Pretty by Nature » recipes

Hot Apple Cider Bath Soak

Noel Boehm — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:32:09 +0000

Fall is my favorite time of the year. It’s also prime apple pie and apple cider season around here. Apples are great for your health in general but they are also great for your skin. A great cool weather bath soak that also smells divine uses grated apples, oatmeal and cinnamon. Roughly grate the apple and bind it together with a little honey. Wrap it in some cheesecloth with a cinnamon stick and a cup of oats. Tie it off and throw it in the bath. It will leave your skin feeling incredibly soft and luxurious.

The apple and honey mixture also works well as a facial mask. You can add an egg white to it as well if you choose and leave it on for about 10 minutes. It will help your skin’s elasticity as well as keep it looking soft and dewy.

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The Great Pumpkin

Noel Boehm — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:24:30 +0000

Most people either love or hate Halloween. I hate it, like a lot. The hubs considers it his high holy day on the other hand. Our storage is currently filled to the brim with rubber rats and spiders, cauldrons and a fog machine. About the only thing I can get down with about the “holiday” is pumpkin. I’ll cook up all the pies and spiced pumpkin seeds you want but just don’t ask me to wear a costume.

Pumpkin (and butternut squash) is actually really good for you to eat as it’s chock fulla antioxidants and vitamins. The small pie pumpkins will taste much better and require less work than the decorating kind. The canned version you find in stores is actually a variety of butternut squash. The large jack-o-lantern kind can still be used for homemade beauty treatments and for the seeds. By the way the seeds are rich in zinc, which has many benefits, including helping your reproductive organs. Especially if you’re a man. I’m just saying.

Here’s a great recipe for a homemade scrub that looks so good I don’t know if I should eat it or slather on my knees. I guess I could do both. It would sure make your house smell like Autumn. Now excuse me while I go destroy a fog machine.

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Make Your Own Bath Bomb

Noel Boehm — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:05:28 +0000

I love bath bombs, especially the ones from LUSH. Actually, truth be told, my husband is the one that really loves them. I take a bath about twice a year despite all my best intentions. I shower though…I don’t stink. Okay I do probably stink since I average about every other day with the showers. Have I shared too much?

Anyway here’s a great Instructable on how to make your own bath bombs. Cheaper and you can then make them out of whatever you like. Great idea for a gift as well.

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More Salt Scrubs

Noel Boehm — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:09:20 +0000

As we approach the end of the summer I feel like I not only need to prep the house, I need to get my feet ready too. I’ve been wearing flip flops bascially every day all day for the last 4-5 months so I have been sloughing and softening my dawgs more often than normal. I have resorted to using the pumice stone and an exfoliant. I tried a salt based one the other day instead of my usual sugar and I was very pleased. You can bascially make it any way you like. I used a mixture of course sea salt, olive oil and a few drops of essential oil; I used peppermint. Store it in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator and it lasts for about a week. Maybe even longer but the amoutnt I made lasted five days using it every morning. It was a nice way to start the day. I haven’t told my feet yet that I’m going to have to cover them with socks in a few weeks. They don’t like change.

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Weekend Etsy Finds

Noel Boehm — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:15:23 +0000

Etsy is quite the place to go these days for homemade soaps and yummy beauty treats. I came across a whole cornucopia of shampoo bars there today. Shampoo bars are great because they last for so long and a little goes pretty far. Plus they usually come in very little to no packaging so it saves a lot on waste. Seller Red Leaf has some great options that come in a little tin so they are great to travel with or throw in your bag for the gym. Although ewwww, showers at the gym give me a whole high school flashback thing that makes me shudder. Never again, man. But it would be good for someone without excess baggage.

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Sugar Sweet

Noel Boehm — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 20:21:40 +0000

We’ve had lots of conversations here about hair removal methods. My husband and I have made a pact that if we ever get really rich, we’re going to start tipping hundred dollar bills and we will both get laser hair removal. As such I am always on the look out for fast, EASY methods to do the job. Shaving seems to win out every time even though I don’t really like the result all the time. Waxing you have to let it grow out a little and more than a few days is too much for me. However I just might change my tune after I try Shobha’s new Sugaring kit. It’s basically just lemon juice and sugar that grips onto the hair making it easier to remove. It comes with reusable denim strips, which I think is such a great idea. Has anyone tried the sugar removal method before? I know there are others on the market that supposedly work well.

Many years ago I tried Nad’s (unfortunately named) and I ended up with bloody, raw skin and an ant problem. I’m willing to give Shobha’s sytem a try though. My leg hair grows VERY slowly so I may have to give it a few weeks to try. Any rants or raves about it?

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Basil The Wonder Herb

Noel Boehm — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:43:40 +0000

I love to cook but more than that I love to eat, natch. Italian food tops the list in our home. We keep a lot of fresh basil around for that reason. Basil is actually a natural insect repellant so a little plant in the window helps with little pests especially in the Summer. It’s also great as an herbal tea. Since it’s in the mint family it helps with digestion and upset stomach. I swear by mint tea for those think so I’m thinking I may give it a try in the near future. Here’s a recipe for making your own herbal tea. I did get a reccomendation a few weeks ago from a friend to try it on my face mixed with honey. She said it would help with my oily skin. It’s also supposedly good for acne but it didn’t help me in that respect. Just throw some leaves, a good amount, in a jar with enough honey to cover. Let it sit for a couple days to a week and use it like a facial mask. I left it on for about 25 minutes and then washed it off with a gentle cleanser and warm but not hot water. It really did feel refreshing and take care of some of the oil. I’ve been meaning to try it again for maximum benefits but it requires a bit more forethought than I can seem to muster. What type of herbs do you use in your beauty regimen? I’m curious. Enlighten me.

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Curses

Noel Boehm — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:57:10 +0000

So I finally got to the end of my humungo size of conditioner and I am finally going to try out Anita Grant’s line. What do I find however…they’re on vacay. What the crap? I went to her site specifically to try the Rhassoul Deep Conditioner. Now what shall I do? I guess I can’t be upset that she’s not there to whip up some fresh, natural goodies now can I. Has anyone actually tried this conditioner? Please tell me about your experience. If I can’t get it now at least I can dream.

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I’m Totally Not a Stalker, I Swear

Noel Boehm — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:06:14 +0000

Okay so I just told you about those scrummy (that’s my new word) bath salts from Etsy seller, Skin and Tonic. Well as I was looking through their shop I found like a gazillion other things that I am craving. I just like them, not like like them. So maybe I drove past Sacred Fig Scrub’s house a few times but, whatever. It promises, beautiful and soft skin fo’ sho’. How can I resist that? Merci Solid Perfume is also calling my name, the tease. Seriously solid perfume in a lovely little marble pot with sweet almond oil. I may wait around his locker after school. You know just like hanging out all nonchalant like.

Via Etsy: Skin and Tonic

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A Dash of Salt

Noel Boehm — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:35:44 +0000

Sorry to have been MIA for so long. With visiting family and friends and birthdays, I got sidetracked. I won’t let it happen again, I missed you all so. So what I do need now is a relaxing bath. What I would really love is a relaxing spa visit far away from home. For like a week. Haha, I’m kidding, home is where the heart is and all that junk.

In reality the closest I can get to that is a bath at 9pm with some nice bath salts…and a ~~bottle~~ small glass of wine. I was perusing Etsy, yes again, and I found these Cinnamon and Bergamot Bath Salts that look sooo awesome. Like so awesome I might mix it into some cookie dough instead of taking a bath with it. Maybe that’s too awesome, but seriously freshly grated cinnamon stick? Umm, hells yea sign me up. It’s got a few different kinds of salts, essential oils and of course the cinnamon and all packed in a super cute bottle. How scrummy.

Via Etsy: Skin and Tonic

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