Skin Care, Crystals & Kombucha Oh My!

I have been soooo busy these days with my business I hardly have time to blog, which I miss very much. I started my own business because one I love helping people and two I'm not going to work for someone else's dream, I have my own.

My Business

I started making organic skin care products for myself after learning how toxic store bought brands can be. At the same time I was learning about herbs over at the Herb Mentor. There are a number of herbalists on the site such as Rosemary Gladstar and Rosalee de la Foret. There are many more all have been herbalists for 15 to 25 years.

Okay so, my business got started with a salve I formulated. Southern Man drives a truck and let a woman try it at truck stop for her psoriasis. When he went back she asked where he got it and how she could get it. Word spread and my husband said you have something there. 

I formulated a whole skin care regime for my self and hesitate to share them with others due to their appearance. They do not look appealing, nor do they smell pretty, but they work and the complements on get on my skin on a regular basis are proof. So, I started selling my skin care products at a local farmer's market, but wasn't doing the business I hoped I would.

Unique Ingredients

Due to the fact the skin care business is so vast even the organic industry I had to find a way to stand out. I thought this would help selling at the market, but nope. The two unique ingredients I use in my products are Kombucha and infuse my water and oils with the mineral Shungite. 

Learning More

I wanted to learn more about formulating organic skin care products, so I searched around for a place I could get more knowledge. Unfortunately there is no place close by for me to do this, so unto the internet I went. I found some on the internet, but really liked "Create Your Skincare." I liked the fact that I have access to the information, including any updates, for the rest of my life. The course was great and I took the two part test to get certified in October 2017. The second part of the test I had to formulate a full skin care regimen for 3 fictitious clients. I really enjoyed that part and love to formulate custom skin care products for my clients.

Kombucha

I started brewing Kombucha about 2012 and if you ever brewed you know that it is a time process and can quickly take over the fridge. At that time I was the only one drinking it and I had a ton of it, so I stopped brewing. Then I had the idea to start brewing again and sell that at the market as well. I had one problem, at this time I had a banner that read "Heavenly Bodies" organic skin care. I was like hmmmm what does Kombucha have to do with skin care, so off to research I went. I spent 5 hours researching and it turns out it is very good for the skin. So, I started brewing, selling it at the markets and using it in my skin care products.

Crystals

I have always been attracted to crystals. Some might think it is because they are so beautiful, but my studies have led to the energy. Everything around has a certain vibrational frequency including our bodies. The energy from the crystals can aid us with issues in our every day lives. Some are grounding, absorb negativity, are calming the list goes on.

I wanted to bring the benefits of crystals to others, so I started making jewelry, key chains and prisms to sell at the market. The majority of what I create is unique one of a kind items. After us women do not like to see another woman wearing the same thing. There are some items I have duplicated due to requests. I also create one of a kind items upon request at the market and on my website. 

Essential Oil Diffusers

Right now the thing that I am asked the most is if I have diffuser bracelets, the answer is yes. I create diffuser bracelets with lava beads, wood beads and crystal beads. I do not use any other materials because I feel the interaction with the oils may cause a negative effect. 

The diffuser necklaces I create does have a silver bead cap that the lava bead sits in, but it sits up on it rather than in it. Some of my customers us them in their cars over the rear view mirror. Love products that are versatile. 

Closing

So as you have read I am busy!! I do miss blogging, but a lot of the blogs I write require research. I spend hours doing research to ensure I am writing the most factual information I can. Looking at website after website to seek out consistences. I also listen to various speakers and webinars that deal with living a happy, healthy natural life while I tend to my many artistic creations. Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again real soon. Oh almost forgot, my Southern Man and I are working on starting an online radio station in the near future, so watch out for that also.

Do you sell at a local farmer's market? If so what do you sell?

Homemade Skin Care Products

In today's society more and more woman are creating their own skin care products. Five years ago I became one of those women, creating my own skin care products. Like the rest of the women I searched the internet looking for recipes for homemade skin care. I researched ingredients and started creating my own skin care products.

Slowly others were coming to me asking me about my products and wanting to buy them. For the past 3 years I have been selling my skin care products, but I felt something was missing. I longed to create my own recipes instead of searching the internet and revamping someone elses recipe. It was then that I started looking at courses I could take to learn how I could do this. Little did I know I was going to gain a whole lot more knowledge about skin care products then what I thought.

Homemade Skin Care Products

The problem with using books for recipes is that they can become quickly out dated. Using the internet brings us to other bloggers who do not know everything there is to know about creating homemade skin care products.

Coconut Oil

A few years back coconut oil became popular for various issues and made the appearance in homemade skin care products all over. However, coconut oil is not good for all skin types. As a matter of fact turns out that this amazing oil is a pore clogger. 

Vitamin E as a Natural Preservative 

One thing I my self came across was using vitamin E as a natural preservative. Turns out this is not true it is an antioxidant which means it will aid with avoiding rancidity in oil based products. If we use any type of water based products in our homemade skin care products vitamin E is not preserving it. This includes any hyrosols, aloe vera, water, tea or any plant based materials. Products that do not include the types of ingredients mentioned are referred to as anhydrous.

Natural Organic Preservatives

For a long time I did not incorporate any preservatives in my skin care products. While taking a course to create organic skin care products I learned that there are a variety of natural organic preservatives we can use. The one that was recommend by the instructor was Leucidal Liquid, which is the one I now use. 

Recipes for Homemade Skin Care Products

The other thing I learned is that skin care products do not use measurements as in cooking. This is another issue with recipes on the internet and some books they use cups, tablespoons etc. In the professional world of skin care the term creating does not exist, it is formulating because that is what it is a formula not a recipe. Making Cosmetics has a great section just for formulas. 

Organic Ingredients

For me it makes no sense to create my own skin care products and not use organic ingredients. Anything that we put on our skin goes into our blood stream within 26 seconds. Many non-organic ingredients are toxic to our bodies, for this reason always be sure to use only organic ingredients. There are many businesses out there that supply skin care formulating products however, not all are organic. At the same time many businesses supply both organic and non-organic. At this time there are 2 places I purchase my ingredients from with the exception of the preservative. 

• Mountain Rose Herbs
• Organic Creations 

Organic Skin Care Courses

If anyone is interested in learning more about creating organic skin care products I suggest you do what I did. I searched the internet for courses and signed up to get notices. By doing this it not only allowed me to keep updated with courses, but also special offers and scholarships. I was actually able to do the course because I did because I received a scholarship. If I didn't it would have been a longer period of time before it was in my budget to do so. 

Wrap it Up

Okay I hope I was able to shed some light on some issues with recipes in books and the internet. I want to write more blogs and miss it very much, but my time is taken up formulating skin care products and coming up with new ones. Let me leave you with this tidbit of information. Earlier I mentioned that coconut oil clogs the pores, well I am going to supply you with a list of oils that are fine for most people to use.

• Jojoba
• Grapeseed
• Sesame Seed
• Almond
• Aragan
• Squlalane
• Monol
• Rosehip Seed

Now those are for most people please remember there is always an exception to the rule and it might be you.

Do you formulate your own skin care products? Was this blog post helpful to you?

I am always looking for individuals to aid with the testing of new products. If this is something that is of interest please visit the website and sign up for the newsletter. Currently I am seeking women in menopause, like my self, to test a tincture I have formulated. It works for me, but what about others email me at heavenlybodies7 @ gmail dot com if interested.

Cleanse Your Home of Negativity

I had a customer place an order for our Eye & Face Cream. Every batch is handcrafted at the time of orders to ensure freshness. Well, I made the cream and it didn't come our right, I made it 3 more times and each time the oil was separating.

It took me almost 2 years to get this cream the way I wanted it. I learned that emulsifying wax was better than bees wax for making creams as it aids in holding the liquid ingredients together. Just wanted to add that in case any of the readers was thinking ahhhhh I bet she used bees wax.

Panic

Southern man pumped in a panic for information, what did you do different? Did you use a different brand? Are you sure you got the measurements right? Did you follow the recipe? My gosh I did everything all three times, what's different? We began to think, the temperature in the house was different, I had used water from the flow water up the road, which I put through the Berkey, and my daughter was here with her ex-boyfriend's brother, long story.

Living Natural

Because we want to live as natural as possible we have done a lot or research and have been open to a lot of things others are not. One of those things is vibrational frequencies, everything is vibration. Did you ever meet someone or go somewhere and you felt something bad? That is negative vibration, thus the term bad vibes, they are real. These vibrations effect us and the environment we reside in and more.

As we were learning more about the importance of vibrational frequency I borrowed a book from my essential oil lady. The book was called The Hidden Messages in Water by Massaru Emoto who discovered that our thoughts, words, and feelings have an effect on the water. As I thought about that my daughter came to mind. She had just been through a lot and wasn't in the clear, first her boyfriend totaled her car by hitting a deer, her roommates moved out, she lost her job, and then her boyfriend broke up with her all within a one month time period, wow!!! We decided it was her negative vibrations in the house that caused the 3 bad batches as it does contain water.

The Solution

I felt I needed to wait until she left before I attempted to create another batch. My customer was very understanding and didn't think I was weird. I know that smudging with a sage  stick is very powerful for ridding a home of negativity, but could not find anywhere close to us that sold them. So, I turned to essential oils, but my essential oil lady did not have sage. I did some research and found some other oils that also helped to dispel negative energy and she also had some suggestions.

My essential oil lady had Juniper and White Angelica and told me to my hand over my heart chakra while holding the bottle, and ask the universe if I needed Juniper to cleanse the negativity in my house. If the answer is yes your body will start to move forward, if it is no your body will move backwards. This is caused by the vibrational frequency of the item and the universe. This was something new to me, but I took both of them home and got a yes from both, but the pull from the White Angelica was stronger therefore that was the one I used. So, here is how you can create a spray to rid your home or any space of negative energy.

Negative Dispelling Spray

4 oz glass bottle
1 tsp vodka
20 drops of essential oil
3 oz of filtered water

Make sure your bottle is a dark color if you will be storing some of your spray. This should then be stored in a dark cool place to ensure the oil holds its medicinal properties. Put all of the ingredients in the bottle and shake it up. Start at the front door like you are coming in and start spraying to the right. Be sure to spary around each doorway on both sides. I have also read that you should open a door or window to let the negative energy out while doing this, but I didn't. I did this 2 days in a row starting on a Wednesday, I was told to wait until Saturday to create the cream. I did and the cream came out just the way it is suppose to.

Oils for Dispelling Negativity

• Cedarwood 
• Cypress
• Frankincense 
• Juniper 
• Lavender 
• Myrrh use with one of the other oils to enhance it
• Palo Santo
• Rose
• Sage

White Angelica 

White Angelica is a blend created by Young Living Essential Oils. It contains 9 different oils which are as follows.

• Bergamot - Used for emotional stress
• Geranium 
• Hyssop -
• Melissa - Balance emotions
• Myrrh 
• Rose
• Sandalwood
• Spruce 
• Ylang Ylang - Control negative feelings 

Always be sure to research the oils before using. While they are natural some should not be used by certain individuals. Make sure to purchase a quality oil from a reputable source, not all oils are pure.

Other Ways to Clear Negative Energy 

• Plants
• Open windows with sunlight coming through
• Himalayan Sea Salt lamps or the salt put into a earthen bowls put into rooms
• Smudging white sage stick us the same way as the spray
• Black Tourmaline placed in each room

Okay bottom line if you are creating a product that requires water and it doesn't turn out right, check the vibes going through your space.

This post was featured February 2016 on the Meet Up Monday Link Up.

Rid Your Home of Toxic Cleaners

 Our skin is the largest organ on our bodies whatever we put on it is absorbed into our bodies. Upon learning about all the harmful ingredients that are in the various products my family came in contact with we did some cleaning up. We took the same steps to do this as we did with our food when we started eating organic.

While it may seem overwhelming the best way to do anything that appears this way is slowly. What we did was replace the most used products first and slowly. This can be done by replacing one item at a time or more depending on your finances or how desperate you are.

Decide which products you want to change first. Some suggestions would be the ones most frequently used that come into contact with your body. Laundry detergent is one to consider also the products used directly on the body every day, body soap, shampoo, deodorant, tooth paste, any creams or lotions used on the body.

Cleaning Products 

Once you have determined which product/products you want to change first do your homework. Here are some suggestions on products to look at.

• Biokleen - Cleaners for the kitchen, bathroom, laundry
• Dr Bronner's  - Soap, toothpaste, shampoo, and more
• Tropical Traditions  -  Soap, deodorant, hand sanitizer, all purpose cleaner, laundry and dish soaps,and more. 
• Seventh Generation - Dish and laundry soap, disinfectants, baby wipes, toilet bowel cleaner, and more
• Nature's Gate - Shampoo, sunscreen, toothpaste, and more

Photo credit

Homemade Cleaning Products 

For those who are ambitous and wish to create their own cleaning products we have compiled a list of links to various blogs who offer recipes using essential oils. We have not tried these, but would  love to hear your feedback on them or share what you have used that works.

• How to Make Natural Laundry Detergent (Borax Free)
• Grease Fighting Lavender Dish Soap
• Homemade Shampoo
• Homemade Orange Degreaser
• Homemade Natural Baby Wipes  
• 10 Amazing Homemade Soaps

Well that should get you started, let us know what you think. If you have a blog with a DIY cleaning product fell free to leave a link in our comment box.

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