DIY Healing Lip Balm

Lip balm is the easiest skincare/beauty product to make. If you’re just starting out your DIY skincare journey, this is the place to start. All you need is some beeswax (preferably the pellets, they simplify the process) and some oil. You can play around the the quantities depending on whether you prefer it firm or soft. Start with extra virgin olive oil, it’s an excellent moisturiser and has healing properties. Use a 1:1 ratio of olive oil and beeswax, melt the beeswax down in a double boiler or microwave, mix in EVOO, pour into a small container and allow to cool.

You can then try adding different ingredients and playing around with the quantities. The firmer your oil (eg coconut oil/ shea butter) the less beeswax you’ll use. Jojoba and coconut oil are another two ingredients I love to use.

I’ve made many lip balms and love this one. The great thing about making your own products is that you can decide what goes into it, you can tweak it to suit you and you can make sure there are no nasties in it.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Beeswax pellets (or grated) – This creates a later of protection on your lips to seal in moisture.

1 tbls Shea butter – very moisturising, great for healing sore lips.

1 tsp almond oil – revitalises, soothes, moisturised, evens lip colour and the vit B2 treats cracked corners.

1 tsp raw honey – amazing ingredient which protects, heals, revitalises and moisturises. It’s anibacterial and inflammatory properties even help remove scars.

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil – Extra virgin has a high concentration of antioxidants which is good for healing, it’s also an excellent moisturiser.

10 drops vit E – protects lips and skin from sun damage and has anti ageing properties

3 drops peppermint essential oil – adds a great flavour and has healing properties.

Method:

Gently heat the beeswax and Shea butter in a double boiler or use a bowl over saucepan with boiling water in it. Remove from heat and wipe the outside of the bowl, you don’t want to get any water in your lip balm as it can go mouldy. Add the rest of your ingredients, mix and quickly transfer to your clean and dry lip balm container. Allow to cool.
I use the little breakfast glass jam jars from the hotel I work at. They would otherwise go in the bin, you could probably enquire at your local hotel.

Enjoy X

Paleo chocolate cake

Giving up grains, dairy, refined sugar and processed/junk food doesn’t mean no treats! This cake was so easy and very tasty, the kids loved helping and eating!

I pinched the recipe from Paleolithic diet recipe book, originally called chocolate loaves.

Makes a small cake, can double the recipe and make 2 with a filling e.g. Cashew nut butter, in the middle.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2/3 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup arrowroot

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

5 eggs

1/4 cup raw coconut oil – melted

2/3 cup raw honey

1 tsp natural vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat your oven to 160•C (140•C fan) grease a small cake tin or 8 individual loaf tins.

Sift together the dry ingredients.

Beat together the wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Fold through until incorporated.

Pour the batter into your tin or oven proof dish. Bake for 25-30 min until cake tester comes out clean.

Remove to a wire rack to cool before serving.

Nut butter / coconut butter made a nice topping, otherwise my kids favourite is to make some Nice-cream (blended frozen berries & banana) topped with frozen blueberries, or add some fruit or just enjoy plain.

   
    
   

   
Enjoy X 

Creamy Paleo ‘Yoghurt’

Nourishing my insides by eating Paleo makes me feel like a Super Hero! Dairy definitely doesn’t agree with me but I do miss it, especially yoghurt. So I started experimenting with chai seeds and came up with this delicious creamy recipe. The Avocado gives it the creaminess (without the avo flavour), the lemon juice prevents it from turning brown and the chai seeds help thicken it up. 

You’ll need to soak your cashews first for at least 4h to soften them.

Makes about 200ml

*UPDATE: if you haven’t got a small blender you could try first blending just the chai seeds (dry) until fine powder. Replace the cashews and water for 200ml coconut milk and follow recipe.*

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cashew nuts

1 Tbs chai seeds

150ml water

1 medjool date

1/2 small avo

1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) blueberries/strawberries 

2 tsp lemon juice 

Method:

Soak the cashews for at least 4h. 

Rinse the cashews well and add to blender (preferably a small blender or use a stick blender) add the chai seeds and about 1/4 cup of water (to just cover ingredients) and blend well. When is gets thick, add your date and a bit more water (about 30ml) and blend. 

 
Your ingredients should be ground down, smooth and thick. Add the rest of your water, lemon juice, avo and fruit and blend.

  
It should be the consistency of a very thick smoothie. Taste it, if you want more sweetness add another date or some honey if you want more sharpness, add some frozen cranberries (if you have any). I like the taste as it is. It should be  smooth, if the chai seeds are still crunchy, they have not been ground down enough, you need to blend it some more.

Pour into a jar and refrigerate, it will thicken up overnight (or at least 3h). 

  
 
Enjoy! I had mine for about 3 days and it didn’t go brown, was perfect with my Paleo Veggie Brekkie – see other post, and frozen blueberries (I love FROZEN blueberries, I eat them like sweets).

Next day:   

 

Paleo egg wrap lunch

One of my kids favourite meals used to be tortilla wraps. Since the whole family are eating clean, refined grains are off the menu, how sad. However these tasty egg wraps make a great alternative and are super easy to make. My kids love them, result!

All you need are eggs and coconut flour. You can substitute the coconut flour with almond flour (ground almonds) if you wish.

Ingredients:

2 Eggs

1 tsp coconut flour

1 tsp coconut oil or clarified butter

Wrap fillings of your choice

Method:

Mix your eggs with some coconut flour and seasoning. I use 2 eggs with 1 tsp coconut flour. I use my stick blender to prevent lumps, but you can whisk it if you don’t have a blender.

 

  Heat your pan and add oil, pour in egg mix and tilt your pan so that you have an even layer of egg mix covering the pan.

  
When the sides of the egg start to lift from the pan, flip it and cook other side. Remove from pan.

  
Add your fillings and roll it up. Iceberg lettuce adds a wonderful crunch and paleo mayo tastes delicious. You can also make a wrap for each person and leave all the fillings in the middle of the table, allowing everyone to make their own. 

   
   

Enjoy x 

Natural DIY Olive Oil and Milk Soap

My journey of making natural skincare, hair and beauty products all started with soap. I have made many variations and love this one (recipe from my mom – thanks Mom), it is great for eczema, sensitive skin, your face or your babies skin. It doesn’t created much lather, but it’s gentle and mild and leaves your skin feeling lovely.

I used to be addicted to hand and body cream because commercial soap would leave me feeling dry. Now my skin only feels dry after swimming in a chlorinated pool, but soon returns to normal without moisturising. I don’t moisturise my hands Or body anymore, it’s great! Commercial soap contains a long list of ingredients, including harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrances and dye.

“But what about the caustic soda?” Yes I hear you, you need this to turn the fat into soap, there is no way you can make soap (from scratch) without it. However the caustic soda is neutralised during the soap making process (saponification), so once it’s cured and ready to use, NO caustic soda remains in it, it is completely safe at this point.

❗️We do have to be careful while making it, because the caustic soda (lye) BURNS! Wear gloves and goggles if you are new to this and if you get it on your skin, WASH IT OFF IMMEDIATELY. Same goes for your work surfaces, floor and clothes. Keep the room well ventilated and do it when there are no kids or pets around. DON’T use any aluminium pots or spoons. Use stainless steel, cast iron pot and steel, wood or plastic utensils. Line your work surfaces with newspaper if you think they might stain.❗️

Ingredients and equipment:

Ingredients:

165g Full cream milk

63g lye/caustic soda/ sodium hydroxide

500g Olive oil

Essential oils of your choice (optional). I put Ylang Ylang in this one, it smells nice and has great properties, however I’m not convinced they hold their properties after the whole process. Most essential oils don’t hold their fragrance. Peppermint is one I sometimes use, it gives a good fragrance, but you need to use quite a bit. I sometimes put lavender or tea tree in as well.

Equipment:

Stainless steel saucepan

Mixing bowl

Whisk

Thermometer (I use a sugar thermometer)

Stick blender (Emerson blender). I have seen recipes where people use their Kenwood mixer on a low setting so it doesn’t splash. Hand beater might splash the mix, so it’s not good as the caustic soda is still present.

Scales

Mould-you can use one plastic container and cut it up the next day, just line it with cling film to assist removal. I use silicone cupcake holders, the soap comes out easily and they look cute.

Blanket or towel.

Method:

Weigh your milk and get it in the freezer, it needs to be slushy. The lye heats up when added, freezing it first prevents the milk proteins from cooking.

Slowly add your lye, whisking well at the same time. It smells gross and goes a yellow green colour. Don’t worry if it starts to cook slightly and it goes slightly lumpy (like scrambled eggs).

Set aside to cool.

Now slightly heat your oil in the saucepan. Take the temperatures for both milk mix and oil. You need them to be the same temperature, around 110-125 F. If one it warmer put a little cold water in the sink and sit the bowl or pot in there to cool, or put an ice pack under the warmer one.

When they are both the same temperature, carefully add them together and mix using your stick blender. Try not to splash it. Mix for a minute or two and then leave it for a few minutes (get your mould ready during this break) and repeat until you reach trace (the mixture gets stable, the ripples formed stay on the surface, it’s thick and pourable).

Once you reach trace you can add any fragrances. If you add herbs they will probably change colour, experiment and have fun, that’s the joy of making your own soap – you decide what goes into it.

Pour your soap into your mould/s and cover with cling film (optional, I cover it to prevent it going onto my blanket).

Wrap it up in a blanket or towel so it can cool down slowly. Leave it for around 15 hours.

The next morning it/they should be firm, remove from the mould and cut into blocks if you used one mould. Place your soaps on a drying rack or somewhere ventilated and allow to cure and harden for a couple of weeks. The colour changes slightly and should go really hard.

This batch makes 10 cupcake size soaps.