I don't have any pictures for what I've been into the last few months. But I do have recipes!
About 10 years ago I got into making soap. While I enjoyed the intense process (cold process, lye and all) it didn't really fit into our new life in the country. Country folk aren't into homemade soap for the same reasons as L.A. gals.
Fast forward those ten years and I find a few more wrinkles than I had bargained for. Not being very vain of appearance, I still considered the possibilities of softening those wrinkles in a natural (green) way. There is something mysterious about the concept of "if it can't go in my body, it shouldn't go ON my body."
Those who know I am far from a health-nut will scoff at that concept, but there it is.
Having a teen daughter I also have the option (responsibility?) of guiding her toward natural products.
The first product I worked with this go-around is pure, unrefined Shea butter. It is not expensive if you buy it by the 5 lb. bag.....messy, yes! But not expensive. What I got was from Ghana. (There is another shea from East Africa that is good for skin, but I wanted the stuff from Ghana.)
When it arrived, I heated it over the range and then filtered it through a mesh kitchen filter into clean mason quart jars. Shea filtered this way is easy to use and no longer has vegetative matter in it.
Tons of entries on the internet complain about the "grainy-ness" of shea butter. Any graininess I've experienced is when it has been heated too many times; even then, rubbing it into the skin makes the shea turn to oil from the heat of your body. Graininess just isn't an issue with me.
FYI---Shea is a fixed oil that remains hard unless heated----even in African climates. It is used as a cooking oil as well as a skin moisturizer. HA------there, it met my criteria!
Shea is a wonderful moisturizer when used alone. It goes on rather oily but is quickly absorbed and leaves the skin happy as anything. I have used other oils with it for different purposes. Let's start with a few recipes:
(Disclaimer: I am not a professional skin expert. Use listed items or recipes at your own risk.)
SHEA BODY BUTTER
100% raw, unrefined shea butter (check Amazon for tons of suppliers)
Mesh strainer or cheesecloth
Small jam jars or mason jar
Heat unrefined shea butter in a double-boiler set up. Once melted, pour through strainer/filter into mason jars or clean, DRY cosmetic jars.
It is important that the shea butter NOT get wet, nor be stored in a humid place like a bathroom. Moisture in the jar will greatly limit the longevity of your moisturizer.
That being said, the shea you purchased in unfiltered form has an expiration date---check to see when it will expire.
More recipes coming soon, as time in busy life allows.....
UPDATE:
I have abandoned this recipe for the new one that I am bonkers over....
Whipped Body Butter
1 part clean unrefined virgin organic shea butter
1 part unrefined virgin organic coconut oil
jars with screw on lids
heat shea over makeshift double-boiler; just long enough to melt.
remove from heat and pour into mixing bowl.
add coconut oil, which will melt into the shea. stir well.
Once they are stirred, put in fridge until mixture has the consistency of spreadable butter.
With a hand mixer, whip this chilled mixture 2-4 minutes. It should be light and fluffy and should peak.
Spoon into jars, making sure to tap down jars now and then to make room for more of the mixture. Put lids on and there you are. The shea helps keep the coconut oil from liquefying at 76 degrees.
AS WITH ALL BODY BUTTERS, NE VER LET MOISTURE GET INTO THE JAR. IT WILL MOLD YOUR PRODUCT. MAKE SURE YOUR FINGERS ARE DRY IF YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE IT DIRECTLY FROM JAR WITH YOUR FINGER.
This make a very "greasy" butter but after five minutes the greasy feeling is gone. I've never had hands/arms feel so soft! If you don't like the smell (which dissipates within 15 minutes) then add EO of your choice as you are whipping it. To me, it still smells like shea, but with an added smell on top. I don't use any EOs in this butter.
