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For making this cold process cleaning soap you will need: • a kitchen scale that displays ounces to weigh the lye and fat (we use this one) • a medium-sized mixing bowl – use stainless steel, glass, or enamel-coated (we use this) • two mixing spoons – hard plastic or rubber (like this) • (lye will react with minerals in tap water) • 16 ounces coconut oil (we buy this in bulk here for soap making and other projects) • 2.9 ounces lye Slowly pour the lye into cold water (never add water to lye) and carefully mix with a spoon until the lye is completely dissolved. When coconut oil and lye-water are both at 95° – 105°, add coconut oil to your mixing bowl, and carefully pour lye-water into coconut oil.

These 4 creative cucumber uses will help you use up your bumper crop of cucumbers. It’s true that cucumbers can help reduce puffiness and add moisture to the skin, which makes them great additions to face masks, eye treatments, or even baths. Since cucumbers are mainly water, using a food processor or blender to puree them makes the perfect consistency for a face mask. Another way to use them is to add finely chopped cucumber peels to sugar for an exfoliating body scrub or place peels in the bath for extra moisture and a light aroma.

Add a few drops of hazelnut extract (or syrup), or use vanilla sugar instead of regular sugar, or make some funky flavors by adding peach or pear juice instead of water. Use 2 Tablespoons of this liquid instead of the instant coffee and water. You can refrigerate this and use it little by little, adding the concentrate to hot water for a quick cup of coffee. You can certainly use a sugar alternative such as stevia or monk fruit in your whipped coffee.

Phototoxicity occurs when you apply certain essential oils to the skin just before exposure to sunlight. Cumin essential oil can also cause similar reactions You can use these citrus oils safely, even with sun exposure: Products like bar soap, liquid soap, and bath bombs represent the lowest risk because you rinse them off immediately. Products like facial toner can go either way as the product does come off the skin, but some of the oil may be absorbed into the skin. I have a facial toner that has grapefruit essential oil that I use for my oily skin, but I only use it at night.