Make it Yourself Monday- Healing, Healthy Coughdrops

This week's Make it Yourself Monday is all about healing. The following recipe can be altered to meet your needs better, or your likes better, if lemon isn't quite your thing. Why not make a bunch and wrap some up and place them in a gift box, along with tissues, a fuzzy blanket, some tea, and tylenol? Gift the perfect cold gift set! 

for the LEMON  DROPS you will need;

1 3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. lemon extract

1/2 cup water

Line a baking pan (9x9) with foil, making sure that the foil goes all the way up the sides of the pan, or you will be sorry! Then, butter the sides of a 2 quart saucepan. Combine the corn syrup, sugar, honey, and water in the pan. Cook over a medium-high heat until the mixture boils. Make sure that you stir constantly, in order to dissolve the sugar and keep it from burning. This usually takes about five minutes, give or take a few minutes. Once the sugar is dissolved, turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking at a light boil. Stir occasionally. Once it reaches the soft crack stage (which is 290 degrees F. on a candy thermometer), keep cooking for 20 more minutes, still stirring occasionally. 

Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Stir it occasionally, as it cools, for the next 2-3 minutes, then add the lemon. **If you are going to add any other vitamins or herbs, add them at this point**  Then pour the mixture into the foil-lined pan to finish cooling. As it cools (another 3-10 minutes), it is a good idea to use a spatula and mark some "break" lines into the drops. Make squares in the size you want, remembering that they are for individual-size portions. These marks will stay when the mixture is completely set up, making it easier to portion correctly and consistently. If your marks do not stay, it means that the mixture is still too hot and needs more cooling time, just wait a while and  try it again. Once properly marked, let the pan sit overnight then use the foil to lift it out of the pan. Break the pieces apart along your marks then package them in individual candy wrappers or wax paper. Make sure to twist each end tightly, then put all of the wrapped pieces into a large baggie or a paper bag. This recipe will make from 100-200 pieces, depending upon the size that you mark and break. They will last from 6-8 months, when properly wrapped and stored.

**To make this recipe more holistic and herbal you can add one each of the  

following; zinc, vitamin C, echinacea, and goldenseal. If these are in tablet form, finely crush them before adding, if in capsules, just pull apart and drop the inner content into your mixture. 

Of course you could also change up this recipe by either substituting (for the lemon), or just by adding an herb or two (some essential oils are ok too) to the lemon.

*when using fresh herbs, it is probably best to infuse them into the liquid portion of the recipe, but you can also finely chop them. 

*You may also substitute a food-safe flavoring oil, however you will NOT receive any of the benefits listed for that flavor. The way in which they are created destroys their natural benefits.

*If you plan to use essential oils, you MUST be aware of, and familiar with, the warnings, as well as the necessary dilution rate (which are not provided for you here). 

*If you are not familiar with the proper use of essential oils in edible products, you should NOTattempt to use them in this recipe.

If you want, you may add another herb/spice (in addition) to the lemon. Basil, bay, bergamot, black pepper, clary sage, geranium, grapefruit, lavender, lime, orange, rosemary, vanilla, all blend well with lemon.

If you would like to substitute another herb/spice forthe lemon, you may want to consider one of the following;

-Basil has a beneficial action on the respiratory tract, and is often used for asthma, bronchitis, colds, coughs and sinus infections. It blends well with; black pepper, ginger, geranium, grapefruit, lavender and lemon. 

-Black Pepper has antimicrobial and antiseptic properties, and is good for coughs, colds and flus. It blends well with bergamot, clary sage, coriander, fennel, geranium, ginger, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, lime, orange, nutmeg, and rosemary. 

-Ginger is good for colds and flu, congestion, coughs, sinusitis, sore throats,   fever and chills. It does have a slight warming affect, so be extra cautious in the amount that you add. It blends well with; basil, black pepper, cinnamon, clary sage, clove, coriander, eucalyptus, geranium, lemon, lime, orange, rose, rosemary, spearmint, and vanilla. 

-Geranium is good for sore throats and tonsillitis, and blends well with; basil, grapefruit, lavender, lime, orange, and rosemary.

-Grapefruit is good for colds, flu, and headaches and blends well with; basil, black pepper, geranium, lavender, lime, and lemon.

-Lavender is good for bronchitis, asthma, colds, laryngitis, and throat infections. It will blends well with everything, so use your imagination.

-Lemongrass is good for sore throats, laryngitis, and fever as well as  indigestion and gastroenteritis. It blends well with; basil, bergamot, black Pepper, clary Sage, eucalyptus, geranium, ginger, lavender, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, rose, and vanilla.

-Lime is good fevers, colds, sore throats, flu, coughs, bronchitis, sinusitis and  asthma. It blends well with; basil, clary sage, eucalyptus, geranium, ginger, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, orange, peppermint, rose, rosemary, and spearmint. 

-

-Margoram, an antiseptic and calming agent

-Eucalyptus, an antiseptic and calming agent, good for bronchitis, colds, flu, headaches, sinusitis sore throats, and throat infections. The antiseptic properties in the essential oil increase with age. 

-Orange (Sweet) is good for colds, flu, and fever, blending well with; basil, black Pepper, cinnamon, ginger, clary Sage, lavender, lime, peppermint, and  spearmint.

-Peppermint, an antiseptic, expectorant and a muscle relaxant, so it is good for   

dry coughs, sinus congestion, asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia, as well as   bad breath (in case you want to make breath drops along with the throat drops). Peppermint blends well with; basil, black pepper, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, lemon, lime, orange, and rosemary.

-Rose (use pure essential oil or untreated rose petals to infuse the water) posses anti-infectious, antiseptic, antiviral, and bactericidal properties that help with asthma, headaches, and coughs. It blends well with; bergamot, chamomile, clary sage, geranium, lavender, lemon, and madarin.  

-Rosemary is an antiseptic and works well for respiratory track issues, including asthma and bronchitis. It blends well with; basil, bay, black pepper, chamomile, geranium, ginger, grapefruit, lavender, lime, lemon, lemongrass, peppermint, rose and spearmint.

-Spearmint. While spearmint has properties of a local anesthetic, an antiseptic, a decongestant and an expectorant which can benefit fevers, headaches, asthma, bronchitis and colds, its effects are less powerful than those of peppermint. For this reason, spearmint may be better in children's products. It blends well with; basil, lavender, peppermint and rosemary.  

-Thyme is frequently used in commercial applications of mouthwash, gargles, toothpastes and cough drops because of its analgesic, antifungal,  anti-infectious, antimicrobial, anti-oxidant, and antiseptic properties. It is good for bronchitis, chills, colds, coughs, sinusitis, sore throats, tonsillitis, and laryngitis. It blends well with; bergamot, clary sage, eucalyptus, geranium, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, marjoram, and rosemary. 

There may be a few more, but these the ones that popped into my mind to begin with. While I hope that you won't need them this year, I wish you luck making these flavored drops! 

Make It Yourself Monday -Protein Face Mask

Since it is winter, even the oiliest of oily skin can usually benefit from using a moisturizing mask. It is quite liberating and enjoyable to treat yourself to a face mask once in a while, even if you do not routinely do so. Trust me on this one! It took me many years to break down and do one for myself. In fact, I had been selling mine for many years before I ever used one. I gave all of my new recipes to test subject and let them have all of the fun. Then I took their word that they were good and never felt like I should "waste" my time and money on myself. SILLY, silly woman! A couple of years ago, test subject short, my Mother agreed to use one only if I would also allow her to put one on me. She said that I was worth my own products. I always knew that my Mom was smart (even though I naturally hate to admit that), but let me tell you something, that woman is a God send! Not only did I LOVE my anti-aging face mask  but I loved the way that pampering myself made me feel. I had forgotten how using good product feels, and I am not saying that to toot my own horn, I'm saying that to get you to treat yourself! Don't wait as long as I did, treat yourself to whatever product makes you feel good about yourself NOW! YOU ARE WORTH IT!!

And, to that end, here is a wonderful beauty mask. It is excellent for any skin type, but benefits maturing skin greatly! It is simple to make and you will feel sooooooo good after you use it! You can use it weekly if you like.

Protein Face Mask

All you will need is; 4 tablespoons of chickpea flour (if your big box store doesn't have, check the health food store), 1 ripe banana, and 1 egg, beaten.  In a bowl, mix the chickpea flour and the ripe banana until it is like a paste. Then add the beaten egg, mix in and then apply to  the face and don't forget the neck. Leave the mask on for 15 minutes, then rinse it off with tepid water, and pat dry.




The chickpea flour has many advantages, it's a skin-softener, as well as an effective exfoliater. It also stimulates circulation while rejuvenating the skin tissue. Bananas, rich in vitamin A and potassium, as well as being a natural emollient, will help to reduce puffiness                  and redness.  The egg will serve to tighten pores and leave your face feeling rejuvenated

*see the reference page link (top of screen) for the bibliography of this post




After last weeks posts on roses, I remembered having this face mask, also a weekly one, but mainly for maturing skin. If you are fortunate enough to have rose essential oil, try this one!

Honey Rose Face Mask

Take 2 tablespoons of honey and mix with 2 tablespoons of sweet almond oil, the add 5 drops of rose essential oil.  Mix well and apply to your face and neck. Allow to rest for 15 minutes, rinse off and pat dry.

*see the reference page link (top of screen) for the bibliography of this post

Make It Yourself Monday - A Cold Remedy

It's that time of year when every other person you pass is sneezing and coughing. Even if you properly wash your hands and try to stay away from the sickies, in all likelihood you will still end up, sometime or the other, with the cold/flu bug in your home. When this happens, there are some things that you can do to make the symptoms more bearable. Today I want to share a home made cough drop recipe with you. While I did not create this recipe (and I do not sell this product), I have had it in my recipe box for several years. I am not sure who to credit with it, but it is a good recipe for sure!  

One really great thing about this recipe is that you can make it ahead of time, so you can be prepared. Additionally, you can easily change up the flavor profile, adapting it to your preferences. I have listed some alternative ingredients, as well as the reasons they may be good choices, but before cutting or changing ingredients, you should know that; lemon has antiseptic properties and has been noted to help open the air passageways, as well as reduce phlegm. And honey is a natural humectant, which means that it draws moisture (goodbye dry, scratchy throat), and it has antiseptic qualities, while also being a bacteria inhibitor. Actually, these two ingredients are often used in commercial cough drops and other throat soothing products, because of their natural properties, not simply for their flavoring. In other words....leave them  in the recipe if there is any way you can. 

LEMON  DROPS

1 3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. lemon extract

1/2 cup water

Line a baking pan (9x9) with foil, making sure that the foil goes all the way up the sides of the pan, or you will be sorry! Then, butter the sides of a 2 quart saucepan. Combine the corn syrup, sugar, honey, and water in the pan. Cook over a medium-high heat until the mixture boils. Make sure that you stir constantly, in order to dissolve the sugar and keep it from burning. This usually takes about five minutes, give or take a few minutes. Once the sugar is dissolved, turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking at a light boil. Stir occasionally. Once it reaches the soft crack stage (which is 290 degrees F. on a candy thermometer), keep cooking for 20 more minutes, still stirring occasionally. 

Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Stir it occasionally, as it cools, for the next 2-3 minutes, then add the lemon. **If you are going to add any other vitamins or herbs, add them at this point**  Then pour the mixture into the foil-lined pan to finish cooling. As it cools (another 3-10 minutes), it is a good idea to use a spatula and mark some "break" lines into the drops. Make squares in the size you want, remembering that they are for individual-size portions. These marks will stay when the mixture is completely set up, making it easier to portion correctly and consistently. If your marks do not stay, it means that the mixture is still too hot and needs more cooling time, just wait a while and  try it again. Once properly marked, let the pan sit overnight then use the foil to lift it out of the pan. Break the pieces apart along your marks then package them in individual candy wrappers or wax paper. Make sure to twist each end tightly, then put all of the wrapped pieces into a large baggie or a paper bag. This recipe will make from 100-200 pieces, depending upon the size that you mark and break. They will last from 6-8 months, when properly wrapped and stored.

**To make this recipe more holistic and herbal you can add one each of the  

following; zinc, vitamin C, echinacea, and goldenseal. If these are in tablet form, finely crush them before adding, if in capsules, just pull apart and drop the inner content into your mixture. 

Of course you could also change up this recipe by either substituting (for the lemon), or just by adding an herb or two (some essential oils are ok too) to the lemon.

*when using fresh herbs, it is probably best to infuse them into the liquid portion of the recipe, but you can also finely chop them. 

*You may also substitute a food-safe flavoring oil, however you will NOT receive any of the benefits listed for that flavor. The way in which they are created destroys their natural benefits.

*If you plan to use essential oils, you MUST be aware of, and familiar with, the warnings, as well as the necessary dilution rate (which are not provided for you here). 

*If you are not familiar with the proper use of essential oils in edible products, you should NOT attempt to use them in this recipe.

If you want, you may add another herb/spice (in addition) to the lemon. Basil, bay, bergamot, black pepper, clary sage, geranium, grapefruit, lavender, lime, orange, rosemary, vanilla, all blend well with lemon.

If you would like to substitute another herb/spice for the lemon, you may want to consider one of the following;

-Basil has a beneficial action on the respiratory tract, and is often used for asthma, bronchitis, colds, coughs and sinus infections. It blends well with; black pepper, ginger, geranium, grapefruit, lavender and lemon. 

-Black Pepper has antimicrobial and antiseptic properties, and is good for coughs, colds and flus. It blends well with bergamot, clary sage, coriander, fennel, geranium, ginger, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, lime, orange, nutmeg, and rosemary. 

-Ginger is good for colds and flu, congestion, coughs, sinusitis, sore throats,   fever and chills. It does have a slight warming affect, so be extra cautious in the amount that you add. It blends well with; basil, black pepper, cinnamon, clary sage, clove, coriander, eucalyptus, geranium, lemon, lime, orange, rose, rosemary, spearmint, and vanilla. 

-Geranium is good for sore throats and tonsillitis, and blends well with; basil, grapefruit, lavender, lime, orange, and rosemary.

-Grapefruit is good for colds, flu, and headaches and blends well with; basil, black pepper, geranium, lavender, lime, and lemon.

-Lavender is good for bronchitis, asthma, colds, laryngitis, and throat infections. It will blends well with everything, so use your imagination.

-Lemongrass is good for sore throats, laryngitis, and fever as well as  indigestion and gastroenteritis. It blends well with; basil, bergamot, black Pepper, clary Sage, eucalyptus, geranium, ginger, lavender, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, rose, and vanilla.

-Lime is good fevers, colds, sore throats, flu, coughs, bronchitis, sinusitis and  asthma. It blends well with; basil, clary sage, eucalyptus, geranium, ginger, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, orange, peppermint, rose, rosemary, and spearmint. 

-

-Margoram, an antiseptic and calming agent

-Eucalyptus, an antiseptic and calming agent, good for bronchitis, colds, flu, headaches, sinusitis sore throats, and throat infections. The antiseptic properties in the essential oil increase with age. 

-Orange (Sweet) is good for colds, flu, and fever, blending well with; basil, black Pepper, cinnamon, ginger, clary Sage, lavender, lime, peppermint, and  spearmint.

-Peppermint, an antiseptic, expectorant and a muscle relaxant, so it is good for   

dry coughs, sinus congestion, asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia, as well as   bad breath (in case you want to make breath drops along with the throat drops). Peppermint blends well with; basil, black pepper, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, lemon, lime, orange, and rosemary.

-Rose (use pure essential oil or untreated rose petals to infuse the water) posses anti-infectious, antiseptic, antiviral, and bactericidal properties that help with asthma, headaches, and coughs. It blends well with; bergamot, chamomile, clary sage, geranium, lavender, lemon, and madarin.  

-Rosemary is an antiseptic and works well for respiratory track issues, including asthma and bronchitis. It blends well with; basil, bay, black pepper, chamomile, geranium, ginger, grapefruit, lavender, lime, lemon, lemongrass, peppermint, rose and spearmint.

-Spearmint. While spearmint has properties of a local anesthetic, an antiseptic, a decongestant and an expectorant which can benefit fevers, headaches, asthma, bronchitis and colds, its effects are less powerful than those of peppermint. For this reason, spearmint may be better in children's products. It blends well with; basil, lavender, peppermint and rosemary.  

-Thyme is frequently used in commercial applications of mouthwash, gargles, toothpastes and cough drops because of its analgesic, antifungal,  anti-infectious, antimicrobial, anti-oxidant, and antiseptic properties. It is good for bronchitis, chills, colds, coughs, sinusitis, sore throats, tonsillitis, and laryngitis. It blends well with; bergamot, clary sage, eucalyptus, geranium, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, marjoram, and rosemary.  

There may be a few more, but these the ones that popped into my mind to begin with. While I hope that you won't need them this year, I wish you luck making these flavored drops! 

Make It Yourself Monday - Honey Mayo Face Mask

Here we go, the first Monday of the new year and the first "make it yourself" recipe of the new year!

This one is for a sweet facial. You should have most of these ingredients in your kitchen, although you may have to purchase the essential oils if you do not regularly use them. This is a make and use recipe and should not be stored.

Ingredients;

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/8 cup pure clover honey

4 1/2 TBS. powdered milk (leave it in powdered state)

2 drops rosemary essential oil (EO)

1 drop lavender essential oil (EO)

Warm the honey, then blend into the mayonnaise and add the powdered milk. Once this is well blended, and not too hot, add the essential oils and mix well. Apply to your face and neck and allow to sit for 15 minutes, then rinse with tepid water and pat skin dry.

This is a really a nice, moisturizing mask, for any type of skin. However, if your skin is generally oily, you will want to limit this type of a face mask to no more than 1x a week. Not sure? Try it! If you live in a humid area and/or have extra oily skin, at worst, you may need to follow with your usual toner, but your skin will still enjoy the treat and, either way, your skin will look and feel smooth and soft.

Please note that Rosemary should NOT be used by epileptics. For most people, however, rosemary is a great essential oil. It is considered to be a non-toxic, non-irritating, non-sensitizing oil, and has a long list of benefits. In this application, its most noticeable attributes have to due with its effects on skin, especially skin with acne, eczema, scabies or dermatitis. Rosemary also enhances circulation and helps displace fluid retention. Just the aroma of the EO is said to fight off mental fatigue and reduce or eliminate headaches and migraine pain.

Lavender is the number one non-toxic, non-irritating, non-sensitizing essential oil and, as such, is a basic for everyones' medicine cabinet. It is one of the few EO's that can be used undiluted on the skin, and it has many properties, covering a wide variety of ailments. In this application, it is very toning to the skin and works well for all skin types. Lavender has anti-inflammatory properties, which make it perfect for skin care treatments. It also, specifically, helps with oily skin and acne, as well as skin problems such as burns, rashes (good for diaper rash too), sunburns, psoriasis and insect bites. The inhalation of lavender EO is known to have a soothing, calming, and relaxing effect on the nerves, the mind, and, in turn, one's mood. It is also an effective treatment for headache and migraines, and it promotes restful sleep.

*Remember that you must use therapeutic-grade EO's to reap the benefits, but together, these essential oils will give your skin a great treatment, along with protection, while the aromatherapy aspects will serve to calm and relax you as it rids you of the days stress and headache.