As the cooler weather begins to sap much-needed moisture from your skin, take some time to whip up a set of natural remedies. A coconut body oil ans sweet-smelling lip balm will see you right.
I adore coconut oil in my beauty regime, especially as a hair conditioner and a moisturiser. But as the weather cools down a bit and coconut oil hardens, I find it’s a little harder to chip off and use.
This whipped coconut oil recipe gives the oil a delicious creamy texture, which is easier to manage, especially if the oil is hard. What I love about this recipe is that you can also personalise the cream by adding a few drops of your favourite essential oil.
Whipped coconut oil
Coconut oil
Whisk or egg beater
A few drops of your favourite essential oil
Make sure your coconut oil is in a semi-solid state. If it is completely hardened, you can heat it up a little but you don’t want it to be completely liquid. Then whisk away! An electric beater or magic wand seem to work well, but I wouldn’t use a blender for this, as the blades heat the oil up too much. When it has a smooth and creamy texture, add your essential oil, and whisk again for 30 seconds to mix it all in.
You can store your whipped coconut oil in a warm place over winter to keep it soft, however, in hotter weather, you may have to keep it in the fridge to prevent it becoming completely liquid.
Natural Lip Balm
Cold weather always equals chapped lips for me, especially when I’m up north and can’t resist getting out and about in the wind.
This is a fantastic recipe and the balm is especially good for your lips with the addition of vitamin E oil, which also acts as a preservative. I tested this on my daughter and her two friends one Saturday afternoon, and their favourite was orange, using sweet orange essential oil.
Do not make the mistake of thinking that adding vanilla essence will work – it doesn’t. You need to add the stronger-smelling essential oils.
20ml sweet almond oil
½ tsp beeswax, grated, or beeswax pellets, cosmetic grade
½ tsp cocoa butter
1 tsp icing sugar
1 capsule vitamin E
5 drops essential oil (sweet orange, rose and peppermint all work well)
Melt the oil, beeswax and cocoa butter in a double boiler (or use a bowl sitting on a saucepan of gently boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl stays above the water). Add the icing sugar and stir to dissolve. Take it off the heat and add vitamin E by piercing the capsule and pouring the oil in. Add the essential oils, stir and pour into a lip balm jar.
Dry shampoo
Try making your own dry shampoo using cornflour. It’s more natural and much cheaper than the store-bought commercial stuff, and I bet you have some cornflour just sitting in your kitchen cupboard.
Sprinkle it onto your oily roots, then brush through. If you have dark hair, it can look a bit like you’ve dusted your roots grey, so mix in a little cocoa powder to even up the colours.
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