DIY Conditioner Recipe

I LOVE conditioners but I still haven't perfected my recipes. However, a friend and I got rather close to at least getting something close to an easy to use conditioner.

Don't get me wrong. The other conditioner recipes I have up on this blog are SUPER wonderful. But they are deep conditioners that are messy and require intense shampooing and ACV vinegar rinses after use. I want an amazing DIY conditioner that I can use AFTER shampooing without much worry of an oily scalp.

Here's the recipe we used!

INGREDIENTS
4oz coconut oil infused with sage, thyme, and rosemary
2oz apricot oil
1oz vegetable glycerin (honey would work too)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp vitamin E oil
10 drops of tea tree oil
5 drops of peppermint oil

TOOLS
Wire strainer
Cheesecloth
Small pan
Bowl
Whisk and/or spoon
Bottles for storage
Applicator bottle

Now, if you've ever used DIY conditioners then I bet you're thinking jeeze that's ALL oils!!!

We didn't have emulsifiers and water-oil blends spark bacteria REALLY quickly. So in order to avoid that we decided to follow a different method.

The oils are all stored in a (dark) glass bottles with a a drip bottle. We drip a small amount of oil into another applicator bottle with a nice spout and then fill it with warm water and shake well before applying.

Here's the step-by-step process for making it!!

STEP 1 - Infusing the coconut oil with the herbs!
We used a hot infusion method (stove-top) because we didn't plan ahead much. We put the oil on the heat (low) and then added the herbs. We let them steep in the warm/hot oil for about 45 minutes and then let it cool slightly.

STEP 2 - Strain the herbs
Straining the herbs was a little trickier than usual because of the sage. Sage has very small leaves so many of them slipped through the wire strainer. In order to catch the extra little sage leaves, line the wire strainer with cheesecloth.

Bad lighting.. sorry!

The resulting coconut oil should be nice and green (instead of the usual clear) thanks to the herbal infusion.

STEP 3 - Blend in the other oils and the glycerin
Now you just add the olive oil and apricot seed oil. My friend also added some sweet almond oil to hers but I avoided it because of allergies.

STEP 4 - Add your essential oils (EOs)!
You don't need to add the exact ones we did. Tea tree and mint are nice for your scalp but you can add others if you'd like.

HOW TO USE
Put your oil mixture in a clean and DRY glass bottle. Preferably a dark glass one. Too much light exposure can mess up the potency of the EOs.

Before showering, put about a teaspoon's worth of conditioner into your applicator bottle and then fill the rest with water. Depending on how big your bottle is you may need more or less oil. Just do a trial run first and then determine the ideal oil:water ratio.

You can use this after shampooing and it works great in conjunction with my vinegar hair rinse!

Enjoy! :-)

Rosemary Infused Olive Oil

Olive oil is used in MANY things. From deep conditioning treatments, to body scrubs, to soaps. Rosemary is not only aromatic but it also helps your skin and hair. Rosemary can help to stimulate hair growth and increase blood circulation in your skin. So why not infuse your olive oil with rosemary and use THAT in your products?

Rosemary infused olive oil is actually very easy to make. All you need is:
- Olive oil
- Rosemary
- Pot
- Glass bottle/jar for storage
- Spoon
- (You may also want a funnel if you're using a bottle for storage)

Step 1 -- heat your oil. Do NOT make it very hot. You aren't trying to make deep fat fried rosemary here! Just warm enough so that you can touch it but if you left your finger in too long then it would start to burn. Probably about 105 - 110 F is good.

Step 2 -- chop your rosemary. Don't chop it TOO fine because then you'll get little rosemary chunks in your oil that are hard to remove.

Step 3 - add your rosemary to the oil and stir it well. Let it sit on the heat for a minute or two and then move it from the heat.

Step 4 - after about 5 minutes of steeping, add the oil AND the rosemary to your container. You could use it right away but it's better if you let it infuse for a day or two.

Use it in your soaps, on your hair, and on your skin!
Enjoy! :-)

Olive Oil and Coffee Body Scrub

I love all natural things, especially ones that you can make with the random things you (might) have around your house. This olive oil and coffee body scrub is one of those wonderful things! Here's why:

Olive oil is a natural moisturizer and it leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth.

The coffee helps exfoliate your skin and the caffeine helps to rejuvenate it. Exfoliation removes the thin layer of dead skin cells that are clinging to your skin and gives the fresh and new skin underneath better exposure to oxygen, which helps skin health.

Essential oils (if you choose to use them) also have a wide array of health benefits for our skin.

Honey helps moisturize and heal the skin.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOOLS + THE MIX

- Mesh strainer or coffee maker (French press grounds could work but they would be very rough)

- Ground coffee

- Olive oil (if you want to use coconut oil or some other natural oil then that would work too! I use olive because I like it and it's usually stocked up in my pantry)

- (OPTIONAL) Essential oil: I would recommend tea tree, lemon, peppermint, or rosemary because of their benefits for the skin. More details about essential oils here: http://www.crunchybetty.com/21-things-you-should-know-about-essential-oils

- (OPTIONAL) A small amount of honey

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STEP 1 - Prepare the coffee
In order for the coffee to work properly you need to get the caffeine to release. If you add fresh, dry coffee grounds to the oils then you will get the exfoliation aspect but not the benefits of the caffeine  Therefore, you should either use old grounds from the morning's coffee or steep the coffee in boiling water for about 2 mins. This allows the caffeine to release but it isn't so long that the caffeine is lost.

STEP 2 - Mixing it up
Put your strained and slightly wet coffee grounds into a container and add you honey. After these two ingredients are blended well, gradually add the olive oil. You don't want it to be too oily because then you will only be rubbing coffee infused oil on yourself. Try and find the right balance between coffee and oil. Then add your essential oils. Be sure to use these sparingly because adding too much can cause skin irritation. Also be sure to mix them in very thoroughly to ensure even distribution.

STEP 3 - Apply it!
Rub it all over, let it sit for about 5 mins, and then rinse off! Enjoy!! :-)