dewey and wonderful. Like I said before, you only need a tiny tiny bit to moisturize with. If you slather it on it will feel sticky and take a long time to absorb. It’s so effective at moisturizing you really only need a little.

I like to use this for my face but you can use it as a body lotion as well if you prefer. It feels great on my hands.

Well, I hope you love this mango moisturizer as much as I do! Let me know how making your own mango moisturizer goes for you!

Supplies used in this post:

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