A selection of recipes to maintain, treat and nourish your skin.

 

Videos

These videos were recorded are and hosted by a third party.

How to make an exfoliating cleanser

How to make a cleanser

How to make a face mask

How to make a honey face mask

How to make a toner

How to make an infusion

 

RECIPES

Cleansers
Cleansing Lotion
Clear Cleansing Gel

 

Toners
Loveliness Refreshing Facial Toner
Neroli Toner
Mother Nature's Toners

 

Face Masks
Regular Face Mask
Mineral Mud Festival Face Pack
Saturday Sludge, Wipe Away The Week Face Mask
Seaweed Sushi Mask - For All Skin Types
Volcanic Ash Mineral Skin Brightener

 

Gels
Xanthan Gel
Anti-Ageing Facial Gel

 

Creams & Oils
Hydrating Day Cream
Quick Fix Cream
Cream Crackered

 

Cleansing Lotion

Ingredients - Oils
25g castor oil
25g sweet almond oil
10g emulsifying wax NF

Ingredients - Waters
70g spring water
20g rose water
5g glycerine

Ingredients - Other
5 - 7 drops geranium essential oil
1.5g optiphen preservative

Place the oils in a heatproof jug or bowl and heat over a pan of hot water (bain marie style) until the wax has melted.  Heat the waters and glycerine until they are roughly the same temperature as the wax/oils mixture.  Remove the jugs/bowls from the heat.

Slowly pour oils into waters and stir with a hand whisk to prevent separation.  Stir for at least two minutes.  As the mixture cools it will thicken.  

Add the essential oils essential oils and the preservative and continue to stir until thoroughly blended. Place in bottle or screw top jar and keep in a cool place. Label container.

Directions - Apply directly to a cotton wool pad wipe across face in a sweeping motion.

Shelf Life - 9 months

For a milkier cleanser, add another 25g water at the water stage (this can be a mix of water and floral water).

 

Clear Cleansing Gel
17g sucragel
82g fractionated coconut oil
1g essential oil

Place sucragel into a bowl or jug
Slowly add the coconut oil whisking while you pour. Whisk and whisk again.  Whisk a little bit more (yup, the secret to having a great cleansing gel is in the whisking!)
Add essential oil and give one final whisk.

Pour into a 100ml jar.

To use:  Place a little clear cleansing gel onto a cotton wool pad and wipe across the face.  Repeat as necessary.

Shelf Life: 12 months

 

Loveliness Refreshing Facial Toner

100g orange blossom water
2g olive squalane
0.5g xanthan gum
1g optiphen preservative
3 drops rose essential oil
3 drops neroli essential oil
2 drops rosemary essential oil
1 drops lemon essential oil
1 drops peppermint essential oil
1 drops benzoin essential oil

Place the water, squalane, preservative and essential oils into a bowl.  Sprinkle over the xanthan gum and stir well to thoroughly incorporate the xanthan gum.  If the gum refuses to behave and is difficult to dissolve, leave overnight to seep and stir again in the morning.  When  completely mixed and slightly thickened, place the ingredients into a suitable container.  Shake well.

Directions for use: Cleanse the face thoroughly.  Dab facial toner onto a cotton wool ball and wipe across face before applying moisturiser.

Shake well before each application
Shelf Life: 9 months

 

Neroli Toner
5g sucragel
84g orange flower water
7 drops neroli essential oil
1g optiphen preservative

Place all the ingredients into a bowl or jug and mix well using a milk frother whisk or similar.
Place into a bottle.  Shake the bottle before use.
To use - place on a piece of cotton wool and wipe across the face after cleansing.
Shelf life: 9 months

 

Mother Nature Toners

Oily or Skin Prone to Spots
15g witch hazel water
3g lemon juice
5g apple cider vinegar
40g water

Dry & Sensitive Skin
16g aloe vera juice
16g rose floral water
20g water

Place all the ingredients in a bottle and shake well. Label bottle.

Directions - Use a cotton wool pad and wipe across face in sweeping motion avoiding the eye area

Shelf Life - 3 weeks.  To increase shelf life to 9 months add 0.5g optiphen preservative with the other ingredients. 

 

Regular Face Mask

20g spring water
20g cosmetic clay
5g peach kernel oil
3 drops lavender essential oil

Place water in a small bowl (a ramekin is the perfect size)
Sprinkle clay over the water and leave until fully absorbed.
Add peach kernel oil and essential oil and mix well
Place in a 50ml jar

Directions - Apply a thin layer on face avoiding the eye area. Moisturise lips before applying it around mouth (this will help prevent getting the mask on your lips and drying them out). Leave on until hard. Grimace before removing to help remove face mask. To remove - either wash off, or gently rub off then wash the traces off.

Shelf Life - 2 weeks (keep in the fridge)

 

Mineral Mud Festival Face Pack

My children smile at me writing this one since it involves putting mud onto your face rather than washing it off!

15g dead sea mud
10g green kaolin clay
25g rosemary floral water
5g jojoba oil

Place the water and oil into a small bowl and sprinkle the mud and clay onto the water/oil.  Leave to seep for five minutes beofre mixing into a paste.  Adjust with more water or clay to achieve a smotth, glossy paste-like consistency.

Directions for use:
Spread a layer onto face avoiding eye and lip areas.  Leave for 15 minutes before washing off in tepid water.  Moisturise well.

Shelf life:
3 weeks (please keep in a sealed container in the refridgerator)

Enough or approximately 3 facial treatments.

 

Saturday Sludge, Wipe Away The Week Face Mask

I use this most Saturday mornings - there is something extremely therapeutic about wiping the week away and preparing yourself for the weekend with a more positive mindset!

As well as wiping away the week's stresses, this mask will absorb dirt, grime and toxins and whilst cleaning and softening your skin too.

15g white clay (rid yourself of the ticking off you had for being late)
10g-12g honey water (banish the guilt for eating that extra cake)
5g runny honey (absolve yourself for shouting at the kids)

Place 10g honey water in a small bowland sprinkle over the white clay.  Allow the clay to start absorbing the water for a couple of minutes and then stir.  Add a teaspoonful of runny honey and stir again.

The texture you are aiming for is a light paste that won't dribble when it is spread over your face.  Add a little more water or clay to adjust if necessary.

Directions for use - spread a layer of face mask over your cheeks, nose, chin and forehead and leave to harden (about 10 - 15 minutes).

Shelf life - 1 week (so two Saturdays if made on the first Saturday).  Please keep in the fridge in lidded container.

Rinse off and moisturise.  Smile and be happy.  It's almost Sunday.

 

Seaweed Sushi Mask - For All Skin Types

15g white clay
5g powdered kelp
15g spring water
2 drops rosemary essential oil

Mix all the ingredients together until they forms a smooth consistency.

Directions for use:  Smooth onto your face avoiding the eye area.  Leave on for 15 minutes then rinse with warm water.

Shelf Life - 5 days if kept in fridge in sealed container

 

Volcanic Ash Mineral Skin Brightener

30g spring water
20g kaolin clay
10g volcanic ash
1g jojoba oil
3 drops essential oil

Place water in a small bowl (a ramekin is the perfect size)
Sprinkle clay and volcanic ash over the water and leave until fully absorbed.
Add jojoba oil and essential oils and mix well

Directions - Apply a thin layer on face avoiding the eye area. Leave on until hard.
Moisturise lips before applying it around mouth (this will help prevent getting the mask on your lips and drying them out). 
To Remove - Grimace before removing to help loosen mask.  Gently rub in small circles to remove mask from face.  Wash traces off with tepid water.  Moisturise well.

Shelf Life - 2 weeks if kept in sealed container in fridge

 

Xanthan Gel
 
100g warm spring water
1g xanthan gum
1g optiphen preservative
 
Sprinkle the xanthan gum over the water and leave to seep for 10 minutes. Using a whisk, gently combine the xanthan gum into the water so that it is thoroughly incorporated. If there are some undissolved specks of xanthan, leave for 30 minutes or so OR heat over a gentle heat to 70°C and then gently whisk again.  It can take a while for the xanthan gum to soften and disperse.  I often leave it to seep overnight and then whisk it in the morning.
 
Once the mixture has cooled to tepid add the preservative. Whisk one more time to ensure the preservative is thoroughly mixed in.
 
Place in a jar and use as a gel or as a thickener.
Shelf life: 12 months
 
Note: The gel that you have just made can be coloured with a little mica for effect.  You can add a little glitter to the gel and use directly as a glittery body gel.
 
You can add a little essential or fragrance oil to the gel (less than 0.5% is sufficient) and use it as a treatment gel - leave on or wipe off. A peppermint cooling foot gel is especially lovely after a night out in the highest of heels!

 

Anti-Ageing Facial Gel

48g spring water
0.5g xanthan gum
3 drops frankincense essential oil
0.5g optiphen preservative

Place water in a jug.
Sprinkle xanthan gum over the water and whisk until there are no more lumps (don't beat it, just whisk to soften and dissolve the lumps)
Add essential oil and preservative and continue to whisk
Place in jar. Label jar.

Directions - Use a layer of gel on your face and neck. Leave on for 15 minutes then wash off

Shelf Life - 3 months 

 

Age Repair Lifting Oil

This recipe makes a little bottle of skin rejuvenation!

10g olive squalane
2g rosehip oil
2g evening primrose oil
1g blackcurrant seed oil

Blend the ingredients together in a small bowl and then decant into a 15ml bottle, preferably with pipette dripper attachment.

Directions:  Take a little pea sized blob and massage into face before applying day or night moisturiser.  Your skin will thank you.

Shelf Life: 6 months

 

Quick Fix Moisturiser

Ingredients - Oils
12g sweet almond oil
13g peach kernel oil
7g e-wax NF

Ingredients - Waters
30g water
10g floral water

Ingredients - Other
4 drops frankincense essential oil
0.5g optiphen preservative

Place the oils in a glass jug and melt over a pan of hot water
Place the waters in a glass jug and warm over a pan of hot water

Off the heat, slowly pour oils into waters and stir for at least two minutes to prevent separation.

Keep mixing (a hand held whisk is useful here). As soon as the mixture starts to thicken, add essential oils and preservative and continue to stir until thoroughly blended.

Place in jar and store in a cool place. Label jar.

Directions - massage into skin as required

Shelf Life - 9 months

 
Hydrating Day Cream
6g sucragel
10g avocado oil
1g vitamin e
65g spring water
1g xanthan gum
1g optiphen preservative
3 drops geranium essential oil

Place the water in a heatproof jug or bowl.  Sprinkle the gum over the water and heat the mixture up to approximately 70°C.
Heat Sucragel and avocado oil to 70°C.
Add sucragel / avocado to the unstirred xanthan / water mix and whisk well
Keep on stirring until thoroughly combined.
Cool down to room temperature and finally add the vitamin E, optiphen preservative and geranium essential oil

Place into a container
Use daily as a light moisturiser

Shelf life:  9-12 months

 

Cream Crackered

Neroli has a wonderful rejuvenating and regenerative, tonic effect on the skin

Ingredients - Oils
7g melon seed oil
6g evening primrose oil
6g rice bran oil
3g rosehip oil
3g orchid extract
8g e-wax NF

Ingredients - Waters
30g spring water
30g orange blossom water

Ingredients - Other
0.5g optiphen preservative
4 drops neroli essential oil

Place the oils and wax in a heatproof jug and melt over a pan of hot water until the wax has melted
Place the waters in a heatproof jug and warm over a pan of hot water

Off the heat, slowly pour oils into waters and stir to prevent separation.  The mixture will become milky.  Keep mixing (a hand held whisk is useful here).  As soon as the mixture starts to thicken, add essential oils and the preservative and continue to whisk or stir until thoroughly blended.

Once cool, place in jar and store in a cool place.  Label jar.

Directions - massage into skin as required.

Shelf Life - 9 months