Soy Wax Candles - DIY

As the weather is getting cooler here, I really look forward to lighting candles and sitting by the fire. This is HYGGE for me. HYGGE is a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).

Making these candles is another great way for me to reduce chemicals and toxins in our home. Video showing how to make these at the end of the post.

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INGREDIENTS

Jars - I have used 4 x 120ml brown glass jars with metal lids

4 Candle wicks

360g Soy Wax flakes

20 - 30 drops Essential Oils - I have used Lime and Ginger (20 drops lime and 10 drops ginger)

Wooden / Ice-cream sticks or pegs to hold the wick in the centre of the candle. (I used the tip of a small scissors to make holes in wooden sticks)

METHOD

Place wax into a jug and put over a double boiler (Into a saucepan with water in it).

Melt while stirring until the wax is all melted approx 80oC/ 180oF. Remove the jug from the saucepan and leave to cool slightly to about 60oC / 140oF.

Add the essential oil into the melted cooled wax and stir in.

Dip the wicks into the wax mixture and place on the bottom of the jars. Add the wooden sticks or pegs to the wicks then pour the wax into the jars.

Leave to set for at least 2 - 3 days before burning.

These would make a lovely gift too. Video below.

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Beautiful Bath Salts ( Epsom & Himalayan salt , dried flowers)

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Just as the weather is starting to change I’ve made a new batch of my Bath Salts. I love relaxing and unwinding in a warm bath.

You can use the basic recipe and add any essential oils that you prefer. I change up the essential oil blends according to how I would like to feel or if there is anything specific I need support with.

These bath salts are super simple to make and are also a great gift.

SERENITY Essential oil is the oil of Tranquility. It is a calming blend that helps to relinquish feelings of anxiety, stress and overwhelm. It helps to quiet the mind and helps you to unwind.

YLANG YLANG is the oil of the inner child. It allows emotional healing to flow naturally.

Epsom salts - are known to soothe skin, reduce and relieve soreness, pain and stress. Remove harmful toxins and balance the body.

Himalayan salt - is known to nourish and detox the body.

Bicarbonate of soda - assists in detox and absorbs oils from the skin.



There is a video at the end of the post to show just how simple it is to make these Bath Salts.

Beautiful Bath Salts

240g Epsom Salts

120g coarse Himalayan salt / Sea salt

60g Bicarbonate of Soda

12 drops of CPTG (Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade) Essential oil. I used 6 drops each of Serenity and Ylang Ylang.

Dried flowers (Optional). I used dried rose petals and dried calendula flowers)

METHOD

Mix all the ingredients well together and place into sealable jars.

To use:

Run warm bath, add salts and enjoy your

soak.

If you would like to purchase of find out more about these oils. Please click below.


Green Mandarin, Wild orange & Grapefruit Hand & Body Scrub

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Hey lovelies. Do you schedule time for your selfcare or are you like me who squeezes it in whenever I can. As a mum sometimes that is what you have to do. I love taking a moment for myself after I have done the dishes or after I’ve put the kids to bed. Using this scrub on your hands and body is a lovely way to take care of yourself and your skin.

I really enjoy making my own (DIY) natural beauty and home cleaning products. The more I think about it the more I remember watching my Mum making her own natural beauty products when I was growing up.

For the last couple of years I’ve been working on reducing and eliminating our toxic load. That is chemicals and toxins that are in our home. Most of these come in products that we use and put on our bodies or that are in products that we use to clean our homes. By making my own products I know what is contained in them #nonasties.

I have also recorded a video below to show you how to make this scrub.

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BENEFITS OF THE ESSENTIAL OILS

Green Mandarin - Is the oil of pure potential. It has uplifting, refreshing, cleansing and calming properties.

Grapefruit - Is the oil of honouring the body. It has antioxidant, antiseptic and anti-toxin properties.

Wild Orange - Is the oil of abundance. It has energising, antiseptic, antidepressant properties.



YOU WILL NEED:

1/2 heaped cup of raw cane sugar

1/2 cup melted and cooled coconut oil

10 - 15 drops dóterra citrus essential oils (I used green mandarin, wild orange and grapefruit)

  • Mix everything together in a bowl or jug and place into a glass jar to store.

  • TO USE: Use on wet skin and rub in circular motions on hands or from the feet upwards. Rinse off with warm water.

  • Your skin will be super soft, look, feel and smell amazing.

N.B - Coconut oil will solidify in cooler climates, simply scoop out scrub and as you r rub between your hands your body heat will melt the oil.

In warmer clients you may need to add extra sugar to create the desired consistency.

If you would like to purchase these oils click the link below for my online store.

http://www.mydoterra.com/charissevankan

I also have a blog post on how to purchse essential oils which can be found here.


Dishwasher Tablets - Natural DIY

I’ve been working on reducing the use of chemicals and toxins in our home. Its a wonderful feeling of achievement to know that we have eliminated these. To know that our children are not being exposed to harmful chemicals and toxins. When I first started using essential oils and started on this natural health and wellness lifestyle I was shocked to discover the amount of chemicals that we used in every day life from products that we put on our skin and products used when cleaning our homes.

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I love DIY and making my own natural solution products. It’s fun and the kids love helping making alot of our diy products too.

Here is a quick and easy recipe for Natural Dishwashing Tablets.

You will need

1 cup of bread / bicarbonate of soda

1/4 cup citric acid

1 tablespoon of Doterra cleaner concentrate / Castille soap

5 drops each of lemon and grapefruit Doterra essential oil.

METHOD

  • Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and make sure that itis mixed well.

  • Place mixture into a silicone mould and leave to set overnight.

  • Once set remove and put into an airtight container.

  • Use in your dishwasher.

    N.B - I always rinse my plates etc… before putting in the dishwasher.

    You can find the recipe and video for the toilet bombs recipe by clicking the link below.

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TOILET BOMBS

It is really important for us that our home is a clean and safe space. Especially with children in the home. As a part of reducing the toxic load, we have eliminated alot of chemicals used in our home, especially those in cleaning products. I really enjoying making natural products. This is a recipe for natural toilet cleaning bombs. No toxic chemicals or fumes here people. They are quick and easy to make, please see video below:

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You will need a silicone ice cube tray / other mould.

INGREDIENTS

250g / 1 cup bicarbonate of soda

60g / 1/4 cup citric acid

1 1/2 tbsp castille soap

3-4 drops each of dóterra lemon and lemongrass essential oil. (You can put any oil that has cleansing properties here)

METHOD

In a medium sized bowl add the citric acid and bicarbonate of soda and mix together, add the castille soap and essential oil and mix well until mixture comes together when pressed. Put into tray / mould and press down. Leave overnight to set. Place into a airtight container.

TO USE

Place 1 - 2 pods into the toilet bowl. Leave to fizz then scrub around the bowl to clean.

If you liked this natural solutions recipe please try my recipe for Natural Dishwashing Tablets below.

BATH BOMBS

We love making our own natural beauty products. It’s really fun especially when the kids get interested and involved in the process. I started making my own beauty products as part of the plan to reduce the toxic load in our home. When I discovered how many chemicals are used in most beauty products and that it only takes 26 seconds for them to enter your blood stream. (I know shocking !!!). I decided to do something about it.

Ever since I was introduced to essential oils, having experienced the pure and high quality of Dóterra, I’ve been empowered to change our lives. I’ve been on this journey learning about natural solutions and improving my family’s health by reducing and eliminating our exposure to toxins, one step at a time.

It is very important to check the quality of the essential oils you use, to make sure that there are no synthetic toxins or fillers used in them. Especially if you are putting them on your children’s and your skin !!!!!

We love having baths as part of our selfcare. When I decided to make a video to show how these gorgeous bath bombs are made, my 9 year old daughter jumped at the chance to be my assistant. The video is at the end of the recipe and you can watch her making her favourite bath bombs. Please leave a comment if you can, she will be so delighted :)

So here’s the recipe…..

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INGREDIENTS

1 Cup Citric Acid ( this can be bought at your local chemist/pharmacy)

1 Cup Baking/ Bread Soda

1/2 Cup Cornflour / Cornstarch

1/2 Cup Fractionated Coconut Oil (you can use melted and cooled coconut oil)

10 drops of Citrus Essential Oil

Food Colouring, we used red

Sprinkles (Optional)

METHOD

In a large bowl add citric acid add coconut oil and mix together. Add baking soda, cornflour, colouring and mix until combined.

Get your moulds ready, we used a madeleine tins for the shell shape and a silicone muffin mould. Place sprinkles into the moulds.

Spoon in the bath bomb mix and press into the moulds. Add extra sprinkles ontop if desired and leave to harden overnight.

THESE SMELL DEVINE, AND WOULD MAKE A LOVELY GIFT TOO.