New and Improved Dandruff Shampoo Bars

This is just a quick dandruff shampoo soap bar recipe.

It's bigger than my usual batch.  A  new soap mold forced me to up the anti!  

And you know what they say....bigger is better! 

New and Improved Dandruff Shampoo Bar

3 ounces Beeswax

6 ounces Castor Oil

2 ounces Cocoa Butter

14 ounces Coconut Oil

2 ounces Grapeseed Oil

4 ounces Hemp Oil

10 ounces Olive Oil

14 ounces Palm Oil

18 ounces Mint Tea

7.5 ounces Lye

0.75 ounce Cade Oil

1.5 ounce Lavender Oil

0.25 ounce Cedarwood Oil

1 ounce Peppermint Oil

You can find directions here on the cold soap process.  It's very important how you mix your ingredients!

I am no scientist and I share this recipe with no claims of curing dandruff,

But when I wear my goggles and sport my big ass gloves teamed up with an industrial looking apron, I could probably fool the best of you on a good day!

Hopefully my guinea pigs don't run around smelling like a campfire.  I have to say that Cade Oil is pretty potent.  I would suggest a nicely scented conditioner to go with this bar!

 Cheers!

Poplar Salve (Balm of Gilead)

With the cold winter months coming,

 I thought I would share a recipe for Poplar Salve

You may have to wait until spring, when your poplars are in full bud ...so make sure you **pin** this recipe for future use!

 Start with a 500 ml jar and fill it with poplar buds. 

 Pour olive oil or canola oil over the buds, enough to completely cover them. 

Put lid on and set in a sunny window.

After several months,  strain the oil from the poplar buds and discard the buds into the compost.  You can speed this process up by throwing everything into a crockpot and heating it on medium for a few hours.

  Now for the rest of the ingredients....

Mix 200 grams of bud oil into a glass measuring cup, 30 grams of beeswax and 15 grams of cocoa butter.

Heat this until all ingredients are melted.

If you want a stiffer potion, add more beeswax. 

If you are sensitive to cocoa butter, just omit and use an extra 5 grams of beeswax. 

 I do a test when making balms and salves by putting a small amount into a dish and cooling in the fridge for a few minutes.  That way,  you can adjust your wax while your balm is still heating over the stove.

 A pyrex measuring cup works great set it in a pot of heating water on the stove.

 You can also use your microwave.  Heat in increments of 30 seconds and stir between cycles so as to not overheat your mixture.

 Stir with a disposable popsicle stick until melted for easy cleanup.

 Remove from heat and mix in 8 drops each of lavender, eucalyptus, and mint essential oils and vitamin E.  

  If you would like a stronger scent, add more.  Adding the EO's is optional!  The vitamin E oil is a preservative and can also be skipped if you use the salve up within a few months.

 Put your freshly made salve in containers and use as needed.

I found these at the Dollar Tree and they work great.  You will need at least 7, maybe 8 one ounce containers depending on how full you fill them.

If you are at all sensitive to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), you should not use this, or use with caution as poplar sap contains salicin, which is the precursor for aspirin.  Always consult your physician.

click on pdf for printable option

Cheers!!

We're just gonna blow out this wall and put in a beam! Part Four

See part three here!
We are in the midst of it all.

Dust, debris, drywall and a lot of wood  for temporary walls, which will
  probably be repurposed into a SHE SHED!!

( they say the power of positive thinking)

Even the ceiling is gone in the old laundry room.

Activated Charcoal Soap

I really needed a shower after clearing out my storage room. 

 Wading through the junk and spider webs,

 I asked myself, "Self, why do you have this crap?" 

Self decided that we really didn't need this crap, and made numerous

 trips to the recycle outlet and dump....yes some of it was just plain crap!

Anyways, back to the shower. 

 I needed a bar that could scrub off basement renos

This batch of soap I will title

 "Activated Charcoal Cleaning out the Storage Room Sweaty Dust Bustin Soap"

Please follow all safe soaping procedures with the right safety

 equipment if you are going to make this soap!

1 oz. Pumpkin Seed Oil

1 oz. Cocoa Butter

2 oz. Shea Butter

3 oz. Castor Oil

9 oz. Coconut oil

2 oz. Hemp Oil

8 oz Olive Oil

7 oz Palm Oil

2 oz. Beeswax

2 Tsp. activated Charcoal

1.5 oz Lavender Essential Oil

1.5 ounces Peppermint EO

7 oz Water

4 oz. Coconut Milk

4.8 oz Lye

I mixed my coconut milk with water in a 500 ml. canning jar in the sink.  I slowly added the lye to the water/milk mix and stirred with a wooden skewer.  I was wearing my gloves, long sleeves and safety glasses!

I added all of the hard fats into the bowl.  I used to use stainless steel bowls but found these
 Betty Crocker bowls at our local Dollarama as they have pouring spouts.

The lye solution is poured into the hard fats and stirred until it is all melted wearing all my safety gear.

The liquid oils are added to the lye / hard fat solution.  Using this method, I no longer have to melt the hard oils as the heat from the lye solution does that job for me!  After I stirred it so that the oils were mixed with the lye thoroughly, it was separated into two bowls.  I added  lavender EO to one half, and peppermint EO and charcoal to the other half.  I layered my mix as I poured it into the mold.....again, still wearing all my safety gear!

and this is the result!

need more soap recipes?

Castile Soap

Shampoo Bars

Poppy Seed Castile Soap and Hard Lotion Bars

Cheers!

Dandruff Shampoo Bars.

It's time for a new batch of  shampoo soap bars! 

  I decided to make this batch for those people infected with the Zombie Dandruff! 

 It's similar to the Zombie Virus but  Zombie Dandruff  affects only the scalp.

  Now don't get me wrong, many people just have dry scalps and normally we shed this away.....no biggie, but for the undead with a nasty dandruff disposition, we're keeping our fingers crossed!

  I researched which oils would be best and came up with this recipe.

  I have no scientific proof that it will work, but if you give people a certain

 look while you are telling

 them how good it is, they'll believe you.  

  I always encourage safe soap making practices.  Wear your safety gear people!

 Feral Turtle Dandruff Shampoo Bars

1 oz. Almond Oil

1 oz Cocoa Butter

1 oz. Shea Butter

3 oz. Castor Oil

9 oz. Coconut oil

2 oz. Hemp Oil

8 oz Olive Oil

7 oz Palm Oil

2 oz. Beeswax

1 oz Lavender Essential Oil

1/2 oz Cedarwood Essential Oil

1/2 oz Lemon Essential Oil

!/2 oz. Tea Tree Essential Oil

7 oz Thyme Tea Water

4 oz. Coconut Milk

4.5 oz Lye

The thyme tea water is made by steeping a handful of fresh thyme in about 8 ounces of boiling water.  Let cool in the refrigerator.

Using a large stainless steel pot, melt all the oils, butters and waxes.  Cool to 110 degrees.

Meanwhile mix your thyme water with the coconut milk in a 1 litre glass canning jar.   Place your jar in a sink and pour in the lye.   Put cold water in the sink surrounding the glass jar.    This helps cool the mixture more quickly.   I use a wooden skewer to mix the lye water wearing my rubber gloves.  Cool to 110 degrees.  When both are at 110 degrees, pour lye mixture into oil mixture.   Stir oil and liquid together with a silicone spatula or a wooden spoon.  Now use your stick mixer and blend until the soap reaches trace.  Poor in your essential oils and blend until thoroughly mixed.  Pour your mixture into soap molds and wrap in a blanket.  This needs to sit for a few days to a week, until it is fairly hard.  Cut into bars and let air dry for a week on wire racks.  This helps the air get to all the surfaces.

That's the recipe but if you need instructions on the cold soap making process,

 you can Google it and do some research,

 or you can go to these past recipes and see my method!

Castile Soap

Shampoo Bars  

REMEMBER TO ALWAYS ADD YOUR LYE TO THE LIQUID!

I do this in a glass canning jar in my sink in case of any spills or accidents.  Always wear rubber gloves, long sleeves, and eye protection.

Some cutting and drying of the bars

An old cheese cutter modified to cut soap quickly and evenly.  Also it makes your cheese taste clean, or it makes your soap smell cheesy.

And here they are...the finished soap bars!  Ta Da!!!!

A quick PH test tells me they are safe to use.  I aim for my soap to be a seven which is neutral.  You can add lemon juice to your conditioning rinse which helps soften your hair.  

Look who popped by for a visit....and you thought I was over this obsession. 

I will let you know how my guinea pigs fair!

Actually this won't be tested on any guinea pigs!

I only test on family and friends!

Cheers!

Linking up with

Katherines Corner

Glitter Glue and Paint
Chase The Star

Monster Spray/ Room Spray

   Ever been woken up from a dead sleep, to feel an unearthly chill clinging to your spine with glowing monster eyes peering at you from the darkness of your closet?  Then, without warning, a growling monster jumps from the shadows and chases you to your mommy's bed?

  Well it happened to me the other night so I thought I would whip up a batch of Monster Spray 

 Tried and tested with two thumbs up, by me and many children, all over the world!

Personalized Monster sprays for Christmas gifts!
  Homemade labels and dollar store stickers help dress up the containers!

H20 is a must no matter what recipe you use.
  I prefer distilled as there are no deposits to clog your pump..
You can just spray water from a bottle and try
 to trick those nasty critters
 but I find adding a scent works much better.  You can also
 add other ingredients to make your spray mix more refined!
 Recipes below.

 Sticker paper and Microsoft Word to create my labels.

The label gets covered in clear packing tape to keep it waterproof.

You can make an the adult version.

  We call it Room Spray. 

 It supposedly keeps crabby teenagers away!

Monster Spray Recipe #1

2 cups distilled water

30-35 drops of fragrance oil or essential oil

mix well and pour into a spray bottle. 

Shake well before each use!

Monster Spray Recipe #2

2 cups distilled water

30-35 drops fragrance oil or essential oil

30-35 drops polysorbate 80

Mix well and pour into spray bottle

The essential oil and polysorbate 80 should be of the same measure.

  You can use more or less of each, pending on how strong you want your spray.

If you would like a toxicity rating for polysorbate 80, click here.

I use this rating system to see if there is risk to humans,  animals, and the environment, when making any types of perfumes or soaps.

Monster Spray Recipe #3

1-3/4 cups distilled water

1/4 cup vodka

30-35 drops of fragrance oil or essential oil

Mix well and pour into spray bottle.

Toxicity rating for ethanol (vodka) found here.

The polysorbate 80,  ensures the water and oil mix.  It's called an emulsifier or surfactant.  The vodka also helps emulsify the oil and water.  These chemicals will keep your water from turning cloudy too, although I don't think the little ones would notice. 

  You may choose to keep your monster spray chemical free. 

 The choice is yours!

Good luck with those creepers!

  I finally got rid of mine with 12 drops cinnamon,

  8 drops of orange and 5 drops

 ylang ylang oil in my Monster Spray!!

  Took a whole bottle at Christmas but we are safe and everybody thinks I am a superhero and a great baker!

P.S. 

 I have to thank Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl

 for doing a Room Spray post on her blog. 

 She steered me to the awesome

 metal sprayers from the dollar tree.  I usually use the plastic ones

but love the look of the metal.  They make awesome gifts.

  You can check out her recipes here!  She has some lovely combinations of scents!

Cheers!

Home Remedy Collection: Steamers

Blah...I'm sick.
 Last flu season, I made some shower soothers.

 They were okay, but I needed about six in the shower as they were so small.

I decided the best way to get the most out of my homemade shower discs was to throw just one in a pot of hot steamy water and capture the steam with a towel over my head!  Much more effective than the shower method.    It opened up my breathing passages and my head felt better immediately.
  When you are sick, any relief is good.

1/2 cup sodium bicarbonate
1 TBSP of water at a time until you have a paste
10 drops Thieves Oil *below

OR

1/2 cup of Sodium Bicarbonate
1/4 cup citric acid

I added 1 Tablespoon of witch hazel at a time until I had a paste.

Mix in 10 drops of Thieves oil *recipe below

Thieves Oil

8 drops of clove oil

7 drops lemon oil

4 drops of cinnamon oil

3 drops of eucalyptus oil

2 drops of rosemary oil
(Legend says that thieves used to rub this oil mixture over their bodies to stay sickness-free,
 while robbing bodies of black plague victims.???? hmmm maybe they just got lucky!)

Pack into molds...I used the Ikea ice cube molds and spooned the mixture in until the molds were full.



 Let dry overnight.  Take out of molds and store in an airtight container.


I will give this a 5 out of 5!
It opened up my airway and helped relieve my headache.....temporarily!
Well long enough for a quick post.
Stay well and wash, wash, wash your hands my friends!
Cheers.

Thanks for your visit.  I appreciate you all!

Hard Lotion Bars and a New Batch Of Soap

A quick post on making your own lotion bars.
Especially great for feet.

Gather supplies
  1/2 cup bees wax
1/4 cup cocoa butter
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup shea butter

Heat beeswax, cocoa butter and grape seed oil in microwave until completely melted.  Remove from microwave and add shea butter.   Stir until completely melted.  At this point you can add essential oils or fragrance oils.  I usually add about 2 TBSP.

Pour into containers, molds, or anything you have on hand.  I have used cupcake liners, Ikea ice cube molds or just ice cube trays.

Let harden and enjoy soft feet, a nice massage, or just all over body moisture!  It's a pretty versatile lotion.

Another project on the go is Castile Soap.  I wanted to make a few batches for Christmas.  The longer this soap cures, the harder it becomes!  Hard is good!  It will last longer.

For complete instructions on making your own Castile Soap, 

visit 

MAKING CASTILE SOAP WITH THE FERAL TURTLE

Lye and oil  are cooled to 110 degrees

Always practice SAFE SOAP MAKING!!!
 RUBBER GLOVES,
 SAFETY GLASSES, LONG SLEEVES
 AND AN APRON.

2 ounces of EO or fragrance oil per batch.  For this batch I used 1 ounce of Cucumber,  3/4 ounce of Mint and 1/4 ounce of Eucalyptus.

Soap reaching trace stage.

An addition of poppy seeds for scrubbing bars.

A long curing time makes for good soap!  This will cure for about four months.

Happy lathering.
Cheers!!

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