Honey Citrus Ginger Cough and Cold Syrup

I've been meaning to make this for some time now. I finally got around to it this weekend.

This syrup can be used for cough and cold symptoms. It can be taken a tablespoon at a time right out of the fridge. You can also mix a tablespoon into hot tea or hot water and drink it. This syrup actually tastes pretty good. Here is how to make it:

Slice citrus fruits into half moon shapes, thin. I used orange and lemon.
Add some to the bottom of a pint sized mason jar (or similar container).
Add in 2 tsp of dried ginger powder.
Pour honey into jar to fill and ensure you cover the fruit.

Once you have added your honey to the jar stir it all up very well. It may help to use a skewer or butter knife to get through the fruit. You are trying to make sure you get the ginger powder stirred well into the honey.

For mine I also added 8 drops of Thieves essential oil blend. If you do not have this, it's okay. I believe that it works, but many make it without this oil. I also add in 8 drops of lemon essential oil. You could substitute with just a small squirt of real lemon juice.

Once it seems well blended, seal tightly. Turn jar upside down and let sit for an hour in fridge that way. Then turn it right side up and store in the fridge. This cough syrup should always be kept in the fridge. Honey may crystallize. If this happens, just heat the honey, stir well and store. As you use the syrup, you can add more honey to the jar. Keep in fridge for 3-4 months, then make more. This syrup may get thinner as it sits. The honey will pull the juice and all the "good stuff" out of the fruit. It's okay if it's thinner in a week!

I'm sure you already know, but I'll say it anyway. If you can use a good local honey, that is best. Since this recipe is not heated, the honey will keep all it's special "powers" and so it pays to use the local honey if you can find it.

~Kymber

Homemade Sugar Scrubs

So this weekend I spent a LOT of time making sugar scrubs and bath salts. I've been asked for the recipe for Sugar Scrubs, and will post that here. These are SO easy to make at home with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. I made a few different types this weekend, but you can make thousands of different combinations.

The basic recipe for these Sugar Scrubs is as follows:

1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Oil (olive, liquid coconut, jojoba, almond, grapeseed, etc.)
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of liquid soap (Castile Soap) - totally optional
5 drops essential oil
Coloring - optional

You will want to add your sugar to a bowl, then add in the coconut or olive oil and mix well. Next add the honey and soap (if you're using it). Mix well again. Next add in the coloring and mix well. Lastly add in drops of essential oil and mix again. You may also want to add a teaspoon of something extra like mint flakes, dried rosemary, dried orange peel, dried lavender, etc.

Here are the ones I made this weekend:

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Scrub:
Basic Sugar Scrub recipe as shown above. Add in 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon powder and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. I also added in 3 drops of cinnamon and 3 drops of clove essential oils. Please be careful here - cinnamon oil is a strong one and you only need a little. If you don't want to use this, the recipe works just fine without it. I used no coloring in this sugar scrub. It smells delicious! And when you use it in the shower or bath, the hot water causes the smell to really get stronger. My bathroom smelled like a cinnamon roll factory! It was divine.

Mojito Sugar Scrub:
Basic Sugar Scrub recipe as shown above. Add in 5 -10 drops of lime essential oil (start with 5) and 3 drops of peppermint essential oil, mix well. I used a lime green coloring in mine. I also added in some mint flakes. After mixing, if you need a few more drops of lime add those and mix again. The peppermint overpowers the lime so do not use too much of that.

Coffee Sugar Scrub:
This one goes away from the above basic recipe. Instead use 1/2 sugar and 1/2 coffee. I used dry coffee or you can use Instant Coffee if you're concerned about the coffee going down your water drain. Everything else in the basic recipe is the same. I added in 5 drops of cinnamon essential oil, and a teaspoon of vanilla. No coloring is needed. This one needs to be stored in the fridge and used rather quickly. Make small batches as wet coffee will mold if left out.

Orange Ginger Sugar Scrub:
Basic Sugar Scrub recipe as shown above. Add in 5 drops Sweet Orange and 3 drops Ginger essential oils. I use an orange coloring for this one. I also added in 2 teaspoons of dried orange peels (finely chopped).

Note that you can use plain white sugar, raw sugar and even brown sugar. Mix and match as you like. Remember that brown sugar has a smell all of its own so you may not want to use that in some blends as it will overpower the essential oils. It might be great in the coffee scrub or the cinnamon roll scrub!

To use these sugar scrubs, just scoop a little into your hand and rub over skin while in shower or bath. Rinse well. A little goes a long way. These are great for daily exfoliating. Use before you shave to keep skin smooth (no bumps) or use before getting a spray tan! These are also great foot scrubs or hand scrubs.

~Kymber

Easy Homemade Bath Salts

Bath salts are relatively easy to make. You can make them with just a few simple ingredients. The basic ingredients for a simple bath salt are salt and baking soda. In fact, you can have a salt bath with just salt!

For the bath salts I make, I normally stick to this basic recipe:

2 parts salt, 1 part baking soda, Essential oils, Coloring

So if you want to fill one PINT and one 1/2 PINT size jar, you would need to use the following measurements:

2 cups mixed salts
1 cup baking soda
10 drops essential oil (depending on the type)
3-4 drops coloring (depending on the type)



Mix well and store in sealed jars. Note: When you make these salts, let them sit out for 24 hours in a cool dry location unsealed. This will help the essential oils and coloring "dry out" a bit before you seal them. Because they are all natural, the salts MAY harden up a bit over time. No big deal and they still work just fine. Mine NEVER last that long! But remember to keep them well sealed so that moisture doesn't enter the jars. Use within about 3 months.

Before I give the recipes let's talk a little about salt as I always get asked what KIND of salt. The answer is - ANY KIND of salt! Really! You can use Epsom Salts, Rock Salt, Sea Salt, Kosher Salt, Canning Salt - basically any type of salt you can get your hands on. I normally mix different types of salts together for mine. I always mix in some Epsom salt because it's great for bathing. If you can find different "textures" of salt that works great. For example, the next time you to to the grocery, see if they stock Ice Cream Salt. It is sold in a box and the salt is larger crystals. I like to add a bit of that into mine with the other salts. You can always order specialty salts online - pink sea salts, etc.  It's up to you how far you want to go with this one.

Here are a few different ways to use the above recipe.

Candy Cane (Cooling Peppermint):
Basic Salt recipe plus 5 drops of peppermint oil. Mix well and then see if you need a few more drops. Peppermint oil is very strong and cooling. You do NOT want to use too much of this one. I add mint flakes to mine but it is totally optional. I use red coloring for soaps/salts and/or a mica coloring. You can buy this type of coloring online or at a hobby/craft store. You can also use regular food coloring but only use a little. You don't want to stain your skin or the bathtub. To make the candy cane salts look pretty, try mixing half these ingredients without coloring and the other half with red coloring. When you put it into your jars, layer it to make it look striped or swirled inside the jar. You can see from the picture above how mine looks. They never look the same, they never look perfect! That's the beauty of homemade products!This mint salt is very energizing, and is great for sore muscles, and for opening up the sinuses!

Citrus Mint:
Basic Salt recipe plus 10 drops of Sweet Orange essential oil, 3 drops Peppermint, and 3 drops Spearmint. (If you only have one mint, that's OK!) Mix well. I used orange coloring in mine and left half white so that I could swirl them into the jar. I also added mint flakes to this recipe. These bath salts are very energizing and invigorating.

Flu Bomb:
I love this combination of essential oils when suffering from flu or cold symptoms! Basic Salt recipe plus 10 drops Eucalyptus, 5 drops Peppermint, 6 drops Lavender, 5 drops Bergamot, and 5 drops Tea Tree essential oil. I use the mint flakes in this one as well as a little chopped/dried rosemary. If you do not keep Bergamot on hand, it's okay, it's not a common essential oil I know. You can replace that with rosemary, lemon, pine, cedarwood, frankincense or just leave it out. I don't know why, but I always use a pale blue in my flu bomb bath salts. Of course you can make these any color you want, or leave them white.


....and here are a few more essential oil combinations that you can try. Once you start using essential oils or just making bath salts, you can research other combinations that you might want to make.

• Sensual - Mix patchouli, cedarwood, and sandalwood essential oils.
• Lavender & Chamomile for rest, relaxation, and sleep.
• Lemon and Rosemary to help clear your mind.
• Lavender, Geranium, and Rosemary to help with anxiety, stress - very calming.
• Cedarwood and Lemon, or Lemon and Orange to uplift your mood.
• Lavender, Peppermint, and Frankincense when you have a fever.

Hope you have an enjoyable bath! Oh and by the way, packaged in cute jars, these make great little gifts for friends and family.

~Kymber

Facial Care Done Right - and Easy!

I talk a lot about the DIY products I use. I use several each day and have posted here about many of those. I had a friend recently who wanted to find a new regimen for her skin. She said it needed to be affordable and it needed to work. I got the idea to put my own skincare protocol into ONE post where you could find it all together. There are THREE different pieces to my skincare regimen. I use facial cleanser and toner, facial moisturizer, and a facial scrub. Below we will go through each one of these. Note along the way though, that you can customize these with different essential oils - or use no essential oils at all! If you need some other recommendations let me know. Let's get started!

Facial Cleanser and Toner: 
I have two different things that I use. One is a wipe that cleans quickly and removes makeup. I got this recipe from a friend, reworked it just a bit, and now use it daily! I make both of these cleansers into facial wipes. However, you CAN just mix up the liquids and use it without making wipes. If you do that, just store the liquid in a squirt bottle and squirt it onto clean cotton daily to use it.

Daily Facial Wipes & Makeup Remover

Try making this in a small jar – like a 4 oz mason jar or sealed plastic jar.

•   Approx. 30 cotton rounds
•  One tsp of baby shampoo OR Castile Soap
• One tsp of olive oil, OR another oil such as liquid coconut, jojoba, grapeseed, etc.
• 5 drops tea tree oil and 5 drops lavender oil
•  Filtered Water

Add the ingredients into the jar first. Then add water to fill the jar about ¾ way full. Put in your cotton rounds and press them down into this liquid. Add more cotton rounds until you’ve soaked up all the liquid. You can add more water if necessary.  Keep in a sealed container. Use to wash face, remove makeup, even eye makeup. If you’re too tired to wash your face before bed, at least give it a good wipe off with this. As an extra tip, using these essential oils makes this a very antibacterial blend. So you could also use this as a hand wipe!

Daily Facial Cleanser & Toner

• Witch Hazel
• 15 drops tea tree, 10 drops frankincense, and 10 drops lavender essential oil
• 1 tsp olive oil or liquid coconut oil (or any carrier oil you like)
• Cotton rounds

 Pour witch hazel into a seal-able container. Add in your essential oils and carrier oils. Stir this together well or just shake it up well. Put cotton rounds into this and press them down to soak up all liquid. Add more cotton rounds until you don’t have any free liquid left over. Wipe face 2- 3 times a day especially before bed and first thing in the morning. Change pillow cases every night if you have an issue with acne.

 

Facial Moisturizer

Now that we've discussed how to clean your face above, lets move onto moisturizing. I need something that I can use daily, that will provide moisture, not feel greasy or oily, and that is affordable of course. I have two recipes for that and they both start out the same - with the basic balm.

My recipe for Basic Balm is very simple. I'm posting it here again to get you started! Melt this together over low heat.

• 1/8 cup of beeswax (grated or pellets)
• 1/2 cup of solid coconut oil
• 1 tsp of olive oil, OR Vitamin E oil

To that you’ll want to add essential oils for your skin. Add these drops to EACH 4oz glass jar first. After you’ve put in your essential oils, you’ll simply pour in the melted mixture. No need to even stir it up. There are two different choices below for the types of essential oils. I use #1 below but the other one is great if you have acne prone skin.

Face Serum 1 - Add 5 drops of patchouli, 5 drops of frankincense, and 3 drops of sandalwood. This is great for the over 40 set as it has great properties to help with skin regeneration and wrinkles.

Face Serum 2 - Add 10 drops of lavender, and 5 drops of tea tree oil. Good if you need help with break-outs.

Full details about this balm, and the blog about the basic balm is located here: http://kygypsymama.blogspot.com/2014/09/customized-basic-balm.html

Facial Scrub

Next we have a recipe for a scrub that I use ONLY ONCE per week. I don't mix this up in advance, and so this recipe makes enough for ONE use.

 Note that my measurements are approximate. I don't think you need to be too specific with this product.  This one feels like microdermabrasion and I love it!

Facial Scrub Recipe

• Baking Soda - 1 tablespoon
• Honey - 1 teaspoon
• Lavender Oil - 5 drops
• Tea Tree Oil - 10 drops
• Vitamin E Oil - 1 teaspoon (+,-)

I mix the ingredients together in a small cup and added the Vitamin E oil last. This oil was mostly just to get it to the right consistency. It may take a bit more or less. You'll want this to be thick enough to pour in your hand or on a washcloth. In the shower I wet my face, poured it on a wet wash cloth and scrubbed my face, neck and chest in a circular motion. I then rinsed with warm water. If you find that the baking soda is too harsh for your face, you could use sugar instead. All of the details, plus why I used each one is on the original post. 

 To read the original blog post please check here: http://kygypsymama.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-face-scrub.html

 

So, that sums up my facial protocol. I've been using this for several months now with no tweaks or complaints. My skin never felt better! Let me know if you try any of these! If you need some substituted oil suggestions let me know as well. 

Blessings,

Kymber

Customized - Basic Balm

I've been talking for over a year now about Basic Balm. I make it almost weekly these days. The thing is there are SO many things you can do with this recipe! The possibilities are endless.

My recipe for Basic Balm is very simple. I'm posting it here again to get you started!

• 1/8 cup of beeswax (grated or pellets)
• 1/2 cup of solid coconut oil
• 1 tsp of olive oil, OR Vitamin E oil

Melt together over very low heat. Pour into glass jar. Let sit on counter until cool. Keep sealed in a cool, dark area. I mostly use 4oz baby food jars. You can always double or even triple this recipe if you need to make a larger batch. This Basic Balm (BB) can be used as is for great skin moisturizing. If you are sensitive to smells or essential oils, etc. just use this plain. BB can be used as a great balm for babies as well. Just make sure they don't have a sensitivity to coconut oil or beeswax. As with all skin lotions, etc. try a patch test to make sure that it works well for you. You can even use this as a nightly facial moisturizer. Coconut oil does not clog pores and is okay for either dry or oily skin! By the way, if you are still using Vaseline - throw it out! Use this instead!

Now, of course once you make this, you'll want to customize and use it for all sorts of things. I am providing a few ideas and recipes for customization below. But you can do all sorts of things with this BB.

IMPORTANT NOTE: THE RECIPES BELOW HAVE # OF DROPS OF EACH ESSENTIAL OIL, ETC. THESE ARE FOR EACH 4OZ JAR YOU MAKE. PUT THE ESSENTIAL OIL DROPS INTO THE JAR FIRST - BEFORE YOU EVEN MELT THE BB. THEN POUR THE MELTED BB INTO THE JAR. IT WILL MIX WITH THE ESSENTIAL OILS - NO NEED TO STIR.



Also - you can do your own research for different types of essential oils and make your own custom balms! Please ask for recommendations if you need a bit of advice. I often make these much stronger - i.e. use more essential oils. But to start with you will probably want to use a low amount. Remember less is more when it comes to essential oils.

Face Serum - Add 5 drops of patchouli, 5 drops of frankincense, and 3 drops of sandalwood. This is great for the over 40 set as it has great properties to help with skin regeneration and wrinkles.

Face Serum 2 - Add 10 drops of lavender, and 5 drops of tea tree oil. Good if you need help with break-outs.

Sleep balm - Add 10 drops of lavender, 5 drops of ylang ylang, 5 drops sweet orange, and 2 drops of marjoram. For snoring, also add 6 drops of thyme oil to this recipe.

Massage - Add 5 drops of Tea Tree,  5 drops of Ylang Ylang and 10 drops Lavender essential oils.

Decongestant Rub - 8 drops of Eucalyptus, 5 drops of Rosemary, 8 drops of Peppermint and 8 drops of Sweet Basil essential oils. (Peppermint should not be used on babies. Add lavender instead and rub on bottom of feet.) Adults and older children, use this on chest as you would any vapor rub.

Pain Rub - Add 5 drops Peppermint, 3 drops Wintergreen, 3 drops Marjoram, 3 drops Cinnamon, 3 drops of Black Pepper. Note please wash hands after use as this contains oils that can irritate eyes/nose/mouth.

Bug Repel -10 drops of citronella, 5 drops Eucalyptus, 8 drops Peppermint, 5 drops Patchouli, and 5 drops Thyme.

Daily Balm - Add 10 drops lavender, and 10 drops of tea tree to use as a daily body balm.

Psoriasis and Eczema balm - 6 drops lavender, 4 drops rose geranium, 5 drops cedarwood, 4 drops of frankincense, 5 drops tea tree.

Now if you want to add some EXTRA ingredients, you can even do more with the BB recipe. The recipes below are NOT for each jar!!! Take your melted BB and add these items directly to the entire batch. Stir/whisk well until all dissolved, and then pour into jars.

Sunblock -  Add one tablespoon of pure zinc oxide.

Diaper Cream - Add one tablespoon of pure zinc oxide, and 1/2 tablespoon of pure cornstarch.

Anti-Chafing balm - Add one tablespoon of cornstarch and one tablespoon of baking soda.

Obviously I could go on and on with this recipe! As you can see, you really can do all sorts of things with this BB recipe. If you have a favorite oil blend, just add it to the BB and customize it your own way!

Be sure and share with me how YOU use the BB recipe to customize!

~Kymber

My Essential Oil Fail

Most of you know that I am a bit crazy about my essential oils. I try to use them for everything! I always spread the word about the fantastic things I use these oils for. I also spread the news when I have success. But this time, I'm admitting failure.

Recently I have had an issue with our new puppy Piper. When we got her we were unable to really house-train her because we are all gone from the home all day. She has NOT done a good job of becoming house-trained. We have not done a good job of training her. Thus we clean up a LOT of dog poop in the house these days. One specific problem was my bookshelf in the living room. I found that she was getting on the bottom shelf and taking a poo. I was constantly finding poo on the bookshelf. I started thinking about how I could use my essential oils to keep Piper from going poo on the bookshelf. I came up with a genius idea. I found a small metal bucket that was meant for potpourri. I added some Epsom salts to this small bucket. Next I added some essential oils. I used oils that I thought would deter the dog. It ended up smelling roughly like Icy Hot. The bigger dog walked immediately over and sniffed the bucket. It was new, she had to check it out. It was obvious by the way she sneezed and snorted that she did not like it. She ran away quickly. I just knew this idea was a stroke of genius!

I tried my very best. We left the dogs in the house because it was supposed to storm all day. We prepared! I even covered the couch with a sheet to try and keep it clean. See below for an image of what the living room looked like when I got home from work.

As you can see, they were very bad dogs! The mess you see is mostly just a magazine chewed up and shredded all over the place. What you can't see is my essential oil failure.

After cleaning up this entire mess, I was still a bit happy because I hadn't found any poo in the house....until I checked my little salt bucket. Piper had pooped right INSIDE the bucket! Yes, somehow she got her rump on that bucket. I couldn't believe it! I guess she showed me what she thought of my genius idea!

If anyone else has an idea of how to keep her from pooping on the bookshelf, please be sure and share that with me. Short of keeping her in a kennel all day, I'm out of ideas. Note that I did try putting her in the kennel. She pooped all over it and threw up every time I tried. It was a bigger mess!

~Kymber

Fibromyalgia/Chronic Pain Protocol

Several folks have asked for help with Fibromyalgia and Arthritis lately. I have recommended a three step protocol for anyone who wants to try essential oils. This is, of course, not to take the place of any advice from a medical professional. But if you want to try essential oils, this is a good protocol that may help.

Calm Down Mama - Calming blend for anxiety, mood, stress, frustration. This blend has a very soothing and earthy aroma. Try applying to chest and wrists throughout the day. In moments of high stress, anxiety or panic try applying to hands and deeply inhaling for a few minutes. This blend contains Patchouli, Cedarwood, Sweet Orange, Vetiver, and Ylang Ylang. I make this in a glass roller bottle, with a carrier oil.

Sleep Quiet - Blend can help breathing at night, promotes restful sleep and may relieve snoring. This blend allows for easier breathing, can help relieve congestion, open airways and promote a quiet night of sleep. Try applying to bottoms of feet, on chest, and behind ears right at bedtime. For snoring, also apply to the big toe on the right foot. This blend contains Lemon, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Lavender and Thyme oils. I make this in a glass roller bottle with a carrier oil.

No Pain Plus – This blend helps alleviate aches and pains from headaches to muscle aches and joint/nerve pain. Roll some of this oil on painful areas and massage into the skin. Additionally, you can rub a drop on back of neck, and temples to alleviate headache pain. This blend contains Peppermint, Wintergreen, Cinnamon, Rosemary, Marjoram, Sweet Basil and Helichrysum. The added ingredients in this blend make it great for muscle cramps, restless legs, and deeper/chronic pain. Note: Care is necessary with this blend. Do not get into the eyes. Wash hands well after use. Do not digest as this does contain Wintergreen oil which can be toxic if taken orally. I make this in a small glass jar as a balm/rub.

Lastly, please note the fine print. I do not recommend orally taking essential oils. There are some companies out there who try to say "theirs" only are okay to ingest. After a great deal of research and several aromatherapy courses, I do not believe this to be true. Also, holistic protocols should not take the place of regular advisement of a medical professional. Never stop taking any medicines prescribed without speaking with your doctor. I do aromatherapy but I am NOT a licensed medical professional. Always do a skin test when applying new essential oils. I recommend always using a blend with carrier oil rather than applying pure oils straight to the skin.

If you would like to order from me, you can buy these products on my ETSY site:

KyGypsy Etsy Shop 

~ Kymber 

Smelly Salts

This week I decided to make Smelly Salts. I've been researching these for a few weeks. I wanted to make some out of salt, and others out of unscented aroma beads. I've ordered some beads but haven't made those yet. THESE salts are made out of a rock salt/sea salt mix, with added essential oils. I also added a bit of oil-soluble coloring but it's not necessary.These are pretty simple to make at home, and have some great uses. I put them into small organza bags and they seem to work great. I'll be interested to see how long they last before needing more oils. I really loved the one for sinuses! A friend came over and needed it so I sent it home with him! LOL I'll be making more this week.

When the smell runs out, I can add new oils to refresh them. You can also throw the salts into a hot bath when the smell is running out. This is a great way to get a therapeutic bath! To use, you simply hold the small bag in your hands and deeply inhale for about 3-5 minutes. These are very strong. Do not press them against your face – but hold in front of the nose/mouth and just breathe deeply.

Headache – Contains Peppermint, Rosemary and Tea Tree essential oils.

Sinus – Contains Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Clary Sage, and Sweet Basil essential oils.

Stress – Contains Lavender, Chamomile, Patchouli and Cedarwood essential oils.

Sleep – Contains Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Sweet Orange, and Sandalwood.

If you aren't up to making them yourself, many of these items are available on my ETSY site located at KYGypsyMama. If you are local, just order directly through me. The ETSY site does charge shipping which is necessary when I ship these to other areas. If you can pick-up locally, I do not charge shipping. The ETSY site does allow you to pay with PayPal.

Perhaps you've seen something like this at a drug store or online? You can buy a similar product called "inhalation beads" for headaches online through Amazon. I researched the ingredients thoroughly before making my all natural product.  Using the salts is a great alternative and keeps it all natural. Also, I kind of like that I could just empty these into the bath as well!

I'll post soon about the actual aroma beads once I make those! I'll also be posting about my all natural, therapeutic bath salts very soon. Stay tuned!

Blessings,

~Kymber