I’m in the process of starting a line of my herbal preparations and natural body products, so that means I get to do a lot of experimenting! Here is a basic lip balm formula and with a few ingredients added, like mango butter for extra nourishment and orange & cinnamon essential oils which are uplifting and invigorating.
Orange Cinnamon Lip Balm
- 1 tablespoon mango butter
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 tablespoon calendula-infused olive oil
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon beeswax
- 15 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 5 drops cinnamon essential oil
- A few drops of vitamin E oil (as a natural preservative)
Lip balm preparation: Coarsely chop the beeswax or use beeswax pastilles. Place beeswax, butter, and oils in a small pot or glass Pyrex measuring cup and gently heat in the top of a double boiler until the beeswax and butters have melted. Once melted, remove from the stovetop and add essential oils and vitamin E oil. Immediately pour the mixture into lip balm containers. You can purchase lip balm tubes and jars, or you can reuse glass or plastic containers. Allow to cool completely before placing caps onto the lip balm containers. Your lip balm is finished! Makes approximately 1.5 oz of lip balm.
Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Body Scrub
This simple recipe smells delicious, increases circulation, and will make your skin feel silky smooth.
3/4 cup organic brown sugar
¼ cup plus 1 tbsp organic oil of your choice
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon powder
20 drops organic cinnamon essential oil
Combine sugar and powdered cinnamon. Add oil, honey, and essential oil. Mix well. Package in jars, and enjoy!
Homemade perfumes
Don’t get me wrong, I love pure, unmasked pheremones as much as the next tree-hugging, dirt-worshiping herbalist. But I also adore wearing pretty perfumes once in a while! However, most of the fragrances on the market are filled with all kinds chemicals and synthetic scents, so here are a few recipes that you can make at home. Not only can you tailor perfume to your own liking, perfumes based on pure plant oils are more intense and last longer than colognes. Use them sparingly on your pulse points! For each recipe, blend the ingredients in a small dark-colored glass bottle.
Citrus Morning - A refreshing fragrance with floral undertones. Perfect for a light, daytime scent.
- 5 drops grapefruit essential oil
- 4 drops lemongrass essential oil
- 3 drops jasmine essential oil
- 2 drops sandalwood essential oil
- 2 ounces grade seed oil
Evening Melody - A romantic perfume for special evenings.
- 10 drops sandalwood essential oil
- 3 drops rose essential oil
- 1 ounce jojoba oil
Exotica - A deliciously mystical blend of essential oils from around the world.
- 12 drops frankincense essential oil
- 6 drops cedarwood essential oil
- 4 drops jasmine essential oil
- 2 drops neroli essential oil
- 2 ounces jojoba oil
Siren Song - A subtle, sexy fragrance. Patchouli and ylang-ylang blend with lavender to create a sensual fragrance designed to get attention.
- 6 drops cedarwood essential oil
- 4 drops lavender essential oil
- 2 drops ylang-ylang essential oil
- 1 drop patchouli essential oil
- 1 ounce jojoba oil
