Magic Hand and Foot Care

Within the past couple of months I stumbled upon products that have been downright magical for my hands and feet. Two different items providing two fantastic solutions, and this is me shouting it from the rooftops… I feel extra excited to share the moisturizing lotion because it helped me in a completely unexpected way.

Foot Mask

I don’t have a regular foot care routine, but when I feel like my feet need some exfoliation, I’ll reach for one of our DIY foot scrubs:

This spring I felt like my feet were more callused than usual, so before reaching for a scrub, I thought that I’d try one of these exfoliating foot peels. It worked like magic!

As suggested in the instructions, I soaked my feet for about an hour before putting on the booties (which contain the mask). I kept the booties on for another, and then washed off the mask. Like clockwork, about a week later, the skin on my feet started peeling!

The peeling doesn’t hurt, and it basically looks like peeling skin after a sunburn. My feet have been peeling for close to a week now, but this is the last of the dead skin, and feet are looking and feeling so soft.

I like to walk around barefoot, and I was curious if the newly uncovered skin would be more sensitive, but fortunately it’s not. It’s just baby soft and not looking so “rugged”.

Moisturizing Lotion

This magical (not-nail-or-hand-specific) lotion has nipped my nail-biting habit in the bud! How could that be? Let me explain.

Over the years I’ve come to realize that my nail-biting doesn’t have to do with fidgeting, wanting to put things in my mouth, wanting my nails to be short, etc…

It has to do with one thing: when my nails are chipped, splitting, or peeling, it drives me crazy and I want to “smooth” them out. So I do that by biting them, which makes the problem worse, then I bit them some more. And this sadly this applied to the skin around my nails too. It would be dry and peeling, I’d pick at it, the cycle would repeat itself.

Over the years I’ve tried a number of solutions. I used to paint them religiously (see photo above!) because this would make them less prone to drying out and damage, but as the polish peeled off, I would then start to bite them.

I’d use gloves when washing dishes to minimize drying, but it still didn’t solve the problem. I’d put all sorts of salves on my fingers (plenty of them were homemade!). But alas, nothing stopped the nail biting. UNTIL NOW!

Long story a little bit longer: we got this lotion because hyaluronic acid has great reviews for moisturizing skin, plumping it up, reducing wrinkles, etc. After we got the lotion, I was putting a little bit on my face each night before bed. After a few weeks I realized that my hands, specifically my nails, were looking fantastic!

It took me a day or two to realize that the only change in my routine was the lotion. It’s now been close to two months, my nails are so strong, there’s no dryness, and I’m completely hooked. I still just put the lotion on my face and rub it into my hands before bed. I can’t tell if it’s made much of a difference to my face, but given how well it’s worked on my hands, I’m not going to stop any time soon.

There are many hyaluronic acid lotions and supplements out there. I linked to the exact lotion that we’re using, and because it’s working so well, we haven’t tried anything else.

So, if your nail biting habit is anything like mine, give this lotion a try. I’d love to hear if it works for more people!

Oat & Honey Face Mask

Looking for more winter skin care options? Check out our pumpkin + honey face mask, winter face oil, and coconut + rose makeup remover and evening oil.

Hey there! Happy New Year!

Popping in with a quick and simple DIY face mask that’s the perfect fix for dry winter skin.

About a month ago, my skin was really suffering from the dry Colorado air. It was dry and tight, and starting to break out. After ignoring it for about a week, I realized that I needed a fix, but I wanted to keep it simple, and with only three ingredients, this recipe fit the bill.

Oat & Honey Face Mask

As you’ll see, precise measurements aren’t necessary for this recipe.

  • ground whole oats
  • water
  • honey

Use a blade coffee grinder to pulverize about 2 Tbsp of oats. If your coffee grinder is dirty from coffee or other spices, you can easily clean it by grinding up a small amount of rice before grinding the oats.

Place the ground oats in a small bowl and add enough water to make a thick paste. Mix thoroughly to break up any oat lumps.

Add some honey, about equal to half of your oat paste. Stir until blended, and then it’s ready to use!

Apply the mask to your face and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Just before it’s starting to get hard around the edges, wipe off and apply your favorite moisturizer or serum. I use our DIY face serum.

Because this is so easy to make, I recommend making a small amount, about enough for one or two applications. Or you can grind a bunch of oats to have on hand for the next time that you want to make more. I don’t recommend mixing a large batch because it may go bad before you use it up.

Wishing you a happy new year and some healthy winter skin! xo

Coconut + Rose Evening Oil & Makeup Remover

If you’re interested in more DIY skin-care potions, check out these posts.

Today we’re sharing the recipe for a super simple evening face oil.

This potion is much simpler than our winter face oil. As explained in that post, our winter face oil calls for a blend of different carrier and essential oils, each with their own beneficial properties from firming the skin to lightening aging spots.

With only three ingredients, today’s potion is much easier to make, but that doesn’t detract from its usefulness and indulgent properties. This oil smells amazing, and it’s is something that I like to use in the evenings because it does double duty: removes my makeup and moisturizes““““““““““` before bed.

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Lick-able Cinnamon Brown Sugar Lip Scrub

Cinnamon is our ingredient of the season. Here’s a round-up of previous cinnamon posts.

Have you ever used a lip scrub? They’re a gentle scrub, often made with sugar, that you rub on your lips to remove dry skin and add a touch of moisture. They’re a delicious solution to those pesky dry lips that are unavoidable come autumn and winter.

This DIY is so simple that we don’t really have an exact recipe, and as you’ll see, you definitely don’t need one.

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Lip Scrub

I made a tiny batch of scrub – just enough to fill a small cosmetic jar, but you can easily play around with a recipe and scale up or down. Down? Yes! Making a scrub is as simple as putting a dab of coconut oil on your finger with a sprinkle of sugar and then rubbing it on your lips.

  • Mix together equal parts coconut oil and brown sugar.
  • Sprinkle in a bit of cinnamon to taste. I liked mine with a touch more, so I sprinkled and sampled until I was happy.
  • Optional: add a drop of cinnamon essential oil.
  • Once your scrub is well mixed, transfer it to a lidded container.

You can use your scrub any time of day. I prefer morning and evening. At night, I’ll often follow the scrub with a nice thick balm like Ilia’s lip mask.

Honey Face Wash

Honey is our ingredient of the season, and you can find our full archive of honey posts here.
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After a bit of trial and error, I’ve finally narrowed in on an all-nature, DIY face wash that I’m loving. It contains honey + a number of other ingredients that combine to create a gentle exfoliation for your skin without a sticky mess. Seriously!

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Cocoa Mint Lip Balm

If you’d like to see more of our DIY beauty potions, click here. You’ll find everything from deodorant to face oils and body scrubs to customized perfumes. Here you’ll find our recipe for a DIY floral lip balm.

Today I’m sharing the most scrumptious yet simple lip balm recipe.  The addition of comfrey and calendula-infused olive oils adds creates a super nourishing base. The blend of unrefined cocoa butter + peppermint essential oils produces an amazing scent.

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I’ve talked in greater details about essential oils in this post. This post reiterates many of the lip-balm making tips that are also discussed in our floral balm post.

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Mocha Lip Scrub

We first posted this just last fall, when coffee was our ingredient of the season, but we’re re-posting it again today, because maybe you’ll need some soft and supple lips tonight?

Have you tried a lip scrub yet? Lip scrubs contain a bit of texture to gently exfoliate your lips, and they’re perfect for this time of year when our lips can get dry from the cool winter air.

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Giving your lips a gentle scrub will remove that dry outer layer, leaving you with soft smooth lips that are the perfect canvas for a bit of lipstick. Why do you need that? Cause it’s holiday party season! Have fun.

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DIY Christmas Gifts

Jingle bells batman smells… We’re back with another round up of Christmas crafts, but this time they’re ones you can gift to your friends.  On Monday, we shared delicious treats that are perfect for giving and today we’ll round out your gift list by adding a few non-edibles for your loved ones.  These DIY gifts range from easy to advanced (mostly because of the ingredients), but we explain everything you’d ever need to know in the posts, so hop to it!  We also sell a few of these items in our Live Seasoned etsy shop if you’re low on time.  All of these homemade gifts have natural, gentle ingredients perfect for any loving home.  We also love to pair these items with other handmade goods to really amplify the maker aspect of these presents.  We love supporting other crafters and creators so after you whip up these potions, browse around on etsy for perfect pairing gifts if you think your loved ones deserve a little more this holiday season.

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Winter Face Oil

The cold and dry air of winter has a way of wreaking havoc on our skin and nails. Our remedies include drinking plenty of water and creating barriers to moisture loss.

For our hands, we’re a huge fan of balms. Most of ours are made at home with a combination of beeswax, moisturizing carrier oils, and nourishing extracts and essential oils (think calendula, lavender, comfrey).

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We won’t shy away from using a balm on our cheeks if we’re heading out for a day in the elements, but for everyday use, we want some thing a touch lighter than. And that’s when we grab a DIY face oil.

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Shop Live Seasoned

Yesterday we shared a sneak peak of our elving and today we’re back with more gifting ideas. You may have seen a snap or two of our new products on Instagram and now it’s official, our etsy shop, Live Seasoned is stocked with new goodies. We took a break over the summer to come up not only with new potions, but new ways to present them.

First off, we tweaked the way we stock our shop.  From now on, we’ll be offering our lip balms, salves and other potions in batches. What does that mean? Well, instead of having a few set flavors and scents, we’ll be making and mixing as we see fit. Depending on the season, our mood and inspiration, we’ll create different batches of each item in limited numbers. If you order something and fall in love with it, it’s best to order more immediately since there’s no way of knowing when we’ll create a similar batch.  Working in batches instead of trying to stick to a set inventory helps us stay motivated and feel inspired with our selection of products. It also allows us to tweak and adjust our potions as we see fit. We’re pretty pumped about this transition and we’re hoping you feel the same.

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On that same note, as the seasons sway us this way and that, we’re thinking up new products. Some silly, some serious. We love filling our homes with the scent of burning Palo Santo just as much as we enjoy stuffing cockroach soaps into our buddies’ stockings. Dino lovers in your life? We have something for them too.

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We are also introducing cardboard balm tubes, woohoo! This was something we wanted to do from day one, but were hesitant about because there’s quite a price difference between cardboard and plastic. After a year of dealing with (and not totally loving) the plastic tubes, we caved (or did we evolve?) and purchased cardboard tubes. Truth be told, we couldn’t be happier with the look and feel of these tubes. Added bonus?  They take less energy to produce and dispose of. To us, they just feel right. What do you think? We’re all ears.roach_soap If you’re on the batch bus or you’ve called your seat in the cardboard car, then hop over to our Live Seasoned etsy shop and browse our handmade line of goods for your healthy home.