Make it Yourself Monday-Cool Drinks for Hot Days

With the dog days of Summer still ahead of us, I am happy to share with you some cool relief! Today's Make it Yourself Monday is all about cool drinks for hot days!




ORANGE FROSTY


You will need;
4 cups of orange juice
4 scoops of vanilla ice cream OR orange sherbert
1 cup of chilled cream soda OR ginger ale


Pour 1 cup of orange juice into each of 4 glasses. Top each with a scoop of ice cream or sherbert and then pour in 1/4 cup to a full glass of cream soda or ginger ale, according to your tastes.




ORANGE SMOOTHIE


1 cup milk
1 cup orange juice
1 cup vanilla ice cream


Pour into blender and blend until smooth, or pour into glass and cover with plastic wrap, then shake until smooth.




HAWAIIAN DREAM CREAM


1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup cream
1 scoop vanilla ice cream


Mix the juices and the cream together well, then top with the ice cream and enjoy! 




FRUIT PUNCH


1 thawed (12 oz) can of frozen pineapple juice concentrate
2 quarts strawberries
2 pints strawberry ice cream, or vanilla if you prefer
1 (2 liter) cold lemon-lime soda pop


Mix the pineapple juice, strawberries and 1 pint of ice cream, blending until smooth. Pour into a chilled punch bowl and add the lemon lime soda, then spoon the remaining ice cream on top. Serve in punch cups. This makes about 18 cups of fruit punch.


PEACH DRINK

1 peach or nectarine, pitted
1/2 c. milk or cream
4 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 crushed ice cubes

Mix all together and blend for 1 minute.

*********************************************
ON THE ONLY FOR ADULTS SIDE OF THINGS;




TOASTY ORANGE DRINK


2oz of amaretto (an almond tasting liquer)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
Just blend all together and serve immediately. This makes a single serving.




ESPRESSO SAMBUCA ICE CREAM SODA


1 cup coffee ice cream
1 tsp instant espresso powder, dissolved in 2 Tbs. of hot water and cooled
2 oz of sambuca (more or less to taste)
3/4 cup cold club soda
2 Tbs. finely chopped chocolate covered espresso beans


With a small ice-cream scoop or spoon, divide ice cream between 2 chilled stemmed glasses. Add espresso mixture, Sambuca and club soda, then top with the espresso beans.




WHITE RUSSIAN SHAKE


1 oz vodka
1/2 oz Kahlua

1 scoop vanilla ice cream  

milk or fresh cream

You can either put the ice cream into your serving glass, then add the vodka and kahlua (after its mixed together well) OR you can make a true shake by blending all the ingredients together for an adult shake!  You may want to add a small amount of milk or cream if you desire a true shake.

Make It Yourself Monday- Recipes for the Face

Creamy Face Wash Recipe


16 oz liquid Castile soap
4 oz of your a plain facial moisturizer (unscented)
16 drops bergamot essential oil
8 drops tea tree essential oil


Combine all of the above ingredients in a glass bowl and use a stick blender to mix it well. After its mixed, you can put it into a bottle and add a pump. This mixture is great for clearing up blemishes without drying your skin, and you do not need to use much of it to get the job done. In fact, using too much liquid will make it difficult to get your face rinsed quickly.




 Acne Steam  


This is an herbal water steam that is good for blemish-prone skin.
You will need; 


1/2 cup Calendula petals
3 drops Lavender essential oil
2 drops Bergamot essential oil
1 drop Tea Tree essential oil
2 tsp. raw honey
 a small amount of Jojoba oil


Boil 8 cups water, then stir in the 1/2 cup of calendula petals. Cover the pot and allow it to steep for 10 minutes, then add the essential oils and the honey. Mix well and then pour the herbal water into a large ceramic bowl. Sit down and put your face over bowl, draping your head with a bath towel.  Make sure to keep your eyes closed, and allow the steam to moisten your face until the water has completely cooled. Then pat your face dry and finish the treatment by massaging a small amount of Jojoba oil into your skin.






Exfoliating Facial 


3 oz. sweet almond oil 
4 oz. Almond meal
2 oz. Cider vinegar 
2 oz. Distilled Water 
6 drops Geranium Essential Oil (norm skin) OR 
Lavender (for oily or sensitive skin) 




Mix all of the ingredients together, blending until it is paste-like. This may take about 2 minutes, so don't loose heart. Once mixed, rub in a circular manner all over your face and neck. Exert a small amount of pressure, but be careful to not abrade the skin. Once applied, rinse off with tepid water, pat dry, and moisturize as normal.

Make It Yourself Monday-Hair Care Recipes

I had a few more recipes for hair care than I was able to include the week we were concentrating on it, so that is what this Make it Yourself Monday post is about.....Hair care Recipes! I hope you make and enjoy them!




Here is a natural hair detangler that is similar to no more tangles. This one was found on a forum board, but no author was noted.
You will need;
8 oz. distilled water
1 tsp. aloe vera gel
1-2 drops glycerin
1-2 drops essential oil of choice
15 drops Grapefruit seed Extract

Mix everything together and put into a spray bottle. Shake well before each use. Spray onto hair and use just like the name brand. I suggest a lavender and rosemary EO blend, 1 drop of each will do. I also prefer 2 drops of glycerin, but try it and see what your preference is.



Hair Rinse 

You will need; 1 heaping Tbsp of each [dried] herb that is listed for your type of hair. 
For dry hair;  chamomile, nettle, comfrey root and elder flowers. 
For oily hair; lemon peel, lemongrass, and peppermint. 
For normal hair; nettle, elder flowers, rosemary, and burdock root.
1 quart boiling water 
And finally, here is an easy herbal shampoo recipe to whip up. Take 
3 oz Liquid Castile Soap
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar


The first thing you need to do is to make an infusion [tea] of the herbs, making sure to steep at least 30 minutes [do not boil the herbs]. Once completed, strain, keeping the liquid and tossing the plant material. Then add the vinegar to the infusion and pour the mixture over your hair. Be extremely cautious to keep this out of your eye [rinse with clean water repeatedly if you don get into the eyes, seek medical attention if you feel it necessary]. Catch the run-off mixture in a bowl,  and use it to pour over the hair repeatedly. You will get the benefits of the herbs as the vinegar seals the hair cuticle, making the hair soft, shiny, and less tangled. Use this after each shampoo.

 Then finally, here is an easy to whip up, herbal shampoo. You will need; 3oz. of pure Castille liquid soap (make sure that the ingredient label lists only olive oil  on it), one heaping Tbs. of the following dried herbs; chamomile, sage, nettle, rosemary and lavender, some jojoba oil (this is for extra conditioning, you may leave it out if you wish), 2 drops of rosemary and lavender essential oils, and boiling water. 

Mix the herbs together in a bowl and add enough of the boiled water to cover them.  Cover and let steep for at least 30 minutes. Pour the Castile soap into the bottle of your choice. Once the steeping is complete, strain the herbs, discard the plant material and reserve the liquid. Using a funnel, add the herbs into the soap bottle, then add a few squirts of jojoba oil and the essential oils. Seal and shake well. Make sure to shake well before each use, so that you  will mix the oil with the soap. This shampoo will be very runny, but it will also be very concentrated, so use only a small amount when shampooing. 

What's Up Wednesday - Stomp Out Some Good Summer Foot Care Recipes

Aside from attending my Grandson's first birthday party where, after several days in the high 90's, it stormed and poured down rain on a shelter house full of guests, the only thing I have been up to is the same old, same old. Making soap, visiting forums, and writing about eo's for the book. The only twist, this week I used a couple of plastic containers [that used to hold instant drink mixes] to make some guest size soaps. It was a small batch to try out a sample fragrance,  pinenut and blossoms, and I used annatto seed and spirulina for the coloring. Other than having to cut the container to unmold, as I was too impatient to try and wait it out, they came out quite nicely. The fragrance will probably be a limited edition because I don't see me purchasing it, but these sample /guest size soaps are kind of cute, and what a great way to recycle!

This is the finished soap

From these containers

As a follow up to yesterdays post. I wanted to provide you with some recipes. The first one is not only great for your feet, but is a perfect way to utilize some of your fresh lavender. Don't have any? You can purchase it from several on line sources, or local growers! 

LAVENDER WASH

You will need 1/2 cup of dried lavender flowers, 1/2 cup of fresh sage that is finely chopped, 2 cups of water, and 8 drops of lavender essential oil. In a pan, add the lavender and sage to the water, cover and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes. When time is up, strain the infusion through a cheesecloth, toss the solids, and  allow the liquid to cool. Once cooled, add the essential oil and then pat onto your feet (this is great for the hands too). You can repeat as frequently as you like. This recipe is great for relieving tired, swollen, achy, red  feet.  

You can also easily turn the lavender wash into a foot soak, or substituting any other herbs or herbs of your choice, and enjoy as you soak your cares away. Simply take 2 cups of fresh herbs or 1 cup of dried herbs and steep in 2 gallons of boiling water for 20 minutes. Strain the liquid and toss the plant material when time is up. Allow to cool slightly, then place into a foot tub and soak your feet for 20 minutes, then pat dry. 

Foot soaks are easy to prepare and ideal for sore, tired and/or swollen  feet. Try using one of the following, or a combination of your favorites; comfrey, elderberry, pine, rosemary, chamomile or sage.

To pull the impurities from the skin, restore minerals (directly into the skin), and gently exfoliate at the same time, try the Green Clay Foot Mask  Since clay is also an effective heat conductor, this treatment is very soothing and effective as a muscle relaxing treatment for tired, aching feet. To get the most out of the treatment, make sure to use the green clay. The green clay is rich in magnesium and silica, highly absorbent, and makes a good deodorant. To prepare, just mix 1/2 cup of the powdered green clay with 1/2 cup of distilled water. You can lesson the water if you want, you just need to make a thick paste. Then coat your feet with the clay and allow it to dry, then rinse with warm water, and pat dry. Don't forget to then moisturize those piggies!