Cooool Twistin' Summer Shower Gel

Cooool Twistin' Summer Shower Gel

Peppermint

After pouring rain waterlogged our festive long  weekend, Montreal woke up Monday morning to a beautiful hot summer day. Figures! Anyway, I have found a new recipe for the summer that is a slight twist, the peppermint twist, on my all-natural non-toxic biodegradable shower gel. I  made some this weekend and tried it this morning. Very cool!

In addition to having a cooling effect, peppermint is said to work as an antiseptic, aid digestion and alleviate stress, exhaustion and depression. I can't attest to all those things, but I can say that it does make you feel immediately cooler. For further reading on the health benefits click here. For contraindications click here.

Although some people may find the initial smell overpowering, the scent quickly fades after the shower gel is rinsed off. Instead of adding almond oil this time, I used grapeseed oil, which is much lighter. After all, no one wants a heavy oil on their skin on a hot day.

Here's the recipe:

The following ingredients can all be found a your local health food store.

Remember all shower gels must have a surfactant, emulsifier, emollient, preservative and humectant)
1/4 cup (125 ml) of peppermint liquid castile soap (Surfactant)
1/4 cup (125 ml) of aloe vera gel (Emulsifier, Emollient and Preservative) Aloe Vera also acts as a thickener. If you like your shower gel thicker just add more. Psst...buy the drinkable kind. It works better and is CHEAPER!
1 teaspoon of glycerin (Humectant and Emulsifier)
1/4 cup (125 ml) of grapeseed oil (Emollient)

Remember Dr. Bronner's liquid peppermint soap can also be used as toothpaste.Check out the website.  Just think! You can get your mouth washed out without even saying "fuck!"






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Lucie's Zesty Tester
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DIY: Moisturizer and Shampoo
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Almonds: Perfect Recipe For Dry Skin

Almonds: Perfect Recipe For Dry Skin

In some recent experimentation, I tried some Dr. Bonner's Almond castile soap along with sweet almond oil in a shower gel, and the results were great, particularly for dry skin. Depending on your skin type, you may not even need to use a moisturizer after your shower.

Although I added just a few drops of lemon and grapefruit essential oil to the mix, the overall scent was almondy, so I would suggest you add more than a few drops to smell those citrus notes. If you like the almond scent and decide to save your essential oils for an occasion when they will be better appreciated I suggest you forego the grapefruit because the lemon still acts as a preservative, extending the shelf-life of your shower gel.

The following non-toxic biodegradable ingredients can all be found at your local health food store:


Shower Gel
1/4 cup (125 ml) of Almond liquid castile soap
1/4 cup (125 ml) of aloe vera gel. If you like a thicker consistency add more aloe vera.
1 teaspoon of glycerin
1/4 cup (125 ml) of sweet almond oil
Several drops of lemon essential oil (Preservative)
Several drops of grapefruit essential oil (Anti-oxidant)

Mix it all together and put it in a sterilized squeeze bottle. This recipe should give you enough shower gel to last about a month. If there is a noticeable change in the scent then your gel has surpassed its best before date and should be discarded.

Related posts:
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Lucie's Zesty Tester

Lucie's Zesty Tester

Last night, we were Christmas shopping at the Salon des métiers d'art, a huge annual arts and crafts fair at Place Bonaventure, and I was telling friends Lucie and Carine about the shower gel I made. Lucie had taken my post about the toxins in commercial cosmetics to heart, even going so far as to print the David Suzuki Foundation's wallet-size dirty dozen list and carry it around with her. As we started reading labels on cosmetics at the Dans un Jardin display, Lucie expressed an interest in trying some of my shower gel. (Mr. Burns...excellent!)

Lucie is the best person for giving feedback, and I know that she will give it to me straight without any social filters to make her comments more palatable, which is what I prefer. I cringe at the thought of having friends peek out from behind the curtains as I walk up their front step. "Oh, here she comes...Listen..T-tell her that the gel was wonderful," says one. "You mean that stuff we threw out?" asks the other. Anyway...

Without getting too technical, I want to explain the five essential classes of ingredients needed in a skin care cleaning product:

1) Emollients: They protect the skin from dryness and act as a healing agent.
2) Humectants: They keep your skin moist and draw in moisture from the air.
3) Emulsifiers: They hold all the products together that don't usually mix. Sometimes instead of using an emulsifier, you're simply instructed to shake the product before using.
4) Surfactants: These are used to break down oils and separate them from dirt.
5) Preservatives: They extend the life of the product.

Source: Natural Skin Care Authority

The following is the recipe for the shower gel that I have been using for the past month. I think it's great, but I'd like another opinion. The scent is fresh, clean and lemony, but it doesn't linger after you rinse.

Shower Gel
1/4 cup (125 ml) of castile liquid soap (Surfactant)
1/4 cup (125 ml) of aloe vera gel (Emulsifier, Emollient and Preservative) Aloe Vera also acts as a thickener.
1 teaspoon of glycerin (Humectant and Emulsifier)
1/4 cup (125 ml) of sweet almond oil (Emollient)
A few drops of lemon essential oil (Preservative and Scent)
A few drops of ylang ylang essential oil, which is a recommended mix with lemon. (Scent)

Pssst...ylang ylang is apparently an aphrodisiac. Do you think I should tell her? Read all about the properties of essential oils ylang ylang here and lemon here.

All these ingredients were purchased at the Tau health food store on St. Denis. I have used a reusable plastic beverage container with an easy to pour spout. Not glamorous, but this is just a tester. I should also mention that the quantity I made will last about six weeks, which is how long it will be good for. It obviously doesn't have the same shelf life as a commercial brand. Apparently, you can tell if your shower gel is no longer usable if there is a noticeable difference in scent.

Related posts:
Update: DIY Cosmetics
DIY: Moisturizer and Shampoo
Cosmetics: the Dirty Dozen
DIY: Home Spa Salt Scrub
Dirty Dozen in my Personal Care Products
Living Downstream by Sandra Steingraber
Airing our Dirty Laundry
The Mile End Buzz around Beekeeping



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