ANB spotlight

I think most people by now know how much I love natural skin care and eco alternatives.  But I also love how many people I have met because of my interests in the natural world. I have made several friends over the years because of all things green.  Some I’ve had the pleasure to meet face to face, and some I haven't met in person yet, but I feel so honored that they are part of my journey.

The all natural beauty (anb) websites recently started doing spotlights on their readers (the three anb websites are owned by my friend Sharon).   I was pleasantly surprised that the first spotlight is on my friend Barbara.  Barbara and I have been friends for years (we met on a forum), she is a very kind and very sweet woman.  Reading her spotlight really moved me; she mentioned how much I helped her with her skin, and how much she loved my skin care products.  Thank you Barbara for not only being a friend, but for spreading the word on natural beauty!  :)

Eco Living: Green, budget friendly gifts. And greening your holiday!

I usually don't post about old articles (unless they haven't been blogged about yet).  But I decided to  post again about last year's holiday related articles.  The first eco living article is on how to green your holiday (ideas on how to make your holidays a little more eco-friendly).  The second is on green and budget friendly gifts.  Lots of ideas on simple to make, nice gifts that are also easy on the wallet.  :)  I have included lots of links to my old recipes too.  Have a Merry Christmas and wonderful holiday!

Eco Living: Candy Cane Toner

When I was writing my newest eco living article earlier this month, I really wanted to share a recipe utilizing vanilla since last month’sarticle was on making vanilla products.  So I decided to share my recipe for my candy cane toner!  This toner smells like candy canes (peppermint and vanilla) and is simple to make.  Best of all it is totally all natural too!  Happy holidays!

Eco Living and DIY Natural Beauty Formulating: Age Spots

I just wrote an article on using natural ingredients to help improve the appearance of age spots.  The article started as a response to a question from an all natural beauty website reader (I am anb’s eco living and DIY natural beauty formulating expert), and Sharon (owner of all three of the anb websites) decided to make it all natural beauty website’s December All Natural Info article too!

There is a wide array of natural ingredients that can help improve the appearance of the skin, but I only wrote about using local, food based, or easy to find ingredients; many of which can be found in your cupboards or fridge or a local health food store.  I also included links to some of my previous eco living article recipes utilizing most of the ingredients! 

I listed a lot of different ingredients (since different ingredients work for different people, and I personally believe a combination of different ingredients is needed for best results), but that only scratched the tip of the ice burg!

One thing I love about all natural ingredients is that they have multiple properties.  So all of the ingredients listed in my article may be helpful in improving the look of brown spots.  But all of them are also great for a wide range of other skin issues and conditions too.

Eco Living: Vanilla :)

I haven’t posted here in a long time (I’ve been focusing on taking care of my health and my dad too).  But I am going to start posting again more since I have a backlog of posts I need to write (I need to post all my previous eco living related articles, as well as new posts exclusive to here). So here is the first of the posts. Last month's eco living article was on vanilla! I included lots of recipes on vanilla extract (alcohol and glycerin based), and vanilla infused oil.  Both can be used in baking or for skin care (if using for consumption, make sure you are using food grade ingredients).

It is usually best to buy vanilla beans online, since it is much less expensive and the quality is superb.   You can get 1/2 to 1 pound for much cheaper than buying in a super market, and if you buy from a vanilla vendor, most likely the beans will be fresher since they have a higher turnover rate so the beans won’t be sitting around for several months on a store’s shelf.  There are a couple different grades of beans: I always try to buy organic beans and to get the highest grade possible since higher quality beans have the best flavor.

There are also a few different species of beans, which vary in flavor.  Most people are familiar with Vanilla planifolia, which yields a rich vanilla flavor.  Vanilla tahitensis is vanilla, floral, and fruity.  Both make delicious vanilla products!

For best storage, I wrap a few beans in parchment paper or plastic wrap.  Then I package it in zip lock bags, and I make sure to push most of the air out (I try to use biodegradable zip lock bags which decompose in landfills in a few years, you can find them at whole foods or other health food stores).  Then I put that in either another zip lock bag or a glass container.   I learned the parchment paper/plastic wrap tip from a coop I was in a few years ago: but I use the zip lock bags or glass containers to really keep the air out.  This helps keep the beans moist and plump: my beans have stayed fresh for a long time using this method.

Quick tip if you have really dry beans and don’t want to make extract or an oil: you can grind them up and make vanilla powder.  

There is also a vanilla paste: one of these days I am going to try to make my own!

For more information on vanilla in skin care products check out my vanilla post on Earth Alkemie’s (my skin care business) blog.

0082912 Blog updates

Answered a comment on an old post on vegetarianism and hypoglycemia.  Thanks Louise for your comment!  I wil try to post more on this topic in the future.

Please note all comments are moderated.  Spam and any comment with a link it is immediately deleted. Thanks for understanding!

Jasmine Infused Oil

Pictured: Jasmine Infused Oil

A week or so ago I bought a jasmine sambac plant.  Right now it has mostly buds and only a couple flowers, so hopefully in a few days more buds will open and bloom.  Jasmine is one of my favorite scents.  There is nothing like the scent of jasmine; many people have never smelled the real thing.  Most of the jasmine scents on the market are synthetic since a single ounce of real jasmine absolute or the co2 extract is really expensive: anywhere from $150-300 wholesale, so most companies don’t use the absolutes. I use three jasmine absolutes (from different species) and two jasmine waxes in perfumery and natural skin care.  I have also tried the co2 extract as well as the organic extract (which is made similar to the absolute but made with benign and organic solvents). True jasmine is sensual, deep, sweet, and honeyed.  The plant I have smells similar to its absolute, a bit less intense but still heady. Its scent is pure heaven! :)

A few days ago I started making jasmine infused oil, which is similar to making other herbal infused oils (just made with fresh flowers instead of dried, and it will require multiple infusions).  My plant is medium sized, so far only two flowers have opened, and it has just a handful of buds, so I imagine it is going to take me a while to make the infused oil.  I placed the first of the flowers in a few ounces of carrier oil (I used fractionated coconut oil for its long shelf life but any oil can be used).  I’ll be doing each infusion for shorter amounts of time (just a few days each time, since this is using fresh plant parts, and I am doing multiple infusions—whenever the flowers bloom).   I used a jar for now (easier to strain or pick out the spent flowers) but will place the final product in a bottle later.  This will probably take me several weeks to months to complete, so a bit longer than the typical infused oil, but I am sure it will be well worth the wait!

I can’t wait until it is done so I can compare the scent of jasmine infused oil with (diluted) jasmine sambac absolute and jasmine sambac wax.  I’ve had jasmine plants in the past but I have never made a jasmine infused oil before, so I am excited to see how it turns out!  Definitely will be using the final product in perfumery or skin care!  

Eco Living: Reusing Packing Materials

I try to be as green as possible.  So before I throw anything out, I always first try to find a way to reuse it or recycle it, and only throw things out as a last resort.  So recently when cleaning out my business supplies, I found myself faced with mounds of packing materials (my skin care business has been temporary closed for a while, and I just restocked all of my ingredients in anticipation of my reopening.  So I had a lot of excess packing/shipping materials lying around!).  So for this month's eco living article I have written ways to reuse packing materials.  Hope you like the article!

Eco Living/DIY Home Formulating: Powdered Fruit Extracts in skin care recipes

Another awesome question from K!  My most recent eco living/diy home beauty formulating question was on powdered fruit extracts.  Powdered fruit extracts and fruit powders are a wonderful way to use fruits in cosmetics.  K asked me if they can be subbed for juices in natural, fresh, kitchen cosmetic blends.  The answer: it depends since there are a few types of fruit extracts.  I use them extensively (both in crafting for myself, and I used them in crafting my skin care line too).  In the article I described the different kind of powdered fruit extracts and powders that I am familiar with, and offered some advice on subbing them for juices in the recipes.  Enjoy!

There are also liquid fruit extracts too, but I did not go over them since the question was specifically for the powdered kind.  But the liquid ones are all of the usual herbal and lab types of extracts: tinctures, vinegars, glycerites, oils, and also lab concentrated fruit extracts.

Eco Living: Water Conservation

One of my focuses in grad school was conservation, so it is a subject near and dear to my heart (I hope when I get way better--health wise--that I can return to environmental biology/conservation field work or eco community work!).  As our population continues to rise, and as we face more and more ecological changes, I believe it is more important than ever to make changes in how we live and how we do things.  It doesn't have to be complicated, but even simple changes in our every day lives can make huge impacts.


I wrote my most recent eco living article on water conservation, mostly a few tips on how to reduce indoor water usage during showering and bathing.  

I hope you like the article!

Eco Living/DIY formulating: Green cleaning and scenting melt and pour

Here are my last two Eco Living/DIY formulating articles!  I answered them in late June but due to many different reasons didn't get to post until now.

The first one is on cult classic fels naptha soap and green cleaning.  When I got this question I was very interested in researching this soap.  I hadn't heard about it before but I found out it had been around over 100 years, and I love learning about historic products.    But the ingredient list made me cringe (it is owned by Dial now), it was far from 'natural' or non-toxic as many have touted.  So in my article I broke down potentially toxic or irritating ingredients, provided references and other informative articles.  I also recommended other laundry alternatives that were truly naturally and relatively non-toxic (as long as the ingredients are correctly used).

My second article was an article on heather blossom melt and pour soap.  (Thanks K for the question!).  I make many kinds of soap (melt and pour, hot process, rebatch) but the article was specifically on melt and pour soap.  K wanted to dupe a scent from a product, but heather essential oil does not exist, so I recommended some other types of extracts she could use.

Hope everyone enjoys my articles!  :)  More posts to come!

Eco Living/DIY formulating: Natural vs lab actives, and spas

I have been working on a few different questions as all natural beauty's (anb) Eco Living and DIY Natural Formulating Expert.  A couple days ago, I answered a question on spas, and the effectiveness of natural versus lab actives.   I will be posting two more answers to questions very soon! 

I posted some more additional thoughts on Earth Alkemie's (my business) blog about this topic, including an example of many of the uses and nutrients in a single plant ingredient: camellia oil. Here are some more random thoughts related to my anb article.  :)

Many people think that lab actives are always a better choice for everyone.  Personally I don't use most lab actives because currently my skin tends to react badly to many of  them (though there are a couple my skin likes).  For example many people use retinol, lab derived/concentrated acids (like glycolic, lactic, or mandelic acids.  Some may be naturally derived but they are still lab actives), and vitamin C serum (people call this natural but it is a lab active; it has been concentrated in the lab) because they work for them.  These ingredients do not work for me at all, and when I tried retinol many years ago (before I began learning about skin care) it severely damaged my skin (just from using it literally only a few times).  My skin does not react well to many forms of lab derived vitamin C (especially the most common form), and it has only liked one kind of lab vitamin C I have tried (tetra C).  I have never been able to use the lab derived acids because they are extremely irritating for me (even the more gentle ones), and many years ago I could not even use the natural version found in many fruits on my skin (certain fruits contains low amounts of these acids and also enzymes), though my skin loves the natural acids and enzymes in fruits now!  (I use fruits in scrubs and masks to exfoliate my skin).

People's skin also change over time too, so what works for someone now may not work for them later.  I used to not be able to use one lab active, hyaluronic acid or HA, on my face (but my body skin loved it) but now my skin likes that lab active very much (I only use it occasionally though and not on a regular basis, since my skin likes other ingredients more!  Also HA is often derived from roosters, so I use vegan HA instead of the kind derived from animals).  I try the lab vitamin C from time to time, as well as natural ingredients that didn't work for me in the past.  (I will NEVER try retinols again though, because the past damage was that bad.  Plus I like natural ingredients, like vitamin A in plant ingredients, better anyways).  Many other herbalists who have been using naturals for decades have amazing skin.   I truly believe natural ingredients are one of the reasons why my skin is so healthy despite my health issues.  But as mentioned in my anb article, what works for someone else, may not work for you.  So good skin care always takes a bit of experimentation to find out what is right for you, whether you choose something natural, naturally derived or standardized natural extracts, or lab actives (which range from natural to synthetic, and everything in between).

Happy Father's Day!

Just wanted to wish all the dads a Happy Father's Day!

I hope everyone is taking the day to spend some time with their dads.  If you can't, at least call and talk to him, and let him know you love him.  :)

All Natural Beauty Website's Summer Sampler, and June Anniversary Giveway

Keeping this entry kind of short, since I just wrote a long entry about it on Earth Alkemie's blog (my skin care business blog), and I really do try not to post too much business related stuff here on SKEB.

The all natural beauty (anb) websites are having a great summer sizzler sampler.  This sampler contains a lot of products from many different natural vendors, including Earth Alkemie.  I always plug about the anb websites' samplers (there are two to three of them each year), even the times when my products aren't featured in them, because it is an excellent deal!  I really love the products from one of the other companies featured in this sampler: Monave (a wonderful mineral makeup company).  They have really nice lippies and powder (which are offered in this sampler).  I met the owner, Deb, once during one of her classes a few years ago: she is very knowledgable about her craft, a great business woman, and super nice too!  I haven't tried the other companies, but some of them have very good reputations, and the rest look like they have nice products too.

The anb websites are also having a June Anniversary Giveaway for a lot of free products (including another Earth Alkemie product).  There will be a total of ten free prizes.  Just wanted to mention for these giveaways you don't need to buy anything, share any personal information, or sign up for anything.  See the link for details on how to enter!

I wrote more about the sampler and giveway on my other blog, along with info on the products I have donated to the samplers and giveaway.

Strawberries and Eco Living article on strawberry leaf infusion

I had never gone strawberry picking until a couple weekends ago.  It was so beautiful in the strawberry fields, and I had a lot of fun spending time with family and friends and eating the ripe berries (despite being in a lot of pain that day.  But like most days I just grin and bear it).  The strawberries were so different than the store brought kind, they brought to mind the few small strawberry plants we used to have when I was very, very young.  They were very tender (melt in your mouth), juicy, and sweet (the sweetness was in some ways more subtle, but in other ways more explosive in taste).  And the fragrance: the boxes filled my sister's whole kitchen and my car with its sweet scent!  Pure bliss!  So if you have strawberry farms in your area, I highly recommend visiting one!  Fun activity for the family, and the strawberries are not only super delicious but very inexpensive too.

So for my newest eco living I thought that I would write about strawberries, but decided to focus on the leaves (which are often thrown out instead of used).  My article is on strawberry leaf infusion.  The leaves can be made into an infusion and drunk, or they can be used in skin and hair care!  Very simple to make, and your skin and hair will look great!  Not to mention it tastes pretty good too.  In the article, I included a link to a previous eco living article that included a strawberry scrub recipe.

Last week (a few days after berry picking) I also made chocolate gluten free, no refined sugar strawberry shortcakes with garden fresh mint (I looked at a lot of recipes online but made my own).  I used a little agave to sweeten them (but not too much).  They came out alright, but since I made a recipe off the bat, I think I need to make it a few more times before I perfect it!  It was so nice making a no refined sugar, flour free dessert though (I used to bake a lot, but in past years not that much but trying to bake a little more again).  I used coconut flour so the combo of organic chocolate/cocoa, coconut, fresh peppermint from my sister's garden, cinnamon, strawberries, and organic whipped cream was yummy (needed more organic cocoa powder and to be a little more moist though).  Working with coconut flour is tricky because you have to use a lot more eggs than usual but I really like using it as a flour, and I seem to do well with the combo of not using a grain flour in desserts and eating something high in protein.  (I still use whole grain flours in other desserts though, but the combo of whole grain, agave, AND fruit--so all three-- is often overkill for me: too starchy/sugary and would make me react). I froze most of my berries (we gathered a lot) but used fresh berries in this.  So yummy!

Perfumes (Crafting all natural perfumes)

I have a backlog of posts (what else is new, LOL!) that I will be posting over the next few days.  For some of the posts the same topics will also be posted on my business blog (but even when cross posting, I will still be writing a new post here; it will just be on the same topics.  So there will be some of the same info and some different info in those posts).  But other posts will be totally new posts, only posted here on SKEB.  :)

I try not to post too much business stuff here (though over the next few days will be).  But just posted a post on perfumery and crafting perfumes for a business (what goes into it) on Earth Alkemie's blog.  Part 1 is mostly on the research, and so will part 2.  Part 3 will be on the actual perfume.  I just posted part 1, and thought people might be interested in what goes into perfume making from a small business outlook, so decided to mention it here on my personal eco blog (it is not just crafting it, but perfume making takes a lot of research and experimentation).  Hope you enjoy it!

On a related side note, a few days ago I received the perfumes from the perfume swap I am in.  They all look gorgeous (I wasn't able to smell them yet because I have been so congested but hopefully soon).  I am so excited to receive them and hope to sniff them soon!

Happy Memorial Day and new article on ticks and essential oils

I hope everyone is having a good Memorial Day weekend.  Today is the day we honor those who have fallen serving our country.  I hope that everyone is spending time with loved ones today.

I just answered a question on essential oils (I am the allnatural beauty website’s Eco Living and DIY Natural Beauty Formulating Expert, so answer questions on anything green, and also how to make natural skin care).  I was asked if tea tree essentialoil was effective as a tick repellent, and if it was safe for children andpregnant women (thanks Barbara for the question!).  I also included information on two other essential oils (lavender and citronella) for tick repellency, and information on using herbs on cats and dogs.  There is also information on what to use on insect bites too.  So even if you don’t plan on using it on kids, or if you aren’t pregnant, there is still a lot of good information in the article.

I have been using essential oils as insect repellents for many years (since I started learning about aromatherapy so eleven or so years), and have found them to be very effective in many different types of environments, and against many different types of insects too (some essential oils are better general repellents, while others are better for repelling only certain types of insects).  I love using essential oils as repellents because they not only are effective, but smell great!

Hope you enjoy the article!  Feel free to ask me or any of the other anb experts questions (be sure to ask your question through the anb website, or on the anb’sfacebook page).  I also wrote more about this article and insect repellents on Earth Alkemie's blog (my blog for my skin care business) too.

Eco Living: Kale, Spinach, and Chard Chips

I love kale, chard, and spinach chips.  But I don't have a food dehydrator yet so I created a recipe for making them in the oven.  For May's Eco Living article I have shared my recipe for kale, chard, and spinach chips.  They are so good: they are nutritious, healthy, but taste delicious.  And less expensive to make too (many health food stores sell the dehydrated kind, that are kind of pricey).  I have included lots of notes in my article on ingredient subs, and you can cater them to your tastes by using different oils, spices/seasonings etc.

I hope everyone has a Happy Mother's Day!

Eco Living and DIY Formulating Expert

I am so excited!  I have just been made the Eco Living and DIY Natural Beauty Formulating Expert over at the all natural beauty websites!  I posted a long entry explaining this on my other blog (my business /Earth Alkemie's blog).  Read my newest EA blog entry for more information!

I am so honored to become an expert, because some of the other anb experts are some of the best in the natural fields (including aromatherapist and herbal pioneer Jeanne Rose!).  So feel free to ask me or the other experts a question (right now when you ask a question, you will also be entered in a monthly drawing for free products from the different anb partners/ vendors.  So you could win some nice products too, in addition to getting your questions answered!).

Happy Earth Day and Month!

I hope everyone is having a Happy Earth Day! Though this month is Earth Awareness Month, I have not been posting as much as I’d hoped. ☹ I’ve written parts of many different posts (for both this blog and my business blog) but I’ve been dealing with many personal issues (my own health, my dad’s health, etc) and I have been focusing on working to get my business reopen (I still have so much to do before then!). So I haven’t had as much time to devote to writing as I’d like.

 For the local peeps (VA/DC/MD), George Mason University has been having many different activities and events this month. For the next several days they will be having a lot of activities. These activities will be focused on more ‘local’ green tips and activities. I hope I will be able to attend some of them (but I have lots of testing and doctors appointments—both mine and my dad’s—to go to this week, and I take care of my dad during the day, so may not be able to this year). I have gone to some activities in previous years though, and they were all very informative and educational, but fun! I am proud of my school (I attended grad school there) for becoming more and more eco-aware and green, due to many wonderful professors (including my advisor/committee chair), current students, GMU’s Office of Sustainability, and alums (some of which who work in the OOS). Here is the link to the list of activities.

 If you don’t live the the DC metro area, places you can check for local green activities this month include local colleges, other local schools, community centers, and environmental non-profits. Local newspapers may also have a listing of activities or a list of simple green practices. You can also check your favorite green organization for eco tips (it doesn’t have to be a local organization). Lastly there are many great eco tips on this blog (there are over 200 entries here) or my eco living articles (there are around forty articles or so) on anb (all natural beauty) mall. Not all of my posts are listed on the right side of this blog, and not every eco living article is listed on the main page of anb mall’s eco living section, so you may have to do a search for the topic you are interested in. ☺ There are also some eco tips on my business (Earth Alkemie's) blog too (mostly in relation to natural and organic ingredients and herbs).