By Virginia Recipes: Virginia’s Top Five Natural Beauty Products

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All the recipes I have shared here with you are ones I have been using myself for several years and are tweaked to my likes.  You could substitute any pure essential oil or pure undiluted essential blend you like. I make all my recipes in small amounts so its always fresh.  It also helps when you are experimenting to make everything as small as you can.  That way if it does not turn out the way you thought, its not much wasted.

Lavender (or Peppermint) Tea Tree Toner
2 oz Witch Hazel
10-15 drops Vitamin E Oil
10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
10 drops Lavender Essential Oil (or Peppermint)

Place all ingredients in a glass bottle with a cork or tight fitting lid.  Make sure to shake the bottle before every use.  I love to use glass A1 steak sauce bottles.  They are amber in color to protect the essential oils from sunlight and people always want to know why you have steak sauce in your bathroom. Ha Ha

Lavender Tea Tree Face Oil
Place an equal amount of Lavender Essential Oil, Tea Tree Oil and Vitamin E Oil in a small glass bottle.  Apply with a q-tip or your clean finger to blemishes or dry areas of your face.  You need a very small glass bottle for this one, some extracts come in glass bottle that would work well. 

Sandalwood Sugar Scrub
¼ cup Sugar (I use organic most the time, but if I am out I will use plain white granulated sugar too)
2 or 3 drops Sandalwood Essential Oil

I keep this in small Pyrex dish with a fitting plastic lid.  About 3 times a week I fill my palm with about a tablespoon of the sugar scrub, then add enough liquid to make a paste, then scrub my face.  For the liquid I use lotion or liquid soap, depending on if I need to moisturize or not.

Oat Meal Mask
¼ cup Ground Oats
1 tablespoon Baking soda
7 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
8 drops Lavender Essential Oil

I grind my oats ahead of time and store in a zip lock bag.  The mask I keep in another small Pyrex dish.  Place a small amount of Oat Meal Mask in the palm of your hand and add enough water to make a paste.  Smear all over face or just problem areas, allow 20-30 minutes to dry.  The oats will swell and clog the drain, so wipe as much off in the trash as you can before you wash your face off.

Wet Lavender Salts
1 cup Sea Salts (I buy food grade sea salt that has pretty red flex in it)
15-20 drops Lavender Essential Oil
2 tablespoons (or 1/8 cup) Olive Oil

This recipe is a basic, super fragrant salts. Use about ¼ cup with 1 cup Epsom Salts for a relaxing bath or use 2-4 tablespoons in a small foot bath.  I have even heard of a lady that had some this I made that used it for a scrub for her hands.  If your skin does not react well to oil, simply leave the olive oil out of the mix.

The possibilities could be endless.  Experiment and play, and keep it as natural as you can.  I have found that it gives me a sense of accomplishment to make my own things instead of buying everything pre made for me at the store.  I hope you find it as liberating as I do.  Oh another idea, make some of these and give them as gifts!  Every last person I have made one of these recipes for has absolutely love it.