Rachel Robin's Nest

Crafts, Projects and Recipes to Help Feather Your "Nest"

DIY: Vanilla Mint Sugar Scrub January 1, 2013

Filed under: Beauty,DIY — raediantphoenix @ 6:07 pm
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This was supposed to be a Christmas gift post, but as I stated in my Christmas Things entry, Christmas got a wee bit stressful this year, and I decided to let blog things slide a little bit.  So now, you’ll just have to get a head start on next Christmas!  This would also be a great gift for winter birthdays, showers etc.

I adapted this from a recipe found on Pinterest.  It’s super easy and smells delicious.  The only caveat is that the vanilla essential oil is CRAZY EXPENSIVE.  Yeah, like $25 for a half ounce bottle.  Ouch.  The good news is, you’re only using a few drops, so it should last you a good long time.

I made this scrub as gifts for two of my coworkers.  I doubled the recipe and got enough to fill two lovely decorative jars I got a Ben Franklin for $2 apiece.

Vanilla Mint Sugar Scrub (adapted from Bath.Body.DIY)

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
  • 8 tablespoons organic, unrefined coconut oil
  • 15 drops vanilla essential oil
  • 3 drops peppermint essential oil

Directions:

1.  Melt coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl in 10 second increments until it is liquid

2.  Combine sugar and coconut oil, mixing until evenly distributed

3.  Add oils one drop at a time, mixing well after each addition

4.  Pour scrub into sterilized, air-tight containers

Vanilla Mint Scrub

According to the source tutorial, it should keep for up to 6 months.  The combination of vanilla and mint is absolutely heavenly, and the peppermint oil is naturally antibacterial, so it should help the scrub last even longer.

To use, scoop a small amount into your hands and use your body heat to melt, then apply to wet skin and gently massage in a circular motion.  Rinse completely.

 

DIY All-Natural Eye Makeup Remover October 11, 2012

Filed under: Beauty — raediantphoenix @ 4:36 pm
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I’m at it again!  Remember last fall/winter when I went through a pseudo-hippie DIY phase and made my own deodorant and eye makeup remover?  Well, more than ever before I’m searching for all-natural alternatives to everyday products, and if I can make them myself, even better!

Now the thing about the eye makeup remover that I made before is, the main ingredient (other than water) is Johnson’s Baby Shampoo.  Even though this is a product designed to be gentle on a baby’s sensitive skin, it’s still got all kinds of chemicals and ingredients that I can’t even pronounce.  I definitely don’t know what they are or how they work.  And that makes me nervous.  I therefore set out recently to find an all-natural, yet still cheap and easy solution.

Enter the wonderful Andrea at Frugally Sustainable.  Aside from just this recipe, she’s got lots of other DIY, all natural beauty product recipes that I can’t wait to try.

DIY All-Natural Eye Makeup Remover (Via Frugally Sustainable)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup distilled water
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dr. Bronner’s All-Natural Organic Unscented Baby Mild Soap
  • 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used organic)

Directions:

Simply mix all ingredients together in a container that has a lid.  I reused the container from my old eye makeup remover.  You’ll need to shake gently before each use.

I decided to test this stuff out right away, so I put on an extreme (for me) amount of eye makeup–crazy foiled greenish gold shadow, purple liquid eyeliner, and mascara.  This remover took it all off no problem.  There was no pulling and no tugging, it just swept the makeup away.

HOWEVER, I will say that this stuff is a little stingy if you get it in your eyes, so use caution.  Otherwise, this is definitely the best eye makeup remover I’ve ever used, as well as the cheapest.  The Dr. Bronner’s was $6.49 for an 8 oz bottle, I already had the olive oil, and the distilled water was about $1.79 for a gallon, meaning that I could make probably 16 batches of this stuff for about the cost of one 5.5 oz bottle from the drug store.  You can bet I’ll never go back!

 

Make Your Own “Beach Hair” Spray July 22, 2012

Filed under: DIY,Beauty — raediantphoenix @ 11:29 pm
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Happy Sunday, dear readers!  It’s been hot and sultry in Boston these last few weeks, and I’ve been wishing I were back on the beach on my Cape Cod vacation.  Sun, sand, and lots of ice cold cocktails…  Sigh.  Instead I’m stuck here in the city trying not to melt.  But I’ve definitely got beaches on the brain.

One of my favorite parts of being by the ocean is that my chronically flat hair magically finds wave and body after a dunk in the ocean and being blown dry by sea breezes.  If only my hair could be like that all the time…

Well, it could, if I wanted to pay up to $25 for a commercial “Beach Hair” spray like Bumble and Bumble.  But, seriously, 25 bucks?  That’s a really funny joke guys, except it’s less funny cause you’re serious.

So, in an effort to save money but still have lovely, beachy waves, I give you this DIY Beach Hair Spray from Asuyeta.  Her tutorial is absolutely lovely, and I’ve adapted her recipe below for my own oily, flat and style-resistant hair.  Enjoy!

Beach Hair Spray (via Asuyeta)

Materials:

  • 10 oz or larger spray bottle
  • 1 cup hot, not boiling, water
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil (more if your hair is dry, less if your hair is oily, like mine)
  • 2 tbsp alcohol
  • 2 tbsp sea salt, NOT table salt (more if your hair is oily)
  • 1 tbsp hair gel (more if your hair is style-resistant, like mine)

To make your spray, just combine all ingredients in your spray bottle and shake well.  Make sure you shake before every use, because the coconut oil will naturally separate.

The recipe above is sort of just a starting place.  You can really customize how much of each ingredient you use depending on your hair type and how much hold you want your spray to have.

I have to say, this stuff is awesome.  The coconut oil gives it a summery smell, like old-school suntan lotion, and it really works!  My hair is long, straight and always flat, but this spray really make it look like I spent the day on a beach :)

How did it work for you?

 

 
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