Hydrating Bastille Soap Recipe Plus Practical Tips on Flu Prevention

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March 12, 2020 By Rebecca D. Dillon 7 Comments

What’s the story with the coronavirus? Is it really worth a full on toilet paper war? And more importantly, how can I protect myself from the coronavirus and diminish my chances of getting sick? Learn why the coronavirus shouldn’t be dismissed as your average flu. Plus easy, everyday tips on reducing your chances of becoming infected with COVID-19. I’m also sharing my favorite, hydrating Bastille soap recipe. It’s perfect for dry hand relief from overuse of cheap liquid hand soap and alcohol based hand sanitizers. Plus it’s the perfect project (new hobby?) to make while practicing social distancing to avoid the spread of coronavirus in your community.

Why Do We Need to Be Concerned About the Coronavirus?

The coronavirus has everyone up in arms. Whether you’re taking a no nonsense approach to the whole situation, are totally freaked out, or you simply think everyone is overreacting, it’s THE news right now. What I find the most troubling about COVID-19 is what we don’t know. As of yet, we have no clue if the virus will disappear once we have regular warm weather. It doesn’t act like a typical flu virus. It’s also highly contagious.

The current statistics put 3.65% people dying from the coronavirus worldwide. (In Wuhan, that number was 4.9% of the infected population. Source. With the death rate in Italy as of 3/13/20 at 6.7%.) Which, during a bad flu season, isn’t unheard of. However, approximately one in five people who develop this illness have to be hospitalized. 10% of which will require ICU treatment, per the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine.

To make matters worse, whereas the typical flu infects only 2 to 11% of the population each year, The Atlantic states that COVID-19 has the potential to infect 40-70% of people around the world. (This is now the generally accepted position among epidemiologists as well.) And that’s where it really starts to put this virus into a very sobering perspective. At that rate, it would have the ability to kills millions in the US alone.

So if this thing spreads like wildfire, like it has in China and Italy, it can seriously hamper, and even overwhelm, our health infrastructure. (Canada is already reporting that their hospitals would be unable to cope with a coronavirus outbreak.)

And it’s not just a concern for those with weakened immune systems, cancer or anyone over the age of 60. This virus is especially dangerous to anyone with diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, anyone who smokes or vapes and those with heart, lung or kidney disease. Many of my friends and family fall into one of these categories. And while I’d like to believe I’m invincible to anything life throws my way, I know that I’m not. I’m especially concerned for friends who recently had cancer (and have weakened immune systems,) my brother who has lupus and my dad who has both high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. But beyond that, I care about the rest of the people in the world as well. Which is why I felt it was so important to address this topic on my blog.

I know I’ve made jokes, both publicly and personally, in regards to this being the beginning of the apocalypse and the start of the toilet paper wars. But what remains is that we all need to be diligent and treat this as a real and possible threat. Maybe not to the point we’re rioting outside of Walmart in Cleveland because baby formula is sold out and there’s nothing to cut crack with. But with reasonable measures in which we take not only our safety into account, but also the consideration and safety of others — most especially those at risk.

So if you’re over there hoarding toilet paper, ibuprofen, face masks and hand sanitizer, maybe check in with neighbors and donate some to those in need. I promise you don’t need a year’s supply of provisions to survive this thing. And we need the rest of the population to be able to protect themselves from the coronavirus as well. (If you have doubts, here’s a first hand account of someone who has actually had COVID-19.)

Common Sense Ways to Protect Yourself from the Coronavirus

Taking all this into account, here are some common sense ways to protect yourself from the coronavirus, or COVID-19.

Practice social distancing. That means avoiding close contact with anyone who is sick, as well as distancing yourself from people if the coronavirus is spreading in your community.
Avoid crowds or crowded areas and events.
Wash your hands often, for at least 20 seconds, using soap and water. This is especially important if you have been in a public space.
If soap and water are unavailable, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. (You may want to carry some with you at all times.) To use, rub hands together until they feel dry. (If hand sanitizer is sold out, here’s how to make DIY hand sanitizer that meets CDC minimum guidelines.)
Avoid touching your face (eyes, nose, mouth) with unwashed hands.
In public, stay 6 feet (or a coughing distance) from others.
Avoid shaking hands.
Disinfect your travel mug after every outing.
Keep disinfectant by every entrance to your home.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces every day. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets and sinks. Household disinfectants should be at least 70% alcohol or an EPA-registered household disinfectant. Alternately, you can also use a bleach solution comprised of 4 teaspoons of bleach combined with 1 quart of water. (Or 1/3rd cup bleach per gallon of water.)
Avoid anyone with a cough and stay away from poorly ventilated areas.
If you need to cough, do so into your elbow or into a tissue, which is preferable, as it can be disposed of afterwards.
If possible, work remotely from home rather than going into the office. Most people get sick at work.
As there is a global shortage in face masks, donate yours to communities in need such as senior care facilities and caregivers to help slow the spread of transmission. You only need to wear a face mask if you’re sick, or caring for someone who is sick.
Donate excess supplies of hand sanitizer to those in your community who have none.
Make preparations in the chance that you do get sick and are quarantined. You will need two weeks worth of provisions, including food. (Not ten years of toilet paper.)
Don’t share anything with other people that comes in contact with your mouth or nose.
Ensure proper ventilation by keeping air circulation either by opening a window or using a fan.
Use a humidifier. Higher humidity will keep the protective membranes in your nose from drying out, which makes them less effective as they try to keep pathogens out. Mid-range humidity also appears to cause some viruses to decay faster.

Hand Washing with Soap and Water

Washing your hands is still the best way to protect yourself from the coronavirus. (I mean, we can’t all hide under a rock forever.) Unfortunately, most cheap, liquid hand soaps aren’t real soap. Much like alcohol based hand sanitizers, they can also dry out your hands when used frequently. This leaves hands feeling tight, dry and itchy. Sometimes they even crack. In turn, this leads to an endless cycle of hand washing followed with moisturizers.

But what if there was a soap that didn’t dry your hands out? An alternative that left your hands clean and also offered some level of dry skin relief?

There are actually a number of these alternatives. Many handmade, cold process soaps meet this criteria. And believe it or not, bar soap is no less sanitary than using liquid hand soap. It does the same job, without the drying side effects, provided the formula isn’t overly cleansing.

Soap can’t moisturize skin. It is, after all, a wash off product. However, it can hydrate skin. And by choosing a soap with a high level of conditioning and a lower cleansing level, you can actually avoid dry skin all together. Don’t let the lower cleansing level scare you, however. All that means is that it strips fewer oils from your skin. Soap, the combination of a fat and an alkali, is still soap. What hand washing with soap does is mechanically remove germs and pulls unwanted material off skin. Bar soaps does that.

In fact, good old soap and water is more effective than alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially if hands are visibly dirty. This is because the proteins and fats found in things, such as food tend, to reduce alcohol’s germ-killing power. It’s also favorable over antibacterial liquid hand soap containing triclosan, which contributes to antibiotic resistance. Studies have shown that both antibacterial soap versus good, old fashioned soap and water perform the same against bacteria. However, when tackling cold and flu viruses, antibacterial soap has no benefits over soap and water. This is because viruses aren’t affect by triclosan.

Tips for Washing Hands

When washing hands, there is a right way and a wrong way. Here are some tips to get the most out of washing your hands with soap and water.

Avoid scrubbing your skin when washing hands. This can easily damage skin and cause cracks and small cuts that give pathogens a place to grow.
As bacteria likes to live under fingernails, it’s wise to keep your nails short so the area underneath is easier to clean.
Use a hand lotion or other moisturizer after washing your hands. This helps to keep your skin barrier intact.
Take your time when washing your hands. It takes about a minute to properly wash your hands. (Most of us take about 5 seconds.) However, washing your hands for a full 30 seconds can drop the bacteria count by 99.9%.

How to Make Bastille Soap

If you’re in the midst of social distancing, now is a great time to learn how to make soap! And with a number of wonderful soap making suppliers online, you don’t even need to leave your home for supplies. A basic Bastille soap recipe is an easy way to get started. Not only is this hydrating Bastille soap recipe great for repetitive hand washing throughout the day, if you or your family have sensitive skin, it can also help to alleviate some of your other skin care issues.

(This portion of this post originally appeared as a guest post, written by myself, on Everything Pretty.)

What is Bastille Soap?

Formulated with a high percentage olive oil in combination with additional soapmaking oils, Bastille soap is a modern twist on traditional Castile soap which is made using only olive oil. While a traditional Castile soap recipe contains 100% olive oil, modern Castile soap has a looser definition in which Castile soap is defined as any hard soap made from olive oil in addition to other fats and oils. However, purists reject any soap not made with 100% olive oil as Castile soap and instead term soaps made primarily, but not wholly, with olive oil as Bastille soap.

Like Castile soap, Bastille soap still entertains a high percentage of olive oil. Any cold process soap made with at least 70% olive oil is considered a Bastille soap. However, because Castile soap has low lather and requires an extended cure time, Bastille soap makes a wonderful substitute that results both in a better lather as well as a harder bar.

Additionally, as olive oil historically creates a gentle soap that is well suited for sensitive or delicate skin, Bastille soap tends to be gentler on skin than other types of soap. This includes many commercial soaps and beauty bars made with detergent foaming agents and poor quality ingredients. With bastille soap there is also less of a chance that you might develop an allergic reaction to the ingredients used as typically the ingredients for homemade soaps are chosen for their purity and benefits in skin care.

My hydrating Bastille soap recipe that I’m sharing with you today is comprised of 80% olive oil. I also have included coconut and castor oil for better lather and cocoa butter to make a harder soap bar, thus shortening the cure time considerably over Castile soap.

Tips for Making a Bastille Soap Recipe

While making homemade soap from scratch using fats (soapmaking oils and butters) and an alkali (lye or sodium hydroxide) involves a bit more know how than crafting your own melt and pour soaps, getting started with a basic recipe isn’t as difficult as one might presume. In fact, this basic bastille soap recipe can made in about hour and is a lot like baking a cake in many ways, though with weights rather than liquid measurements.

There are however, certain safety precautions you should take to avoid harm when working with a caustic material such as lye. These include wearing gloves, safety glasses and a safety mask that covers your mouth and nose. Nature’s Garden actually has a wonderful article on soap making safety where you can learn more about how to best protect yourself when working with lye.

If you’ve never made cold process soap before, I have an in-depth, cold process soapmaking tutorial here that instructs you on how to get started making homemade soaps from scratch. In addition, you can also find a plethora of soap making videos on YouTube, something that wasn’t available when I first started making soap many many years ago. So hopefully you’ll feel comfortable diving right in once you have a grasp of how it all works.

I know this information can seem like a lot at first for someone new to soapmaking, however, I promise you that once you start you won’t want to stop. Not only are cold process soaps a blessing for troubled skin, but they also make beautiful and functional homemade gift ideas for friends and family.

My hydrating Bastille soap recipe yields approximately six 3.5 oz. soap bars.

Hydrating Bastille Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

1.6 oz. refined coconut oil (10%)
.8 oz. castor oil (5%)
12.8 oz. pomace olive oil (80%)
.8 oz. cocoa butter (5%)

4.85 fluid oz. distilled water (30.5% of oil weight)
2.05 oz. sodium hydroxide (8 % super fat)

1 Tablespoon sodium lactate (60% solution), optional
.5 oz. essential oil (or essential oil blend) of choice

Instructions:

To make this hydrating Bastille soap recipe, you’ll begin by measuring out the water into a non-aluminum, heat safe container. Next, using a digital scale, weigh out the lye.

In a well ventilated area, slowly pour the lye into the distilled water, then stir until all of the lye has dissolved. Now set the lye-water aside to cool.

Meanwhile, while the lye-water cools, weigh out and combine the soap making oils (coconut oil, castor oil, olive oil and cocoa butter) in a non-aluminum pot. Then heat on the stove over medium-low heat until all the oils have melted.

Remove the soap making oils from heat once the oils have melted and allow to cool.

Once both your soap making oils and lye-water have reached about 90° – 95°F you’re ready to make your hydrating Bastille soap recipe!

If desired you can add one Tablespoon of sodium lactate (60% solution) to your lye-water prior to making soap for a harder bar and to give your soap an additional boost in lather.

Now slowly pour the lye-water into the liquified soap making oils then blend with a stick or immersion blender until you reach a light trace.

Weigh out the essential oil you’ve chosen to use, if a fragrance is desired, then add to the soap batter.

Continue mixing with a stick blender until you reach a medium trace, then pour the Bastille soap batter into a six-cavity rectangle silicone soap mold.

If desired, you can add flowers or decorative, cosmetic salt to the tops of your freshly poured soap. I added blue cornflowers to the tops of my hydrating Bastille soap bars.

Cover the soap lightly with plastic wrap then set aside in a safe location for 24-48 hours.

Once your Bastille soap bars are no longer soft, remove them from the mold and allow the bars to cure in a cool, dry location for four to six weeks.

If you need to resize my hydrating Bastille soap recipe to fit another soap mold, or to make a larger batch, you will need to run the recipe back through a lye calculator prior to doing so. You can find more information on how to use a lye calculator as well as additional information on how to create custom soap recipes here.

Not ready to make my hydrating Bastille soap recipe? You can purchase a number of lovely, handcrafted Bastille soap bars from artisans on Etsy here.

Love my hydrating Bastille soap recipe? Then be sure to pin this recipe to Pinterest for later. Or explore more of my cold process soap recipes here. You can also find and follow me on facebook, twitter, instagram and Blog Lovin‘. Or sign up to receive an email whenever I share a new post!

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Soapmaking Tagged With: bastille soap, bath and body, cold process soap, cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, flu, flu prevention, health and wellness, healthy living, holistic, natural alternative, natural living, natural skin care, skin care, skin care products, soap tutorial, soapmaking, wellness, winter wellness

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bath Bombs with Coconut Oil & Buttermilk Powder

July 26, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 4 Comments

Learn how to make moisturizing chocolate chip cookie dough bath bombs with coconut oil. Scented with a sweet cookie dough fragrance, these homemade bath bombs are made with richly hydrating buttermilk powder and coconut oil for a calorie free self care treat.

Cookie dough is my jam. Specifically chocolate chip cookie dough. I admit, Ben & Jerry’s makes me a swoon a little. And when my hormones are taking the lead on my stomach’s food choices, it’s no chore to down a pint in one sitting. So how could I resist making chocolate chip cookie dough bath bombs?

Just as real deal chocolate chip cookie dough is a treat for PMS, these chocolate chips cookie dough bath bombs are a self care delight for bath time. These moisturizing bath bombs are made with powdered buttermilk and coconut oil to nourish and hydrate skin. While a cookie dough scented fragrance oil sweeps your senses off to a sweetly scented, calorie free dreamland.

If you’ve never made bath bombs before, you can learn how to make bath bombs here. Filled with handy tips and tricks, this post is not only filled with tips and tricks for making bath bombs, it also directs you on how to formulate your own bath bomb recipes. You’ll also find a number of bath bomb recipes – some of which are all natural – to inspire your creativity.

As I know a lot of you may be new to making bath bombs, it’s possible you don’t have a digital scale on hand. However, by using weights as the unit of measurement, you will be able to scale this bath bomb recipe with coconut oil accurately, as needed.

Cookie Dough Bath Bombs with Coconut Oil

Cookie Dough Bath Bomb Ingredients:

16 oz. baking soda
8 oz. citric acid
1 oz. powdered buttermilk
.5 oz. white kaolin (cosmetic) clay
.5 oz. arrowroot powder
4 oz. coconut oil
.6 oz. Polysorbate 80 (to help disperse the fragrance oil & mica)
.6 oz. Cookie Dough fragrance oil
Flax seed or poppy seeds, to suit
pinch of skin safe brown mica powder

Additional Tools & Supplies:

Heavy duty round bath bomb molds
Spray bottle with isopropyl alcohol (or witch hazel)
Mixing bowls
Digital scale

Instructions on How to Make Bath Bombs with Coconut Oil:

Using a digital scale, weigh out the baking soda, citric acid, powdered buttermilk, clay and arrowroot powder into a large mixing bowl. Then add a pinch of the brown mica and either the flax seed, or poppy seeds, to suit. (These will serve as the chocolate chips in your cookie dough bath bombs.)

Next, whisk the ingredients together until they are thoroughly combined.

Now weigh out the coconut oil into a separate container. If solid, gently heat the coconut oil until melted. Then weigh out and stir in the Polysorbate 80.

Add the fragrance oil to the coconut mixture, then mix thoroughly to combine.

Now add the scented coconut oil to the dry ingredients, mixing as you go. (You don’t want to overdo it.)

You want your bath bomb mixture to be the consistency of wet sand. It should also hold together when you press a clump into your hand and drop it back into the bowl. If the bath bomb mixture is too dry, you can use your spray bottle with isopropyl alcohol (or witch hazel) to moisten the ingredients further. Alternately, you may also add additional coconut oil as needed.

Now it’s time to make mold the chocolate chip cookie dough bath bombs with coconut oil. Using a two-part round bath bomb mold of your choice, make each bath bomb one at a time, unmolding the first and then following with the next. (The molds I linked too have two sizes to choose from.)

To mold your bath bombs with coconut oil, pile the mixture into each side of the round bath bomb molds. Lightly compact the bath bomb mixture into each half of the mold, then pile more of the bath bomb mixture into each half.

Next, firmly press both sides of the the bath bomb molds together. Don’t twist.

Then unmold the bath bomb you just made.

Repeat for each of your bath bombs with coconut oil until you’ve used up all of the bath bomb mixture.

Finally, allow the bath bombs to dry and harden, about 24 hours.

You can now either wrap your bath bombs tightly in foodservice film, shrinkwrap bags or package them in boxes for homemade gifts. Alternately, you can also store your bath bombs with coconut in an airtight container until they’re ready for use.

If you like this recipe for making chocolate chip cookie dough bath bombs with coconut oil & buttermilk, then be sure to pin this bath bomb recipe to save for later. Or check out all of my bath bomb recipes here.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bath Bombs with Coconut Oil

Prep Time 10 minutes

Active Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Materials

16 oz. baking soda
8 oz. citric acid
1 oz. powdered buttermilk
.5 oz. white kaolin clay
.5 oz. arrowroot powder
4 oz. coconut oil
.6 oz. Polysorbate 80
.6 oz. Cookie Dough fragrance oil
Flax seed or poppy seeds, to suit
pinch of skin safe brown mica powder

Tools

Stainless steel round bath bomb molds
Spray bottle with isopropyl alcohol (or witch hazel)
Mixing bowls
Digital scale

Instructions

Using a digital scale, weigh out the baking soda, citric acid, powdered buttermilk, clay and arrowroot powder into a large mixing bowl. Add a pinch of the brown mica and either the flax seed, or poppy seeds, to suit.
Next, whisk the ingredients together until they are thoroughly combined.
Now weigh out the coconut oil into a separate container. If solid, gently heat the coconut oil until melted. Then weigh out and stir in the Polysorbate 80.
Add the fragrance oil to the coconut mixture, then mix thoroughly to combine.
Now add the scented coconut oil to the dry ingredients, mixing as you go. You want your bath bomb mixture to be the consistency of wet sand. If the bath bomb mixture is too dry, you can use your spray bottle with isopropyl alcohol (or witch hazel) to moisten the ingredients further.
Using a two-part round bath bomb mold of your choice, make each bath bomb one at a time, unmolding the first and then following with the next.
Repeat for each of your bath bombs with coconut oil until you’ve used up all of the bath bomb mixture.
Finally, allow the bath bombs to dry and harden, about 24 hours.
You wrap your bath bombs tightly in foodservice film, or store in an airtight container, until they're ready for use.

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More DIY Bath Bombs to Make with Coconut Oil

For more ideas for bath bombs with coconut oil, be sure to check out these other homemade bath bomb recipes. Coconut oil can easily be substituted in each of these easy, no fail bath bomb recipes for the body butters. Or try them with a combination of both!

Discover more homemade skin care recipes on my Pinterest boards. You can also follow me across your favorite social media platforms for regular DIY ideas for soap, bath and beauty recipes you can craft at home. Follow me now via facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up to receive my newsletter to stay in the loop.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes Tagged With: bath bomb recipe, bath bombs, bath tutorial, coconut oil, crafts, diy, gift idea, self care, skin care, skin care recipes, stress relief

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

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 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

Summer Safety Tips to Protect Against Tick-Borne Illnesses & Skin Cancer

May 9, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 2 Comments

Learn important outdoor summer safety tips to protect your body from tick-borne illnesses and sunburns that can lead to skin cancer.

Outdoor Summer Safety Tips

Which is your biggest concern? Getting skin cancer or contracting Lyme disease? You may be surprised to learn that equal numbers of people fall victim to both each year. As these numbers have increased considerably to around 300,000 cases of each per year, it makes sense that summer skin care should be a priority. By carrying out a few essential summer safety tips, you can help prevent you and your family from getting sick. Keep reading to discover these essential summer safety tips that target potential summertime threats.

Why Is Summer Skin Care Important?

Summer skin care involves more than just protecting your skin from the sun. Ticks, which can potentially infect their host with Lyme disease or even a red meat allergy, are also becoming increasingly common. This makes not just skin cancer, but the possibility of a lifelong illness from chronic lyme disease, an equal concern. Learn important summer safety tips to protect your body from tick-borne illnesses and sunburns that can lead to skin cancer below.

Concern Over Potentially Toxic Ingredients In Sunscreen

You may have heard that are new concerns regarding sunscreens. A recent medical study by JAMA showed that certain chemicals used in sunscreen – specifically avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene and ecamsule – are actually absorbed into the users bloodstream during use. Unfortunately for us, these levels are much higher than approved by the FDA.

However, as sunscreens have not been subjected to the same standards as drug safety testing, there have been no safety inspections on sunscreens thus far. This means that the chemicals in many of the sunscreens on the market are potentially poisoning our bodies. What we don’t know, is if these chemicals are putting us at risk for future illnesses or cancer.

What I found especially scary is how long three of the aforementioned chemicals stay in the bloodstream. Not only do levels of all of these chemicals exceed the maximum safety levels set by the FDA after the first use, three are still detectable after a seven day period. Especially troubling are the results of study on oxybenzone. A chemical banned from sunscreens in Hawaii as it’s toxic to coral reefs, oxybenzone also shows up in womens breast milk.

Unfortunately, no one knows the long term effects of using sunscreen with these ingredients. As of yet, more testing needs to be done to ensure consumer safety. There simply is no concrete answer as to if these ingredients cause cancer over time with continued use. Kind of scary right?

Outdoor Summer Sun Protection Safety Tips

In order to keep your skin safe from cancer, wearing clothing that covers exposed skin and applying sunscreen are two very important summer safety tips. However, with new insight on the potential dangers of chemicals found in sunscreens, it begs the question, what kind of sunscreen should you use?

What Types of Sunscreen Should I Use?

Barrier sunscreens, or mineral based sunscreens that contain zinc oxide, and are free of the previously mentioned chemicals are considered to be safe and effective at protecting skin from sunburns. (Some brands to consider are Waxhead, Bare Republic and Australian Gold.)

It is recommended that you opt out of making your own sunscreen unless you can test its effectiveness. There are numerous reports across the internet in which homemade sunscreens did not offer the protection thought. Thus resulting in bad sunburns. (So DIY at your own risk.)

One only needs to refer back to the debacle with The Honest Company sunscreen during 2015 to fully realize the challenge in make a safe and effective product. There were multiple reports after the original sunscreen was reformulated to reduce the amount of zinc oxide. Extensive sunburns were reported after this change, that while more aesthetically pleasing (bye bye white marks!) it missed the mark on sun protection. (You can read more on this issue here.)

The risk of skin cancer, unfortunately, seems to keep rising. In 2018 the World Cancer Research Fund reported 300,000 new cases of melanoma. This marks melanoma as the 19th most commonly occurring cancer among men and women.

Why Protecting Yourself From Tick Bites Is Important

While the thought of skin cancer is certainly scary, contracting Lyme disease – or even an allergy to red meat – from a tick bite is becoming increasingly common. And quite honestly, just as terrifying. Like melanoma, the CDC reports that 300,000 Americans contract tick-borne diseases each year. While there were 30,000 cases reported to the CDC in 2013, they believe that the actual number of cases is ten times this amount.

The month of May typically marks the start of tick season. This means starting now you should already be taking precautions to protect yourself – and your furry friends – from tick bites. In addition, as we had a mild winter across much of the United States, tick season is expected to be considerably worse this year over previous years when winter temperatures were much colder. It is important to keep in mind, however, that just because tick season starts in May, that doesn’t mean there’s not a year round risk.

Common Disease Carrying Ticks to Watch Out For

Black Legged Tick (Deer Tick)

Not all ticks carry Lyme disease. However, the black legged tick, also known as a deer tick, does. It’s prevalent across much of the Northeastern, mid-Atlantic and north-central part of the United States as well as Illinois. Cases of lyme disease have been reported from Virginia to Northern Maine. This disease causes fever, headache and fatigue as well as characteristic skin rash. If left untreated, the infection may spread to the joints, heart and the nervous system. This in turn can lead to chronic pain, similar to that of fibromyalgia. (Learn more about Lyme disease here.)

A few years back my neighbor contracted Lyme disease from a tick bite. He had headaches so intense he was unable to work for six months coupled with crippling pain. After which he was only able to go back to work part time. If you suspect you may have been bitten by a deer tick, immediate antibiotic treatment can reduce or prevent the symptoms of Lyme disease. However, the best course of action is still prevention.

Deer ticks must be attached to their host – whether pet or human – for 36 to 48 hours in order to transmit the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi that causes lyme disease. Therefore, checking yourself and your animals for ticks once you’ve been outside in wooded and high grass areas can help prevent transmission of the disease. While wearing protective clothing and using a tick repellent can prevent tick bites entirely.

American Dog Tick

The American dog tick, on the other hand, is also one of the most common ticks in the US. However, it is often misidentified. While dog ticks do not carry Lyme disease, they can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and possibly ehrlichiosis to humans. Ehrlichiosis is an emerging concern for areas where this tick is found, East of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ehrlichiosis causes a variety of symptoms that include fever, headache, chills, malaise, muscle pain, gastrointestinal distress, confusion, red eyes and a rash. Approximately one third of adults and half of all children who contract ehrlichiosis experience systems. As with Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis can be fatal in some cases. However, early treatment with antibiotics is often effective.

Lone Star Tick

Finally, the lone star tick – which is also common in my home state of Virginia – can pass along what is called alpha-gal. Alpha-gal is a sugar molecule that the lone star tick can transmit from mammals to humans. When this happens, our bodies develop antibodies against alpha-gal. This in turn results to a life threatening allergy to red meat.

The allergy causes symptoms in humans ranging from hives to violent vomiting and diarrhea – or worse death from anaphylaxis shock. People who have this allergy, like those allergic to bee stings or even peanuts – must carry an EpiPen with them in case of accidental exposure. Additionally, UVA has also conducted research linking those sensitive to the alpha-gal gene with a much higher risk of heart disease.

The lone star tick is especially dangerous as it will actually hunt its next meal. Research has shown that this tick can sense mammals and humans from 60 to 100 feet away. The tick then gravitates towards mammals, rather than patiently waiting for someone to walk by. A recent news story in our area reported that doctors in Richmond are seeing approximately 100 cases per week of people who have been infected with alpha-gal from tick bites.

Outdoor Summer Safety Tips to Prevent Tick Bites

If you live in areas that are prone to ticks, or you are visit high grassy or wooded areas, you should be taking precautions to prevent tick bites. Here’s how to keep you and your family safe from tick-borne illnesses.

- Wear light protective clothing that covers your arms and legs. (Ticks are easier to see on light colored clothes.) A head covering is also recommended. Tuck or tape your cuffs into your shoes to prevent ticks from crawling inside underneath your clothes.
- It’s recommended that you spray an insect repellant that contains picaridin, rather than DEET, onto your clothing and hands. (Avoid spraying insect repellent onto your face. Apply with your hands instead, avoiding mucous membranes.) Be sure to wash skin and clothes once you return indoors. Other DEET alternatives include natural tick repellents containing lemon eucalyptus oil.
- When hiking, walk inside the center of the trail to avoid being brushed by foliage that may contain ticks. If camping, avoid sitting in areas with leaf litter.
- Check yourself, as well as pets and children, for ticks every two to three hours. Most ticks are unable to transmit a disease until after the four hour mark. While removing ticks within 36 hours makes transmission of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease unlikely.
- If you find a tick on your clothing, it can be easily removed with masking or cellophane tape. To remove ticks on skin, grasp it firmly with tweezers as close to the skin as possible. Then firmly and gently pull the tick straight out. Alternately, you can also use a cloth or tissue to form barrier between your fingers and the tick prior to removal. Always wash the infected area with soap and water following tick removal, followed by an antiseptic.
- If you’re worried about infection, you can save the tick in a small vial of alcohol. This way the tick can be identified if you do get sick or want to take preventative antibiotics to protect against Lyme disease. Or if you experience an unexplained illness accompanied by a fever after visiting a tick prone area.

Alternatives to DEET

According to UpToDate, insect repellents containing the active ingredients DEET, IR3535, or picaridin are the most effective at preventing tick bites. However, these products must be reapplied frequently. Further, DEET products are not safe for use on small children under two months of age. Nor are they safe for adults at concentrations of higher than 30%. This chemical repellent can cause adverse neurologic reactions, such as seizures, as a result of overexposure. In addition it can also cause hives and blister-like lesions.

Due to the potential toxicity of DEET, picaridin is now recommended by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a safe alternative to DEET. It should be applied every two hours. Picaridin is non-greasy and odorless. And it won’t irritate skin or stain fabrics. While there has been no indication of toxicity reported from use on humans, picaridin has caused liver toxicity in rats.

Should you choose to use an insect repellent with picaridin, I recommend Sawyer Products Premium Insect Repellent or Natrapel 8 Hour. Both of these insect repellents contain 20% picaridin.

While potentially less effective, natural alternatives are considered safer than chemical tick repellents. WebMD states that the application of Citriodiol (which contains 30% lemon eucalyptus oil extract) three times daily significantly decreases the risk of tick attachment if you live in tick-infested area. You can purchase REPEL Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent on Amazon. Like Citriodiol, it also contains 30% oil of lemon eucalyptus. And it doesn’t smell like bug spray.

You can also make a natural insect repellent at home. I have an insect repellent body butter recipe made with a blend of essential oils, including lemon eucalyptus to help repel mosquitoes and deer ticks. You find that recipe here.

What Is Your Biggest Outdoor Summer Skin Care Threat?

While it’s important to be diligent at preventing both sunburns and tick bites with the above summer safety tips, I’m curious which you find the greater concern? I posed this same question to my boyfriend, Greg. He stated that after watching me struggling with chronic pain from fibromyalgia, he’d definitely go the skin cancer route. Neither, however, would be his preference. I’ve seen photos of the damage caused by skin cancer and the radiation used to treat it. It’s not pretty. And I imagine it’s also quite painful.

The point is, however, both of these threats are scary and potentially life threatening. I’d love to hear you thoughts on these two health topics as well as your own summer safety tips you take to keep your and your family well. So be sure to share your thoughts in the comments.

Discover more ways to keep your family well by exploring some of the ideas on my Natural Health and Wellness Pinterest board. You can also follow me across your favorite social media platforms. You can find and follow me on Pinterest, Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter to stay in the loop.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: health and wellness, healthy living, life tips and tricks, lifestyle, natural alternative, outdoors, skin care, summer, summer skin care

Pineapple Hidden Color Bath Bomb Recipe for Summer Self Care

April 23, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon Leave a Comment

Celebrate summer with this pineapple hidden color bath bomb recipe. This blue Hawaiian pineapple bath bomb is perfect for some tropical summer fun – whether you’re on vacation or spending a night in at home. Indulge in a gorgeous colors and fragrance in your bath while you pamper yourself with skin conditioning shea butter and babassu oil.

Pineapple Hidden Color Bath Bomb Recipe. Celebrate summer with this pineapple hidden color bath bomb recipe. This blue Hawaiian pineapple bath bomb is perfect for some tropical summer fun - whether you're on vacation or spending a night in at home. Indulge in a gorgeous colors and fragrance in your bath while you pamper yourself with skin conditioning shea butter and babassu oil. Discover how to make a simple hidden color bath bomb recipe in a single craft session.

Pin this recipe now.

Keep reading to discover how to make a simple hidden color bath bomb recipe in a single craft session. Plus learn about my new favorite bath bomb molds.

Let’s Make Hidden Color Bath Bombs

I recently purchased an 8-piece bath bomb set featuring a variety of heavy duty bath bomb molds. It included two differently sized sets of round molds, a leaf and a tulips shaped mold, and a pineapple bath bomb mold. Ever since I shared a guest recipe on how to make rainbow bar bath bomb embeds for hidden color bath bombs, I’ve been wanting to try it myself. Unfortunately, bath bombs are not my strong suit. Not to mention the humidity in Southwestern Virginia right now has been insane. (We seriously have been getting more rainfall than Seattle, Washington the past few years.)

Formulating A No Fail Bath Bomb Recipe

When I received my new bath bomb molds, however, I knew it was time to just give it a go. Rather than attempt a two part process where I first make embeds and then make the bath bombs to hide them in, I thought I’d try it as a one step process with a single hidden color inside. I ended up using a blue lake dye (made specifically for bath bombs) for the hidden color. I then used a small amount of mica in conjunction with polysorbate 80 (so there’s no staining or colored bath tub ring) for the surrounding colors. This pretty much makes this bath bomb project for people – like myself – who struggle with practicing patience.

In addition, I formulated these pineapple hidden color bath bombs order to ensure a no fail bath bomb recipe even in humidity. (No joke, I made these during the day with the humidity at 43% because I was tired of putting them off. I then unmolded them the next day with the humidity at 84%.) To achieve this I included moisturizing shea butter and babassu oil – a rockin’ substitute for coconut oil – along with a bit of cream of tartar.

Finally, I also added magnesium flakes for their natural skin care benefits. Also known as magnesium chloride, magnesium flakes are better suited than Epsom salt for topical application. When used in bathwater, magnesium flakes are a great natural remedy for stress relief and sore muscle recovery. They also aid in improving circulation.

Pineapple Hidden Color Bath Bomb Recipe

Ingredients:

16 oz. baking soda
8 oz. citric acid
1 oz. magnesium flakes
.25 oz. cream of tartar
2.5 oz. babassu oil
1.25 oz. refined (high melt point) shea butter
.6 oz. polysorbate 80
.5 oz. pineapple fragrance oil, or scent of choice
1/2 Tablespoon blue lake dye (or bath bomb colorant)
1 teaspoon (bath bomb safe) green mica or lake dye, of choice
1/2 Tablespoon pink mica powder or lake dye, of choice
eco-friendly glitter, to suit (optional)

Materials & Tools for Making Bath Bombs:

digital scale
heavy duty bath bomb molds
three medium to large bowls (one for each color)
two containers for mixing ingredients
fork or whisk for mixing
microwave or double boiler
respirator face mask
disposable gloves

Hidden Color Bath Bomb Recipe Notes:

My hidden color bath bomb recipe makes a total of four hidden color bath bombs. I was able to use the pineapple bath bomb mold in addition to the two-part small round mold and the leaf and tulip molds. I started with the pineapple bath bomb mold first. Then, once I had made that bath bomb, I filled the other molds with colors at random.

Instructions for My Hidden Color Bath Bomb Recipe:

Begin by melting and mixing the liquid ingredients. To do this, weigh out the shea butter and babassu oil. Then combine in a heat safe container. Heat at 30% power in the microwave, or using the double boiler method, until melted. Remove from heat. Then weigh out the polysorbate 80 and fragrance oil. Stir into the melted oil and butter. Set aside.

Next combine and mix the dry ingredients called for in my pineapple hidden color bath bomb recipe. (A face mask is recommended for this step.) Weigh out the citric acid, baking soda, cream of tartar and magnesium flakes. Combine in a large bowl and mix well, ensuring all the ingredients are evenly combined throughout.

Now set out three separate bowls. Divide the dry bath bomb mixture between the three molds – one for each of the three colors.

I used a large amount of the dry mixture for the pink mica. The dry mix for the blue lake dye had the least amount. While the green mica was about double that of the blue. Add the bath bomb colorants to each of the containers and mix well to combine. (The blue lake dye should account for about 28-34% of the dry bath bomb mix. Simply adjust the amount called for as needed.)

If desired, you may also add a bit of biodegradable eco-friendly glitter to any of the bath bomb colors.

Now add the liquid bath bomb mixture to each of the containers. Start with one color at a time. Use just enough of the liquid mixture to give the dry ingredients the consistency of wet sand. Mix well to combine then follow with the remaining colors.

You’re now ready to begin making your hidden color bath bombs.

I started with the pineapple bath bomb as it was the largest of the molds. Begin by loosely piling the green bath bomb mixture into the top of the mold where the leaves are. Then loosely fill the bottom portion of the mold with the pink mixture. Next, gently press – but don’t pack – the pink mixture into the mold.

Now loosely add some of the blue bath bomb mixture to the mold on top of the pink mixture. Press it slightly into the pink bath bomb mixture without packing it into the mold.

Follow with a loose pile of pink to cover the blue. Now firmly press and pack the bath bomb into the mold.

Once you’ve made your pineapple hidden color bath bomb, follow with the remainder of the molds, filling the colors as desired.

Allow the bath bombs to dry overnight or over the course of several days depending on the humidity in your area. (I left all of my hidden color bath bombs in the molds overnight with the exception of the round bath bomb mold. I was able to unmold that one right away.)

Then remove from the molds and package as desired.

Tips for removing the hidden color bath bombs from the molds.

If you have trouble removing your hidden color bath bombs from the pineapple, leaf and tulip shaped molds, simply bang the edges of the molds onto a table or hard surface on each side. At that point the bath bombs should come out of the molds in one piece. (You can also freeze them first to make removal even easier. Simply place the filled bath bomb molds in a gallon sized ziplock bag, then freeze for an hour before removing.)

Want to see this bath bomb in action?

You can see the leaf hidden color bath bomb I made with using this bath bomb recipe in action on my Facebook book page here as well as on instagram here. It goes for about three minutes and fizzes nicely even with the addition of shea butter and babassu oil.

More Bath Bomb Recipes to Try

If you like my pineapple hidden color bath bomb recipe, then you may also enjoy making my other bath bomb recipes.

Or learn how to make one of the tried and true bath bomb recipes from Two Wild Hares. Including her fan favorite DIY bubble bath bomb cupcakes.

Discover more of my favorite bath and beauty recipes by following me across your favorite social media platforms. You can find and follow me on Pinterest, Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter to stay updated on new recipes.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Homemade Gift Ideas Tagged With: bath and body, bath bomb recipe, bath bombs, bath tutorial, crafts, diy, gift idea, self care, skin care, skin care products, summer, summer skin care