Homemade Toner/Astringent

Homemade Toner or Astringent is probably one of the easiest DIY skincare products you can make. There's only 3 ingredients, one of which is water, and another of which is optional.

Here is what you'll need:

~2/3 cup water (I used filtered)
a few drops of tea tree oil (Trader Joe's sells it and of course Amazon has everything)
a few drops of lemongrass essential oil (also on Amazon) (optional)

How to use it: 

Fill a small bottle with filtered water. Mine held almost 2/3 of a cup. Put in a few drops of tea tree oil, and a few drops of lemongrass EO (if you want). It still works REALLY well without the lemongrass, however TTO does not smell so great, so if the smell makes you gag, add the lemongrass (or other essential oil). I chose lemongrass because of what it says on the back of the bottle:

I use this toner/astringent/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, after I wash my face to remove excess makeup, dirt and oil. I also use it sometimes when I haven't worn makeup that day, and I'm too lazy to wash my face. Probably a terrible idea (to not wash my face), but hey, it's better than nothing I guess. 

Pour a small amount onto a cottonball and wipe your face. You will be shocked at the amount of dirt that is still on your face after you just finished washing it.
I have normal/oily skin, so I don't always put moisturizer on after, but if you have dry skin, you might want to do that. This toner tends to dry out your face a little. 

Also note, DO NOT GET THIS IN YOUR EYES. I haven't done this (yet) but I have a feeling it will sting a lot. 

I hope you give this very easy DIY toner a try!  Leave a comment and tell all your friends! :) 

~Mallory~

Homemade Tooth Powder (Guest Post)

If anyone is still reading this blog, they will recall that in my first post that I mentioned how much I hated the homemade toothpaste that I had tried making.
Well, a good friend of mine (who happens to be a fabulous chocolatier), messaged me about my toothpaste comment and asked if I'd be willing to try her recipe (and blog about it of course!). Her recipe is A LOT different than the one I tried last year, so I said I'd give it a go! She sent me some a few days ago and since I first tried it, I haven't used ANY regular toothpaste!
This stuff is seriously AMAZING! True, it is brown, and looks strange to brush with, not to mention it turns your toothbrush brown-ish, BUT, it works SO WELL!
It does a fantastic job at cleaning my teeth, tastes WAY better than the toothpaste I was previously using, and is Junk-Free!

Finished Tooth Powder

Here is the recipe and what my fantastic friend Allie had to say about it:


"Out of the zillions of all natural products used as alternatives for the more chemically loaded ones, toothpaste seems the most reasonable and important to me. Why would you scrub so many chemicals on your teeth? Although you’re being told they’re good for you, you’re putting chemicals IN. YOUR. MOUTH. And you ingest them every time you brush your teeth. This does not sound right.

A good friend of mine (whom I refer to as the organic and all natural guru) introduced me to tooth powder. I made it with a huge dose of skepticism, but much to my surprise, I loved it. I must, however, give credit where credit is due: my friend got this recipe from another blogger who aims to help others live a more healthy lifestyle.

http://wellnessmama.com/5252/remineralizing-tooth-powder-recipe/

On this post, she explains why she puts the ingredients into the tooth powder, the benefits of using a tooth powder, and where to find many of these ingredients, among other things. I used her recipe pretty much as is, with one exclusion.

Here is my recipe and method, but if you want to read more about the tooth powder, definitely check out her blog!

Tooth Powder Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. Bentonite Clay
• 3 tbsp. Calcium Magnesium Powder
• 1 tbsp. Baking Soda
• 2 tbsp. Powdered Mint Leaf (powder in food processor or spice grinder)
• 1 tbsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Clove Powder
• A few drops of Essential Oil (I went with Peppermint)

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a spoon, or put them all into a small glass jar with a lid and shake to incorporate. I went with mixing it right into a mini mason jar because a) less dishes to wash and b) mini mason jars are adorable and I want to put everything in mason jars.

How to Use:

Wet your toothbrush and dip it into the powder. Brush your teeth like normal and rinse.

Notes:

This recipe makes approximately ¾ c. of tooth powder which lasts for months. The tooth powder is dark brown and over time, it will turn your tooth brush the same color, and it may leave a residue in your sink, but it’s easily rinsed out. Also, I omitted the Xylitol Powder from her recipe because it was only added for sweetness and I personally didn’t mind it without. Lastly, I would recommend if you want more than one member or your household to do this, get separate mason jars and label them for each person because #germs." 

I hope you try her recipe and let me know how you like it! I will definitely be adding it to my homemade recipe book! 

I guess it is easy to start a blog...

I was hoping it would be slightly more challenging to start a blog, because that's a fairly good excuse for not starting one. Turns out, it's really easy. Drat.
We'll see if this lasts though. I've been thinking about starting a blog for the last few years (because hey! I know about some stuff! And I took that creative writing class!...10 years ago...)
Who knows, maybe I'll be an internet sensation!
It's probably more likely I'll forgot to post/make excuses. However! IF I do post regularly, I suppose these are the things I will write about (even if it's only for myself):

1. DIY beauty products - I started making my own deodorant about a year and a half ago. I guess it's a weird place to start DIYing when you think about. Anyway, when I told a colleague of mine about it, she said, and I quote, "Oh my God, really?! Are you like, granola!?" I told her I didn't think so, but maybe you will disagree if this blog thing actually gets going.

2. FOOD! (aka Recipes) - If anyone ever actually reads this, they will come to find that I really really (like really) enjoy food (and cooking!). Pretty much of any sort, though I've been trying more and more to eat clean. (Except during the holidays - that's a free for all).

3. Things I Try - I once tried to make my own toothpaste. It was terrible. But I could have blogged about it! I also just got my first ever "gel" manicure. Also very terrible, but perhaps I'll write up a review/my opinion if anyone is ever interested.

I think that's a fair introduction for now.

Mallory :-)