Natural, Non-toxic, Face Cream.

Did you read my post on Toxic Beauty? Well, I thought I would share with you my easiest non-toxic beauty product. Its so simple! Raw Unrefined Shea Butter... thats it, really. It is my most favorite face cream. I use it at night and in the morning.
Shea butter is a natural wrinkle cream. It is great for stretch marks, dry and chapped lips and skin, acne, cracked heels, diaper rash, eczema, psoriasis, bug bites, dark spots, cuticles, hair and scalp, sunburns... great all around moisturizer and skin protection.
I have been using it for a few months now and I am so pleased with the benefits. I recently tried a different homemade face moisturizer recipe and the next day my face was all red and bumpy.

 Here is what my shea butter looked like when I bought it. 

Shea butter is great all by itself, or you can add some essential oils. I have mixed mine with Frankincense and Myrrh which are great for your skin. Be careful of Myrrh if you are pregnant though because ingested it can cause bleeding. Going on your skin it may be fine but I would be safe and avoid it. If you like lavender it is good for your skin also, as well as tea tree oil.
To mix I added some chunks of Shea butter to a small glass jar, then put the jar into a cup or bowl. Something that is taller or as tall as the jar. Into the bowl add boiling or very hot water. It's like a stoveless double boiler method. This will melt the Shea butter quickly since it has a low melting point. I don't recommend using a microwave but that's just me. I stirred mine with a toothpick, popsicle stick, or bamboo skewer. Makes for easy clean up. Once it is melted add your essential oils. I dont know if there are any rules to how much you should add. I read somewhere that 10 drops to every 2 oz. was a good ratio.
I have learned a lot about Shea butter. Here are a few things you should know before buying: you definitely want to get the unrefined. Refined is often done so with chemicals and we don't want chemicals on our face. I don't think the benefits are as great either.
Shea butter is very soft with a low melting point, so it will melt on your skin from your body heat. When you rub it on your face it feels almost oily, don't panic, it will absorb and leave your skin super soft. I was afraid that my sensitive skin would break out badly by putting this "greasy" feeling stuff on it, but it didn't. It healed my acne and my skin has a smooth appearance now. I still slightly break out  monthly, but it heals quickly now and is not as bad.
It has varying yellow colors, so if you get yours and it doesn't look like the picture from the site you ordered it from, don't worry. Depending on how old it is or even what part of Africa it came from can make a difference in the color. It also has a smoky, nutty... strange smell. Not bad, just strange, natural, different. Since it is a nut I don't recommend using it if you have nut allergies.
You can find it all over the place, its often found mixed with other ingredients. Stick with pure, unrefined. That's all you need. I bought mine from Soap Goods, because they had a decent shipping price.
I have made a couple other recipes with my Shea butter which I will share with you later.
I figured I pay $0.56 an ounce... so cheap! Olay anti-wrinkle cream is about $6.00 an ounce and contains toxic ingredients. So see!  In this case its cheaper to go "natural". Give it a try and let me know what you think.

p.s.
I am not a doctor, have no medical degrees or licenses or anything. Just sharing what I have read, and learned and experienced. Your results may vary from mine. I have very sensitive, acne prone skin.

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies and giveaway

Here are a few things I have been up to lately. Oh I got that pesky gallbladder taken out 2 weeks ago today. I feel so much better. I still have Gastroparesis, but I am dealing with it quite well.

There is a tea shop here that not only sells loose tea, but also makes some amazing Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies!
I stopped in there the other day and inhaled one. Wishing I had more I decided to try to make them myself. These turned out pretty good, but not quite as good as the tea shop.

Yield
Makes about 3 dozen
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups white chocolate morsels
1 (6-ounce) package sweetened dried cranberries ( I used Craisins)

Preparation
Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; set aside.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture gradually, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in white chocolate morsels and cranberries.
Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.


I also thought I would make my very first apron. I didn't keep it, but gave it away as a birthday gift. She almost didn't get it, because I loved it so much. I found the pattern in a book called "A is for Apron". Every time I bake or cook I wish I had an apron, but haven't gotten around to making one for myself. I bought some fun fabric when I got the fabric for this one. Now all I have to do is motivate myself enough to make it.

I got my excitement for aprons from this website http://notquitejunecleaver.wordpress.com
She is doing a giveaway right now, and I know it includes an apron. Visit her site and check it out.
Lots of fun stuff there.