Rich Mocha Lotion

Do you think coffee is only for the pleasure of your palate ?

The whiff and taste of the bitter sweetness of coffee will uplift your spirit! However your skin can benefit from its application as well.

My love for coffee and cocoa inspired me to make this rich sumptuous lotion. The additional shea butter and rice bran oil makes it extra moisturizing.

Ingredients: Distilled Water, Rice Bran Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Glycerin, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Coffee Oil, Iso Propyl Myristate, Vitamin E, Phenoxyethanol/ Caprylyl Glycol, Fragrance.

  

Coffee Oil has the wonderful aroma of roasted coffee. It is easily absorbed by the skin and contains antioxidants, phytosterols and essential fatty acids; a perfect moisturizer. 

Cocoa Butter contains natural antioxidants which helps maintain healthy skin. It has great emollient properties keeping the skin soft and supple. The best of all is its mild chocolate aroma.

Shea butter is made from the nuts of the shea tree which grows on the African savanna. Locally the nut is used in both food preparation and skin care. Shea butter is appreciated for its anti inflammatory and emollient properties.

Rice bran oil is made from the rice husk. It contains vitamin E and B. Unique to rice bran oil is y-orizanol, a phytosterol. It is an anti oxidant which can slow down skin aging and reduce age spots.

Skin Care Recipes from the Pantry

For the scrub and mask, I prefer to use unbrewed coffee grounds. The caffein in the coffe has a  temporary skin tightening effect in addition to  reducing micro edema.

Coffee body scrub
Mix coffee grounds, olive oil (or any oil that you like), and sugar to a thick paste. Scrub your skin from neck to toes, rinse off. You do not need to lotion up after this treatment. But if you want absolutely soft skin apply Acojoba Rich Mocha lotion. Your skin will smell like a fresh cup of mocha.
The scrub will make a mess in your shower, but it is worth it.

Coffee face mask
Mix coffee grounds with egg white to form a thick paste. Apply to face. Rinse off after 20 minutes.

Warn your family before applying this mask. I forgot and my husband almost fainted when he saw my face. However he appreciated the effect of the mask. And so did I. It had a firming and smoothing effect which stayed for hours.

Coffee hair rinse
Brew strong coffee (or use left over). Let it cool , apply to hair for 20 minutes then rinse off.

I really enjoyed the effect of this rinse. It added shine and made the  hair less static.

Biscotti with almonds and cranberries

Have a biscotti with your cup of coffee while you wait for your coffee face mask and hair rinse  to do their wonders.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com As usual I  added and subtracted a few ingredients.

These get the raves from my boys and are gone before I know it, no matter how many I make.

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2- 1/3 cup brown or white sugar ( or a combination )

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I substituted 1/2 cup of almond flour for the flour)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 1/2 cup roasted almonds

Preheat oven to 300˙ F (150˙ C)

Combine  the first 6 ingredients

Combine flour, baking soda and salt, add to the egg mixture

Mix in cranberries and almonds

Divide dough in two, form two logs on a cooking sheet covered with parchment paper (use wet hands)

Bake for 35 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven, let sit for 10 minutes.

Reduce oven heat to 275˙F (135˙C)

Cut logs into 3/4 inch thick sticks. Lay on side and bake approximately  8-10 minutes or until dry.

Enjoy!

Ocean Lotion

The Atlantic ocean never stops shaping and reshaping the shores of the small peninsula on which I live.There is nothing better than sitting on the beach just letting the eyes rest on the horizon. I especially appreciate the seaweed deposited on the shores. It is great for the garden.
You guessed right, seaweed is good for your skin as well. It contains minerals and vitamins.

Seaweed has been a staple of Asien cuisine for centuries. I have been eating seaweed in different forms for many years. I always add a strip of Kombu (Laminaria Japonica) when I make soups. It enhances the flavours of the ingredients as well as adding valuable nutrients. Depending on the soup I either keep the  Kombu in the soup or I pick it out and run it in the blender mixed with some water to make a seaweed face mask. When you cook beans add a strip of Kombu to make them more digestible.

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The skin softening Vanilla Ocean  Lotion is inspired by my love for the ocean and seaweed. The fresh smell of vanilla and ocean will uplift your spirit as you apply this skin friendly lotion to your body in the morning. Murumuru butter from Brazil is like silk on your skin. Enjoy!

Ingredients: Laminaria Japonica infused Distilled Water, Safflower Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Evening Primrose Oil, Murumuru Butter, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Pomegranate Seed Oil,  Vitamin E, Cornstarch, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Fragrance.

Safflower Oil is pressed from the 15 to 20 seeds in the plant's flower. It is rich in linoleic acid which restores the skin's barrier function. I love this light and emollient oil.

Evening Primrose Oil helps soothe dry and scaling skin. . It contains gallic acid which helps with skin infections and wound healing. It absorbs quickly into the skin and increase skin flexibility.


                         


 Murumurubutter is pressed from the fruits from the Astrocaryum murumuru tree found in the Amazon. It is rich in  lauric and oleic acid.

Pomegranate Oil contains ellagic acid which reduces the destruction of collagen and function as an anti-inflammatory, prevents wrinkles and photo aging of the skin. Punic acid also known as omega-5 has skin regenerative properties.

Laminaria Japonica Seaweed contains amino acids, vitamins and trace minerals which revitalize the skin. Seaweed has an anti-inflammatory effect

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Arame with leeks and roasted almonds

My favorite seaweed recipe  is Arame with leeks and roasted almonds. Even as young children my boys could not get enough of this dish. It goes well with all kinds of fish and vegetarian dishes.
You can buy Arame in the health food store.

1 1/2 cup  of dry arame
Half a leek chopped in thin slices
1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds
1 table spoon toasted sesame oil
1-2 teaspoons soya sauce
Rice vinegar or any other that you have at hand
Rice malt, honey, maple syrup or any sweetener that you have at hand


Rinse the arame in cold water. Then let it soak in water to cover. After about 10 minutes drain off the water. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the arame. Fry for 4 minutes on medium heat. Add shoyu and a little bit of water, vinegar and sweetener.  There should not be any liquid left when you add the leeks 5 minutes before serving.  You want the leeks to still be crisp and bright green as you put the dish on the table. Add more seasoning to your taste. Add the almonds just before serving.

ACOJOBA - Lotion Magic

   What does alchemy and lotion making have in common?
Magic transformation! 

Simplistically speaking lotion is a mix of oils and water.  However these two do not stay mixed for very long without a little bit of help which comes in the form of an emulsifier. The emulsifier holds the two together. And just as in an alchemic metamorphoses these three ingredients turn into gold - or rather lotion.

My lotions contain natural oils, butters and an assortment of botanical additives. They do not contain formaldehyde, phthalates or parabenes.

Tropical Coconut is a deeply moisturizing lotion with a refreshing coconut fragrance. It penetrates your skin and makes it feel silky soft. Use it on your hands and body every day! 

Ingredients : Distilled Water, Aloe Vera Juice, Jojoba Oil, Coconut oil, Mango Butter, Rose Hip Oil, Honeyquat, Fractionated coconut oil, Iso propyl myristate, Vitamin E, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Fragrance

Aloe Vera Juice is a great anti-inflammatory. It binds moisture to the skin and has skin barrier properties. It helps itchy skin and stimulates cell proliferation.

Coconut Oil is beneficial for all types of skin. It contains ferulic acid, which has anti-inflammatory properties, catechins and lauric acid, which has antibacterial properties. And best of all it is a great moisturizer. It has been used for centuries in remedies for skin and hair. Fractionated coconut oil or caprylic/capric acid has had some of the fatty acids removed to give it a lighter feel with the same moisturizing effect.

Jojoba Oil is actually a wax. It is similar to the body’s own sebum. It penetrates the skin to sooth and moisturize.

Mango Butter offers moisture and a protective barrier to the skin. It is said to have anti inflammatory, anti viral and anti bacterial properties.

Rose Hip Oil. This wonderful red oil has wound healing properties. It contains beta carotenoids, which helps with free radicals. It is said to reduce signs of photo aging and fine lines due to sun exposure.

Honeyquat is made from honey. It is a humectan which increases the moisture uptake ability of your skin.

Go bananas over oatmeal.

I love oatmeal. In the winter I have hot oatmeal with bananas and I always add oatmeal to my home made bread. Sure enough, my oat meal cookies are gone almost before they are out of the owen.

Besides helping to lower your cholesterol, oatmeal is also good for your skin. Oats draw moisture to the skin, softening and healing dry and itchy epidermis. It has an anti-inflammatory effect. Oats contain beta glucan, a group of glucose molecules which in some studies showed to reduce wrinkles and roughness when compared to a placebo group.

My family loves to eat my banana bread fresh right from the oven. Bananas are great on plain yoghurt with a drizzle of honey.

And of course they are good for your skin. Bananas are excellent moisturizers. They also can be used to exfoliate the skin and have a skin tightening effect. Did you know that you can reduce itching from mosquito bites by rubbing the area with the inside of a banana peel?

What is better than  mixing oats and bananas together ?

I am working on a combined exfoliating and mask product made from oat, honey powder and milk powder. The final product will probably have aduki bean powder as well which will add to the exfoliating properties.

Today I mixed the powder with an overripe banana, massaged it into the face, neck and chest area and let it sit for 30 minutes while I was making bread. There were also some left overs which I ate. (I love the idea of edible skin products). My skin felt soft and had a nice glow after the application.
Now I have to find the right packaging.

Other skin care tips using banana and oats;
Mix banana and yoghurt and apply to face for a nourishing face mask.
Add oat flour to your bath water for a skin softening oatmeal bath.

Simple Banana Bread

Mix together:
1 cup (250 ml) dark brown sugar                      
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil, or any other oil you like
1 tea spoon vanilla extract
(I use my hands to mash the bananas into the other ingredients, leaving some chunks)

Add:
1, 5 - 2 cups of flour ( I like to mix 50% spelt and 50% white wheat flour )
1 tea spoon baking soda
1 tea spoon baking powder
1 cup whale nuts, optional

Pour mixture into a 9x5 inch loaf pan and bake in the lower part of the owen for around 1 hour or until pin comes out dry, 350 degrees F (180 C).

Enjoy steaming warm!