Whipped Body Icing with Shea Butter

I am so sorry that I havent been around much lately. I see that I lost followers too...:-( I got new fragrances and new extracts - papaya and custard apple...so I was in the kitchen formulating new things. This is one of the new formulas I came up with.


The whipped body icing is light and creamy. I made it this way so its easy for me to add scents to it. The thicker and greasier ones - like the Vanilla Hazelnut with Mango I got, are hard to add fragrances to because of their velocity.



The main ingredients in this one are Grapeseed Oil and Shea Butter with the mineral Zinc Oxide. I just love it when something is so beneficial for your skin, without the harsh additives as the commercial creams have, and it smells divine!

Shea Butter has been used for generations in African cultures as a moisturizer, health aid, and healing balm. In its purest forms, it is a solid fat with a high skin absorption rate. This makes Shea Butter a high ly val ued product for almost all skin types. It does not have a scent or smell, but today’s products offer a variety of aromatic scents and fragrances added to it. This high-fat butter is choc k full of naturally occurring Vitamin A, E, an d F. Many women can apply megadoses of Vitamin E to reduce stretch marks, wrinkles, and skin cracks.

Shea butter w ill p revent bumps from shaving, razor irritation, rashes, and even eczema. Use it sparingly during the summer months as it is very high in moisture; however, winter calls for a different regiment in most states! Shea Butter is a fantastic moisturizer for the outdoor enthusiast who suffers from chapped and cracked skin. Even sunburn in the summer can be soothed and reduced considerably with regular shea butter application. Shea butter has a high level of cinnamic acid, which is a naturally occurring sun screen; it will absorb easily into the skin and pores without clogging.

Grape seed oil is high in procyanidolic oligomers (PCOs); the same antioxidants found in berries, green and black teas, and red wine. According to some experts, PCOs are more powerful antioxidants than vitamins C and E. In fact, berries, green and black teas and red wine are known for their health-giving properties.

Using the grapeseed oil in skin care products, helps to tone and tighten the skin. Grapeseed oil contains a high amount of linoleic acid, which is a fatty acid essential for the health of the skin and cell membranes, and is the reason it makes such a wonderful moisturizer, as it truly nourishes your skin.

It is known for its ability to lock in moisture, leaving your skin feeling more supple and smooth, and it does not leave a greasy feeling, which makes it ideal to use on all skin types.

So, now that we know what each ingredient do....look at the pics to see what fragrances I have made with this formula for now....there will be many more to come!

You can find these and more at the DEEP MOISTURZIERS Section at Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6254361&section_id=5928068

Get ready for summer and for the UV Rays by moisturizing with natural products!

The sun is one of the factors for pre mature aging, for nasty looking skin...yeah, I said it! All that tanning might look good now, but imagine what your skin is going to look like down the road! You know, sometimes I think that the arabic women have a lot to teach us! The covering of the face and head has a practical reason too - they protect their skin from the sun, they use floral waters and they take care of themselves. They do!


Yesterday I spent all day making this cream and I was way too exhausted to write about it even today!


I packaged it in a jar and in a bottle - just for convenience. Some people dont like getting their fingers in a pool of cream....lol


Some of the natural UV ray protectors are Green Tea, Cucumber, Zinc Oxide and Rose Floral Water. To aid these ingredients I added Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Sesame Seed Oil, Safflower Oil, Coconut Oil, Orange Blossom Floral Water, Colloidal Oatmeal and Milk.


There is NO bad natural ingredient. All these work together to keep the skin moist, so it doesnt get THAT damaged from the suns rays. That way you can avoid a bad sunburn. It can help with a relief of a mild sunburn, but dont expect a miracle! The oatmeal and shea butter can sooth, and the cucumber peel and green tea extract can cool it off and aid it with vitamins and anti oxidants.


Zinc Oxide is also here and I havent been stingy with the ingredients - its a mineral that the body requires for the synthesis of collagen, which is a requirement for the healing of skin wounds. Zinc is also a component in the proper functioning of enzymes that are required by the body to repair skin wounds. Another benefit of zinc for proper skin care is that it is a natural insect repellent and a natural sunscreen (zinc oxide effectively blocks the sun’s ultraviolet rays).

Shea butter is extremely therapeutic, helping to heal cracked, aged and damaged skin. Shea butter penetrates the skin and leaves it feeling soft and smooth. It has vitamin A, E and is highly compatible with skin. Shea butter has antimicrobial and moisturizing properties and provide protection from the UV rays of the sun while repairing cellular degeneration.Using Shea Butter is a great way to prevent your skin from sagging by using this natural oil to keep it moisturized. Shea Butter can help prevent the formation of free radicals as well as keep the skin's connective tissues supple and strong. It can also help bring back a youthful appearance by dissolving dead cells on the skin's surfaces


Coconut Oil is widely used in Indonesia for its moisturizing properties and keeping the skin look young.


Scheherazade was the first person to give the sesame superhuman powers when she held her Arabian caliph spellbound for one thousand and one nights with her tales of intrigue and adventure. Because sesame pods readily burst open at the slightest touch when they are ripe, Scheherazade provided Ali Baba with the magic words, "Open Sesame" to instantly open the cave, a robber's den, in her exciting story about "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves." Sesame oil rubbed on the skin may soothe a minor burn or sunburn as well as help in the healing process.


Orange Blossom water helps inhibit sebum production in oily skins, making this an especially useful skin care product for teenagers who often have an excess of skin oils. Great for use on all skin types, especially for oily and mature skin types as a balancing and toning facial mist. Its regenerative properties promote the production of collagen and discourage dry, wrinkled skin while stimulating the replacement of old cells and balancing the skin's natural acid. It also stimulates the circulation of lymphatic fluid to reduce puffiness, and relieve swelling in the facial area.



Rose Water is a gently cleansing and toning product for all skin types. Maintains the pH balance, stimulates regeneration processes, has a calming effect in acne and sunburns. As a result the skin texture becomes even and elastic.


Safflower Oil serves as a botanical alternative to mineral oil and other synthetic ester emollients. It is high in Linoleic acid, which is beneficial for the treatment of dry skin


Colloidal Oatmeal Colloidal oatmeal works great to help relieve dry, skin patches (Eczema), psoriasis, acne, bug bites, sunburns, and other minor skin irritations. It also helps relieve chicken pox, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and other itching and scratching rashes.

An excellent exfoliant, milk contains natural alpha hydroxy acids, which help to gently slough off dead skin cells. In addition, milk helps to reduce redness and soothe irritated skin.


It is best to combine green tea with zinc oxide-based sunscreens because zinc oxide is chemically inert and should not react with green tea (which some chemical sunscreens might do, especially in sunlight).

Recent research has shown that topical application of green tea extract can protect you from the damaging effects of the sun and prevent, or even reverse the skin damage that can lead to aging, wrinkles, spots and skin cancer.Green tea extract can be added to sunscreen to expand protection before sun exposure. It has also been shown to be beneficial when applied after sun exposure. So even if you have already suffered sunburn green tea extract can help to reverse the damage.

Cucumber is rich in vitamins, minerals and enzymes essential for strong cell growth and repair. In addition, cucumber peel offers a natural source for a fresh, powerful antioxidant.Cucumber Peel extract can be used to keep the facial skin soft while providing a natural sunscreen. It also acts as a skin toner and can be used in astringent. Revitalize stressed and tired skin, leaving calm, cool and radiant.


So, moisturize, moisturize and moisturize....did I say that enough? :-)


Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20954977


Artfire:

Bottle

Jar

I am starting a monthy drawing giveaways for all purchases!

I have been reading about this a lot and I finally decided to do this. This is what is going to be happening:



1. Every 6th of the months (because today is the 6th) I will be drawing names of the people that have purchased from me to win a prize.


2. The more items bought - that many times your name is going to be counted for.


3. If you recommend someone to my store, let me know about the username and if they purchased - your name will be added for each person you bring to me.


4. If you liked my product and wrote a review either on your blog or at www.makeupalley.com
your name will be counted extra again


5. I will have all the names on a piece of paper, fold them, place them all in a container, shake it and draw one out of there.


6. You will be emailed and asked if you want the prize or not. If declined, I'll be drawing another name.




Sooooo.....to kick start this, the first prize is going to be an 8oz bottle of moisturizer. To be honest, it was suppose to be a cream, but I made it too liquid. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with this product. It is made with unrefined shea butter (which is superior because it retains its natural vitamins like A and E), Mango Butter, Mowrah Butter, Coconut Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Colloidal Oatmeal, Powdered Milk Bergamot Essential Oil and Rose Floral Water. Its very moisturizing and nourishing. It smells very fresh and citrusy - just like Bergamot!



You can purchase from any of my stores to be counted in:

www.MeaCulpaBodyandBath.etsy.com

or

www.MeaCulpaBodyandBath.artfire.com

The benefits of teas for the skin

I always wanted to make something really herbal - not something that is with essential oils (I could though) and finally did it. I made a tea from chamomile, lavender and raspberry leaf and mixed it with jojoba oil, shea butter, mowrah butter and cocoa butter. I was really curious how its gonna turn out and how its gonna feel on the skin.


I decided to NOT put any beeswax and just go with the flow and see what happens. Well, what happened was a nice fluffy, whipped and light mixture of the butters and teas! The natural scent of the tea was still there - an amazing aroma of chamomile, lavender and raspberry leaf! If I added any essential or fragrance oil it just wouldnt be the same - it would have ruined it! So, I am sacrificing it having any sensual, enticing scent and going for the healing powers of our herbs and butters.


The cream is so light that its perfect for moisturizing the face. When you put any heavy cream, lotion or oil on your face and around the eyes - it makes those dark circles and bags under the eyes pop even more. So, aside from this light - it has the chamomile tea to help with that too. Chamomile is known to help with dark circles, do you remember you grandma ever telling you to place a teabag of chamomile on your eyes? Because its containing Mowrah Butter - it helps with the elasticity of skin and helps prevents wrinkles.


Chamomile tea is rich in an essential oil called azulene which has anti-inflammatory properties and can help to relieve skin irritation and itching. Together with Shea Butter, this works perfectly for skin conditions such as itchiness, rashes, psoriasis, eczema, very dry skin etc. My next project would be making an exfoliate paste of chamomile tea and powdered milk for sensitive skin.

Lavender tea tones the skin and we all know that lavender has a wide use for skin care - psoriasis, eczema, bug bites, acne, burns, chaffed and irritated skin etc.

Raspberry leaf tea acts as an astrigent on irritated skin, it tightens the top layer of the skin amd improves tissue firmness - thus is perfect for applications on face or hands. A raspberry leaf decoction is a home remedy for inflamed or oozing skin. The tannins in the leaves can shrink blood vessels and stimulate skin regeneration. Because the decoction is a mild disinfectant, it can help prevent bacterial infections.



So, all these together work in perfect harmony! When I apply it to my face it stays soft as never before the whole day! Not one commercial cream has done that for me!






You can find it here:
www.MeaCulpaBodyandBath.artfire.com
and here:
www.MeaCulpaBodyandBath.etsy.com


Do you have any ideas or suggestions of other tea combinations that can be made into a cream?

The ULTIMATE healing cream!!!

I felt like creating something new. Seeing how many people around me have all kinds of combinations of skin problems, I decided to do a little research and come up with a cream that can be ALL-IN-ONE. Plus, I was bored!

I know that most healing creams are actually more like salves - greasy! I wanted something with enough greasiness so it can hold moisture throughout the day AND silky smooth and soaking into the skin within seconds.

This is what I came up with:

Shea butter has been used to help heal burns, sores, scars, dermatitis, psoriasis, dandruff, and stretch marks. It may also help diminish wrinkles by moisturizing the skin, promoting cell renewal. Shea butter is a particularly effective moisturizer because contains so many fatty acids, which are needed to retain skin moisture and elasticity.

Mango Butter helps with the elasticity of the skin thus preventing wrinkles and stretch marks; it helps with psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema; its extremely moisturizing; rejuvenates skin; helps with blemishes and rashes, wounds, cracks from dryness, scar reduction.

Mowrah Butter is known to reduce the degeneration of skin cells, prevent wrinkles and restore skin flexibility and prevents dryness.

Coconut oil's ability to nourish and heal the skin has been known in the tropics for hundreds of years. It has been used for centuries in Polynesia and by our ancestors to retain soft and wrinkle free skin.

Grapeseed Oil is a great moisturizer and contains a very high percentage of vitamin E.

Colloidal Oatmeal Colloidal oatmeal works great to help relieve dry, skin patches (Eczema), psoriasis, acne, bug bites, sunburns, and other minor skin irritations. It also helps relieve chicken pox, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and other itching and scratching rashes.

An excellent exfoliant, milk contains natural alpha hydroxy acids, which help to gently slough off dead skin cells. In addition, milk helps to reduce redness and soothe irritated skin.

Rose Floral Water maintains the pH balance, stimulates regeneration processes, has a calming effect in acne and sunburns. As a result the skin texture becomes even and elastic.

Bergamot essential oil is know to help with all skin conditions - including psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema

I fell in LOVE with this cream and so did everyone that tried it! My skin has never felt so smooth and soft.