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:

The post Miracle Mango Moisturizer appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

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.

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.