Using Honey in Homemade Beauty Products

Honey has been used for centuries... did you know that Cleopatra loved her honey-and-milk baths? Honey attracts and retains water, making it perfect for use in shampoos, conditioners, cleansers and creams. It's also anti-irritant, making it good for people with sensitive skin, including baby products. (Note: Never feed a baby honey though!)

Moisturizing Bath
Add ¼ cup honey to warm-to-hot bath water for a moisturizing bath. Good for a baby's bath, although use less honey!

Hair Leave-In Conditioner
Add 1 teaspoon of honey into 4 cups of warm water. After shampooing, pour mixture over hair, and leave in / don't rinse out. Dry as usual.

Moisturizing Mask
Mix 2 teaspoons of milk to 2 tablespoons of honey. Smooth over face and throat. Leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Body Lotion
Combine 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon honey and 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice. Rub into your body parts that feel dry: elbows, heels, hands, etc. Leave on for about 10 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Face Scrub
Grind enough almonds to make 2 tablespoons (almond meal - finely ground almonds). Add 1 tablespoon of honey and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. Rub gently onto face for about a minute. Rinse face with warm water.

Toning Face Mask
Whisk 1 egg white until fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 teaspoon glycerin and about 1/4 cup of flour - enough to make a paste. Apply to face and throat, and leave on for about 10 minutes. Rinse it off with warm water. Once a week would work fine.

How to Make a Cotton Wick

I found this instruction on how to make wicks for kerosene lanterns, and will probably work with candles too.

Use cotton balls!

1. Loosen the fibers of three cotton balls by unraveling the cotton fibers to stretch the cotton to an elongated shape.
2. Place the elongated cotton balls on a flat surface.
3. Connect the ends of the three elongated cotton balls by overlapping ½ inch of the bottom part of the first cotton ball to ½ inch of top part of the second one.
4. Repeat for the third cotton ball.
5. Then, using your fingers, roll them up together tightly to produce a long wick.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_5004463_homemade-kerosene-lamp-wicks.html

I would then dip in wax once or twice to stiffen (so it will stay in place). Cut to size needed.

Usually I buy a bag of cotton balls a month for storage purposes. I did a little more research, and growing our cotton won't be too difficult if we follow information carefully. Then, we'll harvest the cotton, save the seeds, and keep the cotton separate. It can be used to make wicks, or to spin into cloth.

Which means, sigh, more research.

Oily Skin Face Mask

Simple recipe for a face mask to use on oily skin.

Ingredients:
1 egg white
1/2 cup instant oatmeal, cooked

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

Mix the ingredients until smooth. Apply to your face (use a special paintbrush or sponge) and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm-to-hot water.

Wicks to Use to Make Candles

I've researched and researched and can't find a good reliable source of information. What can we use to make wicks for our homemade candles? Here's what I've found:

• plain cotton string


• plain cotton twine


• store-bought?!?!

I'm at a loss.

At our next homestead, I plan to plant some cotton. I'll pick the cotton then twist it into string to use as wicks. Meanwhile...

1. Please.... if you have an idea of what we can use for wicks to make wax candles and beeswax candles and even bayberry candles, please leave your information as a comment here. We're looking for something that we can make from what we can grow.
2. Is there a book or website or anything that shows how to twist or otherwise manipulate raw cotton into wicks? Please comment.

Thanks. When I've gathered the information and tried it out, I'll put up a separate posting.

Laundry Spray Treatment for Stains

Here's a spray treatment for stains. Easy to make with ingredients found in most homes.

You'll Need:

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide

1 cup very hot water

Directions:
Mix all ingredients, allow to cool, then store in a spray bottle. (Mark the bottle.)

To Use:

Spray on stained spot until thoroughly wet, then allow to sit overnight. Reapply as needed.

Laundry Treatment of Stains

I admit it: I'm a slob. One or two days a week, I end dinner looking like someone threw food at me. Even if it's something dry, somehow I manage to get something on my shirt. I've started wearing the same three tops at dinner just because I'm tired of ruining my clothes. I hate to say it but I'm kinda a joke when it comes to eating. Where's my bib?!?!

So I got to looking for stain treatments that I can make at home and that actually work. Found it!

What You'll Need:

• Pieces and leftover slivers of bar soaps


• Jar


• Boiling Water

Directions:
Collect the pieces and leftover slivers of bar soaps in a jar set aside for just that purpose. You have soaps leftover from the hotels while on vacation? Add those too (cut into small chunks). When the jar is about half-way filled with small soap chunks, add enough boiling water to 1/2 inch from the top. I use a craft stick to stir to mix the soap cunks with the water until the soap is melted. Once this cools, it won't harden; instead, it'll become like jelly. Place a cap on it when not in use.

To Use:
Gob (er, dab) onto the stain and mix in a little. If you can't wash it right away, just toss the stained piece back into the laundry hamper with the gob on it.