Guide to Basic Ingredients
This is a brief guide to some of the other ingredients used to create magical health and beauty recipes in this book.Some of them you may already have in your kitchen or bathroom, while others are generally easily obtainable in stores or online. This list does not include essential oils, herbs, and so on, which are discussed at length in the different seasonal sections.
Almond Oil (Sweet): An excellent base oil for creating natural beauty and aromatherapy products, this is a light golden oil with richly moisturizing properties that can be used for all skin types.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Preferably organic, this vinegar is an excellent natural astringent with refreshing and soothing properties, suitable for most skin types except very dry or sensitive skins.
Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate): A white, odorless powder with softening and soothing properties. It’s particularly suitable for use in natural bath salts and soaks, and is good at relieving skin irritation and itching.
Beeswax: Use the best quality unrefined beeswax you can find in your beauty balms and other creations. It can be bought in solid blocks and then grated (which is sometimes quite difficult), so I prefer to use the small beeswax pellets, which are easier to both measure and melt. Beeswax brings its own unique properties and a gentle aroma to natural products. Please don’t use synthetic waxes, which are refined and contain chemicals that defeat the purpose of creating natural products.
Benzoin Tincture: A natural (and old) preservative that is used in very small quantities; its old name is friar’s balsam. It does contain iodine, which can be an allergen for some people.
Borax (Sodium Borate): There is something of a controversy about the safety of using borax, but I have used it for some time and haven’t experienced any problems with it. It is a natural crystalline mineral that functions as an emulsifier (binding together oils and water) and a texturizer. It’s also a natural preservative and helps to soften hard water. To be on the safe side, it should never be taken internally, and be careful about getting it on or in your eyes. If you have any type of allergic reaction to chemicals, I would also suggest using gloves when working with borax.
Cocoa Butter: Chocolate, but not as we know it, although it does have a wonderful chocolate aroma! Actually, this is a butter derived from the cocoa bean, and it is beautifully creamy and soothing on the skin, making it an excellent choice for lotions, body butters, and lip salves. It hardens at room temperature but melts with the warmth of the skin, and it helps make beauty products that are thick and creamy in consistency.
Coconut Oil: Naturally rich and creamy, with a wonderful tropical aroma, coconut oil has a multitude of uses in making natural body and beauty products. It’s particularly good for dry, sun-damaged skins and also makes a wonderful hair conditioner. Use organically grown coconut oil wherever possible; it becomes solid at room temperature but can quickly be restored to its liquid state by placing the jar or bottle in a bowl of warm water.
Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate): Another natural mineral salt with excellent pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s good for using in bath salts and blends, and can also be used to relieve painful, aching joints. It’s often combined with both baking soda and sea salt in products; however, it is fairly abrasive so should not be used on dry, broken, or irritated skin.
Glycerin (Vegetable): Lighter than oils but with similar properties, glycerin is a clear, slightly sweet humectant (draws moisture into the skin). It’s excellent when added to lotions and body products specifically designed for dry or mature skin. It can be used in place of alcohol when making herbal tinctures and is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Honey: Preferably raw and organic, since cheaper honey is often adulterated with syrup and other sweeteners. I love adding a little honey to body and beauty products, both for its subtle sweetness and also soothing and hydrating qualities. Please note that honey should not be used on or given to children under the age of twelve months.
Hydrosols (Flower Waters): These fragrant waters are a byproduct of the process of distilling and extracting essential oils. The steam left by these processes contains much of the fragrance and healing properties of the original flower or plant. Hydrosols are wonderful used on their own as refreshing and uplifting body or room sprays or can be added to beauty recipes.
Some commonly available hydrosols include:
Lavender—clean, fresh, and calming
Orange Flower—a happy and uplifting scent
Rose—subtle, warm, and relaxing
Rose Geranium—cooling and invigorating
Rosemary—stimulating and refreshing
Jojoba Oil: Another base oil for aromatherapy and other products, it’s a good alternative to sweet almond oil and has a similar composition to the moisturizing sebum found on our skins. For this reason, it is easily absorbed into the skin without leaving a greasy residue. It’s a very long-lasting oil, excellent in bath and massage oil blends, for use as a hair conditioner, and to improve the condition of nails.
Lemon: I could not function if my kitchen did not contain lots and lots of lemons! Lemon is such a bright, sunny fruit, and just like orange is packed with healthy vitamin C. Lemon is also a natural bleach and can be used on hair to lighten it naturally and give it a sun-kissed look; it removes excess oil, too, and has astringent and disinfectant qualities when used in moderation in facial and body products, but be very careful not to get any in your eyes. Lemon can be photosensitizing, so don’t use lemon-based products or those containing lemon essential oil before spending time in the sun.
Milk (Dried): Whole dried milk contains healthy fats and lactic acid—it enriches bath mixes and can be added to skin cleansers. Don’t use lowfat or no-fat milk powder; it will not work in the same way. If you are allergic to dairy or prefer not to use it, coconut milk powder can be substituted.
Olive Oil: Another base oil, although I find its aroma and general heaviness makes it less suitable than other oils. It can, however, be mixed with a lighter base oil, which still allows its many beneficial healing properties to come through. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to disguise its fragrance in beauty products, so it is best reserved for medicinal applications. Don’t use extra virgin olive oil—that should be reserved for cooking, where it truly comes to the fore!
Orange: Some of the recipes in this book use fresh or dried orange peel or fresh orange juice; obviously, oranges are full of good things such as vitamin C and also impart a wonderful freshness to natural products of all kinds, especially when added to bath scrubs and body care products.
Rosehip Oil: This beautiful oil is derived from the Andean rose hip. It’s very high in essential fatty acids and is ideal for use on mature, dry, or damaged skin; it also helps heal and restore scars and stretch marks. It can be added to facial creams and elixirs, where it has shown amazing results. However, it should not be used on oily or combination skins, where it can actually make them worse.
Sea Salt: This has so many different applications and is also available in different forms. Please use pure non-iodized salt without additives; it’s best to use finely ground salt, since the coarser salts are very abrasive on the skin. You can also use pink Himalayan salt, which has similar properties and is a delicate pink color that looks great in scrubs and other bath products. Don’t use any salt scrubs on the face; they are too harsh and drying. For this reason, they should also not be used on skin that is overly dry, sensitive, or broken.
Shea Butter: A natural product from the karite tree, it’s a soft and creamy colored butter-like product; the scent in its natural form is quite pervasive, so I suggest looking for the white, refined version of this butter, which has the same skin-softening and enriching properties, making it an excellent additive to lotions, creams, and other skincare recipes.
Vitamin E Oil: Available in capsule form, you will find recipes in this book that suggest the addition of one of these capsules; it’s an antioxidant oil helpful in healing and restoring damaged, burnt, or scarred skin. It’s also a mild preservative when added to beauty products.
Vodka: This-well known alcoholic drink is used in making tinctures of herbal or flower material. It is also a simple preservative often used in the making of herbal colognes, toners, and similar products. Be sure to use vodka that’s 80 or 100 proof, but don’t use it on dry, sunburned, or sensitive skin.
Water: One of the most basic and essential of all ingredients! However, when making herbal or natural beauty products, it’s a good idea to use only distilled water or pure bottled spring water since that way you are sure of the purity of the water and that no unwanted chemicals or other undesirables will wind up in your products. If you only have tap water on hand, boil it first, then allow to cool before using.
Witch Hazel: This commercially available liquid consists of water mixed with added witch hazel extract. It’s an excellent natural toner and cleanser, especially for oily or combination skins.