botanicals Archives - Soap Deli News

Botanical Skin Care (200+ Herbal Beauty Recipes & More)

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June 18, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 2 Comments

Take your hobby to new levels through an exploration of botanical skin care. Discover 200+ herbal beauty recipes through an instructional course that will teach you basic skills for designing, producing and using homemade herbal skin care products.

Crafting Natural Skin Care Recipes

If you’re a regular reader of Soap Deli News, then you’re likely already a fan of making your own skin care and beauty products. Compared to my first soapmaking adventure, a lot has changed. These days it can seem like there are unlimited resources to help you on your journey. Everything from group forums and YouTube videos to free botanical skin care recipes on blogs. The challenge can be, however, finding reliable sources for those recipes. As well as help when you need it.

Perhaps you want to take your journey a step further. You may want to formulate your own unique skin care recipes. To do this however, you sometimes need more information than what’s readily available online or at the library.

It’s an awful feeling to invest your hard earned money into natural skin care ingredients and then have a recipe go bust. For some of us, it can sour the experience of creating moving forward. And that experience may prevent us from from otherwise falling in love with a craft we know we’d enjoy.

The very first time I ~~made~~ attempted to make cold process soap, it was a complete failure. I spent my last bit of money on a jug of olive oil from the grocery store and a container of lye. There were no YouTube videos then. And blogs were still in their infancy. In fact, I’m mostly certain MySpace was still a thing. Still, I used a basic soap recipe on a blog with no photos and incomplete directions. I made the recipe as directed and it failed. All because one vital note was missing from the recipe – you need to WEIGH out the ingredients.

I later purchased a soapmaking book that clarified the soapmaking process. However, it took some time before I was ready to dive back into my second attempt. I was very much an introvert at that stage in my life, so that didn’t do me any favors. If you’re a dabbler, like I was – and pretty much still am as I’m always learning and experimenting – then you may be seeking something more to help you move onto that next step. Whatever that next step may be for you.

This is where The Herbal Academy comes in.

New Botanical Skin Care Course

Enrollment just opened on The Herbal Academy’s new Botanical Skin Care Course. I’ve seen a preview of this course, and as with their other online courses, I’m super impressed.

Here’s an overview of the course so you know what to expect.

Described as a makers quest, this potentially life changing exploration of botanical skin care teaches you the many ways that herbs can benefit the skin both inside and out. This educational course will empower you to create your own botanical skin care recipes using natural herbs and other safe, nourishing non-toxic ingredients. With over 200 herbal recipes in the course, you’ll learn how to stock your herbal cupboard with an array of customized herbal preparations for skin so it looks healthier and more radiant.

This informative botanical skin care course also covers the internal use of herbs in teas, tinctures and foods, using an inside-out approach to skin care. You’ll also learn how to craft topical herbal skin care products for glowing skin through the exploration of skin on both a cellular and functional level. This includes valuable information on anatomy and function, as well as nutrition and lifestyle tips will help you better understand the practices that influence the health of your skin. While also giving you a robust foundation in skin health that you can expand on.

You will learn basic skills for designing, producing and using homemade herbal skin and body care products. Detailed video and written tutorials guide you as you make botanical body care products, ranging from infused oils, salves, and creams to deodorant, soap, hair care products, and even some cosmetics, plus so much more. The Botanical Skin Care Course also provides plenty of recipes to inspire your skin care journey, as well as suggestions for their use. (Sign up here now!)

Course Overview

Following is an outline of the Botanical Skin Care Course. It has me pretty excited, and I’m sure it’s easy to see why!

UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE SKIN

Course Introduction; Anatomy of the Skin; Functions of the Skin

Take a trip down memory lane with a fascinating timeline of the history of skin care. You will then zoom in on the skin and discuss basic anatomy and structure, with an emphasis on the many functions of the skin.

UNIT 2: SKIN CARE FROM THE INSIDE

The Skin as an Eliminatory Organ; Nutrition for Healthy Skin; Digestive Health and the Skin; Skin Care in Ayurveda; Skin Care in Chinese Medicine

Discover the connections between the skin and other organ systems with a focus on supporting the skin through dietary and lifestyle interventions. You will gain an understanding of the fundamental importance of considering the individual as a whole and using an “inside-out” approach when addressing chronic skin conditions.

UNIT 3: MAKING HERBAL BODY CARE PRODUCTS

Choosing Ingredients; Making Vinegars, Hydrosol, Oils, and Salves; Bath Products; Creams and Lotions; Herbal Gels; Herbal Soaps; Hair Care and Cosmetics

Build an understanding of the basic preparation methods you’ll need to create a range of herbal skin care products. You’ll be guided by both text and video tutorials and gain confidence in creating bath products, herb-infused vinegars and oils, salves, hydrosols, creams and other emulsions, gels, hair care products, and herbal soap.

UNIT 4: SKIN CARE FROM THE OUTSIDE

Foundations of Skin Support; Skin and Sun; Beyond Oily and Dry: Choosing Individual Herbs; Support for Chronic Conditions; External Care for Acute Skin Conditions; Conclusion

Dive deep into the fundamental concepts and specific herbal approaches for maintaining skin health and supporting acute skin conditions. You will receive plenty of recipes that apply the basic techniques from Unit 3, allowing you to create a range of products for different skin types and specific skin concerns. We’ll also cover herbal energetics as applied to skin conditions, and inspire you with ideas for your herbal first aid kit!

In addition to the course and materials available, you’ll also be able to discuss the materials and ask questions with fellow students and teachers in the student-only online community group.

Ready to get started? Early enrollment is open now. Visit The Herbal Academy to sign up for their Botanical Skin Care Course now. Early registration means big discounts, so don’t delay! The course officially opens on July 1st. Learn more now.

Interested in learning more? Explore The Herbal Academy’s other online herbalism courses here.

For more botanical skin care recipes and ideas, follow me across your favorite social media platforms. You can follow me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter, pinterest and instagram. Or sign up to receive my semi-weekly newsletter to stay in the loop.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: bath and beauty, bath and body, beauty diy, beauty recipes, botanicals, education, healthy living, herbalism, herbs, natural beauty, natural skin care, online course, skin care, skin care recipes

How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally (Using Food Ingredients As Natural Dyes)

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March 19, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon Leave a Comment

Learn how to dye Easter eggs naturally using food ingredients as natural, plant-based dyes. Plus unique Easter egg design ideas using foraged botanicals or store bought herbs.

When I was a little girl I would dye Easter eggs with my mother every spring. My mom would hard boil eggs and buy my brother and I an Easter egg decorating kit she’d picked up from the grocery store. We’d dye our Easter eggs a rainbow of colors and patterns. Using things like stickers,rubber bands and white crayons to create our own Easter egg designs. The one thing we never did, however, was dye our Easter eggs using natural dye.

As it turns out, it’s rather easy to learn how to dye Easter eggs naturally. You can still achieve a rainbow of colors based on the foods you choose. Or experiment with natural plant dyes such as indigo powder or turmeric. Just because you aren’t using commercial food dyes, doesn’t mean you can’t create a multitude of Easter egg designs and patterns. You can still do all the same things you did with traditional dyes. Methods such as wax resist or using stickers to create shapes work beautifully with natural Easter egg dyes too!

For the purpose of this tutorial however, I’ll teach you how to use plants, leaves and other foraged botanicals or herbs to create beautiful Easter egg designs. While also using common foods and herbs from the grocery store to create a rainbow of Easter egg colors. If you’re a soapmaker, like me, then I also encourage you to pull out your stash of all the natural dyes you’ve hoarded – er, collected – for naturally coloring cold process soap.

Ready to get your craft on? Keep reading to learn how to dye Easter eggs naturally using common vegetables and plant materials.

How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally

Choose and prepare your eggs.

When buying your eggs, you should choose white eggs for bright colors. Or give brown eggs a go for more muted tones. Once you have your eggs in hand, hard boil them prior to dyeing. Alternately, you can also blow out the eggs for decorative home decor you can use through the entirety of spring. Or keep your eggs in storage to reuse the following year.

Decide on the colors you’d like to use.

I used onion skins and red cabbage to naturally dye my Easter eggs. Yellow onion peels impart an orange hue on eggs while red cabbage will turn your eggs blue. You can also use coffee for brown colored eggs. Or try one of these other color ideas:

Blueberries = Blue-Gray
Red Onion Skins = Green
Red Cabbage = Blue
Yellow Onion Skins = Orange
Coffee Grounds = Brown
Paprika = Light Red-Orange
Dill Seed = Brown-Gold
Grape Juice = Lavender
Violet Flowers = Green
Lavender Flowers = Blue Green & Brown
Beets = Light Pink
Beet Root Powder = Red
Spirulina Powder = Green
Turmeric = Yellow (Beware. This will stain everything!)
Hibiscus Tea = Black
Spinach = Yellow-Green

Make your natural Easter egg dye.

You should follow these guidelines for the amount of plant material to use when making your natural Easter egg dye. Adjust the recipe as needed to accommodate the number of eggs you’ll be making.

For spices and powders, use two Tablespoons per 1 1/2 cups water.
When using dried flowers or other botanicals, use four Tablespoons per 1 1/2 cups of water.
Combine one cup of cut fruits or vegetables with 1 1/2 cups of water.

Dye your Easter eggs.

Once you’ve prepared and measured out the plant material for your egg dye, you’ll need to combine the dye material with 1 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Then remove from heat.

Allow the natural dye to cool. Then strain out the plant material. Add dye to a bowl or a large mason. For every cup of water left (after the process) add one Tablespoon of white distilled vinegar to the dye.

Now add your eggs to the container of dye. Leave the eggs in the dye until they’ve reached the desired color. For deeper colors, place the container of eggs in the dye in your refrigerator and leave overnight.

Once the dyeing process is complete, remove the eggs from the dye. Place on a cooling rack or paper towel to dry. Then rub with olive oil, if desired, to add shine.

How to add designs to naturally dyed Easter eggs.

Leaf & flower prints.

It’s easy to use leaves or flowers, like parsley or four leaf clovers, to create leaf or flower shaped designs on your Easter eggs. To do this, simply place the plant matter onto your egg. Then wrap the egg tightly in either pantyhose or cheesecloth to hold the leaf or flower in place. Next, simply follow the above tutorial on how to dye Easter eggs naturally. Your final eggs with come away with a beautiful design. If desired, you can go back and dye your eggs again with an alternate color.

Wax resist method.

Simply use a wax crayon or beeswax to draw a design onto your eggs. Then dye your eggs per the above instructions. (Be sure your dye is cool so as not to melt off the wax.) Once you’ve dyed and dried you naturally dyed Easter eggs, simply rub off the wax with a soft cloth.

Rubber bands.

Rubber bands are an easy way to add random stripes to your Easter eggs. Just wrap rubber bands around your eggs, then dye as usual. Once the eggs are dry, remove the rubber bands to reveal your unique Easter egg designs.

For more Easter egg design ideas, be sure to check out my Easter board on Pinterest. Or learn how to make glitter Easter egg bath bombs for a non-food Easter basket treat.

Also be sure to follow me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram so you never miss a post. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter.

Filed Under: DIY Craft Project, Holiday DIY Tagged With: botanicals, craft tutorial, crafts, diy, Easter, Easter basket, Easter egg dye, Easter eggs, easy, herbs, holidays, natural

Herbal Dry Shampoo Recipe with Natural Ingredients

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

March 29, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

You’re going to love this herbal dry shampoo recipe! Made with natural botanicals, clay and essential oils, this dry shampoo not only keeps your hair looking great, but it smells amazing!

A modern day beauty cult favorite, dry shampoo is a must for summer. Not only does it absorb the excess oil that can leave hair looking dirty and greasy, but it’s also great for styling and volumizing fine, limp hair. My favorite way to use dry shampoo is for a boost of volume. However, it is also an absolute must for when I go camping or hit weekend festivals where a shower is probably not an option.

A lot of commercial dry shampoos unfortunately contain talc powder. As talc has recently been linked to cancer, you should look for dry shampoos that use arrowroot or rice powder instead. Or you can simply make your own!

Following you’ll find my favorite herbal dry shampoo recipe. It’s made using only natural ingredients. I first tested out this herbal dry shampoo recipe over a four-day festival. Not only did it keep my hair from looking like a limp, greasy mess it also helped deter insects. Additionally I only got a lot of compliments on the fragrance. So much so that I was “shampooing” the hair of others throughout my stay.

Another big plus? Because this dry shampoo doesn’t come in a can with propellant, there’s no need to worry about the heat possibly causing the can to burst. And it’s a more eco-friendly option than spray cans. Because you can use the same container for every new batch of my herbal dry shampoo recipe you make, there’s less packaging and therefore less waste.

If you’re not quite ready to jump into making our own herbal dry shampoo, then I recommend Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve Dry Shampoo for Dark and Light Hair. Available from Mountain Rose Herbs, this herbal dry shampoo is perfect for all hair types and textures. This dry shampoo powder helps to restore shine and body to your hair between washes and comes packaged in an environmentally friendly cardboard paper tube.

Herbal Dry Shampoo Recipe

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill Rice Flour White
1 Tablespoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons colloidal oatmeal
3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 Tablespoon Rhassoul (Red Moroccan) Clay
1 Tablespoon lavender flower powder
1 ml lavender essential oil
1/2 ml patchouli essential oil
1/2 ml rosemary extract

Instructions:

Not everyone’s hair is the same color obviously. To account for this, you can easily swap out the red Rhassoul clay called for in my herbal dry shampoo recipe with another type of cosmetic clay that better suits your hair color.

For lighter hair you may prefer white cosmetic (kaolin) clay or even Fuller’s earth clay. Or for darker hair consider adding 1/4 teaspoon of hardwood activated charcoal.

Using a Tablespoon measuring spoon, measure out the rice flour, baking soda, colloidal oatmeal, arrowroot powder, clay and lavender flower powder. Combine in a glass measuring cup.

Next, using a different graduated plastic transfer pipette for each of the essential oils and rosemary extract, measure out and add these to the dry ingredients. Mix with a spoon, then slowly pour into a coffee bean grinder and mix well. Once mixed, simply pour into two 4 oz. containers of your choice.

To use simply apply to hair and lightly massage into your hair and scalp with your hands. (A makeup brush actually works great for applying your herbal dry shampoo!) Then brush your hair as usual to remove the excess and evenly distribute throughout your hair.

If you like my herbal dry shampoo recipe, then also be sure to check out my natural flea repelling dry dog shampoo recipe! My flea repelling dry dog shampoo recipe is made with natural ingredients that deodorize your dog’s coat while also helping to repel fleas.

Much like my herbal dry shampoo recipe, my dog shampoo contains natural clays and botanicals that gently deodorize dog’s coat while absorbing excess oil and dirt. The addition of neem oil then also helps to repel fleas. You can find my herbal dry shampoo recipe for dogs here.

For more natural beauty and skin care recipes, be sure to follow Soap Deli News across all of your favorite social media platforms! You can find me on Pinterest, G+, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’, and Instagram as well as subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Lifestyle Tagged With: beauty, botanicals, diy, dry shampoo, eco-friendly, essential oils, green, hair care, herbal, herbal shampoo recipe

Natural Vegan Bath Bombs with Lavender & Chamomile

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

August 10, 2017 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Do you love natural vegan skin care products? Then these natural vegan bath bombs with lavender and chamomile may be right up your alley! Made using all natural vegan ingredients, these natural vegan bath bombs are perfect for a long relaxing soak in the tub!

My homemade lavender chamomile bath bombs are made using a fizzing combination of baking soda and citric acid, not potentially skin irritating SLS, so they are suitable for even sensitive skin. They also contain skin soothing shea butter and anti-inflammatory French green clay. Combined with the aromatic properties of dried botanicals and lavender essential oil, these natural vegan bath bombs just might soak your cares away! (Figuratively, of course.)

Ready to dive into making bath bombs this weekend? You can learn how to make my natural vegan bath bombs with lavender & chamomile now via my guest post at The Nourished Life blog.

If you like my recipe for creating natural vegan bath bombs, then you may enjoy some of my other vegan skin care recipes. These recipes include my vegan solid lotion bars with soothing oat butter & lavender, my vegan friendly rose body butter moisturizer, my coconut milk facial cleanser with bamboo extract, and my foaming oat body scrub with frankincense & tamanu oil. (For even more vegan skin care recipes, visit Soap Deli News blog here.)

Alternately you can also find my other homemade bath bomb recipes here.

I’d also love for you to follow me on your favorite social media platforms! You can find me on Pinterest, G+, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’, and Instagram. Alternately, you can also sign up to receive new posts from Soap Deli News blog to your email via FeedBurner so you never miss a post.

And, just as a reminder, be sure to share photos of your finished products you’ve made with the hashtag #soapdelishowoff on instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with!

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes Tagged With: bath bomb recipe, bath bombs, bath tutorial, botanicals, crafts, diy, easy, natural, skin care, vegan

Natural Herbal Calendula Balm Recipe with Calendula Infused Oil

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

April 28, 2014 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Learn how to make your own natural herbal calendula balm recipe!

With spring here I decided to finally take advantage of the natural botanicals that grow in my area as the weather starts to turn warmer. Some common ingredients you can find right now include plantain and wild violets. The leaves of both of these plants actually have healing properties making them great for inclusion in a natural balm recipe.

My yard was short on plantain, however, there were plenty of wild violets. So I picked wild violet leaves and combined them with some organic calendula petals and blue vervain leaves in olive oil and made an herbal infusion. I then combined my infusion with locally sourced, raw unfiltered beeswax from my local farmer’s market to create a balm.

You can use this natural herbal calendula balm recipe topically to treat minor cuts, bruises, and stings. If you don’t have these plants available to you, or if it’s just the wrong time of the year, they can all be purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Following is my natural herbal calendula balm recipe. Feel free to make substitutions to get your own perfect, custom product.

Natural Herbal Calendula Balm Recipe

Ingredients:

3 oz. herbal oil infusion
1 oz. beeswax
1 ml GMO-free vitamin E oil
1 ml rosemary extract
.5 ml chamomile essential oil (3-5% dilution in jojoba oil)

Instructions:

The vitamin E and rosemary extract are optional in this natural herbal calendula balm recipe. While vitamin E is naturally healing, both the vitamin E and rosemary extract will help to extend the shelf life of your oil. The essential oil is optional as well or you can substitute with your favorite organic essential oil based on the properties you’re looking for in your balm.

To make your infusion, fill a mason jar about 3/4 of the way full of olive oil. Add equal parts of dried blue vervain leaves, wild violet leaves and calendula flowers to the oil until it reaches the same level of the oil. (Feel free to sub with herbs of your choosing.) Store in a cool, dark location for 3-6 weeks, then strain through cheesecloth.

If you’re in a hurry, combine the ingredients in a double boiler or in a mason jar inside of a pot filled about 2/3 of the way full with water. Heat on warm to low for 3-4 hours, then remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain the oil through cheesecloth back into your mason jar.

Using a digital scale weigh out the beeswax and melt in double boiler. Then weigh out the herb infused out and stir into the melted beeswax.

Next, use graduated transfer pipettes to measure out the vitamin E, rosemary extract and chamomile essential oil. Stir into the liquified beeswax and oil mixture then pour into glass salve jars or tins. Allow to cool completely then use as desired wherever your skin needs a little extra love!

Don’t want to make your own? There are a lot of wonderful sellers on Etsy that sell their calendula balms and salves! For kids I’m partial to the Cocoa Calendula Balm from Buttercup & Jake. This handcrafted buttery balm gently soothes and protects dry, irritated skin with organic cocoa butter and organic vanilla beans. It’s made with golden Calendula flower oil – locally and sustainably produced in the Hudson Valley – it’s truly all-natural, preservative-free and 86% organic. You can buy it here.

I also like the Calendula Balm from The Home Apothecary made with handcrafted organic calendula oil. You can get it here. Also be sure to check out The Home Apothecary’s other amazing products including their Peppermint Mocha Body Balm and amazing Black Drawing Salve. Shop The Home Apothecary here.

For more natural skin care recipes be sure to follow my DIY Bath and Body Pinterest board. You can also find and follow me on Blog Lovin‘, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google + and Instagram!

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes Tagged With: botanicals, crafts, diy, dry skin balm, healing balm recipe, healing salve, herbal oil infusion, herbal recipes, herbal remedy, natural, organic, salve recipe, skin care, skin nourishing salve