Beauty and Makeup Unit Study

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December 1, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

I have three daughters.

In this complicated world we live in, I feel like I’m constantly doing battle to balance the forces of good and evil in how I raise them to love themselves.

Sure, we could go to the extreme of looking like we live in an episode of Little House on the Prairie and that might be easier sometimes. But it’s not me.

My girls are naturally kind and modest. They are beautiful on the inside and outside. They have good genes.

But I want them to learn about good skincare. I want them to learn how and when to apply makeup well.

I teach my kids that our skin is a powerful filtering organ and if it’s upset, then we have to heal ourselves from the inside – with food and rest.

I want my daughters to know that there’s so much more than makeup and clothes and a pretty face.

I wish I had had better education as a teen when it came to a beauty routine. I educated myself with Glamour and Redbook magazines, which left a lot of questions unanswered, and even though they were a bit tamer in the ’80s than the magazines are now, they were hyper-sexualized. I learned styling techniques but not much about heart beauty.

This unit study teaches about inner beauty, skincare, and makeup application. It includes fun and simple recipes to make at home for cleansing and moisturizing. Also, some resources for best colors to wear for different skin tones, hair, and eye colors.

Here’s our favorite resources.

Great books about powerful ladies:

Our favorite movies about strong girls:

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Download my FREE Beauty and Makeup Unit Study:

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Homemade Hair Spray

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May 22, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 4 Comments

I seldom use products in my hair.

I have a teen daughter and she’s been begging me to find a way to make a natural hairspray for some of her parties and events.

Have you read the labels on hairspray?

We strive for a chemical-free home, and I have to provide great natural alternatives to the commercial beauty and personal care products out there.

And most commercial hair sprays are bad for the environment, especially the aerosol sprays.

My daughter complained of choking on all the hair spray applied on her at a salon for an updo and when she was getting done up backstage for a play. She has lots and lots of thick hair and going hairspray-free isn’t an option for her to hold some styles.

Here’s a simple hair spray that held my daughter’s hair so well and smelled great – with no chemicals!

Homemade Hairspray | https://www.jenniferalambert.com/

Hair Spray Recipe

Essentials:

2 cups boiling water (I used my water cooker)
2-3 T white sugar
1-2 T vodka or isopropyl alcohol (I wonder: would witch hazel work?)
10 drops essential oil (I love Citrus, Rosemary, or Bergamot or Ylang Ylang– something fun or floral)

Optional Additions:

1-2 T juice of orange (for dark hair) or lemon (for light hair)
1/4 c aloe vera juice

Dissolve the sugar in the water.

After cooling, mix in the vodka and essential oil.

Add juice if using.

Pour into a sprayer bottle and enjoy!

I misted my daughter’s hair before hot rollers, and then liberally spritzed the rollers to set. She had gorgeous waves!

Her hair definitely felt like it had hairspray in it, but smelled great and wasn’t sticky. I could run my fingers through it. It didn’t hold up the whole evening, but her hair doesn’t hold a curl super well. I think it would hold an updo just fine.

Homemade hair spray saves money, protects the environment, and makes your hair healthier!

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Homemade Hair Wax

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March 17, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

My son has been bugging me for months to make him some hair gel. I scanned Pinterest and researched recipes. Simple is best. I think this solid hair wax is better than gel for what he wants: “I want my hair up, Mama!”

Alex is super happy with the result!

I put a glass jar in a pot of water, cuz who has time for a double boiler?

Add beeswax. You want this melted absolutely molten or it won’t be smooth. I messed up on my sunscreen recipe because I didn’t do that. So it’s a little bumpy.

Then add shea butter to the molten beeswax.

I took the jar out of the water and added jojoba.

I mixed it with a wooden stick and added essential oils. It hardened in my cold kitchen pretty quickly.

Hair Wax Recipe

1 ounce beeswax
1 1/2 ounces shea butter
2 ounces jojoba oil
10-20 drops of your favorite essential oils

Directions:

Melt beeswax in a glass jar in a pot of water or double boiler. Add shea butter and melt. Add jojoba. Add essential oil. When it cools, it will solidify.

Great essential oils for hair:

Rosemary, peppermint, chamomile, copaiba, cypress, and sandalwood are great for dry hair.

Basil, melaleuca, lemongrass, lavender, patchouli, eucalyptus, myrtle, and citrus (lime, lemon, orange) are great for oily hair. Citrus could lighten hair in direct sunlight so take care.

Rosemary, cedarwood, geranium, lavender, copaiba, and hinoki are good for hair loss. (I know some people mix these in a spray bottle with distilled water and spritz their heads daily!)

Melaleuca and eucalyptus are especially helpful with dandruff.

I scoop some wax and rub it with my fingers into his hair and style it. Just look at his little faux hawk. He is so stylish!

Alex only wanted orange oil in his hair wax. He loves the scent of orange!

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Homemade Face Serum

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November 12, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 6 Comments

I LOVE using essential oils in my beauty routine.

I don’t like all the chemicals in commercial beauty products.

My teen daughters and I typically use coconut oil and some essential oils after morning cleansing.

When we want something with a little more moisture and nourishment, we add several essential oils to a blend of nourishing carrier oils.

Here’s the recipe for my favorite face oil:

1 oz. Sweet Almond Oil (Hydrates, brightens, reduces fine lines and wrinkles. Use another carrier oil if you’re allergic to tree nuts!)
3 Tsp. Vitamin E Oil (Nourishes. Antioxidant that protects and repairs your skin.)
3 Tsp. Castor Oil (Moisturizes and stimulates lash growth. Reduces puffiness and helps eliminate wrinkles and scars.)
5-7 drops Frankincense essential oil
3 drops Lemon essential oil
3-5 drops Lavender essential oil
1 Evening Primrose Oil capsule (Hydrates the skin and increases circulation. Also reduces inflammation and clears pores.)

Mix the carrier oils together in a dark glass bottle (I typically use a dropper bottle). Puncture the Evening Primrose Oil capsule and squirt it in. Add essential oils. Attach dropper lid and mix gently.

Apply every night all over face (especially the sensitive and thin eyelids!), neck, and décolleté before going to bed.

It smells heavenly and nourishes the skin.

Here is another option that can suit your skin’s needs:

Nourish from Within Sacred Body Oil

1 oz (30 ml) vanilla-infused jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis)
6 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
4 drops Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)
3 drops Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens)
2 drops Rose (Rosa × damascena)

Experiment. Have fun. Smell great! Have gorgeous skin.

(Be aware of any nut or other allergies when you choose carrier oils.)

Pick a Carrier Oil:

Carrier oils for Normal skin: Almond, Hazelnut, Apricot kernel, Jojoba, Evening Primrose
Carrier oils for Dry skin: Almond, Olive oil, Apricot kernel, Soy bean, Avocado, Wheatgerm, Jojoba, Carrot, Evening Primrose
Carrier oils for Oily skin: Almond, Hazelnut, Apricot kernel, Grapeseed, Jojoba
Carrier oil for Mature skin: Almond, Hazelnut, Apricot kernel, Wheatgerm, Evening Primrose, Carrot, Rosehip, Pomegranate, Borage

Pick the Best Essential Oils for Your Skin Type and the Scents You Love:

Essential oils for Normal skin: German Chamomile, Lemon, Geranium, Fennel, Lavender, Jasmine, Rose, Neroli, Frankincense, Carrot Seed
Essential oils for Dry skin: German Chamomile, Lavender, Calendula, Sandalwood, Geranium, Patchouli, Rose, Rosemary, Neroli
Essential oils for Oily skin: Cedarwood, Geranium, Clary Sage, Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Lemon, Peppermint, Frankincense, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Juniper, Grapefruit, Rosemary, Neroli
Essential oils for Mature skin: Rose, Geranium, Myrrh, Patchouli, Lavender, Citrus, Frankincense, Neroli, Fennel, Clary Sage, Sage, Cypress, Sandalwood

I see an improvement in my skin texture and clarity, especially as winter approaches with its cold air, drying wind, and indoor central heating.

What are your favorite scents?

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Homemade Sunscreen

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March 31, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 13 Comments

It’s ironic to make sunscreen when it’s snowing outside. The end of March and we get snow all day long! I am getting depressed with winter.

I long for sunny days and warmer temperatures and the need for sunscreen! I’m preparing and wishfully thinking.

I love the scent and texture of this natural homemade sunscreen.

It works great, smells great, moisturizes, doesn’t break our skin out, and doesn’t have any of those nasty unpronouncable ingredients.

It’s pretty water-resistant too.

Water Resistant Sunscreen Recipe:

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Coconut Oil (natural SPF of 10+)
1/4 cup Beeswax (try to get some locally for even more health benefits!) This makes it water-resistant.
2 Tablespoons Zinc Oxide powder (natural SPF of 20+)
1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil (I love the scent of this stuff!)
2 Tablespoons Shea Butter (natural SPF of 5+)
40-50 drops of Essential Oils (I use about 10 drops each of Lavender, Helichrysum, Myrrh, Roman Chamomile, Carrot Seed)

Melt the oils (except vitamin E and essential oils) over medium heat in a double boiler or in a glass jar and fill the pot halfway up the side of your jar with water. Stir with a wooden spoon. I sometimes just use a disposable plastic spoon or even wooden chopstick! I typically don’t use metal spoons when dealing with essential oils in case they react.

Let the oil mixture cool to almost room temperature, but not yet solidified, then add the vitamin E oil, zinc oxide, and essential oils. After an hour or so, it will solidify to a nice creamy lotion. If you keep it really chilled, you could put this into pretty shaped molds and have a lotion bar.

I found this glass jar in the container section of Walmart. Craft stores have a nice selection too. I love pretty glass jars with good sealable lids!

This homemade natural sunscreen has at least 30 SPF with the essential oils and all those natural ingredients! It smells amazing and is good for your skin – with no scary chemicals. I have so many friends and family members who are allergic to commercial sunscreens and they have to be really careful when they go out on sunny days. With this, they won’t have to worry so much! And it smells great and doesn’t leave our skin greasy.

We do have to reapply this a bit more often than commercial sunscreens if we’re spending the whole day at a pool or beach.

TAN ENHANCER: You need the sun’s exposure, but not to the point of burning. Try this simple recipe to nourish your skin with healthy oils, while resisting some of the harmful UV rays. As always, use care and common sense with the amount of time your skin is exposed to the sun. RECIPE: Mix 6 T coconut oil with 1 T sesame oil. Rub into the skin. According to Sue Frederick, author of A Mother’s Guide to Raising Healthy Children, sesame oil resists 30% of UV rays while coconut oil blocks out about 20%. Info has not been evaluated by the FDA.

Want a super quick 3-ingredient sunscreen?

4-5 oz Your favorite natural lotion
1-2 T Zinc Oxide
12-15 drops Carrot Seed essential oil

Also, check out my natural bug spray recipe!

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Homemade Lotion

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March 20, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

My initial introduction to essential oils was to help my eldest daughter with her dry skin. It was suggested I help her from the inside out, so we changed our diet. I bought a healthy digestion oil blend and saw instant results.

There are many additives in skin care products and soaps that often exacerbate dry skin conditions. Check your labels!

After trial and error, we had to eliminate many products and get natural personal care products instead.

My natural hand balm can help dry skin.

Dry Skin Remedies | https://www.jenniferalambert.com/

Essential Oils we’ve tried to help with dry skin: Cypress, Copaiba, Frankincense, Lavender, Myrrh, Roman Chamomile, Rose, Geranium

Melaleuca oil blend mixed with coconut oil was our best result for this time and place for our daughter.

Of course, I don’t recommend using all of these oils and products at once! Just start with one or a few and see what helps or smells great to you.

We recently made some hand balm with essential oils.

I made Tori a big jar of melaleuca hand balm since her hands are like sandpaper in our dry Utah winters. She feels special with her own jar of hand cream.

Recipe:

Melt in a mason jar in a pot of jar or double boiler:

1/2 c coconut oil
1/4 c shea butter
1-2 tablespoons of cocoa butter

Then mix in some vitamin E and essential oils before it goes back to a solid. I like my stand mixer to whip it good.

I used melaleuca, frankincense, and lavender but there are many essential oils with benefits for our skin!

You can also whip the melted carrier oils in a stand mixer for a fluffy texture. As they cool down, the lotion will retain the air and feel silky.

Eat your way to healthy skin!

We eat nourishing, healthy proteins and fats like gelatin, collagen, liver, and cod liver oil. I take a supplement for specifically for healthy skin.

We’ve tried limiting wheat and dairy because we’ve learned it can have negative effects on skin, but my husband and Tori don’t have skin issues with it. If they overdo it, their moods are affected.

Sources: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19134433

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.