4 DIY Beauty Recipes for Beginners

I am a stay-at-home person. I am not a house-wife because I don’t really do house-wifey things. I am not a stay-at-home mother because well…I’m not pregnant. I am a good old fashioned stay-at home person.

This is not entirely true. I started a new job last week doing therapy with adolescents and youth. However it's only a few days week. 

My previous job that was described as a “40 hour a week job”  turned into a "50 hour a week job" after one month and then finally after two months turned into a "1929486930 hours a week type job" because of all the space it took up in my brain. I was burned out, low on energy and had friends calling me, Umm…are we still friends?

Needless to say the 3 weeks I took off to recover from said job were very much needed.I needed to be a stay-at-home-maybe-in-bed-person And now even with a job I still find large lapses of time and space where I am not sure what to do. Leaving my job challenged me to let go of exhaustion as status symbol and productivity as a measure of my self-worth. (Yay Brene Brown!) However I did not want boredom to turn into my new status symbol or how many books I could buy and read off of amazon to be a measure of my self-worth either.

So I have had some extra time. Therefore I have been making some DIY organic beauty products. It has actually been really fun and much easier than I suspected! I am definitely a rookie with this stuff. One of my friends, who graciously let me fall off the face of the earth during my "1929486930 hours a week job", introduced me to these products when I went up to LA to visit her end of April. She told me about these recipes that are all-natural and toxin-free.

I am not one to follow directions or recipes or rules for that matter. I don’t like recipes that have a million ingredients because I lose motivation if there are too many. I am also not one to think that everything is giving me toxins (which everything probably is and that’s really scary… so deep breath) However I am one to be drawn to self-care practices, healthy remedies and beauty products that smell good.

Here is what I have made recently:

DIY Dry Shampoo:

1/4 cup cornstarch

5 drops of your favorite essential oil (I used lavender naturally)

Old make-up brush

*You can also add Cocoa Powder if you have darker hair

DIY Sweet Orange & Honey Shampoo

1/2 cup Castile soap

1 cup raw honey

3/4-2 teaspoons Sweet Orange essential oil

DIY Nurturing Hair Oil:

5 drops Rosemary essential oil

2 drops Lavender essential oil

1 tbsp Joboba Oil

DIY Eye Make-Up Remover:

2 ounces of Witch Hazel

2 ounces of Olive Oil

I have had fun making these! I have also had fun leaving my stay-at-home- person behind and becoming an annoying-costumer-at-target-person. At the end of my Target run a total of 5 clerks/employees/pharmacists had tried to find me Witch Hazel. The first two young guys I asked snickered and looked at me like I was a Disney girl looking for her nemesis in a witch whose ethnicity was hazel. The 3rd person stated it was near the alcohol. The pharmacist said to look for it near the band-aids... This was making sense…. Finally the last person who helped me was a woman, closer to my age and seemed in touch with reality. However she led me to a cream that was used   to heal anus sores. "Sorry, this is all we have", she said, as if she had found what I was looking for and that it just wasn't the "brand" I was looking for. Side-note: when it comes to butt wounds, I think you should be picky about brands.

In the end I did find the Witch Hazel, but I did it alone. When it came time to find Corn Starch I didn't ask anyone. If you want any help though feel free to comment with questions!

Steal Like A Daughter: 7 Things My Parents Taught Me I Intend To Run Off With.

I am not an actual thief, however I think I would be a good one. Mainly because I am both sneaky, innocent looking and a high risk taker. Growing up my parents taught me things I plan to take with me into my future. Below are those "things"

1. Dogs Are The Best Pets And The Best Kind Of Friends 

            I will always remember getting my first dog in 3rd grade. My dad took us out of town to a little house that had a litter of full breed black Labradors. My dad knelt before all the puppies and the one that came forward boldly and full of excitement we took home. I was obsessed with Charnie (we named her this Russian name as it means black). I wrote a whole book on Charnie complete with pictures I drew. My parents lamented it as they were so proud of my first book. I thought they practically published it for me! Charnie was like my adopted black haired sister. She would sleep next to my bed during thunderstorms, she would run with me on endless dirt road roads as I trained for track in school,  she would bounce up and down upon my coming home arrival, she would come as soon as I called for her out of desperation when I was home alone and would bark like she was going to rip stranger danger's throat out (though she never actually would). She never lied and had the worst poker face. Sometimes her face just looked full of guilt and then I would know…she found my chocolate stash... and ate all of it…

2. Eating Well Is Important

            Since my dad is a diabetic my mom always cooked really healthy for us growing up. I was the kid who brought the sack lunch with carrots and cucumbers and whole wheat bread while my friends munched on fruit roll ups, Cheetos, white bread and oh Lunchables…nothing made me more jealous than Lunchables! In hindsight I am very grateful my mom cared more about giving me what I needed nutritionally so I would have the energy my growing body craved, more than what my friends thought. 

3. You Can Always Be Thrifty

            Growing up we always had enough money. However we rarely went out to eat or went to the theater. We shopped at thrift stores. We bought things on sale. We went to farmer's markets and cut down our own (free!) Christmas tree on our land. We played cards or went on nature walks. My parents saved often so we could go on family vacations where entertainment was seen as special and not just the usual. I think being thrifty can always be hip. Scott and I work hard to do thrifty activities as entertainment. We never pass up a forgotten penny on the sidewalk.  I am grateful that I was taught to use my imagination and within that developed a world of creative ideas. I realized the best ideas are not bought or shopped for, they're already inside of me and the people I care about. 

4. Never Underestimate The Power Of Nature 

            I was taught to recycle, never litter, and to give back to nature. My parents encouraged us to play outside rather than inside. At times, I'll think back to the land we lived on and realize that nature is my favorite type of amusement park. It was full of trails, water, wildlife, secret spots, places to hide for capture the flag and flashlight tag. We picked berries for ice-cream from mulberry bushes and had a large garden. Today I am sincerely grateful to be living in San Diego where it’s sunny almost every day and I can get my fill of vitamin D by stepping outside of the office for even a half hour. Over the holidays I love going home to the Midwest where I get my fill of snow and freezing temperatures while enjoying nature’s beautiful seasons.

5. Reading Is A Hobby For All Ages 

            From the time I was little my parents read to me every night before bed. We read Dr. Seuss, Berenstein Bears, and Corduroy. I would fantasize about staying at a mall all night or growing up in a tree house. As far as buying goes my parent’s “soft spot” was always books. Whatever books we put down on our Christmas list we would usually unwrap under the tree. I would often wake up to my parents reading with morning coffee, and as I got older and stayed up later would find them reading before bed. Now Scott and I read to each other and love sharing quotes from our favorite books. As I started  therapy with at-risk and low-income adolescents I realized what a rare treasure it was to be able to read anything and everything. I often read to my clients in session inspirational stories or classic tales as many of them did not grow up being read to. Research shows that reading boosts the brain pathways. Readers are said to listen better, and process speech faster. Research is showing that kids who have lived in “enriched environments” where reading was present have thinner cortexes later in life. Thinner cortexes have been linked with higher intelligence! I am so grateful my parents saw the importance of creating an environment of reading. Okay, now I will get off my soap box!

6. Siblings Are Lifers 

            My parents always taught me to get along with my younger sisters. They taught us to share, to say “I’m sorry” and to be inclusive. My parents told me we could be best friends. I watched both my parents plan trips with their siblings. I watched their loyalty and love to their brothers and sisters. It made me think that no matter where my sisters and I ended up someday we would always be close. Today, this is so true as my sisters are my best friends and my biggest cheerleaders and greatest fans. I really improved on sharing too. Although as I got older it was more exciting to share clothes than toys. Now when my sisters come to visit we can’t wait to swap clothes.

 I may have bought this dog for my sister's birthday and then traded her for my old weird dog to have the new one….

 Apparently some things never change, I'm still stealing my sister's gifts….

7. Road Trippers Rock

            I grew up taking road trips everywhere. And by everywhere I mean everywhere. From Nebraska we drove to Tennessee to Virginia. We drove from Nebraska to Alaska (plus a little boat ride) From Montana we walked to Canada. I drove to Minnesota to California. I have been to 40 of the 50 states and that is not because of airports that is because of driving. My parents would take us on long road trips on our Christmas breaks, spring breaks and summer vacations. It is some of my favorite memories. My sisters and I would sit in the back and read or write and talk about the strangest and most random things to pass the time. We would play the alphabet game as a family, hang-man, and “going on a picnic” game. We would make goals and stop at funny gas stations and creative rest stops. We would try different kinds of food and coffee. As a child I hated getting up early and today I STILL hate getting up early. The only time in the world I actually I enjoy getting up early is when I am going on a road trip. I will get up at any hour to go on a trip. Scott and I have started getting up at 3:30am to make it up to Yosemite for Thanksgiving from San Diego and it something I look forward to for months. Thanks to my parents for fostering an adventurous and traveling spirit in me.

One of our first vacations to San Diego from Nebraska. We stayed at beautiful Sea Port Village. 

* Disclaimer: My parents taught me a lot of other things that are not listed above such as how to count and the alphabet. They also introduced me to Jesus. However I don’t need to steal Jesus because Jesus shares! J

Giving

San Diego has skipped winter this year. We experienced the worst drought California has seen in the past 100 years which has caused the lack of vegetation and all the fires. However one blissful weekend it rained all weekend long.

The wind blew causing all the leaves to fall off the branches and coat our courtyard inside our apartment complex with a carpet of foliage.

There were puddles everywhere and streams of water running down the streets. I even heard thunder. As a former Midwest girl this is a novelty now that I live in San Diego. It was a truly beautiful sound. Scott and I decided to start on a 1500 piece puzzle of Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night. It is still in the works on our kitchen table. It more than just a "rainy day" puzzle. It's a "rainy month" and then some type puzzle. As the rain let up I decided to go on a walk that afternoon as I always do after a rain. Scott stayed home and worked on the puzzle since he has more patience for such things than I do. After a rain I feel an intense need to go out and find what rain has done to my surroundings, to nature, to my neighborhood and see what it has revealed.

In church we have been talking about giving. Scott and I have tried to become more intentional about praying for our neighborhood and asking God to show us how we can bless those near to us. Growing up I didn't live in a neighborhood. I lived out on the country on 30+ acres. I found solace and adventure in the space and freedom I had on this land. I had forests and trees to climb, rolling hills to run down and sled on and a pond to fish in. I had a fort, a canoe, and a fence to climb over. There were endless trails and endless possibilities out in the wilderness for me as a kid. I want to think about my neighborhood like that now. There is beautify to be found everywhere. Now instead of a forest and cows as my neighbors I have nail salons, the post office, bars, coffee shops, books stores and antique stores. There are beautiful faces and barking dogs and (sometimes honking horns) and the smell of coffee beans roasting. There are sidewalks and houses, yards, flowers, churches and there are still trees but I avoid climbing my neighbor's trees.There are spaces and places and lives that feel lost and alone.

         Scott and I haven’t done anything extravagant in our neighborhood. We have just tried to greet our baristas by name. I make eye contact with the people who do my nails and ask them about their kids. We talk to our neighbors about the weather. We try to make sure to tip well. We pray for the houses we pass on our walks.  It hasn’t been all Sesame Street. One day I was driving home and was waiting for a man to cross the street before I turned left onto my street. The big green truck behind me was in a hurry and honked at me. I was in no mood after a long day of work and a stressful meeting. I threw my hands in the air at said truck and seriously considered flipping this person off. Weirdly enough this truck followed me onto my street, onto my alley and into MY parking lots. Waittttt…..this person was my neighbord?!! She got out of her car and I got out of mine awkwardly and we both headed to the door to get inside our gate. She apologized to me and said she was in a hurry. I explained to her I was waiting for a man to walk across the street. Silence. It was painfully uncomfortable as we both walked to our apartments. This is the reality of living a human life when you pull back the curtains of the glamorous life real people don’t actually live.

I want people to see Jesus in me and I want them to experience this generous, irresistible and warm light. I am trusting that little acts of giving in our neighborhood are beautiful even if small. Some days it comes more naturally than others and other days I just want to flip people off.

At the risk of sounding too cheesy I am trusting that the time and prayers we put in on our ordinary days will create something stunning and extraordinary in the future. I pray the small pieces create a big work of art.  Hopefully like our never-ending puzzle J