Recipes
(Culinary recipes follow cosmetic recipes. All ingredients are available in our store or by mail from us.)
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Honey-Kissed LipBalm
1 cup sweet almond oil, ½ cup beeswax, 2 T honey.
Directions: Heat almond oil and beeswax in a double boiler until beeswax is melted. Whisk honey into beeswax mixture and stir well. Set aside to cool. When cool, pour into small containers with lids. Use as a lip moisturizer or on top of lipstick for extra shine. Makes about 1 ½ cups.
Foaming Vanilla Honey Bath
1 cup sweet almond oil, ½ cup honey, ½ cup castile or other liquid soap, 1 T vanilla extract.
Directions: Combine all ingredients, stir until fully blended. Pour into a clean plastic bottle with stopper or lid. Attach a note stating, “Shake gently before using. Swirl into bathtub under running water. Enjoy your silky, warm escape.” Makes 4 baths worth.
Coffee Sugar Bath Scrub
1/4 cup sweet almond oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup fresh coffee grounds.
Directions: Combine the almond oil, extract and essential oil in a glass measuring cup. Stir well and set aside.Mix the sugar and with fresh coffee grounds. Pour the oil mixture into the sugar mixture and stir well to incorporate fully.
Men’s AfterShave Gel
½ cup pure Aloe Vera Gel, 1 T water, 2 tsp. 100 proof vodka, 2 tsp, witch hazel, 1 bayleaf or 10 drops of bay essential oil
Directions: Allow bay leaf or oil to remain in gel and age for approx. 2-3 days. Then add remaining ingredients and mix well. Put into squeeze bottle or pump bottle for easier dispensing.
Pick-me-up Spritzer
2oz. distilled water, 5 drops of peppermint oil, 10 drops of lavender. Witch hazel or vodka to act as preservative. 2oz. spray bottle.
Directions: Add oils to water. Add a small amount of vodka or witch hazel. Shake.
Sugary Spice Bath Powder
3/4 cup cornstarch, 1T. arrowroot powder , 1/4 tsp. powdered sugar , 2 drops cinnamon essential oil (more if desired)
Directions: Combine cornstarch, arrowroot and powdered sugar in a bowl and stir gently until well blended. Add essential oil, a drop at a time and stir until no lumps remain. Keep in a cool, dry place. Package this powder in a small, round box and tie with a fancy ribbon. Affix a few slices of dried apple or orange and a cinnamon stick to the top for an aromatic gift.
Bay Rum Aftershave and Astringent
Bay leaves, a few whole cloves, allspice berries and pieces of ginger. Essential oil of Bay, if desired.
Directions: Pack a wide mouth jar full of bay leaves. Add a few cloves, allspice berries (crushed) and pieces of ginger root (grated). Cover completely with rum. Let sit for several weeks. Strain and re-bottle. Add a drop or two of essential oil of Bay to strengthen the scent, if desired.
Lavender-Citrus Bath Salts
1 cup Epsom salts. ,1 cup Dead Sea salt ,1 T. crushed lavender , 10 drops lavender essential oil , 3 drops tea tree essential oil , 4 drops grapefruit essential oil , 5 drops tangerine essential oil , 4 drops bergamot essential oil
Directions: Mix the salts and lavender. In a smaller bowl, add the essential oils to about 4 T. of the salt and lavender combo. Add this mixture to the rest of the salts/lavender a little at a time until you like the scent. Store in a glass container.
Skin Butter Recipe
(Thick moisturizer for dry skin)
2oz. shea butter , ½ oz. jojoba oil , ½ oz. avocado or olive oil , 1oz. coconut oil . A few drops of your favorite essential oil.
Directions: Thoroughly mix all ingredients together for a thick creamy skin butter that will absorb well and moisturize even the driest skin.
Oil Based Perfumes
At one time all perfumes were made with essential oils. Commercial perfumes are usually suspended in ethyl alcohol. However, alcohol can be very drying to the skin so many home fragrancers tend to favor oil based perfumes, which also tend to stay on the skin much longer. Essential oils can also be suspended in distilled water to make aromatic water or colognes. There are loads of good recipes out there on the internet and in books. The basic recipe is ten to twenty drops per ounce of carrier oil or water and alcohol. Once mixed your perfume needs a week or two to blend and mature.
Beauty Bath
This blend will leave the recipient relaxed and refreshed with the skin gently scented: 1 cup chamomile flowers to soothe and cleanse 1/2 cup rose petals 1 cup lavender to relax, 1/2 cup peppermint leaves to refresh and stimulate, 1 cup lemon verbena for fragrance. Mix ingredients. To use place 1/2 cup of bath mixture in a muslin bag. (You can buy these bags already made or make your own. If you make your own tie the open end of the bag with a long piece of string.)
Aromatic Spritzer for body or environment
Comes from the old French tradition of using delicately fragranced water to scent towels, linens and other fabrics around the home.
1 part essemtial or fragrance oil to 9 parts 100 proof vodka. Shake to blend. Combine with 4 parts water. Package in a spray bottle.
Floral Water
Add 10 drops of essential oil to 2 ounces distilled water. Chamomile is excellent for all sorts of skin conditions, lavender for acne or oily skin. Use any scent of your choice to use as linen water for ironing.
Sample Eau de Cologne
(use only essential oils, not fragrance oils that are synthetic)
10 drops bergamot, 2 drops rosemary, 10 drops lemon, 20 drops orange, 2 drops neroli.
Directions: Pour your essential oils into 2 ½ ounces of vodka, stirring to ensure dispersal. Leave for 48 hours (I never, do. Don't have the patience) and then add 2 T. spring water. Let stand another 48 hours, longer if you want and have the time.
Gentleman's Delight Cologne
5 drops bergamot, 5 drops sandalwood, 2 drops patchouli, 2 drops lime.
Directions: Mix in one ounce allspice or clove alcohol (vodka in which you've steeped whole cloves or allspice berries for a week or so. If you've used clove or allspice, essential oil you may use immediately.)
Easy Lip Balm - Moisturizer and Gloss
1 1/2 tsp. beeswax, 1 1/2 tsp. shea butter, 1/2 tsp. Jojoba Oil, 1/2 Sweet Almond Oil, 3-4 drops Sweet Orange or Peppermint Oil, 10 drops Vitamin E (optional)
Directions: Melt beeswax, shea butter and oils together in a double boiler. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly. Add essential oil and Vitamin E. Stir and pour into lip balm tubes or containers. If it's too hard, add alitle more jojoba or sweet almond. Reheat. Makes about 5 tubes.
Juniper Incense
1oz. Juniper Berries, crushed, 2 tsp. gum benzoin powder, 2 drops lemon oil, 3 drops clove oil. Combine all ingredients. Burn on a small charcoal disc.
Herb and Sugar Incense
3 T crumbled dried herbs such as rosemary, lavender, lemon balm or verbena, and thyme To each 3 T of herb mixture, add 1 T white or brown sugar. Add a drop of any essential oil you like. Burn 1 or 1 tsp. of mixture on charcoal disc.
Culinary
Lavender–Infused Honey
1 cup honey, 1 T ground lavender.
(You may substitute ginger root, peeled and julienned, one crushed vanilla bean, zest of an orange, fresh or dried rosemary etc.)
Directions: Place honey in a double boiler with water in bottom. Add lavender (or other choice and bring water to a boil. Keep it boiling for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand 10 minutes and then strain. Place in sterilized jars and cap.
Almost Emeril's Essence (Herbed Spice Mix)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 T paprika, 2 tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons garlic powder,1tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried Oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Directions: Combine ingredients. Bottle.
Fenway Park Mustard
2 T mustard powder, 1T turmeric, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, water and white vinegar to mix
Directions: Combine mustard, turmeric, salt and sugar. Slowly add the water and vinegar to make a smooth paste of any consistency you want.
A Spanish Olive Oil
Directions: Add six inches of thoroughly dried orange zest, three to four cups virgin or extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, a few red chilies, one bay leaf.
Make sure your bottle is thoroughly dry or your oil will mildew! Place zest, chilies, and bay leaf in the bottle and use a funnel to pour in oil. Set in a cool, dark, dry place for at least a week.
Country Tarragon Mustard
¼ cup plus 2 T. mustard seed (mix yellow and brown seeds for a nice color), ½ cup plus 1 T. white wine vinegar, 1 tsp. dried tarragon leaves, ¼ cup plus 2 T. water, ¾ tsp. ground coriander, ¾ tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. ground cumin.
Put about half the seeds in a small food professor or mortar. Pulse or crush the seeds until desired consistency is reached. Add the remainder of the seeds and blend well. Turn the mixture into a small heavy saucepan and cook over low heat for five minutes or until it starts to simmer. Use a pestle or heavy wooden spoon to crush, and stir constantly. Cool. If mixture seems too thick, thin it with equal parts vinegar and water. Jar and cap tightly. Keep refrigerated.
End of Season Vinegar
Branches of decorative herbs (our supermarket sells these year round). Whole, slender, colorful vegetables (red chilies, small carrots), three to four cups white or white wine vinegar.
Cut herbs and veggies at different lengths so each will show to advantage in the bottle. Slide into the bottle one by one, shaking the bottle to move the pieces into place. Slowly pour vinegar into the bottle through a funnel. Fill to within ½ inch of the top and cap or cork tightly.
Recipes that need to "sit" (hence, not of the "last-minute" variety).
Homemade Vanilla Extract
1 vanilla bean, 4-5 ounces of vodka or rum.
Grate, cut or mash one vanilla bean. Place in a pretty bottle and pour vodka or rum over it. Let sit, covered for 28 days. If you don't have 28 days and want to hurry the process along, blenderize the bean with a little of the alcohol. Return to the bottle. Strain if you desire. (I don't) and add a new piece of bean if you wish. Give with a card saying "Let sit until....)" if you don't have the required 28 "sitting" days.
Ginger Liqueurs (Not for dieters!!)
1 cup white sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, 1¼ cup water, 3 T. chopped gingerroot, 3 whole cloves, 1 tsp. cardamom seeds, 1 tsp. orange zest, 1 cup 100 proof vodka, ½ cup brandy.
Bring white and brown sugars, water to a boil. Add ginger root, cloves, cardamom and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand until just warm. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out solids. Transfer liquid to a clean one-quart container. Add orange zest, vodka and brandy. Cover and let stand in a cool, dark place for one month. Strain orange zest. Transfer to a clean container and let stand for one week more. Filter into final container. (This and many other delicious recipes come from a great book Cordials from Your Kitchen by Pattie Vargas and Rich Gulling)
Household
Wood Furniture Wax
Yield: approximately 1 cup
2 tablespoons beeswax
1 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon essential oil
1. Melt beeswax and olive oil in a double boiler. Add lemon essential oil as the mixture cools. Pour into a container with a lid.
2. To use, dab furniture wax with a soft cotton clothe and rub into the furniture to both nourish and bring out the wood’s luster.
Use Orange Glass Shiner to polish any glass or mirror to a lovely finish and shine. Enjoy the pleasant aroma, as well.
Yield: 1 cup
4 ounces water
4 ounces apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon borax
1 tablespoon orange essential oil, 1 teaspoon lemon essential oil
Combine all ingredients in a heavy duty plastic spray bottle and shake
well before each use. Spray on glass or mirror and wipe immediately with a clean cloth. (As with all household cleaners, keep this one out of the reach of children.)