Chocolate Endulgance Facial

Anti-aging Chocolate Facial Recipe! Smells so yummy you want to eat it!!!!! I like this recipe because it will store. Every other recipe I found was made with heavy cream or sour cream and this being made with Cold Cream will store and keep for a while!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
4 Tb Cold Cream
1/4 C Honey
3 tsp Oatmeal Powder ( this can be accomplished by putting old fashioned oats in the blender or food processor)

Mix all ingredients together until completely incorporated. Place in a jar until ready to use.

Directions for use:
Smooth onto face. Relax and Enjoy for 10- 15 minutes. Wash off using warm water and pat face dry.

Side Note: This also makes a great gift!

Quick and Easy Bath Salt Gifts

When we are faced with the pinch of our holiday budget we start to struggle with affording gifts to give to those around us to let them know we care. Here is a simple, easy and very inexpensive recipe to give when money is less than abundant! :-)

Ingredients:
1. a quart size Ziplock or zip up baggy
2. 3/4 C Epsom Salt
3. Your favorite Fragrance Oil
4. Color of your choice (food or soap coloring will work)
5. A pretty jar to put your finished product in.

Place your Salts in a zip top bag. Add 7-9 drops of your favorite fragrance oil and 5-6 drops of your favorite coloring. Close bag (this is the fun part) Mix up well!!!!! You can add more color or fragrance as you see fit!

Now empty contents into the jar of your choice. Decorate with a pretty ribbon!

I always include directions with my gifts! They are simple to do. I make them on card stock and print them off. This one would look similar to this:

Relaxing Spa Salts
Directions: Place a few tablespoons under running warm bath water. Allow salts to dissolve and enjoy!

Chocolate Moisturizing Body Scrub

Chocolate Moisturizing Body Scrub

Ingredients
• 1 cup sugar (now, I used 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup Epsom salt for better exfoliation and detox properties)
• 2 tablespoons unscented liquid soap (you can use soft soap if you want, I used Liquid Glycerin)
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (You can use a little more if you really like the cocoa scent!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (same here)
• olive oil (just enough to form it all into a paste)
Directions
1 Combine sugar, body wash, cocoa powder, and vanilla in a plastic container.
2 Add olive oil until a paste forms.
3 Wet area to exfoliate.
4 Rub with scrub.
5 Rinse.
6 keep in a covered air tight container.
7 Enjoy!
Super cool, when it gets wet, it smells just like hot cocoa!!!

You can put this is a pretty jar with a nice tight lid, tie it with a pretty brown and pink ribbon (or whatever color you would like, I just thought the brown and pink looked cute with the dark color of the scrub) and give it as a gift from the heart!!!!

Homemade Herbal Body Wrap

Ok, so there are a ton of ingredients in this, but so much cheaper that a spa wrap with all of the great benefits! What a great way to treat yourself during nap time, or after the little ones are in bed!

So many herbs are beneficial for this, here are just a few herb choices for herbal body wraps: Clary sage, comfrey root, burdock root, dandelion root, rose hips, alfalfa leaf, rosemary, and chamomile

Things You'll Need:

• 1 cup of dried crumbled or powdered herbs that you feel would be beneficial to your skin. Dried herbs are available at bulk herb or health food stores.
• ½ cup kelp meal, dulse or other seaweed. Also sold bulk at health food stores.
• ¼ cup sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, dead sea salts or Epsom salts
• 1 cup high quality aloe vera gel
• Unbleached muslin, white or unbleached cotton sheet, or large terry cotton beach towels.
• A bathtub or waterproof area such as an air mattress on top of towels to lay for 10 to 45 minutes.
• Optional: Organic olive oil, or body oil or lotion of your choice.
• Optional: Good music or books on tape to help pass the time, and foil thermal blanket (usually inexpensive) if you think you might become chilled.

1. Step 1

   Heat three cups of water to boiling in a non-metal pan.

2. Step 2

   Remove from heat and add salts, stirring with wooden or otherwise non-metal spoon until dissolved.

3. Step 3

   Add herbs and seaweed and steep for five minutes.

4. Step 4

   Strain mixture into very clean stopped sink (or a large ceramic bowl or plastic tub). Fill the sink 3/4s full with very hot water. (You may have to run the hot water faucet before pouring the mixture in. That way, the first water coming out will already be hot.)

5. Step 5

   Add the cup of aloe and stir.

6. Step 6

   Soak the fabrics in the water and wring them out into the same sink.

7. Step 7

   Wrap body parts as firmly as you can in a manner that’s healthy for your particular condition.

8. Step 8

   Lie down in the bathtub or on the air mattress for 20 minutes to one hour, the longer the better. And stay warm. Listen to music or audio if you wish, and cover yourself with the thermal blanket if needed. You can choose to re-wet the fabrics with the herbal body wrap liquid and repeat every ten minutes or so, or just do one seaweed herbal body wrap at a time.

9. Step 9

   When finished, pat dry and if you choose, apply olive oil or other body oil or moisturizer.

Recipe compliments of http://www.ehow.com/how_4785104_homemade-body-wrap.html

Homemade Hand Soap

Easy and cheap way to make your own hand soap!

• 2 cups soap flakes or grated bar soap
• 1/2 gallon water
• 2 tbsp glycerin

Mix ingredients together in a large pot or dutch oven. Set over low heat, stirring occasionally until the soap has dissolved. Transfer to a jar and cover tightly. For a less thick gel soap, use 1 gallon of water.

Now, if you like the foamy kind, here's what you do! Take an empty foam soap dispenser, fill about 1/4 of the way with the soap, fill the rest of the way with water. Shake well and you are ready to use!

You can also scent using essential oils if you choose!

Fun and Easy Homemade Hand Sanitizer

Things You'll Need:

• 1/2 cup aloe vera gel
• 1/4 cup of 99% rubbing alcohol or Witch hazel
• Essential oil (optional)
• Air tight container or dispenser

Start by combining the Aloe and Alcohol or witch hazel. Add your oils if you so choose, Lemon, lavender or tee tree would be great with this! Mix in the oils, but into your dispenser and your ready to go!

Now you can make this a spray too by using a spray pump, Witch Hazel and a few drops of your favorite scent or essential oil! Mix together and spray! Rub hands together! There you go! Great to carry in your purse!!

Homemade Baby Wipes

This is a great recipe to make your own baby wipes! Super easy and for just pennies, you can make thick and soft baby wipes for you baby or if your like me, I take them EVERYWHERE!

No more expensive baby wipes! Here is a great recipe.

• 1-roll of Bounty paper towels cut in half & cardboard removed
• 2-cups water
• 2-Tablespoons each baby bath and lotion( I would choose a brand without Mineral Oil such as Burts Bees, but that is just my preference)
  
• 1-plastic bowl (about 6 cup capacity-with lid), or you can use an old baby wipe container, or a container for cleaning wipes thoroughly washed and dried!
  

Bring water to boil and add baby bath and lotion. place one half of paper towel roll into plastic container, and pour solution over paper towels. Once cool, pull your "wipes" from the center of the roll. keep sealed when not in use to prevent evaporation.