Make Your Own Natural Body Products by Jessica E. Lane.

I collect herbal recipes. It’s one of my quirks. I just love to see the creative recipes that people come up with. Yes it is kind of crazy the number of recipes I have (probably in the hundreds) and you might think I should have enough.

But no! When I had the chance to take a look at the book Homemade Beauty Essentials by Jessica Lane, I knew I was going to find another batch of great recipes to add to my collection.

Jessica at 104 homestead knows her stuff. She even sells these products herself and of course you can purchase from her, but it’s just as easy to make them yourself. She explains it simply and thoroughly.

5 reasons to make your own homemade beauty essentials

1. You should always have ingredients on hand for general skin health and emergencies. Plants like calendula or comfrey are easy to grow and make into healing salves. 

2. Making your own natural body products is economical. For the price of a store bought product you can purchase supplies to make 5 to 10 times more in homemade items. That’s just great for your pocketbook.

3. While you are making items for yourself, set aside homemade beauty products to give as gifts. Everyone loves to receive thoughtful, handmade gifts. You will never have to run to the store for a gift and blow your budget again.

4. You get to bring out your creative side. I don’t know about you, but it’s easy for me to get in a rut and put creativity aside. Never overlook creativity as a way to let off the stresses of the day.

5.  Probably the most important reason to make your own homemade beauty essentials is to have control over the ingredients. You will know exactly what goes into your handmade products and what effect it will have on your body. This control is especially important for those with allergies and sensitivities.

About the book

First, Jessica discusses the supplies that may be needed to be successful with soap and lotion making. She suggests molds to purchase and how to use items you already have around the house. There is a discussion about specific essential oils and their benefits, plus the suggestions for waxes, butters and oils to use in your natural creations.

Next she talks about making personalized lotion bars and gives recipes with yummy names like: Divinity, Luscious, Refresh and Tranquility. Each recipe makes 6 – 1.5 ounce lotion bars.

Do you use melt and pour soaps? I’ve always turned my nose up at melt and pour soap, (the glycerine kind) considering it kid stuff. I’ve always liked to make my own soap and rebatch it – however, Jessica has encouraged me to take a second look. Now there are many kinds of common soap bases available like aloe, goat’s milk, hemp, honey and olive oil. I had no idea. See this handy tutorial on melt and pour soaps at 104 homestead.

It will be fun to purchase a soap base and add oils and herbs to make something special while following her recipes. The first one I’m going to try is Dirt Lovin’, the perfect soap for cleaning up after playing in the dirt.

I love the little tips throughout the book. Here are a few:

• How to get lipbalm out of the tube if you make a recipe you don’t like
• The importance of the “spritz step”
• Tips for layering different kinds of soap
• How to properly label your products if you are going to sell them
• and my absolute FAVORITE – what to do with a block of beeswax if you are tired of shredding it. Brilliant!

Not only did I get 15 great recipes ranging from using waxes to make butters and lotion bars, Jessica also gave me valuable background information about the properties of the ingredients she uses. I recommend Jessica at 104 homestead and her handy Homemade Beauty Essentials book. At $5.95 you can’t miss.

I’m off to fix my beeswax!

Where can you purchase supplies for your Homemade Beauty Essentials?

Check you local JoAnn Fabric or Michael’s for melt and pour soap.  Online you can check Shea Butter Glycerine Soap Base at Amazon , CandleWic, or  BrambleBerry or for soap making supplies.

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What reasons do you have for making your own homemade beauty products?