Going Crunchy: Handmade Hard Lotion Bars

The third post in the series Going Crunchy.

Hard Lotion Bars

There are super-moisturizing bars of hard "lotion" that you rub between your hands to apply.  I think they need a sexier name, because they are at least a little bit amazing.  They are said to be effective against eczema and they seem to be effective for my dry hands.  I'm impressed enough with them that I've made multiple batches to give away to ladies I know who could use some hand-pampering and the moms of kids with eczema. 

There are recipes posted online for these bars in multiple places, but the basic formula is this: one part moisturizing oil such as coconut oil or almond oil, one part shea butter or cocoa butter and one part beeswax.  Simply melt the oil/butter/wax together over low heat in a saucepan, then pour into molds (soap molds or a simple muffin tin).  They harden in less than an hour, at which point I wrap them in parchment for storage or gift-giving.  Using three ounces by weight of each oil/butter/wax yields 4 or 5 half-inch thick two-and-a-half-inch discs (using a standard muffin tin as a mold).  I infuse* my oil with calendula and chamomile because they are said to be soothing and healing to dry skin.

Grace has been using one of these bars nightly on her hands for a week.  The evening before she started using it, her hands were suddenly so red and dry that even applying coconut oil (my go-to moisturizer) to her hands made her cry in pain.  Her hands seem less itchy since she's started using the bar.  Last night when she came into my room after bedtime to say that her legs were itchy, I told her to get her bar, keep it by her bed and rub it on any body part that she was tempted to scratch.  I'm interested to see whether her winter itching and eczema are relieved with daily use.

I don't have eczema, but I've struggled with finding a suitable hand moisturizer for winter.  Most commercially manufactured lotions contain ingredients that contribute to dry skin (alcohol, water,etc), not to mention ingredients of questionable sources.  I've used some "creams" and "butters" before that were more effective, but as I've run out, I haven't replaced them, because I want to get away from their sometimes synthetic ingredients and sometimes harsh scents.  I use coconut oil as a moisturizer frequently, but I've found hemp oil to be more effective on my hands in the winter.  Hemp oil is a hassle, though, because it should be stored in the fridge, and both oils absorb so quickly that they don't leave my hands feeling soft.  I like these hard lotion bars because the shea or cocoa butter and the coconut oil moisturize while the beeswax creates a protective barrier against the winter cold, so my hands feel softer and moisturized longer, at least until I wash my hands again.

And do you know what cocoa butter smells like? Chocolate!  I find it to be a very pleasing smell, not overpowering at all, just pleasant, maybe even luxurious.  And of course, beeswax smells faintly of honey, so that's a nice smell as well.  Shea butter's scent is a little nuttier/earthier than cocoa butter.  If I used all shea butter/no cocoa butter, I think I would want to infuse the oil with something with a pleasing smell or add a drop or two of an essential oil, but when using all or part cocoa butter for the butter part, additional scents are unnecessary.  (Using half shea butter and half cocoa butter, which I've done with later batches) makes me less tempted to want to eat the bar.)

As well as a hand moisturizer, I find this bar to be a perfect lip balm.

I've also been using this bar as a "belly butter" for my itchy, pregnant tummy.  It's more effective than an oil alone, but I want something that spreads a little more easily.  During my last pregnancy Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter was easily the one product I couldn't live without. It was amazing for my itchy tummy.  I think I could make something similar by increasing the ratio of shea/cocoa butter to beeswax in this lotion bar recipe, maybe subbing jojoba oil in place of half of the coconut oil, and storing the product in a shallow jar.  I'll let you know if I try it.

UPDATE:  I made a belly butter.  I've been extremely itchy in the last week, but I've found that if I use coconut oil in the shower or bath (or a moisturizing scrub) on my whole body and then follow with a generous amount of belly butter on my tummy, hips and upper legs (all those parts where the pregnancy stretches the skin), I am not so itchy that I can't sleep. Woohoo!  I didn't really measure well when I was making the belly butter, and the vent fell out of the hood over the stove as I was finishing it, but here's what I remember:

I infused a few ounces of coconut oil and sweet almond oil with calendula and chamomile overnight. After straining out the herbs, I combined the oil in a small saucepan with about two tablespoons of melted beeswax, about an ounce of shea butter and about two ounces of cocoa butter (I would have used more of both butters, but it's time to restock.  I added a couple drops of sweet orange essential oil to give it a fun scent (yum, chocolate-orange), and poured it into a shallow 8 ounce mason jar.  It's very solid, so I have to scrape it out with the back of my fingernail.  It spreads easily (much more easily than a lotion bar).  It moisturizes and creates a protective barrier.  I apply it twice a day.

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*To infuse the oil with herbs:  Turn oven to lowest setting.  (If using coconut oil, melt it in a small saucepan over low heat.)  Add one tablespoon each calendula flowers and chamomile.  Place lid on saucepan.  Turn off oven.  Place saucepan in oven and let steep at least four hours or overnight.  (If using coconut oil, the oil may harden, simply warm it on the stove over low heat.)  Strain out the dried herbs and return the infused oil to the saucepan to continue with the lotion bar recipe.

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I purchase my coconut oil online from Nutiva.  I purchased my beeswax in a block from Borden-Huitt Ranch at the Chico Farmers Market.  (They are the ones who sell the flavored almonds and candles.)  Cocoa butter, shea butter and herbs are available at Chico Natural Foods and S&S Produce and online. 

Going Crunchy: Remineralizing Tooth Powder & Bentonite Clay

 The second in the series Going Crunchy.

Remineralizing Tooth Powder

Does it actually remineralize teeth?  I don't know.  We've only used it for a few weeks, but when I went to the dentist recently I was told I had a small cavity that the dentist wanted to wait to fill until after the pregnancy, so this is an interesting experiment.

I made remineralizing tooth powder using the recipe from Wellness Mama.  I gave each person in the family their own jar. Even though I mixed the powder in my spice grinder, it is a little gritty*, but that encourages good rinsing, right?  The taste is mildly minty with a little clove.  Surprisingly, all three of us girls like the taste.  I like the complexity that the clove adds and the girls appreciate that it is not too minty.  With the next batch, I'll add some spearmint essential oil in Jason's jar, because he'll appreciate a bolder flavor.

I've also started brushing my teeth with activated charcoal for its whitening properties.  It's messy, but Abby, our three year old wants to get in on the game every time I open the jar of activated charcoal, so most nights all three of us girls gather around the bathroom sink, brush with the activated charcoal, laugh about how creepy our black teeth look, then brush with the tooth powder.  (Abby says the tooth powder turns her teeth green, but it really doesn't.  We play along, so she'll keep brushing.)  Then we rinse well, wipe up the mess we've made and the girls get tucked in bed (theoretically).

All ingredients can be found at both S&S Produce and Chico Natural Foods.  Bentonite clay**, activated charcoal, cinnamon and clove are available in the bulk bins.  Xylitol can also be purchased at both stores, though not in bulk.  To make powdered mint leaf, I used dried spearmint leaf which I purchased in the bulk bins (but maybe you dried some from your garden this summer) and ground it in my spice grinder.  I made cal-mag powder by grinding caplets of a Cal-Mag supplement in my spice grinder.  Essential oils, which I did not use this time, are available at both stores, but you may be able to get a better deal from a reputable online company such as Mountain Rose Herbs.  Make sure that any essential oils you purchase are organic and therapeutic grade.

*Some dentists/hygienists/people on the web express concern that baking soda is too abrasive for teeth and/or gums.  I started brushing (mostly) with a paste of coconut oil and baking soda about a year ago, and at both of my dental cleanings since then my hygienist commented that my gums looked better than they had in the past.

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**Bentonite Clay is one of those things I knew nothing about until this year, but it's readily available at natural foods stores and has multiple uses; I'm glad to have it on hand now.  The clay I get is powdered. 

I mix it with a little hot water (and sometimes coconut oil) to make a paste and spread it on itchy skin for our eight-year-old and me.  Some sites recommend wrapping the itchy area in plastic to keep the clay from drying out.  So far, we haven't tried this; we either apply it at night and leave it, or apply it about 20 minutes before a warm bath.

I've administered it to my three-year-old when she woke up complaining that her tummy hurt.  I gave her a 1/8 teaspoon mixed with juice.  She drank it, napped for an hour, vomited and felt much better immediately.  (She's more prone to tummy aches/vomiting than the rest of us, and generally, they are what my mom called "an 8-hour bug."  As far as I can tell the clay absorbed whatever was bothering her tummy and helped her to expel it, recovering much more quickly than usual.)

My husband has used bentonite clay to effectively relieve heartburn: just a 1/2 teaspoon dissolved in water, followed by a full glass of water.  

For myself, I use a Bentonite clay paste as a soothing facial mask. Make a paste with a little water, rub it on, let dry 5 minutes or so, remove with a warm wash cloth and follow with a moisturizer.

Going Crunchy: Invigorating Rosemary Mint Foot Scrub

This post begins the series Going Crunchy: Herbal Remedies and Homemade Body Care Items That I Have Made Recently.

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This week in Chico certainly seems dark and cold. "Wintery" one might say.   Winter fruits and vegetables currently available at the market include mandarins, clementines, oranges (don't you just love a good piece of citrus in the winter?!), apples, root vegetables (carrots, beets and turnips mainly, but also limited quantities of sunchokes, potatoes, parsnips) winter greens (all sorts of kale, lettuces, collards, chard, broccoli) and green onions. Doesn't that list make you want to get in kitchen and saute some greens or at least peel an orange?

I haven't been cooking or blogging much, because this pregnancy has really sapped my energy and skewed my priorities.  Don't worry, we're still eating well.  We recently purchased a quarter beef from Alston Farms (gotta have plenty of that grass-fed, good-source-of-iron-and-healthy-fats beef) and Jason's been cooking lost of steak and organic potatoes.

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Some of you may remember that one of my New Years Resolutions for 2012 was to make more homemade body care products and herbal remedies.  This pregnancy has motivated me to make more of these homemade necessities and nice-ities. (Any pregnant ladies ever feel like there are no truly effective drugs on that short list of "Medications that are Safe during Pregnancy?")  In the absence of food recipes, I thought I'd do a little series on some of the body care items and herbal remedies I've made recently.

Invigorating Rosemary Mint Foot Scrub

This is one of my favorites.  I don't have a source for the recipe.  I just used a common epsom-salt to-oil ratio and infused the oil with things I found invigorating.

In a small saucepan over low heat combine 1/3 cup oil (I use a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil) with a sprig of rosemary and a couple tablespoons dried mint.  When oil is warm, cover the pan, remove from heat and let the herbs steep an hour or more.  Strain the infused oil into a bowl and stir in 1 cup Epsom salt.  Mix with a spatula and transfer scrub to three 4-ounce jars for storage (or gift-giving).

I use about a teaspoon per foot in the shower most days.  Sometimes I also use this scrub as a body scrub.  I find the smell truly uplifting and invigorating.  The Epsom salt exfoliates and gives me a little dose of magnesium.  The olive/coconut oil moisturizes.  It's a pleasant way to treat your feet to a little pampering without requiring any extra time.

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Stay tuned for Hard Lotion Bars (my other favorite!), Remineralizing Tooth Powder and Elderberry Syrup.