Here are two calendula recipes for you. Calendula body butter is a classic that many make regularly. The foot soak takes care of tired feet instantly. Both recipes are really easy to prepare. They do not need extra preservatives or other chemicals. Only pure, natural ingredients for the best of your skin.
Whipped body butter with Calendula
The soft whipped body lotion with calendula herbal oil is really wonderful for dry skin. This body butter is very mild. Therefore, it is suitable even for very small babies, especially without essential oils. You can change the oils to your own favourite oils. Solid fats can also be exchanged if desired. However, the ratio of fats to oils should be kept the same. If you do not want to use shea butter, you can exchange it for cocoa butter, for example.
Calendula
You can read about the skin care features of calendula on my blog. Calendula is one of the most popular herbs used in cosmetics. There are many reasons for its popularity. One of the main reasons is its mildness. Calendula does not contain strong plant chemicals that irritate the skin. Of course, a calendula can also be allergic.
Plant butters
You can read more about shea butter, mango butter and cocoa butter here. Cocoa butter feels really wonderful in creams as it turns liquid in on warm skin. I used fruity mango butter for this recipe.
Oat oil
I have written about oats and oat oil in the past here. Oats are especially gentle on the skin and are suitable for almost everyone. Oats also have many healing features.
- 1 decilitre Shea butter
- 1 decilitre mango butter
- 1 decilitre of oat oil
- 1 decilitre calendula herb oil
If you wish, you can also add essential oils. Chamomile essential oil, for example, suits well for this lotion.
No preservatives are needed as the lotion is waterless. Waterless creams and butters do not need any preservative. In spite of this fact, you can still make your body butter to last longer by adding vitamin E drops. You can add 15 drops of vitamin E in this amount of lotion.
Do like this
- Measure all oils (no essential oils or vitamin E) and fats in a double boiler or water bath.
- Heat until the fats are completely melted.
- Keep the mixture at 80 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes to improve shelf life.
- Cool the mixture so that it is slightly solid at the edges.
- Start whipping the mixture with an electric mixer until smooth and soft.
- Add essential oils and vitamin E if desired
- Continue whipping until the mixture is completely cold. You can speed up the cooling by lifting the bowl into the ice cube bath.
- Put the cream into glass jars and close them with a lid.
- The cream will solidify to its final texture the next day.
Calendula body butter is suitable for dry skin. It is a rich cream that you can use for skin care for the whole family.
Calendula foot soak
Foot soaks are really relaxing. In addition to relaxation, the idea of the foot soak is also to soothe the overactive bacteria in the feet. Bacteria make your feet smell nasty. This foot soak is easy to prepare. It will not be spoiled easily even if you make a bigger batch. So you can double or triple the ingredients if you wish.
Salt
I’ve told the salt earlier here. There are many different grades of salt for sale. The best one for foot bath is crude sea salt. In addition to sodium and potassium, it contains many great minerals.
Epsom Salt
Epsom salt, or bitter salt, is magnesium sulphate. The magnesium of the Epsom salt is able penetrate through the skin directly into the muscle. Epsom salt relaxes muscles and eliminates swelling caused by exercising.
Baking soda
Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is now particularly popular for many uses. I have written about soda for cosmetic use here. Baking soda is suitable for foot baths because it removes odours and acts as an antibacterial agent. Baking soda is also used in natural cosmetics deodorants for the same purpose.
You need
- ¼ dl Sea salt
- 1 dl of Epsom salt
- ½ dl Baking soda
- 1 dl dried calendula
Do like this
- Mix all ingredients in a blender or mixer.
- Use 2 tablespoons at a time in a bowl of warm water.
- Enjoy a cleansing and relaxing foot bath for at least 30 minutes
- Salt softens induration. If you wish, you can rasp your feet at the end of the bath
- After bathing, rinse your feet lightly but do not use any detergent
- Dry your feet thoroughly, also between your toes
You can try these 2 recipes right away if you happen to have dried calendula. Otherwise, you should plant calendula in the garden or on the balcony and wait a couple of months. Enjoy!