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While I was waiting for some rice to cook I had the urge to mix an essential oil blend that approximates the smell of the Michigan forest I spent most of my childhood in. Some of the scents I added aren't actually found in those woods, but they balanced the scents that were found there to create something invoking memories of of my little world of forts and wandering. It has inspired a little creativity for me, so I think I'll be using it in a diffuser while I write my current book. I also posted this on my writing blog.

"Home" Essential Oil Blend

40 drops lavender
25 drops cedarwood
15 drops clary sage
10 drops fir needle
10 drops frankincense
2 drops pine

Mix all essential oils in a 5ml glass vial. Use with a carrier oil in a diffuser when you want to be transported to a northern forest.

Love Lotion #1

I love the tension-relief body lotion I made recently, but what I really wanted was something more lotiony and less buttery. The Thieves lotion I made at a craft night in December had a wonderful texture, but the scent wasn't my favorite. Since my little jar is almost gone and I found a little bottle of ylang ylang essential oil on clearance, I thought it was time to experiment with some more refreshing and less wintery scents. I reduced the butter content from my original recipe to get a softer result. Like the original recipe, it goes on a bit oilier than commercial lotions, but that oil gets absorbed into your skin and leaves it silky.

I'm not sure how to describe the scent of this lotion. It is both citrus and floral, light and sensual. I think it's perfect for Valentine's Day, especially if you're like me and not so fond of the rose and patchouli scents of most "sensual" blends. Scent preference is subjective, so you might get a different impression of this combination than I do. I started with orange and ylang ylang, but felt it needed something additional so I added a few drops of lavender for a subtle floral undertone.

Love Lotion #1

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup pure shea butter
1/3 cup almond oil (or apricot or jojoba oil)
1 tsp Vitamin E oil
15 drops orange oil
10 drops ylang ylang oil
3 drops lavender oil

This the same basic process as the Tension-Relief Body Lotion, so check out that recipe for photographic instructions.

Measure the coconut oil and shea butter in the top of a double boiler. Boil the water in the lower half until the coconut oil and shea butter are melted. Remove from heat, stir, and let cool for about 10 minutes. Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, or until partially solidified.

Stir in almond oil, Vitamin E oil, and essential oils. Whip with a hand mixer or stand mixer, scraping the sides often, until a smooth, lotion-like consistency is achieved.

Scoop the lotion into a clean glass jar and store in a cool place.

This batch made about 9oz of lotion.

Baby-Safe Vapor Rub

Commercial vapor rubs are full of things we really don't want to absorb into our bodies, ingest, or breathe in - petroleum, turpentine oil, and camphor. Additionally, these rubs are not safe for children under 2.

Since everyone in my house in congested right now, I decided I needed to make my own chest rub. Most of the recipes I found use beeswax, which was not an option for our vegan family. Many also contained oils such as peppermint and eucalyptus, which can cause laryngeal spasms in babies and toddlers. Peppermint oil can be a uterine stimulant in pregnant women when used topically or internally. Additionally, peppermint can reduce milk supply in lactating women.

This super-simple vapor rub recipe is subtly-scented, so don't expect the menthol blast you get from commercial rubs. It contains chamomile and lavender oils, which are suitable for all ages and have decongestant properties. The coconut oil melts on contact with the skin so it goes on easily. Make sure you use only pure essential oils and not perfume or potpourri oils.

Baby-Safe Vapor Rub

1/2 cup coconut oil
3-4 drops chamomile oil
3-4 drops lavender oil

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whip with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes. Spoon into a clean, dry jar and keep in a cool place.

Rub onto chest as needed and breathe deeply.

Aromatherapy Play Dough

We're still fighting illness around here. Turbokid was coughing all night, so I decided to make him some peppermint-scented play dough to help relieve the congestion. Since this made a huge batch, I split it to make nine different colors and scents. When Turbokid squeezes or kneads the dough, the scent is released.

Salt doughs and play doughs are the only thing I use bleached flour and cheap iodized salt for. The color of the dough isn't as light if I used unbleached and whole wheat is too coarse. This is a cooked dough, which has a smoother texture than no-cook doughs. Making this play dough will give you a bit of an arm workout between the stirring and kneading.

I only have five essential oils in my cabinet so far(lavender, lemon eucalyptus, chamomile, orange, and peppermint), so I experimented with coconut and vanilla extracts. The scent is more subtle with the extracts and you have to be careful not to use too much or the dough becomes sticky. You only need 2-3 drops of most essential oils to scent a ball of dough the size of a preschooler's fist.

Red - tension blend (lavender-chamomile-peppermint), natural white - vanilla extract, blue - peppermint, light purple - lavender-chamomile, orange - orange, green - lemon eucalyptus, brown - coconut extract, dark purple - lavender, yellow - chamomile

Aromatherapy Play Dough

2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 Tbsp cream of tartar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups warm water
food colorings
essential oils or extracts

Stir together flour, salt, and cream of tartar in a medium saucepan. add oil and water and mix well with a hand mixer, making sure there are no lumps.

Heat mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until the dough forms a big ball and is no longer sticky. Remove from heat and allow the dough to cool until it is cool enough to handle.

Divide dough into desired number of colors. Knead sections and roll into balls. Make a depression in the center of a dough ball and drip in food colorings and essential oils. You only need a 2-3 drops of each to start with and you can easily add more to get your desired color and level of scent. Kneed the dough ball until the colors are well incorporated. Repeat with other dough balls, scents, and colors.

Store in an air-tight container between uses.

You can use any skin-safe essential oils you like. Peppermint is good for congestion, lavender and chamomile are good for stress, and citrus is energizing.

Lavender-Lime Shortbread

These light and delicate shortbread cookies are great with tea. The lavender and lime combination may seem odd, but the flavors blend together wonderfully.

Lavender-Lime Shortbread

1/2 Tbsp dried lavender (food-grade)

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp finely grated lime zest

1/2 cup non-dairy butter, salted (I used Earth Balance)

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

fresh lime juice

Grind lavender to a coarse powder with a mortar and pestle or with a spice grinder. Stir lavender, sugar, and lime zest together in a mixing bowl. Add the softened non-dairy butter and cream the mixture together. Add flour and salt. Beat until a soft, crumbly dough forms, adding lime juice if necessary if dough is too powdery.

On a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper, form the dough into a loaf. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for an hour. 

Preheat oven to 350F. Removed dough from fridge. Cut the dough into 1/4 inch thick slices and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Let cookies cool for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely, then ice if desired. 

Makes about 18 cookies.

Icing (optional)

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp lime zest

1/2 tsp ground dried lavender

In a small mixing bowl, stir together ingredients. If the icing is too thin, add extra sugar, and if it's too thick, add more lime juice.

Spoon icing onto the cookies and let set for at least half an hour.

Tension Relief Body Lotion

Store-bought lotions and body butters contain long lists of unpronounceable ingredients and acronyms. Why expose your skin to a battalion of lab-made chemicals when you can make your own lotion at home with just a couple of natural ingredients? 

I made this lotion with an essential oil combination that sometimes helps with headaches and general tension. To test it, I put a few drops of each oil in a carrier oil and dipped a washcloth in it. I put the washcloth on my headboard last night and woke up feeling more refreshed than I have in a long time. Feel free to substitute your favorite essential oils or oil combinations for the lavender, peppermint, and chamomile. You can also alter the ratios. The ratio I gave yields a strong peppermint scent over more subtle lavender and chamomile scents.

This lotion may go on a little oilier than you are used to, but that's actually a good thing. Let the oils absorb into your skin and they will leave it super-soft. This is especially wonderful for dry winter skin and would probably feel great on the feet and covered with spa socks. The scent lingers a lot longer than commercial lotion... I can still smell it 30 minutes after rubbing it into my arms... so it is probably best applied at night unless you don't mind smelling like peppermint for a while.

Ingredients for homemade lotion.

Tension Relief Body Lotion

1 cup pure cocoa butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup almond or apricot oil
1 tsp vitamin E oil (optional)
15-20 drops lavender essential oil
15-20 drops chamomile essential oil
10-15 drops peppermint essential oil

Put the coconut oil and cocoa butter in the top of a double boiler. You made need to immerse the cocoa butter container in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to soften it so it can be scooped out easily. Melt the coconut oil and cocoa butter. Remove from heat, stir, and let cool for about 10 minutes. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes (or if it's cold outside, you can stick it on the porch).

Coconut oil and cocoa butter in my improvised double boiler.

Coconut oil and cocoa butter. 

Fully melted coconut oil and cocoa butter. It doesn't take long to melt them because of the low melting points. Coconut oil melts at 76F and cocoa butter melts at 93-100F, which is why chocolate melts in your mouth. If your home is warm (above 75F), you will start off with liquid coconut oil. Coconut oil has a low melting point, but melting it does not change its properties so it is fine to use either melted or solid.

 Stir in almond or apricot oil and essential oils. Adjust the essential oils according to your preference. Place in the refrigerator or another cool place until the mixture is partially solidified. This can take a while - about 40 minutes in the refrigerator for my batch.

Partially-solidified mixture right out of the refrigerator.

Whip with a hand-mixer or stand mixer, scraping the sides often, until a butter-like consistency is achieved. This will take several minutes, longer if the kitchen is warm. If it is still runny, return the mixture to the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes and then whip again.

Whipped for 30 seconds.

Whipped for 3-4 minutes. It now has a consistency similar to buttercream.

Scoop lotion into a clean glass jar. It may continue to set over the next 12 hours. It doesn't need to be refrigerated and won't mold because there isn't any water in it, but it should be kept in a cool place. This batch made 2.5-3 cups of whipped lotion, enough to completely fill an old pickle jar.

Finished lotion. 

Notes: The thickness of this lotion can vary depending on temperature and oil content. The first batch I made in December has a thinner texture more like a commercial lotion. The batch I made today set up thicker, more like a body butter. It may seem a little thick, but your body temperature will melt it.

The essential oils can be replaced with any skin-safe essential oils you choose. Amount needed will vary depending on scent strength of the oil. An unscented lotion can also be made by leaving out the essential oils. The lotion will still carry a faint aroma of chocolate and coconut.

Shea butter can be used instead of cocoa butter. Mango butter might also work, but I haven't experimented with it because of Turbokid's allergy.

I don't own a double boiler or a stand mixer, so this became an exercise in hand-mixer endurance. The whipping is very easy with a stand mixer since you can just turn it on and scrape down the sides on occasion. I improvised a double boiler by placing a Pyrex bowl over a saucepan containing about two inches of water. If you do this, make sure the boiling water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl and let the bowl cool before chilling it. Thermal shock is nothing you want to play with.