Tag: calendula

diy belly butter

hi loves! with this post i’m sharing a belly butter that was inspired by a peachy-colored “all-over” balm i made for my friend.

this is for all our pregnant peeps out there that want to keep their skin moisturized. it also helps with itching and scarring, which i hear happens when your stomach skin stretches to grow a human. seriously, growing a whole human being inside of you? badass.

this is anhydrous, so it doesn’t need a preservative system. it’s pretty easy to make, too! it should take about a half hour from start to finish. 

it’s a great gift idea!

>>> makes 6 ounces. // store tightly sealed and away from sunlight. // toss after 1 year. // apply to dampened skin for best results.

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RECIPE: 1 ounce oil & 5 ounces butter

  • 5 oz unrefined shea butter
  • 1/4 ounce tamanu
  • 1/4 ounce rosehip co2
  • 1/2 ounce marula oil
  • 5 mL calendula co2

need help sourcing ingredients? i have a post HERE to help (no affiliate links, etc).

HOW TO

  1. in a double boiler, melt your shea butter until completely liquid. this should only take a few minutes.
  2. remove from heat once melted. let cool for 1-2 mins.
  3. add calendula co2 and mix well. this ingredient is the consistency of ear wax. make sure it melts and mixes evenly!
  4. add rosehip co2, tamanu oil, and marula oil. mix well.
  5. carefully pour into a balm container with a tight fitting lid*.
  6. let cool at room temperature overnight OR for best results, blast chill for 20 minutes in the freezer and remove.

ENJOY!

XO, ALEXRAYE

*- you can use two 3 oz jars, 3 two oz jars.. depends on what you have / what you find. i recommend to use wide-mouth cosmetic jars, so it’s easy to scoop product out. 

herbal-infused body oil

hi crunchies! i hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead.

today let’s blend up 8 ounces of a silky, soothing, fast-absorbing body oil that contains skin-supporting herbs.

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before you order or bring out your ingredients, please note this will require an herbal solar infusion lasting 6 weeks. if you don’t have that kind of patience, this isn’t the DIY for you. i do have other body oil blends you can check out, though. just use the search bar 🙂 i promise the wait is oh-so-worth-it!

the base oil i suggest for this herbal body oil blend is marula. it’s pricey, and nearly any carrier of your choice will do. just be mindful of its oxidative stability. for example, argan oil and hempseed oil would unfortunately be poor choices for herbal infusions, whereas jojoba oil would be a good one.

ok, so why marula?

marula oil is very high in oleic acid* (~76%), deeply moisturizing, super fast-absorbing, and is one of the only oils that remains stable when exposed to light for extended periods of time. that will come in handy when we infuse our herbs in sunlight.

if you use another carrier oil, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it – please keep doing what you know and enjoy. after all, mixing up other people’s DIYs is more than half the fun!

for our skin-supporting herbs, we’ll be blending in calendula and chickweed, as both are soothing and anti-inflammatory. aka, perfect for cooler weather when you may get a little dry and itchy.

i’ve also chosen these 2 herbs because their constituents are fat-soluble. solubility is incredibly important in herbalism. if someone working with plants does not understand solubility, the end product could be ineffective. for example, an oil infused with horsetail will never help your skin and hair, because silica needs to be extracted in vinegar. as another example, marshmallow root is fantastic, but since the constituents you want for skin and hair are mucilaginous, it can only be extracted into hydrous bases. does that make sense? i wrote more on it before here.

INGREDIENTS:

other:

  • 16 ounce mason jar for steeping
  • cheesecloth or nut milk bag (what i prefer) to strain oil
  • 8 ounce pump bottle to store oil when finished

HOW TO:

the typical ratio of herbal infusions is 1 part dried herb to 10 parts oil. in this case, due to small batch amount, we will use 2 tablespoons dried herbs** to 8 ounces oil. remember the herbs will swell as they steep, so you want to avoid overfilling the jar with dried herbs.

in your sterilized mason jar, add your 2 tbs of dried herbs, and top with 8 ounces carrier oil. gently tap to release air bubbles and make sure the herbs are completely covered in oil to reduce risk of mold growth.

sit in sun for 6 weeks, very gently “stirring” the jar every day.

strain after 6 weeks. bottle in airtight, UV-protecting bottle.

enjoy all over body, particularly on dampened skin.

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happy blending!

XO, ALEXRAYE

*=not suitable for the face for most people
**= must be dried, not fresh, to avoid mold growth in oil infusion