DIY Cooling Sunbrun Spray

It’s Summertime!  I know for me, summer means more time spent outdoors with family and friends.  Down here in the south my days are filled with sunshine, relaxing by the pool or exploring the beach.  I personally am not a big sun worshiper.  Often my friends made fun of me when I was younger for always hiding from the sun with loads of sunscreen, a sun hat, a shade umbrella or a light long sleeve shirt.  Being a creator of habit, I haven’t changed much since I have gotten older.  Still once in awhile I forget to reapply sunscreen or cover up when outside, and that unwanted sunburn strikes me or the kids.  I am sharing this organic remedy to treat a sunburn.

DIY Cooling Sunburn Spray

Ingredients:

¼ Cup of Organic Brewed Green Tea

¼ Cup of Aloe Vera Juice

¼ Teaspoon of Lavender Essential Oil

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl, then pour into a spray bottle.

Instructions:

Generously spray on all over sunburned skin.  Shake well before each application, refrigerate, and use within three weeks.

The green tea, aloe juice, and lavender essential oil help cool the sunburn and promote skin healing.

Do you have a natural sunburn remedy?

Smiles, Paula

{ Follow Me on Pinterest } Paula Parrish

What’s Fresh in Natural Garden Soap Shop?

Do you see something you like here on my blog, but you don’t want to make it yourself?

Check out Natural Garden Soaps by Paula Parrish on Online to find all sorts of fresh and natural handmade skincare items.

DIY Pink Clay Body Scrub

As many of you know I am obsessed with making homemade bath and beauty products.  One of my latest passions is working with natural clays.  I have been experimenting with french green clay, pink clay and bentonite clay.  I love using clays on my skin because of their super purifying qualities.  Natural clays draw out excess dirt from deep down in the skin plus they tighten and revitalize the skin.  Here is a recipe for my DIY Pink Clay Body Scrub.  Whip up this spa treatment at home and enjoy in the shower.  To use simply by  rubbing it all over your body in a circular motion and rinse with warm water.

This body scrub is suitable for all skin types from normal, sensitive and mature skin.  Caution!  This body scrub has the ability to revitalize your skin, promotes essence, firmness, elasticity, and many have a smoothing effect.  This homemade scrub is also wonderful to increase your circulation and repair sun damaged skin.

Pink clay is rich in minerals, iron, and trace elements that act in improving elasticity, decreasing sagging and the appearance of ageing.  If your scrub is a bit runny in consistency, feel free to add more sugar to thicken your scrub as desired.  I sometimes add dried and crushed rose petals or lavender buds.

I love the feeling of this body scrub because it is super foaming and bubbly with the castile liquid soap added.  It leaves my skin feeling super clean, soft and firm.

I hope you enjoy this blog post, thank you for checking it out.

Smiles, Paula

{ Follow Me on Pinterest } Paula Parrish

Double Duty Kitchen Staples

I believe that skincare is food for our skin.  Often I can be found standing in the grocery store isle carefully questioning every ingredient listed on a food label.  It is important to me that I eat healthy, and that I feed my family with nutritious food.  Therefore, it is equally important to me that I exam beauty products, and their ingredients carefully.  I would never consider slathering on just any drug store lotion on my face or body, simply because it smells good and is cheap.  Just as I strive for my food to be made from scratch, organic, locally grown and natural.  I additionally strive for my skincare items to be fresh, nourishing, and green.  I frequently pop open a yogurt using it as a face mask, or whip up a simple body scrub with sugar and olive oil.  When I do my weekly grocery shopping, I make sure to pick up foods to be used in homemade skin care recipes.

Avocados

I make a paste with a ripe avocado mixed with 1 tsp organic vegetable oil.  Apply this paste on my face, leave it for 20 minutes, and rinse with warm water.

Baking Soda

It makes a great face wash and body scrub when mixed with olive oil.  I love adding a scoop of baking soda to your bath or foot tub to soften my skin.

Eggs

I love the feeling of a egg white face mask, it tightens pores naturally.  I mix together vegetable glycerin with egg whites, some flour, and a small amount of honey.  Leave on my face for 15 minutes, and rinse with warm water.

Green Tea

Is packed full of wonderful antioxidants, which makes it a great addition to a homemade skin care recipe.  I add loose green tea to my body scrubs as a filler.  Tea bags soothes tired and puffy eyes.  Brewed green tea in a spray bottle makes a wonderful skin toner.

Honey

Is antibacterial ingredient, and a amazing additive to a oatmeal face mask.  I love to make a gentle face cleanser with honey.  I combine two tablespoons of honey with a tablespoon of lime juice and four tablespoons of yogurt.  I gently massage the mixture into my face and neck, then rinse it away.

Lemons

Once in awhile I squeeze a fresh lemon on my hair for a natural lightening treatment.  Fresh lemon rinds add a amazing scent to my bath water.

Sugar

I love using pure cane sugar and brown sugar for body scrubs.  I occasionally mix up a lip scrub with a teaspoon of white sugar, few drops of olive oil, mix, scrub, and exfoliate.

Yogurt

When I have spent time in the Florida sunshine.  I nourish my achy sunburn naturally with yogurt, the zinc in yogurt helps cool my skin.

I hope that you will give some of these green skincare tips and recipes a try.  I hope that your skin stays forever gorgeous.

Smiles, Paula

{ Follow Me On Pinterest } Paula Parrish

Lemonade Body Scrub

Lemonade is just one of those things that signifies summertime.  During the hot summer months I often find myself reaching for a tall ice cold glass of lemonade.  While sipping on my lemonade, I started thinking about how to make a Lemonade Body Scrub.  A perfect lemony coconut body scrub for the summertime.  The ideal treatment to keep our skin in awesome condition for the beach and pool.  As I am writing this post the “Lemonade, Crunchy Ice” song keeps popping into my head over and over again.

Lemonade, crunchy ice.

Beat it once, beat it twice.

Lemonade, crunchy ice.

Beat it once, beat it twice.

Turn around, touch the ground, FREEZE.

No denying it, I am a Mom. ;o)

Lemonade Body Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

¼ Cup of Sugar

¼ Cup of Salt

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil

1 Tablespoon of Honey

1 Tablespoon of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon of Fresh Lemon Peel

A Few Drops of Lemon Essential Oil

½ Tablespoon of Calendula Petal Powder

Directions:

In a small bowl mix up the honey, lemon juice, lemon peel, essential oil and calendula petal powder.  Once the first ingredients are completely combined toss in the sugar and salt, and mix well.

How To Use:

Gently Massage a quarter size amount of this homemade scrub into different areas of your body in the circular motion.  Rinse well with warm water.  Repeat this treatment once a week.

The calendula flower has orange and yellow petals. Sometimes it is referred to as marigold.  I added the calendula petal powder to this scrub as a natural yellow colorant, and because it is wonderful for the skin.  Calendula petals are wonderful for stimulating collagen production, hydrating skin, and reducing the appearance of fine lines or wrinkles.

I hope that you give this scrub a try, and enjoy the delicate summery scent.  This lemony scrub is sure to reveal your skin's true radiance.
Smiles, Paula

{ Follow Me On Pinterest  } Paula Parrish

DIY Herbal Bath Salts

Only two weeks of school left here in the sunshine state of Florida until summer vacation.  I do enjoy the summer months living on the coast line with the beautiful gulf being my swimming pool.  Being so busy with housework, cooking meals, laundry, playing with my daughter, my job and life’s chaos.  I have a Mommy tradition of spending a few days of “Me Time” just before school is out for the summer.  I spend this time alone doing what I love, floating in our swimming pool, taking a hot bath, shopping, reading or laying on the beach.  I am sharing my favorite Herbal Bath Salt recipe with you today.  Go ahead and enjoy some  “Me Time” soaking in a hot herbal infused bath.

DIY Herbal Bath Salt Recipe

Ingredients:

½ Cup of Epsom Salt

½ Cup of Salt

¼ Dried Botanicals {lavender, rose petals, calendula petals}

A few drop’s of Lavender Essential Oil

Directions:

Mix together all of the ingredients and store in a jar of your choice.  To use, simply scoop up about ¼ cup of the lovely salt mixture and toss into your bath water. Enjoy! After your bath, follow up with a organic body lotion by Natural Garden Soaps.

This recipe is perfectly formulated with a blend of organic ingredients to help draw toxins from your body, ease body aches, relieves congestion, improves breathing, and promotes a good night’s sleep.

I placed my bath salts in a old candle jar with a lid.  I think that it looks so pretty sitting in my bathroom.

Do you have any traditions before the end of the school year?

Smiles, Paula

{ Follow Me On Pinterest  } Paula Parrish

What’s Fresh in Natural Garden Soap’s Shop?

Do you see something you like here on my blog, but you don’t want to make it yourself?

Check out Natural Garden Soap’s by Paula Parrish on Etsy to find all sorts of fresh and natural handmade skincare items.

DIY Leave In Conditioning Spray

No matter what type of hair you have, you need to moisturize your lovely locks.  Many of us have a daily hair care routine that include using a leave in moisturizing spray.  I love being frugal, and using store bought hair care products can be costly.  Did you know that you could make your own hair conditioning spray for a fraction of the cost?  Major bonus in my mind, plus you control the ingredients, so you know that the product is safe, gentle and earth friendly.  The main ingredient in this recipe is vegetable glycerin. Vegetable glycerin keeps hair hydrated by drawing moisture from the air to the hair shaft.

Vegetable glycerin comes from the liquid and fats of vegetable oil.  Most local health food store carry vegetable glycerin.  It’s a great ingredient for adding moisture to your hair, and it is wonderful to use as a detangler spray as well.  

DIY Leave In Conditioning Spray

Stir together 1/4 cup of vegetable glycerin with 1 cup of distilled water. Then mix in about 1 tsp of your favorite essential oils. Store your homemade leave in conditioner in a spray bottle.  Shake vigorously before each application.

For different hair types use the following essential oils blends:

Dry Hair: sandalwood, ylang ylang, lavender essential oils.

Normal Hair: rosemary, rose, lavender, geranium essential oils.

Oily Hair: lemon, sage, lemon, tea tree, geranium essential oils.

I am currently using my leave in conditioning spray made with ylang ylang and lavender essential oils.  I absolutely love the smell, it is fabulous.  I feel so glammed up with the way my hair feels and looks super soft.

Smiles, Paula

{ Follow Me On Pinterest  } Paula Parrish

What’s Fresh in Natural Garden Soap Shop?

Do you see something you like here on my blog, but you don’t want to make it yourself?

Check out Natural Garden Soaps by Paula Parrish on Online to find all sorts of fresh and natural handmade skincare items.

April Giveaway

Happy Thursday!

As many of you know I love giving away things here at

Paula Parrish Living A Blessed Life.

I have another lovely giveaway to share with you today,

and just in time for Mother's Day which is May 12th!

OMG enter to WIN a bar of handmade soap

and body scrub cubes in this

fabulous, refreshing scent of Rosemary Mint!

This giveaway has a retail value of 25.50.

The perfect Mother’s Day gift for Mom.

How To Enter:

{ Follow, Comment and WIN }

Follow my Blog and leave a comment on any post

from now until the end of April.

Or simply do as many or as few of the following:

"Like" NaturalGardenSoaps on Facebook.

"Follow" PaulaParrish on Twitter.

Tell your friends on your Facebook/Twitter/Blog to enter this giveaway.

Post and Tweet the following:

"I hope I win the April giveaway on @paulaparrish blog

www.paulaparrish.blogspot.com.”

Good Luck!

Please remember to leave a way for me to contact you if you win,

I prefer an email address.

PLEASE NOTE: Must be US resident.

Smiles, Paula

March's Giveaway Winner

Happy April Fools Day!

I hope that you have a fun day full of

Pranks, Jokes and many Smiles.

It is time to announce the monthly giveaway winner for March.

You have WON a amazing handmade organic skin care kit

by Natural Garden Soaps.

The winner of March’s Giveaway is Kathy Moody at

www.lifeonlakeshoredrive.com.

Thank you to everyone who took part in my March Giveaway!

I have a sweet new giveaway planned for April

so check back in a few days to enter.

Smiles, Paula

DIY Pumpkin Sugar Scrub

Not only do I love the cooler weather Fall brings, but I love all things pumpkin!
Pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin ice cream.  This time of the year is filled with all the different pumpkin treats, and I have been stumbling upon all kinds of yummy pumpkin recipes on the internet over the last few weeks.  Today, I am sharing with you a amazing DIY Pumpkin Sugar Body Scrub recipe.

DIY Pumpkin Sugar Scrub
Ingredients:
1 ½ Cup of Sugar
¼ Cup of Organic Canned Pumpkin
1 Tablespoon of Almond Oil or Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon of Vegetable Glycerin
A Light Sprinkle of Pumpkin Pie Spice
Instructions:
Simply mix all of the ingredients together to make this fabulous pumpkin scrub. Spoon your scrub into your container and wha-laa you are done.
Directions:
Once a week in the shower scrub over your body in a circular motion and rinse with warm water. Your skin will feel so soft after this treatment and this scrub smells super yummy.

• Pumpkin is rich in nutrients and antioxidants that can help your skin attain a healthy glow.
• Pumpkin enzymes can soothe and protect your skin.
• Pumpkin is chock-full of vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, which are awesome for your skin.

I hope you will give this scrub a try, or make a few for gifts to give to friends or family.
Smiles, Paula