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Monday, July 20, 2020

How to Make "Floral Cleansing Grains" ~ A Delightful DIY for Your Skin


"These flower-packed cleansers gently exfoliate your skin, leaving it feeling soft and smooth. Cleansing grains can contain a wide variety of ingredients, from ground oats, nuts, seeds, rice, beans, powdered milk and clays, so there's a lot of room for creativity when making them..."

A bright and beautiful Monday morning to you all! Today I am excited to share that all-natural skin care can be a frugal but beautifully floral endeavor! You can tap into your creative feminine side without tapping into your bank account. 


With that being said, I am excited to share four variations of Jan's recipes (with her permission) featuring floral cleansing grains from The Big Book of Home-Made Products for Your Skin, Health & Home. I am also going to share my variations of what I created based on ingredients we already have. That is most of the fun (and frugal part) -- being resourceful with what you have! Ladies there are so many possibilities! You can always make an assortment of "flavors" and store them in small jars according to the seasons and what is growing in your gardens. 


To begin, this is really too simple not to do! All that is necessary is to grind all the dried ingredients together in a (well cleaned out) coffee grinder until finely powdered (I actually used our high-powered blender to process mine). 

Keep in mind that you can always double the recipes (and so forth) since there isn't anything in these that will go rancid quickly (except if you use the brown rice, nuts and/or seeds -- I would use that up within 3 months). The shelf life should be about a year if you store them properly in an airtight container to keep them fresh and dry.


Jan's Recipe Combinations:

CALENDULA OATMEAL (very simple blend - suitable for all skin types)
  • 2 1/2 tbsp. rolled oats
  • 1 tbsp. dried calendula flowers

YARROW & GREEN CLAY (helpful for oily and acne-prone skin)
  • 2 tbsp. rolled oats
  • 1 tbsp. dried yarrow
  • 1/2 tbsp. French green clay



CHAMOMILE ROSE (enriched with milk and suitable for more sensitive skin types)
  • 2 tbsp. rolled oats
  • 1/2 tbsp. milk powder (cow, goat or coconut)
  • 1/2 tbsp. dried rose petals
  • 1/2 tbsp. dried chamomile
  • 1/2 tsp. rose clay

LAVENDER & BLUE CLAY (gently polishes all skin types)
  • 2 tbsp. white or brown rice
  • 1/2 tbsp. dried lavender
  • 1 tsp. dried cornflower (or use more lavender)
  • 1/4 tsp. Cambrian blue clay


To use, remove any makeup and splash your face with warm water to dampen your skin. Place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the grains in the palm of your hand and mix in with a bit of water until you form a paste. If you want to be extra-fancy, you can use another liquid such as coconut milk, aloe, hydrosol, yogurt or witch hazel to form the mixture.  Gently apply and rub the paste over your skin and onto your face and throat. Rinse well with warm water and follow with a moisturizer if desired. 

When I asked Jan if these can be used on a daily basis verses a weekly basis, here was her answer... 

"It will depend on your skin type and personal preference. Some people find them helpful as part of their daily skin care routine, while others may want to use just once or twice per week. (Personally, I use just once or twice a week on my dry skin.)"

Alternatively, you can use these floral cleansing grains as a face mask by leaving the mixture on your skin for 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing off.


Since I don't have any of the interesting clays she mentioned, I am making all my recipes without them. Here are some of the combinations I have created based on her ideas! I also made bigger batches because I like bulk supplies! It's the pantry builder in me 🤎 I also made fancy names as it is the romantic in me.  

Don't be shy...

and remember, if you don't have any of these dried herbs on hand, you can always go outside and forage for some and dry them yourself. 

Now, it's time to prepare some pretty things! Grind all the ingredients together and you have yourself some all natural beauty products!


Jes's Recipe Combinations:

SUNSHINE POWDER
  • 1/4 c. rolled oats
  • 1 tbsp. dried calendula flowers
  • 1 tbsp. dried chamomile flowers


LA VIE EN ROSE 
  • 1/4 c. rolled oats
  • 1 tbsp. powdered milk
  • 1 tbsp. dried hibiscus
  • 1 tbsp. dried rose petals


LAVENDER POLISH (I will use this as a once-a-week face exfoliator) 
  • 1/4 c. white rice (I choose the white rice for the longer shelf life)
  • 1 tbsp. dried lavender


These would also make a fun gift! Place the handcrafted floral cleansing grains in a pretty jar, tie a cute small wooden spoon around it, and attach the instructions with a sweet ribbon. Or, use the darling test tubes and corks like Jan has done (pictured in the second photo above). This is a great project for recycled baby food jars as you can have a fun assortment all labeled with your different floral creations and all lined up lovingly in your bathroom cabinet!


Lastly, congratulations to Karen for winning the "Beloved Book" Giveaway! If you signed up, don't despair as we have FOUR more giveaways to go! In the meantime, you may be able to find this book at your local library or it can be purchased on Amazon.


Now to ask you a question... Based on what you currently have in your home apothecary, garden and pantry, what recipe combinations can you whip up that would work lovely on your skin? Just to give you a head-start, calendula, yarrow, rose, lavender, chamomile, sunflower, passionflower, hibiscus, jasmine, geranium and elderflower are all beneficial for the skin. I would also love to hear some made up names for your creations! Happy wildcrafting!


18 comments:

  1. They all sound yummy for the skin!

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    1. Don't they? Thanks for taking the time to share!

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  2. I have none of those herbs on hand. Bu I will live vicariously through your posts

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    1. How sweet! :) Honestly though, if you are looking for an easy frugal way to wash your face, traditional cleansing grains consist of basic oatmeal without the flowers! I did that myself for a few years. The herbs just make it more fun! Take care Tammy!

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  3. Dear Jes!

    This looks wonderful, and achievable!! It is lovely that Karen will soon have the book!!

    I have packets of gifted dried chamomile and dried rosebuds on hand. I also have whole oats, barley and wheat that I can finely mill. I love this idea for gift giving!! Thank you very much to you and Jan for these beautiful ways!!

    As for names ..... maybe ‘cream of wheat’ ..... ‘Avena sativa chamomilla’ (haha!!) ..... ‘rose of barley’ ..

    Thank you,

    Rachel

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    1. Hi Rachel,
      I ♥️ the names you chose! Absolutely sweet. Thanks for taking the time to share my friend!

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  4. Dear JES,
    It all looks wonderful. I have tons of lavender and rose buds from my garden that are drying. Plenty of white rice and oatmeal in the pantry. Looking forward to making these with what I have on hand. Thank you for posting these lovely ideas. Blessings, Cookie

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    1. It’s such an easy little project! I hope you enjoy it! It’s nice hearing from you Cookie! ♥️

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  5. Hi JES! I am looking forward to making a few of these! I am looking about for some nice jars in order to gift them! Thanks again!! ❤

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    1. You have such a nice collection of dried florals! I know you will have a beautiful assortment! ♥️

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  6. How do you sign up for the book giveaway?

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    1. Sorry it ended last week... I’ll be doing another one soon ❤️😊

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  7. This is wonderful! I love this Blog so much thank you for sharing!
    Love and Blessings!💕💕💕

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    1. Thanks for taking the time to encourage here 💕 This little project is so sweet and simple... I hope you are able to make a few...

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  8. I so enjoyed this post! I'm allergic to oatmeal, so I replaced the oatmeal with white rice powder. So far, I've made la vie en rose (with rice) and dried yarrow and rice powder. Maybe I should call that butterfly blend? I'm going to try the lavender polish for gifts, because I have lots of friends and family who love lavender, and I have some growing in my yard.

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    1. Thanks so much for the feedback! I love ❤️ the name Butterly blend 🦋 and the lavender as gifts sounds lovely 😊

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  9. With what I have on hand, white rice, calendula flowers, rose petals, hibiscus and chamomile (from teabags), foraged plantain and yarrow, and honey or clay, not to mention plenty of milk powder, I'll be having fun experimenting 🧖🏽‍♀️💆🏽‍♀️🥰
    Butterfly Kisses 🦋 blend:
    Equal amounts of Calendula, Chamomile, Hibiscus, and Rose, mix with white rice or oats and honey (maybe it could be called Honeybee Nectar?)for normal to dry skin or mix with clay for normal to oily skin. After rinsing, spritz your face with rose or lilac hydrosol.
    I'm making a spa basket for a bridal shower gift, I think I'll add a jar of this to it.
    Thanks for the ideas 💝

    PS: they are also gluten-free in you or a recipient needs that.

    DavetteB in AK

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