Box Set 1

Book 1: Soap Making for Beginners

Book 2: Body Butter Recipes

Book 3: Apple Cider Vinegar

Copyright © 2014 by Jessica Jacobs

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the author. Reviewers are able to quote

brief passages in reviews.

Disclaimer

This document is geared towards providing exact and reliable information in regards to the topic and issue covered. The publication is sold with the idea that the publisher is not required to render accounting, officially permitted, or otherwise, qualified services. If advice is necessary, legal or professional, a practiced individual in the profession should be ordered.

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About Me

My name is Jessica Jacobs. It has been my lifelong quest to search for natural and organic alternatives to everything we use.  I am an advocate for going green, and I am an ardent believer in the healing powers of natural ingredients. 

For years, I have been trying to search for beauty products and wellness treatments that are all-natural, effective, and budget-friendly, and I found that the best way is to make these at home ourselves!

This box set shows a list of tips and tricks on soap making, body butter-making and apple cider that I have learned over the years and use at home. All methods and recipes presented in the book are tried and tested, and they produce excellent results.  Allow me to share you great ideas that you can use right away.

There’s a lot to cover in this book, so let’s get right to it.

About the Book

In this Box Set, you will find three of the most popular books that I have:

Book 1: Soap Making for Beginners

Book 2: Body Butter Recipes

Book 3: Apple Cider Vinegar

This Box Set aims at giving readers the opportunity to read useful tips and mouth-watering recipes in these top picks.

This Box Set is informational and to the point, with each topic organised properly so you won’t be missing anything. Each section is complete with the needed information.

At the end of each book, you will find concluding remarks and key takeaways from the topic, with resources for further reading if you want to discover more.  It will also give you a preview of another book of mine which I am sure will delight you as well.

The following table of contents will show you exactly what is covered in this Box Set.

Table of Contents (Soap Making for Beginners)

Disclaimer

Your Free Bonus

About Me

About the Book

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1. What’s In a Soap?

A Brief History of Soap Making

Why Should I Make My Own Soap?

Chapter 2. Soap Making the Easy Way

Soap Bases

Glycerine Base

Fatty Base

Lard Base

Soap Chips

Chapter 3. Soap Making Lessons

To Lye or Not to Lye

The Golden Rule When Lye-ing

Oils and Fats

Saponification

Trace

Superfatting

Flashpoint

Fragrances

Gel Stage

Glycerine

Soda Ash

Additives

Curing

Chapter 4. Additives

Pantry Raid

Veggies and Fruits

Yogurt and Milk

Spicing It Up with Herbs

Slough It Off

Chapter 5. Equipment and Supplies

Accurate Measuring Scale

Safety Equipment

3-Quart Heat-Safe Container

Large Stainless Steel Pot

2-to 3 Quart Stainless Steel Sauce Pan

Two Soap Thermometers

Silicon or Wooden Utensils

Soap Making Moulds

Wax Paper

Soap Cutter

Chapter 6. Melt and Pour Method of Soap Making

Chapter 7. Cold Process Method of Soap Making

Chapter 8. Hot Process Method of Soap Making

Chapter 9. Re-batching/Milled Method of Soap Making

Chapter 10.  What Is A Castile Soap?

Chapter 11. Transparent Soaps… Not for Beginners

Chapter 12. Versatile Liquid Soaps

Chapter 13. Moulding, Cutting, Decorating

Moulding

Cutting

Decorating

Chapter 14. Common Problems and Troubleshooting

Common Problems

Making a large batch without testing your new recipe.

Forgetting to keep a good record of new recipes.

Impatience

Troubleshooting

What if there is separation and curdling?

What if the mixture did not thicken?

What if the mixture did not trace?

What if my soap is too hard?

What if there is white stuff on my soap?

What if there is grease on the soap?

Why are there dreaded orange spots?

And finally, a note about adjusting your soaps…

Chapter 15. Recipes

How to Make a Lye Solution

Beginner’s Basic Soap Recipe

Recipe #1 Tea Tree Oil Soap for Better Skin

Recipe #2 Shea Butter Marvel: Your Anti-Wrinkle Soap

Recipe #3 Soothing Ginger Soap for Pregnancy Woes

Recipe #4 Banana Cream Smoothie Soap

Recipe #5 Deluxe Olive Castile Soap

Recipe #6 Goat Milk and Lavender Soap

Recipe #7 Oat and Honey Soap

Conclusion

Key Takeaways From This Book

List of Resources

Preview of “Fruit Infused Water: Over 71 Quick and Easy Vitamin Water Recipes for Weight Loss, Detox and Metabolism Boosting”

I’ve covered a number of basic and advanced information in this book. It is my goal that, after reading this book, you will learn a number of things and be able to apply them immediately.

Introduction

I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book, “Soap Making for Beginners: Proven Secrets to Making All Natural Homemade Soaps that Will Rejuvenate, Refresh and Revitalize Your Skin”.

Many of us have realized that the products we get from the commercial market are not as beneficial or as healthy as we want them to be. So we begin a more concerted effort to be aware of the products that we use and buy. We are more wary of simply accepting popular goods just because . . . well . . . they’re popular.

And as this awareness becomes part of our consciousness, we veer into what is natural and yes, homemade, because that is the only way to make sure that we are getting the purest and the freshest ingredients.

This includes a daily part of our cleansing routine – use of soaps.

This book will guide you through all the basic information you need to know about soaps and soap making. It is simple enough to encourage you, dear readers, to be more adventurous and display your creativity. And the most important part is the option of living a healthier lifestyle when it comes to the products that you use. Another great thing about it is that you also help the environment by reducing waste!

Whether you’re a beginning or advanced soap maker, this book is a must in your bookshelf.

Thanks again for downloading this book, I hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter 1. What’s In a Soap?

A Brief History of Soap Making

It’s hard to pinpoint where soap was invented or first named “soap”, but we do know that ancient civilizations used alkali-based materials for cleaning purposes.

There are reports that the early Sumerians used wood ashes mixed with water as a base to clean the fats out of raw wool and cloth ready for dying. Wood ashes have a very high level of alkali, and these early pioneers knew this was the best material to use for removing grease, although they did not yet understand why.

The clever ancient peoples soon realized that a little bit of fat helped make the ash solution go much further and keep its slippery potency for much longer, which may be something to think about the next time you’re facing a sink full of greasy dishes.

The Romans may have been the unofficial inventors of soap as we know it today.

This may have happened by accident where sacrificial altars were built just above riverbanks. It is rumored that a famous altar at Mount Sapo may have been the origin of the name we use today.

The altars were used to sacrifice animals for use as burnt offerings, so there were plenty of animal fats and wood ashes washed down off the rocks by rain. The fat or tallow was a main constituent of soap, giving it the greasy, slimy feel.

The tallow would drip down from high altars up on the rocks and reach the river below, where it mixed with the wood ash and water to turn the riverbank into a soapy wonderland.

Soon this became a great place for general cleansing and washing, although our ancestors would not have known quite why this was such a special spot.

It seems strange that this phenomenon didn’t take off as a new washing miracle. Even Cleopatra in her Egyptian palace was still confined to mixing her bath milk with very fine sand to remove oil from her skin. Although tallow was well-known back then as a marketable commodity for candle making, it never really took off as a brand-new cleaning wonder.

Pliny the Elder was a famous Roman historian and writer of chronicles depicting daily life in the 1st century AD. He thought that soap came from the ancient Gauls. He noted that these northern warriors would use a primitive forerunner of soap to ‘disperse scrofulous sores’, and it also made their hair turn red. Nice.

The next big turning point in the soap saga was in the middle ages. Britons may have first been introduced to soap by their Gaulish neighbors, who already possessed a functioning soap industry. Soap making took off in towns such as Bristol and London.

The soaps took on different qualities in each region as more and more trees were felled to keep up with the demand for usable ashes. This had an undesirable effect on winter fuel supplies, so an alternative was needed.

The Spanish had plentiful supplies of olive oil and barilla plants, which worked very well together. In Italy, soap making families developed secret recipes to make money and be handed down through the generations as a family inheritance.

Soon a flourishing import business was in full swing; people just couldn’t get enough. Coarse soap was made with train oil, a by-product of whale blubber. Sweet soap was very popular, but the Mediterranean had the monopoly on industrial olive oil.

In northern Europe, where there was no olive oil, animal fats provided the tallow. This produced a speckled kind of soap, but it was soon under pressure as the reserves of candle-grade tallow dried up.  The Church had to put its foot down to spare the last remaining tallow as it felt that candles, predominantly used for church services, should be affordable for the poor and soap products were fast becoming a luxury item.

As the age of enlightenment brought technology to the masses, new scientific knowledge was applied to the soap and candle industries. Over the next two hundred years a major transformation of soap and soap production occurred as chemistry and laboratory techniques were mastered.

As water quality and water supply to homes improved, so soap and bathing underwent a revolution. This was significantly boosted in Britain by Prime Minister Gladstone’s 1853 repeal of heavy taxes. Bathing became a social norm and a popular activity, boosting public health significantly.

Another boon for soap making was the use of glycerine, which developed over the years into a modern component of soap production which still is used today. Soap production waste products contained the type of glycerine that was to become the backbone of a brand new invention called dynamite. The demand for glycerine spurred by Alfred Nobel’s brainchild gave soap making a major boost, and the soap and dynamite industries have never looked back.

In the United States a new company formed by B.J. Johnson moved heavily into production of a palm-and-olive-oil type soap called Palmolive. The soap became so popular that the company, today known as Colgate-Palmolive, was named after it. In London, Andrew Pears developed soap for shaving purposes, and in 1880 William Lever found a winning formula for his brand new factory in the UK. Thus, soap re-emerged into the modern world.

Why Should I Make My Own Soap?

You walk through the grocery store, stroll into the soap aisle, and your senses are filled with the different scents and sights of soap. You look at the attractive packaging and without much thought you toss a bar into your grocery basket. You haven’t even looked at the label! But why should you?

Well, you should probably know that your favorite choice of soap may not even be real soap. Go ahead, check it out. Most labels of so-called ‘soaps’ describe moisturizing bars or beauty bars… but not soap. Why? Because these products can’t legally claim to be soaps. They are, in reality, detergents.

Synthetic ingredients have replaced the real stuff that soaps are supposed to be made of. Original soap components like glycerine have been removed. Harsh chemicals, artificial colors and other harmful additives for producing lather are added. These cheap ingredients are bad for your skin.

But what about the antibacterial and antimicrobial protection that these ‘soaps’ offer? Most manufacturing companies include triclosan in their products and advertise it as an active ingredient against bacteria and microbes. However, the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides (NCAMP) states that triclosan in soaps is a toxic chemical that can cause cancer. What’s more, the triclosan stays active in the skin as long as 12 hours after use.

Does anyone need any more convincing that we should be using our own homemade soaps?

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Chapter 2. Soap Making the Easy Way

It’s quite natural to feel a little bit intimidated when trying out soap making for the first time. It helps to understand some of the basics, so let’s start with that.

Soap Bases

These are usual ingredients for soap making that you can buy online or from a supplier. And as the name implies, they are used as your base in making soap. The most common soap bases used are:

Glycerine Base

This is usually in clear-colored block form, and is popular for soap-making beginners. It is a good moisturizer for the skin and has therapeutic properties as well.

Fatty Base

This is made of vegetable oils, usually olive oil, coconut oil or jojoba oil. It comes in liquid form and usually has a translucent pale yellow colour. This is a favourite of many because it does not contain animal fats.

Other vegetable oils used for soap making are:

         Shea                                         

         Safflower

         Palm kernel

         Hazelnut

         Macadamia

         Grapeseed

         Avocado

         Apricot

         Sweet almond

Lard Base

This type of soap base produces thick, creamy lather. It is popular because of its conditioning components and makes soap products harder. It contains animal fat like rendered beef and rendered pork fat, also known as tallow.

Soap Chips

If you want to make liquid soaps, soap chips are ideal. You can order them from online suppliers or you can simply use a grater and shave your basic soap bar to pieces.

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Chapter 3. Soap Making Lessons

To Lye or Not to Lye

It is imperative that one understand lye’s role and function, as there have been many debates about the use of lye in making soaps.

Many people are put off from making soap at home because they are worried about working with potentially dangerous lye. The truth is, the danger is really quite minimal and a few common sense steps ought to eliminate it completely.

The result is homemade soap that is purer and much milder than any commercial soap bars you have bought. This, together with the satisfaction you get from knowing it is your own creation, will more than make up for the two minutes of care needed when making your lye solution. With these simple steps you will soon learn to master soap making with lye and feel pretty good about yourself.                           

Lye is a strong alkali, and when added to a fatty acid it causes a chemical reaction needed for soap making.

So why use such a harsh, irritating chemical in soap making? Can one make soap without lye?

Although lye is a caustic substance, you can’t really make soap without it. This is the most basic of all essential ingredients for good soap making, as a true soap consists of only lye, liquid and fat.

Lye is what makes the fatty ingredient in your soap making process turn into soap. You just need to take precautionary measure when mixing lye with the rest of the soap ingredients. To avoid any danger you should always follow the instructions and measure carefully.

The Golden Rule When Lye-ing

The golden rule is never to add water to lye. Instead, only add lye to water, as it heats up quickly and must be controlled when poured. It will heat up right before your eyes and give off some nasty smells, but only for a minute or two. Use common sense to avoid splashing any on yourself, and make sure you have plenty of ventilation.

If you do get a small spill onto your skin, just rinse quickly with lemon juice or water to avoid a mild chemical burn. The lemon’s citric acid will immediately neutralize the lye.

You can purchase lye, but you should make sure the lye you buy is made from 100% sodium hydroxide. Don’t use any other.

If you are nervous about pouring pure lye, you can buy a lye solution premixed with water to save some time and effort and perhaps take away some of the risk.

This should be a pure combination of sodium hydroxide and water. Never try using industrial cleaners that are based on sodium hydroxide, because they contain other materials that could be a lot more harmful to your skin if you don’t know what you are doing.

You should check the ratio of sodium hydroxide to water. For instance if your mix is a 50%-50% combination of the two, you should incorporate that into your calculations for the soap you are making. Often a soap mix may require 5 ounces of lye per ten ounces of water, so when using a pre-mix just remember to add more water to correct your ratio.

Dry lye crystals can therefore be easier to add to your quantity of water; basically it’s a personal choice.

You should also consider that a premix lye solution doesn’t require a boiling stage and can therefore be kept and used at room temperature. A little bit of practice will do the trick either way, and you will soon find out which way you prefer. In any case, practicing for a few weeks with both methods will expand your knowledge and experience and help speed up your learning.

Oils and Fats

Once you have your lye solution prepared you are now ready to add your fats.

The choice of fats is also very personal, and this is the stage where you can choose what you want to use for your soap. Even if you’re a beginner, you have probably already decided on which base you want to use. Quite often the decision is based on whether you want to avoid using animal by-products and stick with vegetable oils instead.

If you want to take up soap making a bit more seriously and intend to have fun turning out blocks of soap to send to friends and family members all over the world, then you will want to learn and experiment about how to make fats for your soaps.

For beginners we will stay with using soap bases. You will need to heat up your bases and add your oils. The general rule of thumb is to have your oil mixture at about 100 degrees Fahrenheit so all fats and oils are fully melted.

You can now add your lye mixture. If you have just boiled your own pot of lye solution, allow it to cool to this temperature before adding. A premix lye solution at room temperature can just be added slowly. Blending the mixtures takes you to the glorious stage of saponification.

Saponification

Beginners in soap making might wonder what ‘saponification’ means. It is a term widely used in the soap making world.

Simply put, saponification is the primary chemical reaction that occurs when the oils and fats used in making soap are mixed with lye. Each of the oils or fats used has what is known as the SAP value or saponification value, which is the quantity of lye that must be mixed to thoroughly neutralize these carrier ingredients into soap without any lye left over.

Here’s a quick guide to using lye with the fat or oil used in soap making:

Amount of Fat (in cups)

Amount of Lye

1

2 tablespoons

2

¼ cup

3

¼ cup + 2 tbsp.

4

½ cup

5

½ cup + 2 tbsp.

6

¾ cup

7

¾ cup + 2 tbsp.

8

1 cup

9

1 cup + 2 tbsp.

10

1 ¼ cups

Trace

One of the important procedures in soap making is proper trace. So what is ‘trace’?

Trace is often referred to as the stage past the point of no return. It is the part when the fats or oils have synthesised with your lye ingredient. Specifically, this is when your fats or oils together with your lye solution are processed into soap.

You know you have achieved the desired trace when:

         The consistency of your soap mixture is thick; something similar to that of a cake batter.

         Using a spoon, scoop out some of your mixture and let it dribble on top of the soap in the pot. If you observe a trail of the mixture on the surface which does not easily dissolve back into the rest of the soap, then you have reached the desired trace.

Achieving trace means that the oils and lye have congealed and will not separate. This is also the part of the process when you can start mixing in additives such as colours, fragrances, herbs, exfoliants or more fats/oil, in which case you are ‘superfatting’ your soap. 

Superfatting  

Superfatting is the process of mixing in additional oils when making soap. In essence, there are more fatty ingredients in the mixture than the lye can equalize during the process. Soap makers (and consumers) who have dry skin rejoice in superfatted soaps because they have excellent emollient and moisturising effects ideal for their skin type.

Flashpoint

All essential oils and fragrance oils have what is known as a ‘flashpoint’. This is when they reach a certain temperature and evaporation occurs.

Therefore it is important to time your mixing correctly. If the soap is too hot when the oil is added the oil will evaporate immediately. You should consider the flashpoint of any additive oil you use.

Generally speaking, fragrance oils have a naturally high flashpoint, thus making them easier to use. Essential oils, however, can have very low flashpoints, so more care is needed.

Fragrances

While some prefer to go natural and not perfume their soap products, there are those who would like their soaps scented. This allows you to enjoy your favourite scent while bathing, which many people find therapeutic.

Essential oils are the most common ingredients to scent your homemade soap. Just make sure that you handle essential oils carefully while mixing them with your homemade soap, as they can be potent and volatile.

Some essential oils (such as citrus oils) can sometimes react with your soap mixture and cause it to curdle. It is best to use high-grade and organic aromatic oils.

Gel Stage

Once the soap solution has been mixed and combined into its trace state it can then be poured into your mould. It will naturally heat up as the chemical compounds react with each other. This heat can be contained with insulated wrapping to speed up the process.

The soap solution will undergo changes during the process and become more translucent, taking on the appearance of Vaseline. Most soap makers prefer this gelling effect, but it is not done by everyone.

Glycerine

This is a substance created from residue of the saponification process. Using the handmade cold process or hot process method the soap will retain the glycerine produced, whereas lesser commercial products often omit this stage. Glycerine is very good as a natural emollient and humectant.

Also, glycerine is great to use for soap making for children. Not only is it a very mild soap but the melting point is considerably lower than in fat-based methods, making it much safer for your budding, insistent, assistants.

Soda Ash

This is a white powdery residue that will often appear on the surface of the soap solution. Although this does not affect the quality of your soap, if soda ash forms in the middle of your soap bar it might cover or destroy your swirls and designs.

It can be easily removed with a damp cloth if transferred to the skin while washing.

Additives

Since the topic of additives covers an interesting array of information, I thought it would be best to dedicate Chapter 4 to its discussion.

Curing

Your soap will need adequate curing time while it completes the saponification cycle. It will dry out further and become harder until it is ready to be cut up into presentable bars. Using the hot process method will give your bars a longer lifetime.

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Chapter 4. Additives 

Additives are natural ingredients that you can mix with your soap to give it that special look and scent, as well as therapeutic effects. And you might be pleasantly surprised that you won’t have to make a trip to the shop: many additives can be found right in your pantry!

So go ahead and experiment!

Pantry Raid

Nuts

Whole almonds, hazels, or macadamia makes your soap bar look spa-authentic

Sago

Pretty for decorating bar soaps

Honey

Instant facelift!

Seaweed

Its amino acids are great for young-looking skin. Grind it or chop finely.

Buttermilk

Popular additive; try 1-2 tbsp. per kilo warm water

Teas

Improve overall appearance of the skin. You can use herbal or green tea.

Beer

Many qualities such as vitamins and yeast, but don’t over insulate

Tapioca

Decorative and easy to get. You may want to use the small coloured ones.

Rice

Whitening properties. Grind into a powder before use.

Chocolate

UV protection and tightens the pores.

Coffee

Premature aging prevention properties.

Veggies and Fruits

Melon

Maintains healthy skin. The aroma is also great.

Cucumber

Improves complexion and tightens pores. Remove seeds and blend first.

Pumpkin

High in zinc, it does wonders for the skin. Cook and mash before adding.

Citrus

Use peelings for a refreshing experience.

Avocado

Mash it first before adding. Superb antioxidant!

Tomato

Adding at water stage gives a nice colour and makes your skin look vibrant.

Peaches

Vitamin C on skin. Add as part of water content.

Oranges

Wonderful aroma throughout the house. Stress reliever.

Lemon

Very good for scratches and bug bites.

Grapefruit

Mellow version of fruit flavours.

Yogurt and Milk

Goat Milk

Gives a luxurious feel.

Natural Yoghurt

Rejuvenating properties.

Spicing It Up with Herbs

Bergamot

Known for pain relief and eases psoriasis attacks.

Peppermint

Wonderful anti-bacterial, but take caution with amounts.

Lavender

A queen of essential oils – stress reliever, disinfectant, improves blood circulation.

Rose

For fresh-looking skin.

Pine

Freshness and rejuvenation.

Sandalwood

An exotic way to soothe and make your skin glow. Healing properties of sandalwood are also popular.

Vetiver

Good for scars and other skin blemishes.

Slough It Off

Coconut

Use desiccated coconut. Great for a soap scrub because of its texture.

Poppy seeds

Treatment for eczema as well as an exfoliant. Just don’t overdo the amount.

Polenta

This crushed grain is great for sloughing off rough skin.

Shredded loofah

An age-old tradition for getting rid of dry, rough skin. So why not put it in your soap?

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Chapter 5. Equipment and Supplies

Here is a list of the needed supplies for soap making. It may appear daunting at first but you will soon get the hang of it. You may even be surprised to find some of the soap making equipment already in your kitchen. If not, then make an adventure of finding your supplies from your favourite discount shop or thrift store, or maybe even your recycling bin!

Although it’s always best that you invest in good, sturdy (and expensive?) equipment, if you are just a beginner and in the process of experimenting with soap making, then you don’t really have to.

See that empty milk box? That would be perfect as a disposable mould. Juice jugs and old measuring spoons will do just fine. This way, you will have enough in your budget to focus on other soap making ingredients. A candy thermometer should also work for soap.

So where do you start? Here’s what you’re going to need to get started:

Accurate Measuring Scale

A quality digital scale is needed to ensure accurate ingredient weights. It is imperative to be very accurate with this to get your soap mixes just right. Getting it wrong will render your soap useless. It is probably a good idea to have scales in both metric and imperial. Many ingredients and recipes are for the American market and will come in ounces, but you may have metric equipment where you live. Accuracy of 1 gram or 1/10th ounce ought to do it.

You will need to secure your scale so it is very stable. If you opt for an electric scale keep the power cord well away from your work area as spillages can damage equipment.

Safety Equipment

This includes goggles, rubber gloves and an apron. The rubber gloves and goggles are the most important, as they protect your skin from coming in contact with hazardous chemicals.

3-Quart Heat-Safe Container

It is advisable to avoid any kind of plastic for your container as you will run the risk of melting it if you’re unsure of the heat properties.

Large Stainless Steel Pot  

This is where your actual mixing and soap making will occur, so do not go for low quality. This pot is where you will be mixing you lye together with the required oils and fats. This is where the magic happens!

2-to-3 Quart Stainless Steel Sauce Pan

You will need a sturdy, clean pan for heating and melting your solid oils, fats and other additives.

Two Soap Thermometers

You will need to keep an eye on the temperature of both your lye solution and your fat melting pot. While candy thermometers can be used in a pinch, those specifically for soap making are best.

Silicon or Wooden Utensils

This is a personal choice, but sometimes wood can flake off into your mixes as it wears. Heavy duty silicone or rubber utensils normally avoid this problem. A whisk or hand blender is required. Two spatulas and measuring and stirring spoons would also be good.

Soap Making Molds

Another fun part of the process is choosing how you want your bars to look. Initially as a novice you may be happy to buy block moulds that produce slabs for cutting into trim, straight bars. Have fun!

Wax Paper

This is good to line your blocks, especially if using wooden mould cases.

Soap Cutter

It is easier to have a proper wire cutter for your blocks.

Once you have all your supplies ready you should organize a decent-sized space for your working area. It should be well ventilated, of course.

It would be a good idea to set up a soap making station on a desk or table in a well-ventilated room.

The next four chapters will talk about popular methods in homemade soap making.

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Chapter 6. Melt and Pour Method of Soap Making

The melt and pour method is the simplest soap making method of all, but you do have the option to make it more complex if you want to.

Here is the simple process by the book:

Buy a quantity of a pre-made soap base

Gently melt this base material into a liquid

Add your chosen ingredients, such as soap dye, preferred essential oils, herbs and nutrients

Pour your soap mixture into your favourite mould

Do your decorations and design

Let it set and harden and you’re done

This is so simple that it is a fantastic way for beginners to get into soap making.

It gives you a great chance to hone your melting and pouring skills before learning the more advanced processes. Once you have chosen the additives you want to put in, you will be chomping at the bit until your finished soap is ready.

You will soon want to get creative and produce your own blends of added essential oils, and there’s no limit to how you can mould, cut and present your own bars.

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Chapter 7. Cold Process Method of Soap Making

The Cold Process method (or CP as it is fondly called by veteran soap makers) is incredibly popular, and it is easy to see why. Genuine newbie soap makers will just love the combination of first science then art as you magically produce wonderful bars of homemade soap.

Unlike the easier methods of melting pre-made mixes and soap bases, the cold process method requires you to create your own soap base completely from scratch.

This is all done by the magical process of saponification. This is where the combination of the base with an acid to form a salt happens. The result is a form of salt which in effect is the soap.

Let me explain. Technically speaking, the sodium hydroxide in the base, which is referred to as lye, gets to react with the acid in the oil or fat in the process called saponification. You will learn much more about this throughout the book.

As these chemical reactions fizz and crackle, you can add your best fragrances and essential oils to continue the chemical chain reaction and also start to lend a favour or aroma to your finished product.

Out of all the methods for soap making this one is the most favoured and loved. You get to produce your own chemical product and lend your own personal touches along the way. Perhaps you can make a whole batch to help treat a friend with a specific skin condition. The CP method is great to use with superfatting.

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Chapter 8. Hot Process Method of Soap Making

The Hot Process method, or HP, is very similar to the cold process until you get to a certain stage. The lye mix is blended with the melted oils mix in the same way.

But now comes the difference. Here we use heat to promote the saponification process. You will need a crockpot to boil up your soap solution. Allow yourself around two to three hours of gentle cooking. This gives plenty of time for the saponification to occur.

This has been a very popular method over history; soap makers were long imagined as constantly stirring large cauldrons of bubbling soap solution, somewhat like the witches in Macbeth.

This is still the chosen method of many, as the soap is ready as soon as it has cooled off and will last much longer due to the extended process.

The one big disadvantage of this process is that it is sometimes difficult to coax your soap out of the mould. Once you do, though, you can look forward to a much longer washing life for this type of soap.

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Chapter 9. Re-batching/Milled Method of Soap Making

This is another very easy process to learn, but you will find it an advantage to know all about the cold process and hot process methods.

This is sometimes known as the milled soap method because it simply involves shredding or milling existing soap pieces and adding any further desired ingredients.

You will notice that this method is very similar to the melt and pour system of soap making, except that there is no need for a soap base as you just use any spare soap bar pieces you want to recycle.

The reason you will leave this process until you’ve mastered the usual hot and cold techniques is that it will soon become useful for re-processing any unsuccessful batches from earlier efforts.

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Chapter 10.  What Is A Castile Soap?

There is another kind of soap that deserves a special mention – the Castile soap.

It is a very popular soap that has done well over the years. It originates, as its name would suggest, in the heart of the Spanish mainland, and it is made with a high concentration of good quality olive oil.

Its origins date back to the late 16th century when soap was becoming popular and valuable in Europe. It has remained sought-after ever since, mainly because of the wonderful health benefits of olive oil and also because in recent years the market has required less animal dependent products.

Needless to say, any good version of Castile soap will be very health-boosting and also very mild for infants.

Because of the high content of olive oil Castile soap sometimes appears slightly slimy to consumers. It has recently been discovered that about 8 parts olive oil mixed with one part coconut oil and one part palm oil gives the best version of Castile soap.

The coconut oil will help provide extra suds and soapiness, while the palm oil will harden the soap and make it less greasy.

It is well worth practicing with Castile soap as a beginner. For one thing, you don’t need any other oils or ingredients apart from this combination in your mixture.

After you’ve practiced a bit and learned the basic skills of making soap at home, you will soon be producing the wonderfully luxurious Castile soap and leaving friends and family gobsmacked at your achievements.

Better quality olive oil will add to the overall quality of your bars, but using a basic olive oil to test your methods first is recommended. Practicing until perfection should provide you with some very nice bars of soap.

Because of the large quantity of olive oil it is recommended that novices hone their skills on smaller batches of regular soap until they feel more confident with their heating and mixing capabilities.

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Chapter 11. Transparent Soaps… Not for Beginners

Transparent soaps are not really for the beginner as they require a lot of time and processing, so we will just make a short mention here in case it whets your appetite further down the track.

Transparent soaps have always been popular and are no doubt within your grasp after you get the hang of the more basic soap making techniques. To make transparent soap you will need some solvent to add to the mix.

The magic is that the sodium hydroxide needed for soap making, and added as part of the lye solution, forms crystals in your soap batch. This is why your mixture becomes opaque.

You will need to add ethanol and a sugar solution to your mix to form the main part of the soap, which is why you should not attempt this as a novice.

If you dissolve enough soap into the solvent solution the crystals will become tiny, thus allowing you to see through the remaining solution as it solidifies. You are looking through the sugary ethanol excess.

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Chapter 12. Versatile Liquid Soaps

Liquid soaps are very popular; these days they appear in nearly every room in your home. These are a far cry from our centuries-old fat boiling in a cauldron scenario.

Luckily for us, liquid soaps are the easiest kind of soaps to make. Liquid soaps can be extremely useful as an anti-bacterial defence for your home, and transparent plastic bottles with a hand pump are the way to go.

Let’s get started. First, collect some old pieces of solid soap bars and grate them as finely as possible. Leftovers from big batch failures normally do the trick here. Any small pieces can be chopped up with a sharp knife.

Put your grated soap into a blender together with a cup of boiling water. Set your blender to slow – or a whipping action if you have it – and leave it running until your mixture takes on a pasty appearance.

Now add a good tablespoon of honey and one teaspoon of glycerine and give it a good stir.

Allow your mixture to cook slowly for at least another twenty minutes and then put it back under the whipper. At this point you need to start adding some cold water to the mixture. Do this as slowly as your patience will allow and relax when you think you have about six cups’ worth.

Now pour the mixture out into a container and let it stand somewhere safe without a lid to allow it to cool fully.

Once it is completely cooled, you now have the fun of pouring the mixture into your pump bottles, and away you go. Keep them around the house as a refillable soap option. You will be keeping them full in every room in no time. 

You can change your soap with every batch by adding a few drops of different essential oils, which also give it further anti-bacterial properties.

A good one to practice is liquid Castile soap. Use leftover pieces of Castile soap and make as above. Add twenty drops of lavender oil and ten drops of your favourite anti-bacterial oil to about four ounces of your liquid Castile soap. 

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Chapter 13. Moulding, Cutting, Decorating

Now this is the chapter that will reward your creativity. You get to flex your creative and imaginative genius. There are really no boundaries or limitations on what you can do and experiment with as far as decorating and beautifying your soap bars.

Moulding

Okay, your perfect batch is now ready and you are desperate to pour it into your mould. The first rule is to pour levels evenly over your moulds and never fill them right up, as expansion occurs during curing.

You are at complete liberty to choose your moulds, but let us stick with straightforward blocks to start with. Whatever mould you use, you will need to wrap it in old towels to keep the heat in. Ideally you want the heat to dissipate as slowly as possible to encourage healthy curing.

The first 24-48 hours will finalise the cooking process. From then on you can remove your soap from the mould. This is to be done very gently to avoid breakage. If it seems difficult to handle the soap and get it out of the mould, a short spell in your freezer will shrink it slightly, enough to get it out.

Cutting

We should now be ready for cutting. A wire cutter is best for cutting blocks to ensure straight lines, but long knives are okay too.

There is no exact science to cutting, but you tend to become more creative and elaborate as you go. Most beginners start off with pre-shaped moulds and straight block cutting.

After cutting, set your soap aside in a cool dry place for hardening.

Decorating

This is the second part of the satisfaction of soap making. It turns your batch of brand-new soap from an ugly duckling into a thing of beauty. Just how much beauty is up to you, and although homemade items are a thing of personal choice, I’m sure you will want to expand your repertoire to try many different shapes and styles.

If you have done your homework and followed the nerve-racking steps correctly you should now be the proud parent of a dozen or so small bars of wonder, already enjoying the scent and feel of your labours.

Now it’s time to put the icing on the cake. You have probably noticed a few similarities to cake making, so let’s press on.

You can decorate your bars with just about anything. For gifts, just make them as personal as you wish. Soap, unlike cake, has a decent shelf-life, so pretty box packaging may be high on your list.

There is a wealth of dried flowers and herb sprigs available and some would no doubt be a perfect match your chosen ingredients, so let your imagination flow. After all, this is where you treat yourself for all your hard work and diligence.

You will soon be scouring the local shops and suppliers to find quantities of wax paper and paraffin glue to appease your new-found creative side.

Storing soap couldn’t be easier, as you just need a relatively cool, dry place to store as many bars as you want. 

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Chapter 14. Common Problems and Troubleshooting

Common Problems

Here are the most common mistakes and problems faced by the novice soap maker.

Making a large batch without testing your new recipe.

This is the single biggest cause of ruined batches as it is often found that weights and measures have not been calculated or carried out properly.

Always stick to small batches with anything new and you will save time and money in the long run.

You will need to pay careful attention to any modifications you are tempted to make. If you have decided on a new batch with an increased amount of oil, then remember to re-do your calculations correctly. The lye amount will definitely need adjusting to avoid getting a bad batch.

This rule applies to all of your own creations. It is all very well to throw in all sorts of additives, but additional oils and fats must be added very gradually one batch at a time to see if they work. Less is more, when experimenting.

Forgetting to keep a good record of new recipes.

This is another frequent problem with being new. Sometimes the excitement of making your own mixes can make you forget exactly what went into the pot. It takes very little to change your newest favourite batch into something unpleasant, so always keep good recipe notes and update them carefully. Soon you will have a little black book full of trade secrets!

Impatience

Some batches will take on different smells during the course of the process, so you must wait for the allotted time before trying your soap. Testing new recipes should be done very methodically and diligently, so try to channel your enthusiasm into thinking about new recipes while waiting.

Troubleshooting

This is always important for beginners. If you don’t know what went wrong, you can’t get better. Here are some of the causes behind common mishaps:

What if there is separation and curdling?

If your soap looks like cottage cheese, then you have probably miscalculated your measurements. Or you may have added some colouring that perhaps had sodium in it. A tell-tale sign of incorrect measurements is when your soap cools down much more quickly than expected.

If this happens, try reheating to 110 degrees, but no higher. Reheat in your crockpot, remembering to stir well. Pour into moulds when ready and insulate well with towels etc. If the batch still comes out faulty, then it was definitely a case of wrong ingredients.

What if the mixture did not thicken?

The most common cause of this is your oils. It is crucial that you stick to what’s known as soft oils. The higher your oil percentage, the more visible the thickening will appear.

What if the mixture did not trace?

If your soap mixture begins to show signs of un-saponified fatty acids then you can guarantee your batch will not thicken and will be ruined. Experienced soap makers may try adding borax and beginners could try re-boiling the batch to help evaporate more water, but more often than not there is no saving your mixture.

Getting to the trace is a significant stage of the process, and one you need to learn as a novice. If you can catch a droplet of mixture on the back of a spoon and see it re-join the mixture when let go, then you probably have got your trace. If your batch has a nice even look, you could stop stirring for ten minutes and see if any oil rises to the surface. If it doesn’t, then the batch looks good.

If not, then stir for another 45 minutes and try the droplet test again. If oil still separates after the second time, then probably the batch will be no good.

What if my soap is too hard?

Then is a clear indication of too much lye in your mixture. Too much lye can also cause cracks in your soap. On the other hand, if your soap is greasy and gooey then too little lye was added.

What if there is white stuff on my soap?

It could be that your water is too hard. Always make sure you use distilled water. It is also possible there was a little too much lye in your mixture.

What if there is grease on the soap?

This sounds like a case of incomplete saponification or poor distribution of lye. Make sure your measurements are accurate. When you pour your mixture it should always appear thick and creamy. Always keep stirring after pouring, and remember, you can never over-stir!

Why are there dreaded orange spots?

Commonly known as DOS, this has happened to the most experienced of soap makers. Hopefully you’ll have only one or two spots but it is often more severe. Normally it is caused by humidity, rancid oil, or overenthusiastic superfatting. Quite often it is a combination of the three.

The first action to avoid this is to make sure your fatty acids never go above 5%. Using only fresh or well-stored oils will help. Oils such as canola or sunflower are quite strong, so use even less of them.

Make sure you always use distilled water. Always make sure you cure your bars in a cool, dry place with no sunlight.

Believe it or not, your soap is perfectly fine to use and should feel no different. You only have an aesthetic problem.

And finally, a note about adjusting your soaps…

As you know by now, there are a few rules to stick to in order to turn out satisfactory blocks of soap repeatedly. If you are struggling with the practicalities, then try converting your weights into percentages. This way you get a more accurate read on the constituents of every batch. It is easy to miscalculate weights, so retrain your number crunching to think of volume per batch. Good luck!

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Chapter 15. Recipes

Regardless of the kind of soap you are concocting, there are several “Basic Soap Recipes” you can choose from. As a beginner, you can use this recipe to make several batches of soap until you become more confident in experimenting with different proportions and a more varied choice of ingredients.

So get your supplies and equipment ready and let’s start making soap!

First, we prepare the lye solution.

How to Make a Lye Solution

Equipment:

Weighing scale

Distilled water

Lye

Long-handled spoon (for mixing)

Pitcher

Mason jar

Gloves and goggles

Instructions:

Place the pitcher on the scale and make sure that the weight is zeroed out.

Pour distilled water into the pitcher until the weight reads as specified in the soap recipe. Set aside.

Place the Mason jar on the scale and zero the weight again.

Gently shake the amount of lye required for the recipe into the Mason jar.

Now mix the lye and water. REMEMBER to ALWAYS slowly add the lye to the water. Doing it the other way around will cause a semi-eruption effect. You also have to pour gently to avoid any splashes.

Using a spoon, stir the two ingredients until well dissolved.

CAUTION: The lye and water mixture will start to bubble and grow hot. It may also produce a small amount of steam. (If you haven’t put on your goggles yet, now is the time!) This is normal. Just continue to stir until the lye has dissolved completely.

As soon as you see that the lye has been thoroughly mixed with the water, your lye solution is ready.

Put your lye solution in a tightly-capped container in a safe place. When your lye has cooled down to 100 degrees, it is ready for you to use.

Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?

Beginner’s Basic Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

Coconut oil

6.5 oz.

Olive oil

7.5 oz.

Castor oil

1.4 oz.

*Palm oil

6.5 oz.

Lye

3.1 oz.

Distilled water

8 oz.

*You can use beef tallow or lard instead of palm oil.

Directions:

Using your lye and distilled water measurements, make your lye solution first. Set aside to cool.

Gather and measure all solid oil ingredients and heat until they turn liquid.

Gather all liquid oils and add them to the melted solid oils.

When your oil mixture has cooled down to about 100 to 115 degrees, slowly pour the lye solution into the oil mixture.

Using a stick blender, blend and stir with alternating short blasts until your mixture reaches a light trace.

This is the time to add additives such as essential oils.

Make sure that the mixture is smooth and even.

Pour the soap mixture into a mould and let it set for 24 hours.

The next step is curing. Place your soap bars on a rack for about 4 to 6 weeks. Curing allows the evaporation of excess water, making your soap bar harder and therefore longer-lasting. Then it’s ready to use!

Recipe #1 Tea Tree Oil Soap for Better Skin

Naturopaths have lauded the use of tea tree essential oil against many skin disorders. Tea tree essential oil is rich with highly effective antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Tea tree oil soap will unclog the skin’s pores and as a result cleanse the excess oil and other grimy stuff. Not only does tea tree oil soap get rid of the dirt, it also acts as a disinfectant. So if you have acne-prone skin and suffer from breakouts, then tea tree oil soap is for you.

Here’s how to do it:

Tea tree oil

12 to 13 grams

Olive oil

29 to 30 oz.

Coconut oil

6.5 oz.

Palm kernel oil

10 oz.

Sweet almond oil

2.5 oz.

Distilled water

14 oz.

Lye

220 grams

Directions:

Mix all the oils except for the tea tree oil and place them in your stainless soap pot. Set it at low heat; you want to make sure that you keep the heat low to avoid burning your oils.

While you are melting the oils, measure your tea tree oil in a separate container. It is at this point that you may want to ready the additives you want to mix in when the time comes!

Your additives can be the following:

-         Oatmeal (about 3-4 tablespoons)

-         Almond milk (about 8 ounces)

-         Avocado oil (1 ounce)

-         Shea butter (3-4 ounces)

Although you can colour your bar, I prefer to omit this since the skin on the face is sensitive and could have an allergic reaction to colorants.

Now does your mixture have a thick consistency? Is the texture even and smooth? Does it leave a trace? If yes, then your soap mixture is ready to be poured into the mould.

Wait for 24 hours for your tea tree oil soap to solidify before carefully removing it from the mould. Cut into your desired thickness.

Recipe #2 Shea Butter Marvel: Your Anti-Wrinkle Soap

Shea butter is a popular ingredient for soap making, especially for those troubled by dry, rough skin. Shea butter soap is one of the most luxurious soaps you can make. It may not have a bubbly lather, but the conditioning and creamy effects on your skin are superb! It can also protect your skin from UV damage and is also popular for soothing burns.

Shea butter is a bit expensive, so you may want to include it in around the 10% to 15% range.

Ingredients:

Shea butter

4.5 oz.

Olive oil

12.7 oz.

Castor oil

3.18 oz.

Coconut oil

6.40 oz.

Lye

4.30 oz.

Distilled water

7.0 oz.

Coconut milk

3.5 oz.

Directions:

You can use your preferred soap making technique among those discussed in Chapters 6 to 9. Whatever method you use, wait for your soap mixture to achieve a thin trace BEFORE mixing the coconut milk with the lye solution and water.

When you have achieved a thin trace, you can now add the coconut milk.

Continue to blend your soap mixture until you have achieved a medium trace, then pour it into your mould.

You can now use your spatula to make a zigzag pattern or add decorations like ground calendula flower petals or pretty much anything you like to make your Shea butter soap bar a work of art!

Since the different soap making methods have been discussed in previous chapters and the choice largely depends on your preference, the following soap recipes just list the benefits and the ingredients. Special instructions will be indicated as needed.

Recipe #3 Soothing Ginger Soap for Pregnancy Woes

Many women have bouts of dizziness and nausea throughout the nine months of pregnancy, and these can be alleviated by the wonderful effects of ginger. This amazing root crop is famous for its refreshing properties and stress relief.

So whether it’s you or a friend who is expecting, ginger soap is a perfect way to ease those pregnancy blues.

Ingredients:

                     2 ½ cups of basic soap mix (see above)

                     3 tablespoons of dried ginger flakes

Directions:

Mix your basic soap ingredients and dried ginger flakes in a stainless pot.

Heat the mixture until it becomes even.

Pour into your desired mould… and voila! Stress and nausea relief!

Recipe #4 Banana Cream Smoothie Soap

No wonder monkeys go bananas over bananas! This fruit is packed with potassium and is an excellent moisturizer for the skin.

Ingredients:

4 oz. vegetable shortening

9 oz. olive oil

8 oz. canola oil

Half gallon cold milk

9 oz. lye

Half pint whipping cream

2 oz. banana fragrance oil

1 fresh banana

2 tsp. citric acid

3 tbsp. granulated sugar 

Directions:

Mix all oils together and slowly melt over a very low heat. Once the shortening has melted, remove and set aside.

Mix the cream, banana fragrance oil, citric acid and banana together. Blend until very smooth. Pour into a separate bowl and set aside.

Fill your kitchen sink half full of water and add three trays of freezer ice. Set your milk container in the ice water and add sugar until dissolved.

Very slowly add your lye to the mixture and stir well. Allow 15 minutes to do this. The milk should turn yellow.

The lye/milk mixture will warm up. When it does, add half the warm oil mixture carefully. Stir well throughout the pouring process. Once the mixture is a little cooler you can use a hand blender to whisk it. Then add the second half of the oils and whisk again until all is smooth and silky.

Any small bits of banana will diffuse into the mixture until evenly distributed.

Pour the soap into your moulds and let sit for 24 hours. Then remove it from the moulds and cut. Cure it for 4-5 weeks.

Recipe #5 Deluxe Olive Castile Soap

The purest of the purest! Lather your skin with nothing but the natural goodness of pure soap.

Ingredients:

1 quart top quality olive oil

1 quart distilled water

¾ cup additional water

6 oz. lye

Directions:

In a large ceramic or glass bowl combine the olive oil into the quart of water.

In another glass or ceramic bowl combine the lye with the ¾ cup of water.

Add the lye solution to the water and olive oil mixture, stirring well and very slowly. You can use a wooden spoon for this. Keep stirring in the same direction, and keep going until the mixture begins to thicken and reaches the trace stage.

Once you are at trace you can pour into your favourite mould and then allow it to sit for at least 24 hours. Now remove it from the mould and cut.

Wrap the soap in parchment paper and allow it to cure for at least two weeks.

It should now be ready for use. You can always substitute coconut or some other oil for part of the olive oil. This will provide harder, more durable bars, but don’t exceed 20% of the other oil.

Recipe #6 Goat Milk and Lavender Soap

Milk has been known for centuries to bring back the youthful glow of the skin. Lavender is considered the ‘Queen of Oils’… mix the two and what do you get? Perfection!

Ingredients:

11.3 oz. coconut oil

11.7 oz. palm oil

15.5 oz. olive oil

3.9 oz. almond oil

6.1 oz. lye

15.5 oz. whole milk

2 1/3 tbsp. lavender essential oil

1 tbsp. almond oil

Directions:

Weigh all your oils for accuracy. Combine them, except for the essential oils, in a saucepan.

Gradually heat them until they are completely melted and then let the temperature cool down to about 110 degrees.

Pour the milk into a saucepan and set it in iced water in the sink. Three ice trays in half a sink should be enough.

Slowly add the lye to the milk. Take at least 2o minutes to do this.

Check your temperature, as the milk will burn if allowed to reach 150 degrees. Once all the lye has been added you should let the mixture cool down to around 110 degrees.

At this temperature the milk can be combined with the oils, but it must be stirred the whole time. Keep stirring as the mixture begins to gel. Drizzle some of this mixture back into your crockpot or cooking pot and watch for trace to occur.

This could take anything from 45 minutes to an hour if hand stirring, a little bit quicker with a hand blender. Keep whisking with the blender for about 45 seconds and check for trace. If it hasn’t occurred yet, repeat the blending and wait once more.

At this point you can add the essential oils as the mixture is no longer so hot that they will evaporate off.

When the mixture is cool enough you can pour it into your moulds. Let it rest for 24 hours; then it can be turned out and cut into bars.

Step 10. Store in a cool, dry area for 4-6 weeks to allow the soap to cure fully.

Recipe #7 Oat and Honey Soap

Honey and oats combined make that perfect antibacterial and acne treatment for the skin. Loaded with antioxidants, this soap concoction is a must for anyone who wants to pamper and protect their skin.

Ingredients:

32 oz. cold water (about four cups)

12 oz. lye crystals

2 oz. beeswax melted into the fats

4  pounds lard

12 oz. olive oil

8 oz. coconut oil

4 oz. cocoa butter

Note: The fat solution should be mixed between 95-100 degrees; a little cooler for the lye and water mix.

Directions:

Mix the lye into the distilled water and put it in a safe place to cool.

Melt the vegetable shortening. Using a double boiler, melt the beeswax together with the coconut oil and keep it warm.

Heat the vegetable shortening to 120 degrees and the lye mixture to 100 degrees. Then pour the lye mixture into the shortening mixture and stir continuously until the trace appears, then add ingredients as below.

Put the coconut oil and beeswax mixture into your soap mixture and keep stirring. The beeswax will make it thick when mixed well with the honey.

Pour into moulds and cover with saran wrap. Let it stand covered for 48 hours. Remove it from the moulds and cut. Age it for three weeks in the open air. 

It helps to use a spray to line spoons and measuring cups to combat stickiness.

Add at trace:

¼ cup of honey

1-2 tsp. bitter almond fragrance oil (don’t use essential oil as it will cook and become rancid). Cinnamon also works well.

1 cup finely milled oatmeal or rolled oats.

Note: the oats can be pulverized in a blender. If you have a jar attachment to your blender then this is a good time to use it. You can throw in some herbs and light spices if you wish and blend them into a fine and interesting powder.

This soap should develop a pleasantly rounded and wholesome smell. The ground oatmeal and tiny herb flakes will make a wonderful facial scrub.

During processing there may be a whitish layer on the skin of the soap similar to a glaze, but this should disappear with adequate curing. This is sometimes attributed to the beeswax, and the soap is well worth the wait when finally cured.

Cinnamon is a worthy substitute but it may give off a strange smell during curing. Do not worry, as it is notorious for this and it will pass.

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Conclusion

Thank you again for downloading this book!

I hope that you have enjoyed reading and learning “Soap Making for Beginners: Proven Secrets to Making All Natural Homemade Soaps that Will Rejuvenate, Refresh and Revitalize Your Skin”.

Like I mentioned, there are no limits to how you can exercise your creativity. Perhaps you might even consider the idea of entrepreneurship? If you are doing something that gives you such fun and pleasure, surely earning extra income from it wouldn’t be too bad, would it?

So I encourage you to let loose your creative juices and experiment with your own blends and potions. And on top of it all, enjoy better skin health!

Thank you and good luck!

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Key Takeaways From This Book

Commercial soaps are harsh on the skin and mostly made of detergents.

Soap making does not have to be expensive as many of the ingredients and supplies can be taken from recycled materials.

Homemade soaps are definitely a healthier alternative for skin care.

There are four different processes to make soap and you can choose the one you are most comfortable with.

Soap making gives you a wide choice of additives ranging from herbs to fruits to flowers to vegetables. The list is limitless.

Making homemade soap is a potential money making business!

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List of Resources

http://www.essentialoilsdirect.co.uk/

http://www.essentialoilsonline.co.uk/

http://essentialsurvival.org/healthy-weight-loss/

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/hobbies/soap-making

http://www.thesoapkitchen.co.uk/soap_making.htm

http://www.soapbasics.com/

http://www.soapcalc.net/info/equipment.asp

http://www.bakewellsoap.co.uk/sudslawsoapmakingtips.html

http://www.thesoapkitchen.co.uk/

https://www.soapkitchenonline.co.uk/acatalog/Oils_Butters_and_Waxes.html

https://www.soapkitchenonline.co.uk/acatalog/Cosmetic_Soap_And_Toiletry_Making_Ingredients.html

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Preview of “Fruit Infused Water: Over 71 Quick and Easy Vitamin Water Recipes for Weight Loss, Detox and Metabolism Boosting”

http://www.amazon.com/Fruit-Infused-Water-Metabolism-Boosting-ebook/dp/B00L3W6NY6

Chapter 1. Water and Our Health

Just how important is water for our health? Water makes up 2/3 of our body weight and is distributed in vital organs of the body; the human brain is 95% water, the lungs 90%, and our blood 82%. Just a 2% drop in our body’s water supply can trigger signs of dehydration like fatigue, lack of focus, and fuzzy short-term memory.

Just as a car cannot run without gas and oil, the body cannot work without water.  All organ functions depend on water for their proper functioning – from digestion, perspiration, movement (lubricating the joints), to regulating the body temperature. Most importantly, water is the medium in eliminating waste and toxins from our bodies.

Water Aids in Weight Loss

A study conducted by researchers at Virginia Tech found that dieters who increased their water intake between meals for a period of twelve weeks lost about five pounds more than those who didn’t. One theory behind this is that the increased water consumption makes dieters feel fuller and consequently eat less. And of course, drinking more water leads to drinking less of other fluids, most of which contain calories. 

Water Boosts Metabolism

Drinking water also speeds up metabolism (your body’s ability to burn fat).  Scientific tests found that drinking about 17oz of water increases metabolic rate by 30% in healthy men and women.   This boost happened within 10 minutes of drinking water, but reached a maximum 30-40 minutes after drinking.

Water Detoxifies

Water absorbs (and eliminates) more toxins from your body than commercial fruit juices do, because water is pure, containing nothing else. Fruit juices are largely saturated with fruit, sugars, and other substances, so they simply aren’t able to absorb much more substance, much as a wet sponge can’t absorb any more dirt.

Fruit-infused vitamin water, on the other hand, offers the best of both worlds, offering much of the same nutrients that fruit juices provide, while being pure enough to absorb a lot of toxins.

Harmful Drinks

Most drinks you buy these days contain additives that are harmful to our health. When I found out about the health hazards of commercial beverages, I decided to stop buying these and started making fruit-infused water for my family, and we haven’t turned back. In fact, we can’t get enough of the stuff. It’s the healthier and cheaper alternative!

Here are a few of the facts about commercial beverages, facts that make me cringe every time I think of what my family and I used to drink.

Diet Soda Pop

A study of almost ten thousand people conducted by the University of Minnesota found that one diet soda a day was linked to a 34% higher risk of metabolic syndrome. Symptoms include belly fat and high cholesterol that put people at risk for heart disease.

A research study by the University of Texas found that drinking two or more cans a day of diet pop increased weight gain by 500%. Why? The reason for it might be that artificial sweeteners can disrupt our body’s ability to regulate caloric intake. The artificial sweeteners trick us into thinking we’re eating sugar, which makes us crave more sugar, leading to overeating, as a study by Purdue University suggested.

Unlike regular soda pops, most diet pops contain mold inhibitors like sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate. “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it—they knock it out altogether,” says Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology at the University of Sheffield in the UK. The Center for Science in the Public Interest says these preservatives also have been linked to allergies like asthma and hives.

A study by the Harvard Medical School of more than three thousand women associated drinking more than two diet pops a day had a two-fold risk of declining kidney function.

Regular Soda Pop

All regular and diet soda pop cans are coated with bisophenol-A (BPA), which researchers have linked to numerous ailments, including reproductive problems, obesity, and heart disease. Regular soda pop is also high in phosphoric acid, which can contribute to osteoporosis and weak bones. 

The high acidity of both regular and diet pop dissolves tooth enamel, leading to cavities. In regular pop, this acidity combined with caffeine has been shown to raise the acidic level of the stomach, leading to gastrointestinal problems. Additionally, soda pop can contribute to caffeine addiction and its associated problems.

One can of soda pop contains approximately the recommended daily limit of sugar intake, so any other sugar consumed in the day might as well contribute to obesity, diabetes and a host of other health risks.

Energy Drinks and Coffee

The caffeine in energy drinks, coffee and soda pop can elevate blood pressure, which can lead to an increased risk of stroke, cerebral vascular disease, insomnia, hallucinations, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and dementia.

According to Robert Tozzi, chief of pediatric cardiology at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, “Energy drinks are not safe, and do not improve performance. Water is your best fluid.”

Sports Drinks

Most sports drinks are loaded with harmful stuff like sodium, calories, refined sugar and artificial ingredients. The selling point for these sports drinks is that they contain electrolytes. But according to Fit Day.com, these electrolytes are rarely necessary. “Even after completing such endurance sports as a marathon or a triathlon, most individuals can properly recover their body's electrolytes with food rather than drink. By eating a healthy, balanced meal after a strenuous workout, you can ensure you're not consuming excess sugar through sports drinks.  Instead, properly hydrate with a cool glass of water.”

If there’s one thing that nutritionists agree upon, it’s that refined sugar is bad for you. The issues with sugar include the increased risks of diabetes, cancer, pancreatic burnout, liver problems, obesity, high blood pressure, accelerated aging, sugar addiction, cognitive decline and a host of other ailments.

Fruit-Infused Vitamin Water

Proper hydration through drinking homemade fruit-infused water helps to maintain your proper heart rate, body temperature and blood pressure, and also helps rid your body of excess salts. Homemade fruit-infused water does all this without any calories, refined sugar or chemical additives.

Our quick recipes for delicious fruit-infused vitamin water have been demonstrated to help people lose weight, boost their metabolic rates and rid their bodies of dangerous toxins. Our recipes also provide you with an energy boost and loads of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients.

Suggestions for Making Fruit-Infused Vitamin Water

Use your favorite drinking water, whether it’s filtered, ionized, reverse osmosis, spring or distilled. You can also use sparkling water, though it goes flat quickly, or unsweetened carbonated water.

Glass mason jars and pitchers are nice because plastic absorbs and holds flavors, even after repeated washings. You might want to use plastic lids for the mason jars, though, to avoid the potential rust from metal lids. Sprout topper lids work well for straining mason jars.  You can also buy fruit-infused water pitchers, which are handy.

Wooden muddlers are nice for pressing the fruit, though wooden spoons work okay. Muddlers are available from various online shops like Amazon.

The longer you let your infused water sit before using it, the stronger the flavor will be. But remember that the water should be refrigerated and consumed within a maximum of two or three days to ensure freshness and maximize the benefits.

Many people like to use the same batch of fruit two or three times, so they only let it soak for a few hours for each batch and then drink the batch within one day. Some people make strong batches and then let people dilute it to their individual tastes.

To download the rest of this book, please click on the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/Fruit-Infused-Water-Metabolism-Boosting-ebook/dp/B00L3W6NY6

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Table of Contents (Body Butter Recipes)

Introduction

Chapter 1. What Are Body Butters and Why You Should Make Your Own

Skincare

Body Butters

Why Make Your Own Body Butters?

The Problem with Commercial Skincare Products

Aroma

Consistency

Shelf Life

Ingredients

Chapter 2. Knowing Your Skin and Its Needs

Anatomy of Our Skin

Skin Conditions

Daily Skincare

Chapter 3. Body Butter Laboratory at Home: Equipment and Selecting the Ingredients

Equipment

Heatproof Containers

Heatproof Gloves

Thermometer, Measuring Cups & Spoons, Weighing Scale

Mixer

Conversion Chart

Selecting Ingredients for Your Body Butters

Storing Your Homemade Body Butters

Chapter 4. Base Ingredients for Your Body Butters

Almond Oil and Butter

Avocado Butter

Cocoa Butter

Coconut Oil

Evening Primrose Oil

Grapeseed Oil

Jojoba Oil

Kokum Butter

Mango Butter

Olive Oil

Shea Butter

Chapter 5. Herb-Infused Oils

Infused Oils vs. Essential Oils

Natural vs. Commercial Infused Oils

Popular Herbs for Infusion

How to Infuse Oils at Home

Cold Infusion

Hot Infusion

Chapter 6. Popular Ingredients Added to Body Butter Base

Aloe Vera Gel

Beeswax

Essential Oils

Chamomile

Frankincense

Geranium

Lavender

Lemongrass

Patchouli

Peppermint

Rose

Sandalwood

Ylang-Ylang

Honey

Vitamin E Oil

Whipped Aloe Vera Body Butter

Simple Moisturizing Butter

Rose Body Butter “Almost Royal”

Gentle Care for Aging Skin

Stretch Mark Eraser

Simple Protector Against UV Radiation

Rejuvenating Calendula Body Butter

Refreshing Body Butter for Hot Summer Days

Calming Lavender Body Butter

Tropical Body Butter

The Basic Process

Conclusion

Key Takeaways from This Text

List of Resources

Preview of “Essential Oils: Learn How to Use the Power of Essential Oils for Aromatherapy, Weight Loss, Beauty and Stress Relief”

I’ve covered a number of basic and advanced information in this book. It is my goal that, after reading this book, you will learn a number of things and be able to apply them immediately.

Introduction

I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book, “Body Butter Recipes: Proven Formula Secrets to Making All Natural Body Butters that Will Hydrate and Rejuvenate Your Skin.”

This book contains all the information you will need to start making your own nurturing body butters.  They are perfect for personal use and as gifts to your loved ones. This book is a comprehensive guide to discovering the world of rejuvenating homemade body butters which can be tailored to suit your skin type. Aside from their nourishing properties, the scents and oils used in the recipes are also therapeutic, and are proven to uplift your mood.

The reasons you will want to refer your family and friends to this book are:

This book helps you to discover the enormous opportunities that nature gives to heal the largest human organ and body protector – your skin.

This body butter book uses simple and straightforward language which makes for an interesting and easily understandable read.

The ingredients in the body butter recipes are natural and non-toxic.

It contains recipes that require only a couple of minutes to prepare.

The book explains the proper method of choosing ingredients for body butters, and inspires you to create your own unique skincare product recipes.

It shows the way to a healthy and well-nurtured skin. Supporting your skin with natural body butters helps keep it elastic and strong whether you are young or old.

You have the power to take care of your skin without the damaging chemical substances that are found in many beauty products. Having great skin is actually in your hands!

This book will make you realize that making skincare products at home is fun and easy. It really doesn’t require much!

The ingredients in the natural body butters are not only healing for the skin; they also improve overall health and help you to reach mental balance. Your skin is the surface of your body, and it deserves the best care it can get. Now you can give it that care!

Thanks again for downloading this book, I hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter 1. What Are Body Butters and Why You Should Make Your Own

How much do you care for your skin?  When you think of all the organs of your body – your heart, your lungs – how much importance do you place on your skin?

Most often, we tend to pay attention to skincare only when we notice that something is not right. When we start scratching because of dry or sensitive skin, develop stretch marks, or break out in rashes or allergies – these are the times when we realize how a big a role our skin plays in our wellbeing. 

Skincare

Skincare has been around for millennia.  The ancient Egyptians and Romans were very particular about beauty, and developed many cosmetics and skincare products.  However, our forebears used some ingredients that were not exactly safe, such as mercury and belladona. 

Thanks to modern science and research, harmful chemicals such as these have been banned from our skincare products.  Now a wide variety of skincare products are available in any shop, and the choices are endless. Creams, lotions, moisturizers, healing salves: all have found a place on supermarket shelves, and so have body butters.

Body Butters

So, what are body butters, and how do they differ from other skincare products?

First, body butter is a type of skin moisturizer. Body butters are protective, nurturing, and intensely hydrating products with a thick consistency. Body lotions are mostly made of oils and water; body butters have less water and more oils, so they are basically really concentrated lotions. 

Natural, homemade body butters are natural oils and butters mixed with other natural healing ingredients. And they can provide skincare that is up to ten times better than the most popular brands of commercially produced lotions!

Natural body butters are:

Nurturing, softening skin moisturizers and protectors.

Of thick consistency with concentrated healing properties.

Made of natural fruit, seed and nut oils and butters with other natural ingredients such as essential oils, beeswax etc.

Health and beauty aids that treat symptoms and heal the entire body.

Your homemade body butters can provide what your skin needs, while nurturing it and protecting it from negative environmental influences.

Why Make Your Own Body Butters?

Making your own body butter is one of the smartest new trends in beauty and health care. It’s a trend that has appeared and gained popularity in just the last couple of years, and definitely one whose time has come. Using your own body butter lets you take care of your skin and leaves you feeling safe and healthy at the same time.

Here is why you should make your own body butters:

You know every ingredient that’s inside, and you know how the product has been made.

You can design body butters that are 100% natural and have healing properties to nurture your skin and treat your skin conditions.

You can make skincare products that not only heal your skin but support your entire body.

Making and using homemade body butters is a really fun and enjoyable process. You get to discover how things work and interact while gaining knowledge of the natural world and the human body.

The Problem with Commercial Skincare Products

Although we have access to a multitude of beauty products that claim to deliver superior skincare, pretty much all of them contain chemical and synthetic ingredients.  Take a look at the back of your shampoo and body lotion containers and read the list of ingredients.  Why are there so many chemicals in them?

Well, basically the chemicals in commercial skincare products are there to make them better-smelling, longer-lasting, and cheaper to manufacture. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as gorgeous aromas and lengthy shelf-lives aren’t acquired by adding harmful chemicals. Unfortunately, commercial skincare products are packed with many chemical additives that may do harm in the long term. Be honest with yourself – how many of the ingredients on the label of your body lotion do you really understand? How many of them are natural? How many of them really have any healing properties?

Aroma

To make commercial creams and lotions smell nice, chemical aromas are added to them.  This means that the “jasmine” in your jasmine lotion is very likely just a chemical that happens to smell like jasmine. The good news is, that’s not the way homemade body butters work.  In our body butters, aromas come from essential oils derived from real flowers, and have strong healing properties.

Consistency

Natural body butters have a thicker consistency as there isn’t much water used in making them.  This thicker consistency means the body butter doesn’t get absorbed into the skin very fast, which is why it is essential that the body butter be massaged all over the skin for it to penetrate into the organ’s three layers.

Shelf Life

The shelf life of most homemade body butters is about six months to one year. Commercial body butters, on the other hand, are made to last for several years – which would be impossible without chemical additives. This is the same truth behind the popularity of natural produce and vegetables nowadays: the life of a homegrown, natural tomato is relatively short, but it’s packed with lots of vitamins and health supporters; the life of a chemically treated and cultivated tomato is a lot longer, but is there something for your health in it? Not really, because it’s more about making money for the food producers, and less about health and well-being.

Ingredients

Many of the chemicals used in cosmetics are toxic and may cause harm to you. You might get smooth skin pretty fast, but at the same time you might be blocking pores and stimulating premature aging (or cancer growth, for cosmetics with unsafe ingredients). Don’t do this to yourself!  Know that there are healthy alternatives. Putting chemically-packed creams on your skin isn’t skincare. Lathering on some natural body butters is.

If you don’t understand what’s written on the label of any product you are going to put on your skin – don’t buy it. You have just one body given to you in this life, and although it regenerates itself, damaged cells won’t regenerate without help. Make sure that skincare really means taking care of your skin, not just getting fast results and going through irreversible suffering later.

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Chapter 2. Knowing Your Skin and Its Needs

That costume your body is dressed in is also the largest organ of your body, and it needs due care.

The functions of the skin include:

Protecting the body from environmental influences and harmful microorganisms and substances;

Regulating body temperature (thermoregulation);

Receiving sensory information through millions of nerve endings;

Producing vitamin D (yes, this happens right in your skin when it’s exposed to sunlight);

Acting as a barrier to keep the necessary nutrients inside the body and prevent excessive loss of fluids; and

Absorption of oxygen and other essential nutrients, and storing water and lipids.

Anatomy of Our Skin

Hair follicles, sweat glands and even fat are stored in our skin, which is built in three layers of cells:

The surface of the skin is called the epidermis, and it is the protective barrier that reacts to environmental influences and stops unwelcome substances from getting into the body.  It also produces the skin pigment melanin, as well as keratin, which is the main substance for building the epidermis and ensuring the rigidity of the skin.

The layer right below the epidermis is the dermis.  The dermis is the layer that’s responsible for wrinkles and skin elasticity. This is where you can find blood vessels, oil glands, hair follicles, and sensory nerves.  You can also find collagen and elastin here, which are also called the main ingredients in the fountain of youth. Collagen is a protein produced in the dermis which helps retain elasticity; however, negative environmental influences and aging reduce the production of collagen. The same happens with elastin: the skin gets loose and wrinkles appear as you age.

The deepest level of the skin is the subcutis or hypodermis. This skin layer is home to sweat glands, more collagen and fat. It’s another body-protecting layer that conserves the heat of the body and keeps your skin fresh and rejuvenated.

The skin is affected from inside and outside, and it warrants special care if you want to keep it healthy, strong and beautiful. First, it’s important to keep the skin clean.  Secondly, support your skin through healthy food choices and lifestyle; and third, nurture it outside with natural body butters.

Skin Conditions

It’s great to have healthy, glowing skin.  But as it ages, skin loses its ability to produce everything necessary for it to stay elastic and strong, and thus becomes susceptible to various skin conditions. Besides aging, skin problems are caused by unhealthy food choices, diseases, infections, viruses, dehydration, unhealthy environment, and so on.

Sunburn and skin cancer are not the only skin conditions caused by excessive sun exposure. Age spots, wrinkles, and loss of the skin’s immune functions are on this list as well. Psoriasis and poor wound healing are not always related to genetics; they might be caused by using skincare products that contain alcohol, as these can actually dry out your skin. Cold weather is often the main cause for rosacea.  Stretch marks and dermatitis are often caused by being overweight, and cellulite appears on those with sedentary lifestyles.

There is a new field in medicine called psychodermatology, which states that many skin conditions, including vitiligo, psoriasis, hives and acne, are caused by stress and anxiety.

If you have a specific skin condition you want to get rid of, it’s important to know where it comes from before you start treating it. Body butters that are tailored exactly for you could be the best healing agents for your particular skin needs. 

A word of caution, though – body butters are not the lone solution for all skin problems. For example, will body butter solve your cellulite problem if your lifestyle remains sedentary? No. Will body butter give you healthy, glowing skin if you apply it without considering hygiene? No. There is no one wonder recipe to keep the skin young, soft, smooth, strong and glowing for your entire lifetime. You need to take care of your health inside and out, and be realistic when it comes to treating specific skin conditions.

Daily Skincare

What are the main rules for successful daily skincare?

First, keep it clean, but don’t get too obsessed with cleanliness – that will damage your skin’s natural ability to protect itself. What is too much cleanliness?  Well, washing your body once a day is really enough. Twice is still fine, but more is already too much. Hands, of course, are an exception, because they get to touch everything that’s around and gather a lot more microbes.

Besides bathing daily, you should moisturize your skin and take special care of exposed skin.  Protect it from the sun with sunscreen. What else is important? Knowing your skin type and not applying too much makeup, for example, will certainly help.

Here are some tips to help you to get healthy skin:

Respect your skin type and acknowledge that sensitive or dry skin definitely has different needs from elastic or oily skin.

If you use makeup, don’t overdo it.  Use cosmetics that are natural or organic. Always remove your makeup as soon as you don’t need it to let your skin breathe; don’t wait until bedtime to get rid of it. Use natural makeup removers that can be simply applied on the skin with a cotton ball. Almond oil, for one, is all-natural and does not irritate the eyes.

There is no cream that will be better than oil-based body butter for daily moisturizing.

The Skin Cancer Foundation warns that you are exposed to up to 40% of the sun’s UV radiation even on cloudy days and when sitting in the shade. Make sure that your skin is always protected from UV radiation, not just when you are going to the beach.  Also, even with sunscreen, avoid long periods of sun exposure. There are body butters you can prepare to use after sun exposure or even in place of sunscreen.

Many experts say that oily skin is related to excess production of hormones in the body, so first think about balancing your hormones. Basically, oily skin is healthy, as the oil produced by the body is necessary for protection. Don’t make the mistake of trying to get your skin too dry. If you have oily skin, body butters using an oil or butter base won’t be suitable for you. Oily skin has to be moisturized as well, but with oil-free products.

Don’t use soap for washing dry and sensitive skin, as it can dry the skin out even more.

Apply moisturizers on sensitive skin right after cleansing it. Avoid all chemically-scented skincare products for sensitive skin as they could cause allergic reactions or irritation. If you want aromatic treatments, 100% pure essential oils added to homemade body butters will help.

In winter, wear soft, natural fabrics close to your skin and moisturize your skin with body butters every night before sleep.

Introduce body butters into your daily skincare routines. The best times for applying body butters are right after a bath or shower, or just before sleep.

Your skin will get the most benefit from body butters if you use them just a few times per week, not necessarily every day.

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Chapter 3. Body Butter Laboratory at Home: Equipment and Selecting the Ingredients

Creating your own body butters really doesn’t require much. You don’t have to be a pharmacist, and the ingredients are easy to find. What you need to do first is to educate yourself about the different ingredients and properties of body butters that will help you create what your skin needs. We will discuss the ingredients in the next chapters in this book.  For now, let’s talk about equipment.

Your laboratory is most likely going to be the kitchen, as you will need to melt ingredients over heat.  It’s a great experience to turn your kitchen into laboratory for creating skincare products. Don’t worry, it’s going to be easy and faster than cooking rice, and your body butters will be ready for use as soon as the mixture cools down.

Equipment

This is the equipment you will need:

Heatproof Containers

First, make sure that you have heatproof containers. To make body butters, the main process will be melting butters and oils and mixing them with other ingredients. This is usually done by putting ingredients in heatproof containers and setting them on low heat.  It can also be done by putting a heatproof bowl in a water bath – another heatproof container that’s filled with water and set on heat. Using a water bath for melting the ingredients will melt them more slowly and ensure you don’t burn anything, as you usually don’t bring them to boil. For beginners at making body butters, melting ingredients in a water bath is more convenient. Take note that the melting process is pretty fast, so you need to keep your attention on it.

Heatproof Gloves

You will deal with hot substances, so it might be useful to get some gloves and think of a safe, comfortable way to transfer them.

Thermometer, Measuring Cups & Spoons, Weighing Scale

For some recipes you find online, you will also need a scale for weighing butters and measuring cups or spoons for measuring oils. Many recipes do not require any of these – you can often just measure ingredients by eye. Also, melted ingredients usually do not need to reach any specific temperature; they are ready as soon as they have melted.

Mixer

To create whipped body butters that are softer and lighter you will need a mixer.  This is not required for all recipes, and it’s your choice whether to use it. It doesn’t change the healing properties of the body butter, only the consistency.

Basically, that’s it! Most likely, you already have the necessary equipment in your kitchen-laboratory.

Conversion Chart

Use this conversion chart to help you with liquid base oils and essential oils:

Essential Oil Drops

ml.

Teaspoons

Tablespoons

Cups

oz.

20

1

100

5

1

¼

1/6

200

10

2

½

1/3

400

20

4

1

0.7

600

30

6

1 ½

1

1000

50

10

2 ½

1.7

2000

100

20

5

3.4

2500

125

25

6 ¼

½

4.2

5000

250

50

12 ½

1

8.4

Selecting Ingredients for Your Body Butters

In the last chapter of this book, you will find several body butter recipes you can try to prepare at home for your personal needs. If you don’t find one that is perfectly suitable for you, you can also try to invent your own oil and butter mixtures.

Here are the steps in selecting ingredients:

Know your skin and its needs. If you are not sure what your skin requires, visit a dermatologist who will help you understand what kind of skincare is suitable for you. If you don’t have any specific skin condition and have normal, healthy skin, any oil will help to support it, making it soft and glowing. If you have skin that suffers from one or more specific conditions, do not put something on your skin just because it is available.  You must choose your ingredients wisely.

Educate yourself about the properties of herbs, oils, butters and other ingredients to enable you to choose them well according to the needs of your skin. We will take a look at the most popular body butter ingredients in the next chapters. Make sure that your skin can tolerate each of the ingredients you choose to mix together. You can do your own skin allergy tests by applying a small amount of each single ingredient on a small area of your body and waiting a few days to see if there is any reaction. If not, it’s safe to mix them together in your body butters.

Purchase only 100% natural, high-quality products. You will put them on your skin, and paying a bit more to get fully natural ingredients will pay back into your health. Added artificial chemicals and preservatives might do your skin more harm than good. Pharmacy-certified vendors are the places for purchasing the necessary ingredients. Always purchase fully closed containers in original packing to avoid fraud.  Do not scent your body butters with artificially created aromas.  To add aroma, always choose pure essential oils.

If any of the ingredients you want to use are difficult to find or seem too expensive, don’t go for a lower-quality version of the same ingredient. It’s better to look for an alternative ingredient with similar properties that’s more available and affordable.

In creating your original body butter recipes, don’t mix a dozen different ingredients hoping to make a magical body butter that cures all possible skin issues. That won’t happen, and you might go wrong. Go with 2-3 ingredients only.  If you are using essential oils, do not add more than one, as the aroma could become too concentrated or strong.  Make sure your body butter isn’t more than 2% essential oil; just add a few drops.

Finally, check if you have all the necessary ingredients.  Prepare them if needed (for example, infused oils), and step into the adventure of creating your own, original body butter.

Storing Your Homemade Body Butters

It would be a pity to damage your homemade treasure by storing it wrong. Body butters can be stored in plastic containers, but there might be a reaction between their oils and the plastic. For example, essential oils can simply eat up plastic, although the content of essential oils in body butters isn’t that high.

It would be better to store natural products in natural containers. The best are dark-colored glass containers or good old jars you can close tightly with lids. It’s your choice, but the best option for storage is always the most natural one.

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Chapter 4. Base Ingredients for Your Body Butters

The main ingredient in making body butters is the base, which is either butter or oil.  These already have healing properties and the consistency of body butter. Other ingredients that are added to the base include essential oils, aloe vera gel, beeswax, and vitamin E.

There is such a wide variety of base butters and oils you can use to make body butters that we would need an encyclopedia to take a look at all of them. If you see a body butter recipe (you can look for them in the last chapter of this book), but can’t find where to buy or order the mentioned oils or butters at an affordable price, you can also replace them with similar ones; you just have to know some of the basics.

Here are some of the most popular body butter base ingredients:

Almond Oil and Butter

It is rich with omega-9 and -6 fatty acids, vitamin E, and other active vitamins and minerals. It has calming properties and promotes healthy cholesterol levels in blood. It prevents aging, activates cell regeneration and soothes skin irritations. It is advised for oily, dry and tired skin.  It helps in cellulite prophylaxis, smoothing wrinkles, treating eczema, and strengthening and toning skin. Besides the beneficial skin effects, it also activates brain functions.

This oil is generally safe for everyone; however, caution should be used by those who are allergic to nuts. It has light skin whitening effects – it doesn’t make the skin pale, but gives it a healthy color.

Avocado Butter

It greatly assists regeneration and rejuvenation of skin tissue. It’s packed with vitamins and minerals and is a great nutrient and moisturizer for dry and mature skin. Age spots, sunburn and eczema can be treated with the help of avocado butter. It also contains omega-3, can protect the skin from UV radiation, and rejuvenates aging skin by erasing wrinkles. This butter is especially advised for aging skin.

Cocoa Butter

It is called cocoa butter because it is extracted from cocoa beans, the main ingredient in chocolate. Cocoa butter melts at body temperature, so it’s easy to apply on the skin.  Products with cocoa butter get absorbed quickly by skin, and it’s a great moisturizer that keeps skin soft and hydrated.  It also prevents stretch marks for pregnant women, and is good for treating psoriasis, eczema, and dry, rough and damaged skin. It also provides collagen to the skin, protecting the skin from aging by restoring its elasticity.

Coconut Oil

This oil, which has a solid consistency at room temperature and melts when warmed, seems more like butter than oil. Its lipid content is really close to that of human skin, so this oil gets absorbed pretty fast, doesn’t block pores, and is suitable for any type of skin. It’s so gentle that it can also be used on teenagers, kids and infants. It’s rich in vitamins A, B and E, calcium and iron, and is widely used for natural skincare. It’s well known as the best protector against environmental and climate influences, and can be used as a natural sunscreen that protects from UV radiation.  Coconut oil also soothes sunburns and prevents skin from aging by keeping it elastic. As it’s absorbed easily, it gets into the deepest layers of the skin. It is good for treating dry skin, psoriasis and skin irritation, and for nurturing and strengthening skin.

Evening Primrose Oil

This is probably one of the cosmetic oils most celebrated by women. It not only helps to rejuvenate skin and prevent aging, but also helps to ease PMS, chronic headache, symptoms of menopause, and joint pain. It’s one of the few oils that contain high concentrations of GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), which is essential for every organ of the human body – that’s probably one of the main reasons why this oil can provide such a great healing benefit. It helps to balance hormones, treats skin inflammations, dermatitis, psoriasis and eczema, and it improves skin elasticity and blood circulation. Evening primrose is a great support when taking care of dry and mature skin.

Grapeseed Oil

Grapeseed oil has a very subtle scent that is almost unperceivable when you mix it with other ingredients. It has high biologic activity and contains antioxidants that slow down the process of cell aging. Grapeseed oil contains linoleic acid and vitamin E, making it a great moisturizer that prevents skin from drying out, gives the skin a fresh look, rejuvenates skin that has suffered from sun and wind exposure, and prevents skin from forming wrinkles. It gets absorbed fast and is suitable for all skin types, but especially for skin that lacks hydration.

Jojoba Oil

This is one of the rare oils that are advised for treating oily skin. It prevents skin dehydration, and soothes and softens the skin, preventing wrinkles.  It gets absorbed by the skin pretty fast, and it also has a pleasant aroma. It is an anti-inflammatory skin moisturizer that can help restore the balance of sebum levels produced by the human body.

Kokum Butter

It is made from the Garcinia tree that grows in India. This butter contains a bucket of minerals and vitamins that help restore tired skin and improve its regeneration, supporting skin elasticity. It has a pretty hard consistency, but makes a great skincare product when mixed with oils. It soothes and nurtures damaged and dry skin, and supports and improves the natural protective barrier of the body.

Mango Butter

It comes from the tropical rainforest where it has been used traditionally as a natural skincare product for ages. It soothes the skin, helps to keep it elastic and toned, protects against UV radiation, and is a great moisturizer. An effective treatment for dry skin, skin rashes and peeling, it also eases muscle aches and tension, and decreases signs of aging.

Olive Oil

It has antibacterial properties and nurturing, calming characteristics with positive effects on the digestive and nervous system. Due to its content of antioxidants and vitamin E, it’s a good skin protector that helps to keep the skin elastic, treat stretch marks and prevent aging.  This is especially suitable for dry and sensitive skin. Due to the anti-cancer properties this oil has, it’s advised to use skincare products containing olive oil right after sun exposure. This oil gets absorbed by skin pretty slowly, so mostly it’s used in small amounts in combination with larger quantities of other oils/butters.

Shea Butter

Rich in vitamins A and E, this butter made from the seeds of the shea tree is a great moisturizer that treats skin allergies, blemishes, wounds, eczema, dermatitis, insect bites, rough skin, skin cracks and sunburns. It almost immediately stops itchiness, is great for dry skin and is ideal for after shaving. It’s one of the most popular body butter base ingredients and is even called the “skin’s best friend” due to its healing and skin-softening properties.

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Chapter 5. Herb-Infused Oils

As you get closer to creating your own body butters, you can also consider including herb-infused oils in the list of ingredients. Infused oils can be applied to skin alone or mixed into body butters as an addition to the base, or even as the base by themselves.

Infused Oils vs. Essential Oils

Infused oils are carrier or base oils that have gained additional properties from infusion with fresh or dried herbs. These are not pure oils, nor essential oils. Many herbs offer truly great healing properties, but they can’t be extracted to get oil or essential oil – and in this case infusions are a great way to use the herb’s properties for skincare products. For example, there is no oil that is produced from calendula, but you probably have seen calendula oil for sale – that’s infused oil that has been made by soaking the herb in a base oil.

Herbs also add aroma to the oil of infusion. It would be easier to add a few drops of essential oil to body butters, but you cannot always find essential oils of specific plants. Essential oils are also very concentrated herbal extracts and may simply be too strong for some people, while infused oils contain lower concentrations of plant extract.

Natural vs. Commercial Infused Oils

The problem with commercially produced infused oils is that you cannot always see from the labels what kind of carrier oil has actually been used to deliver the herbal properties. If you are allergic to nuts, it would be a pity if you inadvertently used calendula oil that had been made on a walnut or almond oil base. The solution is making your own herbal infusions with base oils of your choice.

Popular Herbs for Infusion

The most popular herbs for making infused oils for skincare are calendula, lavender, rosemary, peppermint and chamomile.  However, many other herbs can be infused as well. If you know the healing properties of an herb and are sure that’s what your skin needs (or your doctor says you can benefit from it), go ahead and make your own herbal infusion of it to use for making body butters.

The carrier in which to soak the herb can be any of the previously mentioned oils or butters, although it’s obviously much easier to do it with oils than butters.

How to Infuse Oils at Home

Preparing your own herb-infused oils isn’t difficult; it just takes time. 

Here are two ways to prepare herb-infused oils: cold infusions and heat infusions.  You will get the same results either way, so choose the one that seems more convenient for you. Cold infusions are suitable only for oils with liquid consistency, but solid butters or oils that are solid at room temperature can be infused only by the heat infusion method.

Cold Infusion

Ingredients and equipment:

Fresh or dried herb you want to extract

Carrier oil you want to infuse

A glass jar with tightfitting lid

Cheesecloth

Steps:

Prepare herbs by crushing or plucking them, but do not powder them (if using dried herbs). Don’t use freshly washed herbs or wet equipment to avoid the inclusion of water in the infusion process.

Put herbs in the jar and pour enough oil to cover the herbs.

Close the jar with a lid and place it in a warm spot, as the heat is what promotes herb extraction. If you are using a dark-colored jar, you can leave it on a sunny windowsill, but if it’s a light or transparent jar do not put it in direct sunlight to avoid losing the healing properties. Direct sunlight destroys some of the essential active ingredients.

Leave the jar in a warm place for 4-6 weeks. Check and gently shake the jar every few days to make sure herbs are well covered in oil and promote release of herbal properties.

After 4-6 weeks, strain the oil through cheesecloth into a clean container to remove the herb pieces. The infused oil is now ready to be used.

Hot Infusion

Ingredients and equipment:

Fresh or dried herb you want to extract

Carrier oil you want to infuse

Crockpot or stove, saucepan and heatproof bowl

Cheesecloth

Steps:

Put a saucepan filled with water on the lowest heat and place a heatproof bowl inside it, making a water bath.  If you are using a crockpot, put it on the lowest heat.

Add herbs to the bowl and pour the oil to cover them (or add the ingredients to the crockpot).

Leave it to simmer on the lowest heat for about 5-8 hours, stirring every hour. Don’t let it boil or cook, and don’t cover it with a lid to let the excess water evaporate.

After it’s done, leave the mixture to cool down.

When the mixture has cooled, strain it through cheesecloth to remove all herb pieces from the oil. The infused oil is now ready to use.

For beginners, the cold infusion method is the safest as the heat infusion method is a very technical process; accidentally burning or boiling the mixture loses all its herbal properties.

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Chapter 6. Popular Ingredients Added to Body Butter Base

These are ingredients that are usually added to melted oil and butter mixtures to increase or add healing properties and/or scents.

Aloe Vera Gel

Native Americans called the aloe vera plant the “Wand of the Heavens”, and it really seems to be a wonderful helper when it comes to skincare. Liquid gel from fresh leaves of the aloe vera plant treats acne, helps to heal sunburns, and protects the skin from the damaging effects of intensive sun exposure.  It also relieves rashes and improves skin tissue renewal.  It heals dry skin, blisters, rashes, skin irritations and bruises, scars and stretch marks, psoriasis, rosacea, eczema and skin allergies.  Aloe vera gel is also known to decrease dark skin spots, and even helps in erasing wrinkles. It’s a moisturizer that’s quickly absorbed by skin.

Pure, natural aloe vera gel doesn’t have a very long shelf life, and you should keep it in the refrigerator. If you prepare body butter with aloe vera gel, you should keep it in the refrigerator as well, and make only a small amount, as its shelf life is only about two months.

Beeswax

Beeswax is a popular ingredient for making healing salves and balms, but not so popular for body butters due to its hard consistency. Usually it’s not mixed with butters (as they already give the preparations a solid consistency), but it is a great addition to mixed oils that take on a solid consistency when cooling down. Beeswax is also a great thickening agent for body butters.

Besides changing the consistency of mixed oils, it also offers healing properties. First, it makes a protective barrier on the skin surface. No worries, it’s not a visible barrier, and it doesn’t block pores.  It’s a natural barrier that allows the skin to breathe. It has antibacterial and skin-softening properties, and it also protects the skin from dehydration and negative environmental influences.

Essential Oils

Most body butters are made with 100% pure essential oils due to their healing benefits and positive effects for the entire body. Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts and thus have very strong aromas.  They contain natural active ingredients with a wide variety of healing properties for all types of skin.  They can uplift our mood and even heal internal organs. They are the main treatments used in aromatherapy, an ancient healing method that is a big part of alternative medicine nowadays.

Essential oils work in two ways – through inhaling the aromas to allow natural chemicals to travel to the brain, or by massage to get them into each cell of the skin.  Ultimately, essential oils heal the body on two levels – physical and mental.

There are a great number of essential oils that can treat different health issues in different ways, but not all of them are popular body butter ingredients as their strengths and aromas differ.  If you use essential oils extensively, you should have a background in aromatherapy. Here are the most popular essential oils for homemade skincare preparations along with their healing properties:

Chamomile

A gentle essential oil for every skin type that can be used at any age. It heals skin rashes and relieves allergies; especially suitable for dry skin.

Frankincense

An essential oil with a spirit-uplifting scent that relieves stress and encourages a meditative mood. It has anti-depression properties. Also on the mental level, this essential oil relieves stress and anxiety, helping you to gain and keep emotional balance. On the physical level this oil is well-known for use with mature skin as it prevents aging, helps to get rid of wrinkles, heals wounds, alleviates allergic skin reactions, eases headache and is also a great support for the body’s immune system.

Geranium

Another essential oil that relieves nervous tension and stress, helping to keep emotional balance. It heals dry and sensitive skin.

Lavender

If there is one essential oil that should be in everyone’s medicine chest, this is the one. It can be used for all skin types and offers a great variety of healing properties. Lavender heals burns and sunburns, cuts and wounds, blisters and insect bites. It eases allergies, headaches, stress and emotional imbalances, treats insomnia and encourages skin tissue renewal, and that’s just a small part of the issues that can be relieved and healed with the help of lavender essential oil.

Lemongrass

An essential oil with a sweet, fresh aroma that helps for varicose veins, muscle strains and water retention. It has mood-uplifting, antiseptic and anti-fungal properties.

Patchouli

A kind of oil with antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties especially suitable for dry and mature skin. It protects skin from UV radiation, improves skin elasticity, and has been successfully used as an additional treatment for obesity, cellulite and water retention.

Peppermint

A truly refreshing and cooling essential oil that relieves pain and muscle tension, improves mental performance, strengthens the immune system and is also an antidepressant. It is advised to use it in cooling skincare products for oily skin.

Rose

This oil is relatively expensive, but also effective and highly appreciated for skincare. It prevents aging and scarring, heals wounds, protects against sunburn, helps to smooth wrinkles and encourages emotional balance.

Sandalwood

An antiseptic essential oil that helps to heal skin tumors, rashes and infections, is especially suitable for dry skin, protects against UV radiation, and supports skin tissue regeneration.

Ylang-Ylang

An essential oil with a very sweet aroma that treats psoriasis, eczema and acne. It prevents aging, regulates hormonal balance and encourages a feeling of well-being.

Of course, there are many other essential oils that are used for body butters, but these are just the basics. If you are not experienced in using essential oils, do not add more than one to homemade body butter recipes to avoid unwelcome skin reactions.

As essential oils are extremely concentrated plant extracts, you will need only a few drops to add the healing properties to your body butter. Also, make sure you don’t add more than 2% of essential oil content in your body butters, and not more than 1% if you have very sensitive skin or are planning to use this butter on large areas of your body.

For example, if you are making 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of mixture add only 1 drop of essential oil to reach 1% of it in the mixture. For 10 ml (2 teaspoons) – 2 drops, for 100 ml (5 tablespoons) – 20 drops of essential oil and so on.

Honey

Honey is another remedy known and used for centuries to treat different health conditions. Mostly, of course, honey is ingested, but it can also be applied on the skin. It is rich in nutrients, and has antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Due to these characteristics, honey helps to prevent aging. It’s a great moisturizer that keeps the skin well-hydrated, and helps it regenerate to stay soft and youthful.

Vitamin E Oil

It’s an effective remedy for premature aging that is caused by unhealthy lifestyle and environmental influences.  Vitamin E oil is widely used in many skincare products and homemade body butters. It blocks the damage caused by free radicals, promotes the skin cell regeneration and growth process, and increases the body’s natural production of collagen. This means that this oil helps to prevent aging, keeps skin elastic, hydrated and strong, removes dark skin spots and heals scars.

Although vitamin E oil sounds like a magical remedy, do not overuse it as it can be hard for the skin to deal with large quantities. If it’s in all your skincare products you may end up with an allergic reaction. Always make sure you use the most natural form of vitamin E oil you can get.  As its popularity has increased, inferior oils are often sold in an attempt to cash in on the trend. Synthetic forms of vitamin E oil will not be as effective as the natural ones. If you can’t find natural oil, simply skip this ingredient - your body butters will have healing, moisturizing and rejuvenating properties anyway.

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Chapter 7. 10 Simple Body Butter Recipes

Here you will find different interesting and easy-to-make body butter recipes to use for making your own butters. It will also help you to understand the process and provide a foundation for your creativity in case you are looking to create your own recipes. For beginners, try any of these recipes!

Whipped Aloe Vera Body Butter

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons shea butter

3 tablespoons aloe vera gel

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon of jojoba oil

Optional: 10 drops of essential oil of your choice

Steps:

Combine shea butter and coconut oil and melt them.

Stir to combine well; remove from the heat once they liquefy. Leave to cool down, but not so cool as to return to solid consistency.

When the coconut-shea butter mixture is starting to solidify, add aloe vera gel, jojoba oil and essential oil. Use a mixer to combine them all and whip. It should take about 12-15 minutes to achieve an airy consistency.

With a wooden spoon, transfer your body butter to a jar container. Store in a cool, dry place to avoid melting and loss of the light consistency.

Useful tip: As it contains aloe vera, store this body butter in a refrigerator.  Also, make sure you use it within two months as aloe vera doesn’t have a long shelf life.

Simple Moisturizing Butter

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons coconut oil

4 tablespoons shea butter

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 teaspoon beeswax pastilles (or grated beeswax)

Optional: a few drops of essential oil of your choice to add aroma

Steps:

Combine all ingredients and melt them.

When they have melted, stir them and remove from heat. If using essential oils, add them and stir at this point.

Transfer the mixture to a storage container while it’s still warm, because it will solidify after cooling down.

Useful tip: Pour this body butter into small containers, for example, ice cube trays. You can later use one cube at a time for ease of use and application.

Rose Body Butter “Almost Royal”

Ingredients:

½ cup almond oil

½ cup rosewater

1 tablespoon of beeswax pastilles or grated beeswax

15 drops of rose essential oil

Steps:

Melt beeswax, and when it’s half melted, slowly pour in almond oil.

When the beeswax has melted, making a smooth mass with the almond oil, remove it from the heat and add rosewater and rose essential oil.

After stirring to combine well, pour this liquid consistency butter into a container for storage.

Useful tip: This body butter doesn’t get a very thick consistency, so it can be stored in a container with a pump dispenser. Due to the water content in this product, it’s advised to keep it in the refrigerator.

Gentle Care for Aging Skin

Ingredients:

½ cup of evening primrose oil

½ grapeseed oil

10 drops of lavender essential oil

10 drops of frankincense essential oil

Steps:

Mix together all the ingredients.

Pour into storage containers.

Useful Tip: As you don’t add butters in this recipe, you can keep this mixture in a glass bottle. If you want to get a thicker and more butter-like consistency, melt any of the previously mentioned butters and add to the mixture.  For example, avocado butter will be a great addition to this product for mature and aging skin.

Stretch Mark Eraser

Ingredients:

½ cup cocoa butter

½ cup shea butter

3 tablespoons almond oil

3 tablespoons olive oil

10 drops of lavender essential oil

10 drops of geranium essential oil

10 drops of patchouli essential oil

Steps:

Melt together cocoa and shea butters. When they have almost completely melted, slowly add olive and almond oils.

When everything has melted, making a smooth mass, remove from heat and stir in essential oils.

Transfer to storage containers.

Simple Protector Against UV Radiation

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut oil

20-40 drops of patchouli essential oil

Optional: 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil

Steps:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl (add coconut oil without melting it).

Whisk with a mixer for about 10 minutes until it gets an airy consistency.

With a spoon, transfer the body butter to a storage container.

Useful tip: Store the body butter in the refrigerator or any other cool place to avoid it melting and losing its light consistency.

Rejuvenating Calendula Body Butter

Ingredients:

½ cup calendula infused oil

4 tablespoons shea butter

3 tablespoons kokum butter

Steps:

Melt together shea and kokum butters.

When they have almost fully melted, slowly add calendula infused oil.

Stir mixture to combine well and remove from heat.

Pour into storage container.

Useful tip:  You can also whip it using a mixer before it has fully cooled and before transferring to a storage container.

Refreshing Body Butter for Hot Summer Days

Ingredients:

½ cup coconut oil

½ cup aloe vera gel

3 tablespoons beeswax pastilles or grated beeswax

10-20 drops of peppermint essential oil

Steps:

Melt together coconut oil and beeswax.

When they are melted, remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Transfer to storage container.

Useful tip: You can also let the butter cool down and then whisk it by mixer to get a lighter consistency before transferring to a storage container. If whisked, keep this body butter in the refrigerator.

Calming Lavender Body Butter

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons beeswax pastilles or grated beeswax

1 teaspoon honey

10 drops lavender essential oil

Steps:

Heat and melt coconut and olive oils, beeswax and honey all together.

Stir them to combine, and when they make a smooth mass, remove from heat.

Add lavender essential oil into warm mixture and pour into storage containers.

Tropical Body Butter

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons mango butter

4 tablespoons cocoa butter

20 drops of ylang-ylang essential oil

Steps:

Combine mango and coconut butters and melt them.

Once melted and forming a smooth mass, remove from heat and add essential oil.

Transfer into storage container.

Useful tip: Pour this body butter in small containers, for example, ice cube trays. You can later use one cube at a time for ease of use and application.

The Basic Process

If you want to get directly into inventing your own recipes and have already chosen ingredients for your body butter, remember the steps of the process:

Melt solid ingredients first (butters, oils that are solid at room temperature, beeswax) on very low heat.

Add liquid oils. Stir to combine well and make a smooth mass.

Remove from heat and add other ingredients, like essential oils, aloe vera gel etc.

Let mixture cool. If desired, whip using a mixer.

Another option is simply mixing ingredients with soft and liquid consistency - those that don’t have to be melted to blend with other ingredients - and using them like your body butters. That’s really easy.

Enjoy the process of creating these and other body butters for a healthy, glowing and well-nurtured skin. Keep this book for reference and inspiration in creating your own body butters!

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Conclusion

Thank you again for downloading this book! 

I hope this book was able to give you a comprehensive insight into the world of body butters, and enough of information to start making your own 100% natural skincare products in the comfort of your own home.

If you still haven’t decided what your next small DIY project will be, the next step is to choose your body butter recipe, pick some natural ingredients and get into the kitchen-laboratory. Just a few minutes in the kitchen and you can create marvelous, health-supporting body butters that will take deep care of your skin, keeping it hydrated, nurtured and young. It’s a truly enjoyable way to take care of your skin!

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Key Takeaways from This Text

Body butters are nurturing, softening skin moisturizers and protectors with healing properties. They are made of only natural ingredients, combining together fruit, seed and nut oils and butters with essential oils, beeswax and other ingredients.

Many commercially produced skincare products contain toxic chemical ingredients that block pores and can actually harm the health of skin and destroy its natural balance. This is one of the main reasons to make your own skincare products.

If you know your skin type and the needs of your skin, you can combine natural ingredients to create your own healing body butters that are exactly suitable for your skin.

To have a healthy, glowing skin, it’s essential to take good care of your skin daily, but also make sure you don’t overdo the cleanliness and decrease the skin’s natural protection.

Body butters can successfully become a part of your daily skincare routine as they are the best skin moisturizers, but you don’t necessarily have to use them every single day.

The main equipment for creating body butters at home is a stove, heatproof bowls, measuring cups and storage containers.  Glass jars or containers with tight lids are the best option for storing body butters.

As body butter consistency is pretty thick, many of them are prepared using a mixer. Whipping body butters give them a light and airy consistency.

Body butter base ingredients are oils and butters. Sometimes, herb-infused oils can be used as base ingredients. You can prepare herb-infused oils at home to add healing herb properties and aromas to oils.

Beeswax, honey, aloe vera gel, vitamin E oil, essential oils and other natural ingredients can be added to butter bases to change the consistency, add aromas, and increase healing properties of body butters.

There are thousands of homemade body butter recipes, but that doesn’t mean that you have to follow any of them. You can also create your own body butter recipes by combining ingredients that are perfectly suitable for your skin.

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List of Resources

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/5119/1/Toxic-Ingredients-in-Cosmetics-and-Skin-Care-Products.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-body-butter.htm

http://www.skinsight.com/diseaseGroups/obesity.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0005206/

http://www.webmd.com/beauty/wrinkles/cosmetic-procedures-overview-skin

http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/daily/regimen

http://www.ingredientstodiefor.com/

http://www.makingcosmetics.com/

http://www.aromaweb.com/articles/whatinfu.asp

http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/list-of-essential-oils.html

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/natural-medicine/herbal-remedies/amazing-aloe-vera.htm

http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js2200e/6.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/192009-skin-benefits-of-beeswax/

http://www.honeyhousenaturals.com/resources.php

http://www.livestrong.com/article/25515-benefits-vitamin-e-oil-skin/

http://modernhippiehousewife.com/

http://www.naturalandhealthyliving.com/top-12-best-diy-body-butter-recipes/

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Preview of “Essential Oils: Learn How to Use the Power of Essential Oils for Aromatherapy, Weight Loss, Beauty and Stress Relief”

Chapter 2. What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are liquids that are usually extracted in a process called distillation. Distillation is a widely-used technique in which elements of a substance or a liquid mixture are separated from one another by condensation or evaporation.

In getting essential oils, liquids are extracted from the stems, leaves, bark, roots and flowers of a plant. They are highly concentrated and potent, that a little drop of it goes a long way!

Some would mistakenly think that essentials are the same as perfumes. While essential oils are derived from natural plants, perfume oils are artificial and are comprised of artificial elements. Perfume oils do not have the therapeutic advantages which essential oils can offer.

The Making of Essential Oils

Essential oils are commonly extracted by distillation. Other complementary processes are expression and extraction.

Distillation

The plant material is placed in a container of boiling water, and as the steam is collected, the oil is then separated from the water.

Expression

Also known as cold pressing, grown fruit rinds or coconut meat are mechanically pressed to wring them of their oils.  Take note that rigid essential oil makers claim that this method does not make the extract an essential oil.

Extraction

Solvents are used in this process. The solvents are added to relieve the oil and create a concrete which is a mixture of resins, waxes and other essential oils. Then, ethyl alcohol or a similar compound is added to create an absolute. The alcohol is then removed leaving the oil.

Some manufacturers call the product essence and not really an essential oil.

In making essential oils, be sure that the plant material used is organic, which means they should be free of chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides and fungicides.

TIP: Contrary to popular belief, essential oils do not have that sticky-oily feeling at all!

Check out the following link to download the rest of the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Oils-Aromatherapy-Weight-Coconut-ebook/dp/B00LDEM0HI

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Table of Contents (Apple Cider Vinegar)

Introduction

Apple Cider Vinegar: An Introduction

Apple Cider Vinegar: What is it?

Chapter 1: How Can Apple Cider Vinegar be of Use to You?

Chapter 2: Use Apple Cider Vinegar For Weight Loss And Detoxification

Weight Loss

The Acidic Nature of ACV and Iron Production

Presence of Pectin in Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar Contains Potassium

Apple Cider Vinegar Boosts the Body’s Metabolism

Apple Cider Vinegar Is Rich in Acetic Acid

Cure for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Apple Cider Vinegar Is Rich in Tryptophan

Alkaline Acid Balance

Detoxification

ACV Detox Bath

ACV Detox Tea Drink

Chapter 3: Using Apple Cider Vinegar to Stay Healthy

To Control Blood Sugar

To Lower Cholesterol Levels

To Relieve Joint Pain and Arthritis

To Relieve Pain from Insect Stings and Bites

As A Remedy for Fatigue and Exhaustion

As an Immune System Booster

As a Remedy for Food Poisoning

As a Remedy for Nasal Congestion

As a Remedy for Indigestion

As a Sore Throat Remedy

As a Remedy for Hiccups

As a Remedy for Leg Cramps

To Relieve Asthma

To Relieve Stomach Woes

As a Perfect Defense Mechanism against Candida (Yeast Overgrowth)

As a Remedy for Bad Breath

As a Remedy for Body Odor

As a Cure for UTI (Urinary Tract Infections)

As a Growth Hormone Production Booster

Chapter 4: Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Beautiful Skin

In Everyday Skincare

As a Facial Wash

Mixed With Herbs

As a pH-Balancing Toner

Detoxifying Facemask

Pepper Rose Toner

To Reduce Age Spots

To Relieve Sunburn

To Brighten Skin

As a Moisturizer

To Remove Warts

To Cure Athlete’s Foot

To Get Rid Of Varicose Veins

For Callus Removal

To Cure Other Skin Problems

Other Uses

As a remedy for dandruff and itching scalp

As a remedy for bald spots

To get rid of head lice

As a Hair Conditioner

Chapter 5: So How Do You Make Your Own Apple Cider Vinegar?

Making Apple Cider Vinegar from Whole Apples

Making Apple Cider Vinegar Using Scraps

Important Things to Keep In Mind When Making ACV

How to Use ACV

Conclusion

Key Takeaways from this Book

How to Put This Information Into Action

Preview of “Modern Minimalism: How to Live with Less and Experience More in Today’s Hectic World”

Would You Like to Find Out More?

Did You Like This Box Set?

More Books You Might Like

I’ve covered a number of basic and advanced information in this book. It is my goal that, after reading this book, you will learn a number of things and be able to apply them immediately.

Introduction

I want to thank you for downloading the book, “Apple Cider Vinegar for Beginners: An Apple Cider Vinegar Handbook with Proven Secrets to Natural Weight Loss, Optimum Health and Beautiful Skin”

This book contains proven steps and strategies on how to use apple cider vinegar in your everyday life to lose weight, maintain beautiful skin and good health, and attain many other goals.

Have you noticed how many alternative treatments are out there? The current generation seems to be ever more appreciative of the vast benefits of using unconventional treatments such as juice fasts and extreme diets – like the Paleo diet – to lose weight and achieve other goals. All these are great alternative treatments that can help you achieve the respective goals. The problem is that all of them require strong willpower, sacrifice, time and money to execute effectively if you are to be one of the success stories that you desperately want to be. Do you know that you don’t have to do all that in order to lose weight, detoxify your body and achieve many other goals that are important to you? This book will unearth the effectiveness of apple cider vinegar in promoting weight loss and better hair, skin and general health.

Thanks again for downloading this book, I hope you enjoy it!

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Apple Cider Vinegar: An Introduction

You’ve probably heard about apple cider vinegar and its many benefits, but do you know where it comes from, what it does, how it works, and how to use it? This book will answer those questions and help you use apple cider vinegar to achieve benefits including weight loss, skin and hair care, health maintenance, a more sanitary home, and many others you probably didn’t know about.

Apple Cider Vinegar: What is it?

Vinegar has been used throughout history for purposes including killing weeds, polishing armor, cleaning coffee makers, making pickles, dressing salads and treating various diseases. Apple cider vinegar (ACV for short), made from cider or apple must, is believed to be the most effective type of vinegar for treating a wide variety of medical conditions.

This has given it a worldwide following, and its culinary uses include marinades, salad dressings, food preservatives, vinaigrettes and chutneys, to name just a few. Its color ranges from medium yellowish brown to pale amber. Organic, unfiltered, unpasteurized ACV (which is the healthiest kind) is translucent or foggy in appearance because it contains “mother of vinegar”. This is a combination of acetic acid bacteria and a type of cellulose, and is a byproduct of the fermentation of alcohol into acetic acid in the presence of oxygen. Although mother of vinegar may not look appetizing, it is harmless.

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Chapter 1: How Can Apple Cider Vinegar be of Use to You?

Apple cider vinegar was used as folk remedy long before it started growing popular in the US during the 1950s. People around the world have reported health benefits including reversal of the aging process, improved digestion, and detoxification, as well as other uses such as flea control on pets. While not all of the claims have been scientifically verified, a number of them have, and it’s hard to overlook the growing popularity of the ‘miracle cure liquid’. Different people experience different levels of success with ACV, so trying it yourself is the best way find out what benefits you’ll obtain.

The next section explores the secrets of using ACV for weight loss, more beautiful skin and a myriad of other applications. Remember, an apple a day keeps the doctor away—and that may be even more true if the apple is in the form of vinegar!

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Chapter 2: Use Apple Cider Vinegar For Weight Loss And Detoxification

Weight Loss

If you have been struggling to lose weight for years, apple cider vinegar could be part of the solution. There are countless success stories of people who have shed up to fifteen pounds a year while drinking just one or two tablespoons of ACV daily. That rate of weight loss is a lot more realistic than losing fifteen pounds in just two weeks while on a juice fast or low-carb diet. And it’s a lot easier to take a couple of spoonfuls of ACV than it is to spend a couple of hours at the gym or fast for weeks. Even better, the weight-loss effect has been proven scientifically.

A 2005 study showed that people who consumed small amounts of vinegar with their meals felt fuller than those who didn’t when eating the same quantity of food. In another study conducted in 2009, people who consumed acetic acid daily over a 12-week period experienced a significant decrease in waist circumference, abdominal fat, triglycerides, and body weight. So what’s in the ACV that causes weight loss, and how does it work? Read on for the answer . . .

The Acidic Nature of ACV and Iron Production

The acidity in apple cider vinegar releases iron from the foods you eat, making it available to your body. Iron is an important component of myoglobin and hemoglobin, which supply oxygen to your cells. Your cells use the oxygen to burn calories. Thus, when the body gets more iron, the oxygen supply increases, and burning calories is a lot easier. That obviously helps greatly with weight loss. A tablespoon or two of ACV daily is enough to make everything possible.

Presence of Pectin in Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar contains pectin, a naturally occurring thickening agent that expands when mixed with water in the stomach. This expansion makes you feel fuller, leaving you satisfied for longer and less susceptible to overeating or snacking because of hunger pangs or cravings.

Apple Cider Vinegar Contains Potassium

Apple cider vinegar contains high levels of potassium, which controls sodium levels in the body. Sodium is associated with water retention, so getting rid of the excess is likely to result in weight loss.

Apple Cider Vinegar Boosts the Body’s Metabolism

Apple cider vinegar revs up your body’s metabolism by boosting digestion. As you know, a quicker metabolism means that you burn more calories, and it only takes a small quantity of ACV to start taking off the pounds with greater ease. No other sacrifice or effort is required! You’ll even notice an effect if your metabolism is unusually sluggish because you’ve been on a diet with no solid foods for a while. Another benefit of improved digestion is that more toxins will be removed from the body.

Apple Cider Vinegar Is Rich in Acetic Acid

Another way in which ACV boosts your metabolism is due to its main component, acetic acid, which when mixed with food increases absorption of proteins by the body. This forces the body to use more oxygen, resulting in a drastic increase in metabolic rate and meaning that you burn about thrice as many calories as usual—regardless of whether you’re engaging in strenuous physical exercise, resting, or simply going about your normal activities. Of course, the more calories you burn, the more pounds you lose!

Cure for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Apple cider vinegar’s effect of stimulating digestion helps prevent diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome, making it easier for your body to utilize the nutrients in the food you eat. At the same time, ACV helps the intestinal walls to push out unwanted fats so they aren’t absorbed into the body, thus preventing weight gain.

Apple Cider Vinegar Is Rich in Tryptophan

Tryptophan is one of the amino acids that are released when proteins are digested. Tryptophan stimulates the body to produce serotonin, which is very effective in relaxing the mind and in curbing emotional eating (stress-related eating).

Alkaline Acid Balance

Taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar every day maintains the recommended (healthy) pH level in the body. This can give you more energy, which lets you exercise harder, which in turn lets you lose weight more quickly and easily.

Note: If you are obese, losing 15 pounds may seem like nothing, and you may feel that trying ACV would be a waste of your time. But how often do you find an effective weight loss technique with so few rules about what you can and can’t do? To be sure, if you want to lose a lot of weight you should combine ACV with various lifestyle changes.  For instance, you could also reduce or eliminate excess sugar and bad fat and consume more veggies, water and fruits. Physical exercise is also important in losing unwanted fat.

With any luck, ACV could be the little push that gets you started on a multitude of healthier habits!

Detoxification

Apple cider vinegar is also widely used for detoxifying the body. Unfortunately, in today’s world there are health-damaging toxins all around us—in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. Thus, regular detoxification is a necessity if we are to achieve an optimal quality of life. In simple terms, detoxification is the process of flushing toxins from the body.

Numerous detoxification techniques exist, but a lot of them are pretty extreme. Are you interested in going on a 45-day juice fast? I didn’t think so. Apple cider vinegar is one of the easiest and most natural ways of detoxifying the body, as well as one of the safest. If you opt for ACV for detoxification, you will be taking a natural remedy that is rich in vitamins, natural enzymes, and minerals and has zero side effects. You won’t have to worry about depriving your body of essential nutrients. No other detoxification technique provides all of that.

Certain components of ACV dissolve mucus and cleanse the lymph nodes, which improves lymph circulation. A healthier lymphatic system is usually more effective in dealing with mucus congestion, sinus infections, and allergies. ACV also binds to many of the toxins that accumulate in the body, which makes it easier for the body to eliminate them and helps improve immune system response. Additionally, taking ACV daily improves digestion and general gastric health, and the better the body digests food, the faster it is to absorb the nutrients and remove any toxins before they can accumulate to harmful levels.

If you want to get the best results, it is always important to go for the best product, and with ACV you should opt for the raw, unprocessed, unfiltered and unpasteurized form with the “mother” in it. Your results may be far less than you expected if you use processed/pasteurized vinegar. Make sure you’re not cheated by the cheap imitations of apple cider vinegar; these are actually just white distilled vinegar with some caramel coloring added. If you want to be sure of your ACV, you may actually want to make it yourself from scraps or whole apples. You’ll find detailed instructions later in the book.

For detoxification purposes, take at least one to three tablespoons of ACV in a glass of water before your meals to make the most of its effect of aiding digestion. That amount will ensure substantial results, but you may also want to use ACV as an ingredient in your meals for more complete elimination of toxins. For best results, you should use ACV in combination with a natural, healthy lifestyle. Here are some practices you may want to adopt:

Reduce your exposure to toxins by using natural beauty products and household cleansers.

Look for ways of including more uncooked (raw) foods in your diet, as these have essential enzymes that facilitate the detoxification process.

Start drinking more filtered water to minimize your exposure to toxins. Drinking more pure water also causes your body to go through a natural detoxification process.

Eat more organic foods to reduce your exposure to toxins. You should also start reducing your consumption of processed foods, even when they are labeled organic.

Eat a balanced diet composed of unprocessed natural ingredients to provide the nutrients your body needs to purify itself.

Engage in plenty of physical exercise to enhance the functioning of the lymphatic and circulatory systems, as these are very important in full body detoxification.

Here are a couple of ways to use ACV for detoxification that guarantee good results:

ACV Detox Bath

You can take a hot bath prepared using a cup of Epsom salts and a cup of vinegar to draw toxins out of your skin. You have to soak in the mixture for 20-30 minutes to rid your skin of toxins. The mixture is also very helpful in relieving joint pain and other skin conditions such as acne and eczema.

ACV Detox Tea Drink

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

2 tablespoons of ACV

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

12 ounces of filtered water at room temperature

A dash of cayenne pepper

Stevia powder to taste

Directions

Mix the ingredients in a glass, shake thoroughly, and then consume immediately.

For best results, take the mixture at least three times a day.

Soaking can help you to soften the taste of apple cider vinegar.

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Chapter 3: Using Apple Cider Vinegar to Stay Healthy

Apple cider vinegar can help with everything from minor health problems to complicated and potentially fatal medical conditions. Many of ACV’s proponents believe that this is because its high concentration of acetic acid increases the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals from foods. In fact, that’s far from the only good thing about ACV: it also contains potassium, enzymes, and other organic acids such as lactic acid and propionic acid. These will make you feel better and confer a host of health benefits if you drink ACV regularly.

To Control Blood Sugar

Diabetics who use ACV consistently often experience significant decreases in blood sugar, although this effect has not been fully proven by scientists. But numerous studies suggest that any kind of vinegar can be very effective in fighting diabetes. In one, people who consumed at least two tablespoons of ACV just before bedtime experienced favorable changes in blood sugar and glucose levels the following day.

To Lower Cholesterol Levels

The high levels of acetic acid and potassium in ACV are known to lower bad cholesterol levels. These components cause the blood to become thinner, thus allowing it to circulate with greater ease. Cholesterol levels can drop significantly after as little as a month of daily ACV use. 

To Relieve Joint Pain and Arthritis

Excessive accumulation of toxin crystals in combination with mineral deficiency is a major contributing factor for arthritis and many other diseases associated with joint stiffness. The high phosphorous, magnesium, calcium and potassium content of ACV acts to prevent excessive buildup of toxin crystals in the joints. And as we learned in the previous chapter, ACV has potent detoxification properties because it binds to toxins and allows them to be flushed out of the body before they can accumulate to toxic levels in the joints.

Drinking ACV is very effective for this purpose, but you should also apply it directly on the joint to relieve pain. Just mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with one tablespoon of virgin coconut oil and then massage the affected area. Or soak your hands or feet for several minutes in about six cups of warm water mixed with one cup of ACV to reduce pain.

To Relieve Pain from Insect Stings and Bites

If you get stung by a bee or other insect, ACV is an easy way to relieve the pain—just apply it to the sting to get the needed relief.

As A Remedy for Fatigue and Exhaustion

When you engage in strenuous physical exercise, the levels of acetic acid in your body rise, making you feel exhausted. Although ACV contains a lot of acetic acid, it also has potassium and various enzymes that prevent acetic acid from building up in the body. That means you can use ACV as an energy drink to guarantee a smooth workout! All you have to do is add ACV to a glass of chilled carrot or tomato juice to unlock its full power.

As an Immune System Booster

Apple cider vinegar contains malic acid, which is an antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial agent that is effective in preventing fever and colds, as well as alleviating various allergies. It contains a wide range of essential minerals and trace elements like calcium, potassium, chlorine, magnesium, copper, silicon, iron, sodium, phosphorous and fluorine, which are all essential for maintaining a healthy immune system.

As a Remedy for Food Poisoning

The acidity of ACV can kill bacteria that cause various stomach upsets. To make it more effective for this purpose, drink it more concentrated than usual (this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dilute it a little!), and be sure to take it when your stomach is empty.

As a Remedy for Nasal Congestion

ACV has the ability to thin mucus, and the potassium and acetic acid it contains prevent the accumulation of bacteria within the sinus, making it ideal for decongesting a stuffy nose. To use ACV to cure nasal congestion, mix a tablespoon of it in a glass of water.

As a Remedy for Indigestion

Some foods are so tasty that you would eat them till you dropped if it weren’t for the indigestion and other problems involved in overeating. If you’re going to a buffet or planning to indulge in a favorite food, try drinking a mix of ACV (1 tablespoon) and honey (1 tablespoon) in about 8 ounces of water 20-30 minutes before your meal. This can be quite effective in preventing any stomach cramps, nausea, heartburn, and acid reflux that you might otherwise experience.

As a Sore Throat Remedy

The bacteria that cause sore throat are sensitive to acidity, and you can balance the body’s pH to make it harder for them to grow by gargling a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar mixed with water. Do this every hour when you feel like you’re coming down with a sore throat and you’ll soon experience the needed relief.

As a Remedy for Hiccups

Taking a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar can put a quick end to hiccups because the sour taste of ACV usually overwhelms the nerves in the mouth, making them relax and effectively ending the annoying phenomenon.

As a Remedy for Leg Cramps

Leg cramps are a result of inadequate potassium levels in the body, and you can probably guess what that means. Yes, apple cider vinegar is rich in potassium, so taking it can be effective in ending leg cramps. For instant relief, just drink a mixture of two tablespoons of ACV, one tablespoon of honey and eight ounces of water.

To Relieve Asthma

When you drink a glass of water mixed with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, you are likely to experience improved breathing. ACV relaxes the throat muscles, which in turn makes it easier to breathe, even during an asthma attack. However, it shouldn’t be used as a substitute for your asthma medication or spray.

To Relieve Stomach Woes

If you suffer from spasms, diarrhea or any other stomach problems, apple cider vinegar could be the cure you’ve been looking for. Drinking at least two tablespoons of ACV mixed with water or clear juice should end your problems.

As a Perfect Defense Mechanism against Candida (Yeast Overgrowth)

As you know by now, ACV is acidic in nature. Yeast doesn’t grow well in acidic environments, so taking ACV helps prevent excessive accumulation of yeast in the body. (Aside from its acidity, ACV also has enzymes that combat yeast.) A tablespoon of ACV each day is enough, but it may not work immediately. Don’t be scared if your yeast problem seems to be getting worse at first; just continue taking ACV and you’ll start feeling better soon. Soaking in a tub of warm water mixed with 1.5 cups of ACV for 20 minutes is also very effective in getting rid of yeast infections.

As a Remedy for Bad Breath

Also thanks to its acidity, apple cider vinegar has antiseptic properties that make it an ideal remedy for halitosis or bad breath. Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a cup of water, gargle the mixture for about 15 seconds, and then spit the solution out. Repeat until the cup is empty.

As a Remedy for Body Odor

We already learned that apple cider vinegar helps balance your internal pH. It can also adjust the pH of your skin, which in turn helps to fight off bacteria that cause body odor. You can use ACV instead of your regular underarm deodorant; just wipe your armpits once every morning with undiluted ACV. For foot odor, , dilute 1/3 cup of ACV in warm water and soak your feet in the mixture for up to 15 minutes once every week.

As a Cure for UTI (Urinary Tract Infections)

The potassium and different active enzymes in ACV are very effective in combating the bacteria that cause UTI. If you suffer from this condition, drink a glass of water mixed with two tablespoons of ACV twice a day for several days; you can add lemon juice and honey to sweeten it. You can also add a few drops of ACV to your bath water to relieve the burning sensation that often accompanies UTI.

As a Growth Hormone Production Booster

If you want your kids to grow faster and taller, apple cider vinegar could be your secret weapon. It has enzymes and nutrients that are very effective in helping your body break down the proteins that you eat into amino acids. The increased availability of amino acids allows the body to produce more growth hormone. (As an added benefit, your body breaks down more fat when more growth hormone is present. This is another reason that ACV is so effective in helping you maintain or lose weight.) To increase production of growth hormone, mix one or two tablespoons of ACV in water and drink before every meal.

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Chapter 4: Use Apple Cider Vinegar for Beautiful Skin

I know it sounds weird to apply something that you would ordinarily eat on your skin. However, apple cider vinegar is one of those exceptional items that can serve all purposes; you can drink it, soak your body in it, or apply it on your skin to achieve different miraculous results! The strong smell of ACV may make you skeptical about slathering it on your skin, but many people do so anyway, so it’s not hard to guess that

ACV has unique properties that may it worthwhile. What are they? Regular users of ACV say that it has the power to heal and improve the skin’s condition. ACV is believed to enhance blood circulation within the small capillaries in the skin. It also has antiseptic properties that cure and prevent bacterial skin infections like acne. As already mentioned, ACV’s acetic acid content helps to balance skin pH levels. This in turn helps prevent and lessen acne breakouts, skin peeling, skin scaling, and excessive oil production.

ACV normalizes sebum production, ensuring that the skin is not too dry or too oily. It also contains hydroxyl acids, which are very effective in getting rid of dead skin cells, giving your skin a healthier, younger look.

In Everyday Skincare

ACV has a wide range of skincare applications and a wide range of benefits. This section will discuss practical ways you can use it every day to attain the beautiful look you’ve been longing for. You’ll learn the steps for using apple cider vinegar in different situations to cure various skin problems.

As a Facial Wash

Mix about 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 6 tablespoons of warm water (10 tablespoons if you have sensitive skin). Wash your face with warm water, then dip a cotton ball into the mixture and apply it on your neck and face. Use a gentle upward motion and continue until the cotton ball is free of dirt.

Note: Even if you don’t like the smell, do not wash off the ACV for at least 15 minutes. If the smell doesn’t bother you, you can actually apply a moisturizer immediately; you don’t have to wash it!

Mixed With Herbs

Mixing ACV with herbs like lavender, rosewood, and rosemary increases its potency. These herbs contain essential oils that are very effective in enhancing the skin’s appearance and health. When you use herbal apple cider vinegar, your skin becomes suppler and gains a youthful appearance that can hide signs of aging.

So, how do you make herbal ACV? It is simple:

Method 1:

Ingredients

3 ounces of elder flowers

2 pints of apple cider vinegar

2 ounces of calendula

Method 2:

Ingredients

1 ounce of lavender

Linden flowers

2 pints of apple cider vinegar

Rose petals

Directions

Pour the apple cider vinegar into a jar, add the plant materials, secure the lid tightly and place in a warm place. Let the plant materials macerate for up to 2 weeks, then strain and store the contents in a clean bottle.

How to Use It

For a facial wash, dissolve 1 tablespoon of the mixture in a cup of spring water then wash your face.

For a full body bath, dissolve up to 5 tablespoons of the mixture in a tub filled with water. Here is another recipe using essential oils that makes an effective skincare concoction for home use:

Ingredients

3/5 teaspoons of lavender essential oil

1 cup of filtered water

2/5 teaspoons of rosewood essential oil

3/5 teaspoons of rosemary essential oil

2 tablespoons of glycerin

17.5 fluid ounce ACV

Directions

Mix all ingredients together then soak a ball of cotton in the mixture and dab all over your face. Let it dry before rinsing.

As a pH-Balancing Toner

If you can’t face yourself in the mirror due to pimples, you may want to start using apple cider vinegar to ward off the pimple-causing bacteria. Dissolving ½ cup of apple cider vinegar in 2 cups of distilled water could provide the cure for your condition. This concoction will unblock pores and remove dead skin cells that could be making your skin look less than its best.

Directions

Mix the ingredients and transfer to a sterilized glass bottle.

Use a clean cotton pad or ball to apply the toner to clean skin and leave it to dry before rinsing. You can then apply moisturizer immediately to keep the skin supple and looking healthy.

If you want to use it on the rest of your body to cure acne or other conditions, just place the mixture in a clean spray bottle and spray it on blackheads and back acne. It’s a great way of keeping your skin healthy and youthful looking.

TIP: Shake well before use!

Detoxifying Facemask

If you have acne and you can’t use commercial cosmetic products because your skin seems too sensitive to them, apple cider vinegar could be your solution to the problem. You can use an ACV concoction to get rid of dirt located deep under your skin and even open up pores for a smoother, healthier and better looking complexion. With this concoction, you can get rid of rashes, pimples and many other annoying skin problems, leaving behind a smooth, pimple-free skin. So how do you make the concoction?

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of raw honey

Apple cider vinegar (enough to soak a cotton ball)

Bentonite clay

Directions

Mix equal parts of apple cider vinegar and bentonite clay then add honey and stir thoroughly until mixed well.

Apply the mixture on a clean face and let it sit for about 15 minutes before rinsing off with warm water.

Pepper Rose Toner

Does your skin feel itchy sometimes, or do you have an unusually oily face that makes you feel uncomfortable? If you haven’t tried apple cider vinegar, please do! ACV mixed with rosemary essential oil and peppermint essential oil could be the cure you’ve been looking for. You will also brighten your skin in the process.

Ingredients

10 drops of rosemary essential oil

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

8 drops of peppermint essential oil

1 cup of distilled or filtered water

Directions

Combine the ingredients in a glass container and shake well before applying on your skin.

Apply the concoction on your skin daily.

Tip: You may want to reduce the apple cider vinegar to 1 tablespoon of you experience too much of a drying effect.

To Reduce Age Spots

If age spots are making you feel uncomfortable, try apple cider vinegar toner to reduce their appearance:

Method 1 (Apple Cider Vinegar Mixed with Orange Juice)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of orange juice

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

Directions

Mix the ingredients thoroughly, soak a cotton pad or cotton ball in the mixture, then spot-treat the age spots.

Leave the treatment on overnight.

Tip: Follow the routine for 4-5 weeks for best results.

Method 2 (apple cider vinegar and onion juice)

Ingredients

¼ cup of apple cider vinegar

¼ cup of fresh onion juice (made from raw onion)

Directions

Mix the ingredients thoroughly, then apply on the age spots using a cotton swab; do this twice daily. Leave the treatment on overnight.

Tip: To avoid skin irritation, apply the mixture only on the age spots (not the surrounding areas of the skin). You may also want to put on some goggles if you are applying it on the face.

To Relieve Sunburn

Although it’s recommended that you avoid skin damage by exposing yourself to the sun for no more than 15 minutes at a time, that’s not always possible when you’re out and about. The sunburns that follow make you sorry you broke this rule, but you can neutralize them with apple cider vinegar. It relieves the pain and gets rid of the accompanying blistering and peeling of skin. Just add one cup of apple cider vinegar to warm bathwater and soak for about 8 minutes. Be prepared for an initial sting as the body gets used to the treatment!

To Brighten Skin

Using apple cider vinegar solution can also help you to exfoliate your skin. It provides a beautiful, natural glow that will make you confident about your looks. It also removes excess oil from the skin and reduces redness and swelling that is caused by acne. So how do you make it?

Ingredients

½ ounce of apple cider vinegar

3 ounces of distilled water

5 plain, uncoated aspirin tablets

Directions

Mix the apple cider vinegar and the water in a bowl, then use a mortar and pestle to crush the aspirin tablets into a fine powder. Add the powder to the ACV mixture and stir well until it is completely dissolved.

Apply this toner on your face weekly for several months until you start seeing results.

As a Moisturizer

If you have dry, sensitive skin, you may want to take advantage of ACV’s moisturizing qualities.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

3 drops of argan oil

4 tablespoons of green tea

Directions

Mix the ingredients in a bowl, then transfer them to a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on your face whenever you need more moisture.

Tip: Shake well before use

To Remove Warts

If you want to get rid of warts, try using apple cider vinegar as follows:

Ingredients

½ clove of garlic

½ cup of apple cider vinegar (enough to soak a cotton bandage)

Directions

Crush the garlic and place it on the wart.

Soak a cotton bandage in ACV and use it to wrap the area with the wart. Leave it there overnight, remove the bandage in the morning, and then rinse the wart with cold water. Apply an adequate amount of castor oil on the wart, then cover the area with a dry bandage. Repeat this until the wart is completely cured.

To Cure Athlete’s Foot

If athlete’s foot is making you feel uncomfortable, apple cider vinegar can help. Mixing equal parts of ACV and water and applying the concoction to the affected area will put a stop to both the itching and the bad odor. If you want to make this mixture stronger and more effective, you can try adding Listerine mouthwash (the original variant).

To Get Rid Of Varicose Veins

To get rid of varicose veins, place a cotton cloth soaked in apple cider vinegar on the swollen veins for up to 10 minutes, then massage your legs with strokes that move towards the heart.

For Callus Removal

For the best results, soak your hands or feet in concentrated (undiluted) apple cider vinegar for 30-60 minutes, then use pumice stone to get rid of any hardened skin. Once you remove the skin, soak again for about 15 minutes and rinse. Repeat the process every week.

To Cure Other Skin Problems

Apple cider vinegar is also a good cleanser for the skin whether used in bathwater or as steam. For the former, pour a glass of ACV in a small basin containing warm water and use this as a refreshing face wash. If you want a deeper cleanse, put 3 tablespoons of ACV in a pan of just-boiled water, then lean your face over the pan while your head is covered with a towel for about 5 minutes. The steam will open up your pores and loosen any impurities within the surface of your skin. To finish up the cleanse, pat a cotton ball that has been soaked in ACV on the face to clean it.

Apple cider vinegar also relieves skin problems including hives, chicken pox, eczema, shingles, poison oak, diaper rash, psoriasis and poison ivy, just to mention a few. Simply soaking in an ACV bath will bring the needed relief.

Other Uses

Learning about the many applications of apple cider vinegar has probably convinced you that it’s a necessity for health maintenance, weight loss, and skincare. But those aren’t the only benefits; you can also use ACV on your hair as a conditioner, to get rid of dandruff, to stop hair thinning and damage, to get rid of bald spots, to remove head lice, to cure itchy scalp, etc. You’ll never run out of uses for ACV in your everyday life!

Let’s go over a few of these other uses of apple cider vinegar to give you just a glimpse of the healing power that this miracle cure holds.

As a remedy for dandruff and itching scalp

Apply concentrated (undiluted) ACV to your hair or dry scalp, then massage it well for several minutes; leave it on for up to an hour before rinsing.

As a remedy for bald spots

Squeeze out the juice from a pieced royal jelly capsule and mix it with 1 tablespoon of ACV. Apply it on the bald spots and leave it on overnight. Rinse in the morning.

To get rid of head lice

Ingredients

Olive oil

Lavender essential oil

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

Directions

Mix 3 parts of olive oil with 1 part of lavender essential oil. Saturate your scalp and hair with the mixture and cover with a shower cap for up to 5 hours. Mix ACV with water and use the mixture to rinse all the oil from your hair or scalp. You can then remove the nits and any remaining oil using a fine-tooth comb. Repeat the process over a period of up to 10 days or until you no longer see any more lice.

As a Hair Conditioner

All you need to get this done is apple cider vinegar and filtered water; mix 4 parts of water with 1 part of ACV. Transfer the mixture to a spray bottle and mix the contents well. Divide your hair into small sections, then spray your conditioner on the scalp and hair starting from the roots and going up. Massage your hair and scalp and allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes before rinsing with water. If you don’t like the smell of ACV, you may want to stay outdoors while you’re waiting.

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Chapter 5: So How Do You Make Your Own Apple Cider Vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar has so many uses that there’s probably at least one you’re interested in trying yourself. Given that ACV is 100% organic and safe for consumption, you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain if it proves effective in resolving an issue that you’ve been struggling with for years. And for even more peace of mind about the process and what goes into the product, you can actually make ACV in the comfort of your own home!

Apple cider vinegar is a product of fermentation—two types of fermentation, in fact. The process starts when you squeeze the liquid out of crushed apples. In the next stage, the sugars present in the juice are converted into alcohol by yeast. Then another round of fermentation takes place: the alcohol is converted into acetic acid by certain bacteria. You may not care how the process works, but if you’re going to try it you’ll want to be aware that it can take as long as three months. The recipes below will show you how to make ACV with both whole apples and apple scraps.

Making Apple Cider Vinegar from Whole Apples

Ingredients

A piece of cheesecloth for covering the bowls

2 teaspoons of raw honey

Chlorine-free water

10 apples (organically grown)

2 glass bowls (small and large)

Directions

Wash the apples thoroughly, cut into quarters, and let them air until they turn brown. Alternatively, you can core and peel the apples, eat the flesh, and use the next recipe to make ACV with the scraps. Place the browned apples into the smaller bowl, add the honey, mix well, and cover with water.

Cover the bowl with the cheesecloth and place it in a warm, dark place for up to 6 months (a hot water cupboard would be a good idea).

By the time 6 months have passed, a grayish scum will have formed on the surface. Don’t be scared, this is absolutely normal! You can spoon off the scum and the “mother” and add it to the other ingredients in your next batch. Once the liquid is strong enough for you, use a coffee filter to strain it, then transfer it to a clean container and leave it for an additional 4 to 6 weeks while covered with the cheesecloth. Finally, bottle it and store it in the refrigerator.

Making Apple Cider Vinegar Using Scraps

This approach lets you make ACV from scraps—peels, bits and cores from organic apples.

What you need:

A wide-mouth jar or a large bowl

Apple scraps (browned)

2 tablespoons of raw honey

A clean piece of cheesecloth to cover the bowl/jar to keep debris and flies off

Chlorine-free water

Directions

Place all the scraps in the jar/bowl, top it up with water, then add honey and stir well; ensure that the scraps are fully submerged. You can continue to add more scraps for several days if you want. To prevent the scraps from floating up, you can place a small jar inside the bigger jar.

Cover the jar with the cheesecloth, place it in a warm, dark place and wait for it to ferment. Again, the cupboard containing your water heater would be a perfect place. You will start seeing the contents in the jar thickening after a few days and some grayish scum forming on top. The jar should also contain some sediments and the “mother”.

At this point, you can spoon off the scum, stir the remaining liquid, and cover again; repeat the process for up to four weeks. Stop adding more scraps to the mixture; just leave it to ferment for a month, then start tasting the resultant mixture. When it is strong enough for you, strain the liquid and transfer your ACV to a clean bottle or jar.

Remember, it is totally fine if your vinegar has a cloudy appearance. Some sediment (the “mother”) will probably remain. Just discard the scraps and place your homemade ACV in a refrigerator to stop the fermentation process.

Important Things to Keep In Mind When Making ACV

Don’t use metallic containers when making and or storing ACV. The acid present in the liquid will probably corrode any metallic items, resulting in contamination of the ACV. Stainless steel is the only metal that may be safe for use with ACV. It’s better to use glass, wood or plastic containers (make sure that the glass doesn’t have breaks or chips).

When fermenting ACV, be sure to keep the temperature within the range of 60-80 degrees F. Higher temperatures interfere with formation of “mother of vinegar”, while lower temperatures will not produce a useful amount of ACV.

Stir the mixture regularly to provide the oxygen needed for fermentation. Using a cheesecloth filter allows the mixture to get enough oxygen since the cloth has spaces that let in air; don’t use a lid.

How to Use ACV

As you have learned throughout the book, you can use apple cider vinegar in many different ways, including diluting it in bath water, drinking it, adding it to food, and applying it on your skin. As a rule of thumb, dilute ACV before drinking it unless otherwise stated.

Tip: Don’t be afraid of using the “mother”; it is actually the most nutritious part of apple cider vinegar. This quality makes ACV that includes the “mother” the most effective kind in terms of its therapeutic qualities.

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Conclusion

Thank you again for downloading this book! 

I hope this book was able to show you the amazing benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar, and enough information to start making your own at home.

What are you waiting for? Choose one of the recipes in the book, pick natural ingredients and get into your kitchen. Just a few minutes in the kitchen and you can create an amazing apple cider vinegar recipes that will take deep care of your health.

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Key Takeaways from this Book

Apple cider vinegar can be used in virtually everything

You can make your own apple cider vinegar for home use

You can stay healthy, lose weight, and make your hair and skin beautiful with ACV

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How to Put This Information Into Action

Identify a problem you are facing

Make your ACV using scraps or whole apples

Try using your homemade ACV to deal with the problem

Repeat the process!

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Preview of “Modern Minimalism: How to Live with Less and Experience More in Today’s Hectic World”

Consumerism Can Enslave Us

We live in a world where we are constantly looking for things we don’t have simply because think we need them. Our lives have become empty as we fill the void with unnecessary stuff. We feel that getting the latest gadget and the trendiest clothes would ultimately make us happy because we feel accomplished by getting what we want. However, have you ever stopped to think about how soon the happiness fades away once we get what we wanted?  Have you ever felt desiring another thing immediately after the purchase?

Humans have insatiable wants and needs.  Abraham Maslow in his Hierarchy of Needs even concluded that a satisfied need is not a motivator of behavior, but directs us to move up to higher needs. Maslow emphasized that we can only have so much physiological needs – we need to move up to fulfilling needs such as relationships, self-esteem and self-actualization.

Have you ever thought of whether you actually need all the stuff you are constantly buying? For instance, you go and buy a large TV and subscribe to hundreds of premium TV channels thinking that you will no longer be missing your favorite TV shows. Then you buy the latest DVD player and sound system to match the new TV. Do you actually need to get all these to watch a show? In any case, how can you even watch all of the shows simultaneously? What follows is that you start with the hype of watching these shows then stop altogether because you run out of free time to sit back and relax. You become satiated, but you have to continue paying for these even when you don’t even get the time to watch whatever you wanted to, because you slave away at work to pay for your mounting credit card, electric, and subscription bills. Tricky, isn’t it?

This is the world of consumerism where we are meant to believe that we will live a happier life if we have certain things. Excessive buying may lead us to a point where none of the material things we obtain give us lasting inner happiness. We then become frustrated, depressed and feel as if we no longer know who we really are.

Do material things really make us happy? This is certainly debatable. What one person considers a need may not necessarily be a need for someone else. In fact, the situations are very different for different situations. Some of the stuff you need when you have a family may not be necessary when you are single. It is actually impossible to quantify happiness by comparing who is happier between two people. Actually, you don’t have to live like a caveman to live a happy, healthy and fulfilling life.  You just need balance.

Consumerism is an endless cycle that only makes us slaves of what we own. What we are exposed to in the society is what influences us to acquire the things we see. In fact, watching too much TV or surfing too much internet makes us less contented with what we already have, and more jealous of what others have. The glamour that comes with commercialization of literally everything sends us into a shopping mode where we think we must buy whatever we see on TV to feel contented with ourselves. However, this only fuels an insatiable desire to acquire more and more stuff that we end up not using; in fact, these stuff only stress us in trying to maintain them. Have you ever stopped to think if you are buying these items for your own benefit, or for the benefit of the manufacturer or seller?

Advertisements make us feel bad when we don’t have some “essential things”. Understanding the fundamental principles of minimalism can greatly affect the way we think, the way we interact with people and the level of satisfaction we derive from living a minimalist life.

To download the rest of this book, please click on the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Minimalism-Experience-Minimalist-Lifestyle-ebook/dp/B00KU7DI20/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403619202&sr=8-1&keywords=modern+minimalism

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Would You Like to Find Out More?

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Click here to get on the list!

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Did You Like This Box Set?

Before you leave, I wanted to say thank-you again for buying my book.

I know you could have picked from a number of different books on this topic, but you chose this one so I can’t thank-you enough for doing that and reading until the end.

I’d like to ask you a small favor.

If you enjoyed this book or feel that it has helped you in anyway, then could you please take a minute and post an honest review about it on Amazon?

Click here to post a review.

Your review will help get my book out there to more people and they’ll be grateful, as will I.

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If the links do not work, for whatever reason, you can simply search for these titles on the Amazon website to find them.

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