Salad Facial

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We've got a bit of a glut of cucumbers at the moment and are about to be engulfed by tomatoes, which made me think that a salad-inspired recipe would be perfect.  This recipe is easy to make and great value as you get 2 different treatments from the same recipe.

The cucumber will refresh and  soothe the skin, and is mildly astringent; tomatoes are rich in Vitamins A and C - both important for cell renewal -  and antioxidants; lettuce (and Dead Sea Salt) is rich in magnesium which helps to enhance skin hydration and reduce inflammation; cider vinegar is astringent, anti-bacterial, and will help to maintain the pH balance of the skin.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cucumber
1 tomato
1 large lettuce leaf
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp Dead Sea Salt (optional)
2 tbsp ground oatmeal or rice flour or cornmeal

• Roughly chop the cucumber, tomato and lettuce and place in a blender.
• Add the cider vinegar (and salt).
• Whizz it all together until smooth.
• Strain the mixture through muslin or a fine sieve, reserving the pulp, and pour the liquid into a clean bottle or jar to use as a toner. There should be about 50ml (roughly four tablespoons).
• Keep the liquid refrigerated, and use within a week.  To use, apply to the face and neck with cotton wool after cleansing.
• Add the ground oatmeal (or rice flour etc.) to the reserved pulp and mix well.  Use as an exfoliating face mask (apply to face and neck avoiding the eyes, then massage thoroughly using small circular motions; leave for 5-10 minutes, then rinse off).

Be sure to keep everything as clean as possible.

[Disclaimer:  I have tested this recipe on myself, but as everyone's skin is different, always patch test first to make sure that you do not have a reaction.  Apply a small amount of the mask / cleanser to a small area of skin (the crook of your arm or wrist for example) and  leave for 24 hours (rinse off the mask first!).  If all is still clear after that time, then you're good to go!]

Homemade Washing Detergent

One of the happy side-effects of having your own skincare company is that you no longer have to buy a host of toiletries.  I haven't bought soap, shampoo or any sort of body lotion for years.  So it seemed like a logical step to see if we could make our own washing soap. (And it's a great excuse for doing some experiments.)

My research suggested that it's as easy as adding Soda Crystals (Sodium Carbonate) to ordinary bar soap. There's generally some leftover soap hanging around - either trimmings, or soaps that we can't sell because they are misshapen or experimental.  So I've been playing around trying to work out how much soap to use per wash, how much Soda Crystals to add and how best to get it ready to use.

So far the best way seems to be to grate the soap and melt it down in hot water and then stir in the Soda Crystals.  The whole mixture turns to a gloopy mess and will then set to a firm gel consistency. It's too firm to put in the soap drawer, but it's easily mashed up, so you could put it directly into the drum or mix some up with enough water to make it pourable. I've been using about 250ml (half a pint) of a blend of 4 parts water, 2 parts soap, 1 part Soda Crystals, per load, which seems to be working well at the moment.

The Soda Crystals (Sodium Carbonate) act as a water softener which helps to stop soap scum from forming, which would otherwise stick to the clothes, and it also helps to shift grease. I've got to buy it in as it isn't something that we use in any of our products, but my research also suggests that Sodium Citrate will have a similar effect as a water softener. So my next experiment will be to try to create some. It just happens that Sodium Citrate is the by-product of the reaction between Sodium Bicarbonate (not to be confused with Sodium Carbonate/Soda Crystals) and Citric Acid - the two principal ingredients in the humble Bath Bomb!  If it works, then we'll be self-sufficient for washing soap too, and who knows, it could be the start of a whole new venture.