DIY Activated Charcoal Mask

In December, I created a beautiful black soap for the holidays that I playfully named; “Chunk of Coal” soap that was coloured with activated charcoal. I’ve been playing a bit with charcoal and plan to create a face cleansing soap that contains charcoal in the near future. In the meantime, here is some information on Activated Charcoal benefits and also a recipe for you to make at home any day, so that you can enjoy the benefits  of this fantastic ingredient!

While derived from common charcoal, activated charcoal differs because it is made specifically for medicinal use and is porous. These pores allow activated charcoal to trap chemicals and is used to treat poisonings, intestinal gas, nausea, and bile flow issues. It is also used in water filters to absorb the yucky flavors from the water and help purify drinking water. Activated charcoal also works wonders for the skin when applied topically: it keeps skin clear by drawing dirt out of pores and improves skin-tone by removing dry patches. Perfect for your dry winter or sun-stressed skin!

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Honey & Yogurty Goodness for your Skin

During this busy time of year, I try to make a little ‘me’ time in the few moments that I get. One of them is to spend a few minutes pampering myself and one of my favorites for fresh feeling, soft skin is a face mask.

One of the products in my online shop: Skin Brightening Face Mask and Polish – notes on the side that you can add Yogurt or Honey instead of oil or water. Why would you want to add either of those? Well, it’s to create your own fresh face mask. The shelf life of my powdered mask lasts so much longer since I haven’t added any short life ingredients to it, which is intended so it can be customized it to your skin needs for an extra treat!

Lets talk about the benefits of yogurt on skin…

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Vanilla Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub Recipe

Fall is finally upon us and I love this time of year! The fresh crisp air, warm drinks and of course, pumpkin pie! All of the pumpkins that are ready to be taken home from the stores and yummy fall influenced desserts have inspired me to make an all natural Vanilla Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub. While it’s not the same as pumpkin pie, it is sure a nice way to enjoy the warm spices without the guilt!

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Honey Body Wash Recipe

Lately I’ve been working on something pretty exciting! Not only am I making goodies to get ready for my summer event where locals can find me at the North Vancouver Canada Day craft show at Waterfront Park, but I’m also lucky enough to be collaborating along with others for a 30 day Beauty Detox Program! If that interests you, not only will this feature locally based wellness experts (to Vancouver), it will also be free! More on that in the next few days…

In the meantime… this collaboration inspired me to look making an easy soap based recipe. I’ve concocted a mosturising, good for your skin, Raw Honey Body Wash. Not only is this simple to make, but you can customize it with a scent that you love… such as Relaxing Lavender, Uplifting Sweet Orange, or Floral Ylang Ylang and Jasmine essential oils. Continue reading

Good News + Bad News = GOOD NEWS!

I recently had a couple of chances for some really important feedback. The first was positive. I put my products in front of a jury for the first time and they were judging on presentation, packaging, originality, scent, price point, etc. I felt on top of the world having been approved to be in my city’s Craft Fair and I was relishing in their kind words. The other situation wasn’t as positive. I had shipped some product and I was upset to hear that they didn’t meet their expectations. It caused me to take a step back and I actually started wondering if I should even do my Little Soapy Biz stuff any more. Yep, I’m that dramatic.

As a person that is always striving to make the best natural goodies that not only works for myself, for my family, for my friends and for people I’ve never met; it was hard for me to receive some critical feedback since I put my heart and soul into this! I usually get really positive feedback and feel so proud of what I create. Heck, I use this stuff everyday and so do many others. I just haven’t had too much negative feedback and I’m used to being the main one criticizing my own work and then improving on it! However, I really appreciate it when people are candid and honest with me. While it may have taken me aback at first, I began to strategize on how to make those particular products even better.

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Natural Dry Shampoo & Travel

From March 21st to April 6th, A Little Soapy Business will be closed for vacation! We will still be accepting orders and they will ship out upon return.

When planning for a trip, I usually think about compact sizes and items that I can take that won’t leak all over my clothes even if there is an altitude change (flight/mountain elevation) or that don’t need to fit into that tiny zip lock bag if I want to take my carry-on my luggage on the plane.

These are my top 3:

  1. Conditioning Shampoo Bar – this great bar saves space because it’s not only a 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioning bar, but it’s actually a 3 in 1! You can use this great bar as a shaving bar as well. This is perfect for both women and men!
  2. Solid Lotion Bar – amazing preservative-free moisturizer without the liquid.
  3. Dry Shampoo – For those times I don’t want to or don’t have time to wash my hair, I can reduce the oiliness by using my trusty natural dry shampoo between washes. Find the recipe here below.

What do you find is the best in your travel kit? Add your comment below, I’d love to hear your ideas!

Here’s the dry shampoo recipe:

Ingredients:

  • arrowroot powder or cornstarch
  • baking soda
  • cocoa powder – just make sure it’s unsweetened! Sweetened cocoa powder will turn your hair into a sticky mess.

Items you need:

  • a funnel
  • a container to store it in – I like using an old spice jar with a shaker top
  • measuring spoons

Recipe:

  • 1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • Optional: 0-2 tablespoons cocoa powder.
    • For light hair, you don’t need to add any.
    • I usually add about 1 tablespoon as I have medium brown hair.
    • If you have dark hair, you can add 2 tablespoons.
  • Optional: 10 drops Essential Oil for scent. I usually add lemongrass. Its such a great uplifting scent!

Combine the arrowroot powder or cornstarch and baking soda in a container. Mix well – if there are clumps, you can use a fine strainer to help remove them.

After the dry mixture is mixed, you can add your essential oil if you choose to. You will need to ensure it’s well incorporated as it will form clumps from the drops. I usually use my fingers and crumble the clumps to mix it in.

This will make a enough dry shampoo for many uses. If you seal it well, it can be stored in the bathroom.

Directions:

It is easy to use, but use it sparingly as a little goes a long way. Here’s how I normally do it:

  1. Shake a small amount of dry shampoo out into your hand – approx 1/4 teaspoon.
  2. Rub your hands together over your head to disperse the dry shampoo on top.
  3. Pat the areas of your hair that you’d like to shampoo – I focus on the front bangs and the very top of my head.
  4. Tousle your hair with your fingers and rub in the dry shampoo as best you can – you’ll want to really shake it up to get it all in!
  5. Brush if you still see any spots of dry shampoo. I find a natural boar bristle brush works well.
  6. That’s it!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Let me know how it goes!

Sensual Massage Oil Recipe

DIY Massage Oil

Looking for a thoughtful Valentine’s Day gift? (or for birthday, or anniversary)? I’m going to share a lovely massage oil recipe that you can make yourself. What could be more romantic and personal? This is such a special way to take care of your Valentine and spend some intimate time together.

Valentine’s Day Massage Oil Recipe

Ingredients:
28 grams Carrier Oils:
16 grams Grape Seed oil
8 grams Sweet Almond oil
4 grams Jojoba oil

6 drops Essential Oils:
2 drops Ylang Ylang
2 drops Sweet Orange
1 drop Lavender
1 drop Jasmine

Feel free to use all of the above carrier or essential oils or make a special blend of your very own. Just make sure you calculate the total amount.

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Instructions:

Add 6 drops of essential oil to a 1 oz glass dropper bottle or clean container of choice. Using a digital scale, weigh out the oils into a separate clean glass jar or beaker and pour into the final container with the essential oils.

Customize with label and decorate the container if wish. Use a sticker label or paper and adhere with tape over top.
I used a rubber stamp on precut label paper for my label. Simple. You could also draw or print your label.

Please note that allergies or skin sensitivities should be considered when making any blends.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

DIY Massage Oil & Stamp