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Erica:
I have always had very blemished skin and I'm 26, it's still happening.
The closest thing to helping it is Mary Kay products (all oily/blemish
prone formulas) but lately even those aren't working. (I'm pregnant
right now too.) What remedy do you suggest and how do I make it?
Thanks! I'm willing to try just about anything at this point.
Janice:
Erica, pregnancy
puts your hormones into overdrive and can cause all sorts of changes
to your skin and hair - Women with clear skin suddenly breakout
while others with troubled complexions enjoy clear skin!? I would
keep your skin clean and well moisturized and you may want to
try a weekly facial mask. Strawberries are perfect for acne prone
skin because they contain a large amount of salicylic acid - a
popular ingredient in many acne preparations. Simply mash a few
berries and spread on your face or mix with some sour cream for
a more moisturizing mask. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes then rinse
with warm water. Remember to use a rich moisturizer and use a
sunscreen when outdoors.
Maureen:
I have a problem with dry, itchy scalp. My doctor prescribed Nizoral
shampoo, but now that I'm pregnant, I've stopped using it. What
can I use on my scalp to keep the itchiness away? Thanks!
Janice:
Maureen, Have
you tried a conditioning hair pack? Remember, your scalp is basically
an extension of your face and it too needs extra moisture and
conditioning every now and then. Rather than trying to dry it
out further with harsh shampoos - which causes more flakiness
- try a little TLC and some added moisture. Some good conditioning
hair packs to try are honey, eggs, avocado, and sour cream. Massage
a few tablespoons into your scalp before shampooing and let sit
for 15 to 20 minutes - you can wrap your hair in a warm towel
or plastic wrap for extra conditioning. Then rinse with warm water
and follow up with your favorite shampoo and conditioner.
Gwen:
I need a good hair conditioner. Either leave in or wash out. My
hair is thick and naturally curly and also naturally dry. Plus
I dye it and that makes it worse. Also something I can put in
to tame the frizziness but enhance the curls. All the store stuff
leaves my hair crumbly or greasy looking. Also where can we go
online to buy the ingredients for your recipes? We have a store
here in town that sells a lot of the stuff, but they are VERY
expensive.
Janice:
Gwen, here
is a recipe from Natural
Beauty at Home for a good general purpose Hair conditioner.
I use this one once a week before I shampoo and leave it on my
hair for 15 to 20 minutes. If you cannot find almond or avocado
oil simply substitute with light olive oil.
Perfect
Hair Conditioner
1 teaspoon almond oil
1 teaspoon avocado oil
1-teaspoon olive oil
1 egg yolk
1-tablespoon honey
1-tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Mix
all the ingredients together and stir thoroughly. Massage into
your hair and scalp. Wrap your hair in plastic wrap or use a plastic
shower cap and leave the conditioner on your hair for 15 minutes.
Shampoo your hair as usual and rinse well. Yield: 2 ounces, enough
for 1 treatment
Many of the
ingredients in my books you should be able to get at the grocery
store or natural food store. You may want to search online under
the ingredient you are looking for.
Maria:
I am a high risk pregnancy case... just getting pregnant this
time was a miracle. Since I have to be careful about medications
I take, could you suggest as a relaxing bath tea that will help
with back ache. Thanks for your help.
Janice:
Maria, I would use bath salts. You can make a relaxing muscle
soak using equal parts sea salt, Epsom salts, and baking soda.
Add approximately ½ cup to a warm bath and stir well. If you are
extremely sensitive you may want to avoid strong scents and colored
products.
Analise:
Janice, I have fresh lavender growing in my yard and I love the
scent. Do your recipes in your book include something to do with
fresh lavender, or will I need to buy lavender oil? I'd love to
do something wonderful with this since I have it at arms reach.
Thank you!
Janice:
Lavender is
one of my favorite plants and I too have several varieties growing
in my own yard. In all my books I always feature recipes using
lavender. One of my favorites is for a bath my daughter created
in Natural
Beauty for All Seasons. "Lauren's Lavender Bath" which is
simply a quarter cup of fresh or dried lavender added to a warm
bath - very relaxing at the end of a hectic day.
Ann:
My 13 year old son suffers from eczema. He gets little dry patches
all over his arms and legs, he has had two patches on both of
his knees since last summer and on the inside of his elbows. I
have tried every prescription and OTC remedy available to mankind,
but nothing seems to work. Any ideas? Thanks, Ann
Janice:
Ann, have you tried oatmeal? Oatmeal is extremely soothing to
individuals with eczema. You can create a soothing body scrub
using ground oatmeal (simply grind in a coffee grinder or food
processor) and water - mix into a paste and massage into damp
skin then add ½ cup to a warm bath a soak for 10-15 minutes -
do not use too hot of water as this can be drying to sensitive
skin. Then make sure you use a mild body lotion or natural oil
such as light sesame or almond oil.
Elizabeth:
Do you grow some of your own ingredients? What are the easiest
herbs or plants to grow that would be handy to have on hand to
make some of your recipes?
Janice:
Elizabeth, yes, I love to garden and herb plants are some of my
favorites because they actually thrive when neglected - perfect
for a busy gardener. I love any mint - especially chocolate mint,
lavender, sage, rosemary, thyme, calendula, and parsley. These
all can be grown in the ground or in a container and many varieties
come back year after year. Herbs also love to be picked so watch
-- the more you use the more you will have!
Barb:
Is it better to use glass containers or plastic bottles (or something
else) for the things we create from your books? And where would
I purchase containers?
Janice:
Barb, both glass and plastic work well - it really is a matter
of personal choice and how the products are going to be used.
For gift giving I usually always use pretty glass bottles - but
for shower or bath product I use plastic, as they are much safer
and do not break if dropped. I love to use recycled jars and bottles
- some of my favorites are colored water bottles, salad dressing
containers, and plastic sport drink bottles with the spout style
tops.
Joan:
Janice, do you have a good recipe for something natural to use
on diaper rash?
Janice:
Yes, Joan,
In Natural
Beauty from the Garden I have a whole section of children's
products. Here is the recipe for "Diaper Cream:"
Diaper
Cream
2 tablespoons soy lecithin
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon apricot kernel oil
¼ teaspoon vitamin E oil
½ cup distilled water
Mix
together the lecithin, coconut oil, apricot kernel oil, and vitamin
E oil. Heat this mixture gently until the coconut oil is liquefied.
Gently heat the water until it is roughly the same temperature
as the oil mixture. Pour the lecithin mixture into a blender and
start stirring. Slowly add the warm water and blend on high until
the mixture is thick and creamy. Pour the cream into a clean container
and allow it to cool completely, stirring occasionally. To use:
apply a small amount on to your baby's clean bottom before diapering.
Yield: 6-ounces
Elaine:
I finally have a yard and place to grow herbs. I would like to
grow some kitchen herbs -- rosemary and basil, for example, and
wonder how you use such things fresh?
 Janice:
Elaine, herbs are wonderful additions to your own Natural Beauty
Products - check out my book, Natural
Beauty from the Garden where there are hundreds of ideas and
recipes for growing and using fresh herbs. One of my favorite
ways is create fragrant after bath splashes by simply adding fresh
herbs to a bottle of witch hazel and letting it sit for a few
weeks - very soothing and energizing and a great way to enjoy
your herbs!
Lesley:
I have been making homemade aromatherapy products for years now.
My favorites to make are: soap, balm and bath salts. Can you recommend
a recipe and/or combination of herbs and essential oils that is
good for babies? I would love to try to make a homemade baby soap
and maybe even a baby massage oil. Thanks!
Janice:
Lesley, when making bath products for babies think super sensitive
- babies' tiny systems do not do well with strong scents. Some
good choices for infants are orange blossom, lavender, chamomile,
and thyme. I have a recipe for "Apricot Baby Oil" in Natural
Beauty from the Garden that uses apricot kernel oil, sesame
oil, wheat germ oil and a choice of essential oil of sweet orange,
lavender, or chamomile. You may want to try this one.
KC:
I ordered your books through Amazon online. I'm anxious to have
ingredients on hand and am wondering what the basics are. I'll
be wanting to make lotions, creams, moisturizers and maybe things
to put in the bath. What are the very basics I should start searching
for to have on hand? Thank you, Janice!
Janice:
K.C., many of the basic ingredients you should already have on
hand in your own home. I wrote the books using common household
ingredients such as natural oils, eggs, honey, fruits, and vegetables.
So readers could get started creating products right away - Have
Fun!
Tricia:
I can't wait to get started. I didn't even know these books were
available and now I'm in my glory. I've always wanted to experiment
or learn to make homemade products and now I can! There are farms
around me where I can buy things at a discount, so I plan on trying
a lot of the recipes, like the one on your web page for strawberry
bath! When it comes to gifts, do your books give suggestions for
decorating the items to give away?
Janice:
Super! Have fun - My second book, Natural
Beauty for All Seasons contains many gift giving and packaging
ideas - it came about because so many of my readers were making
products and giving them as gifts or hosting Natural Beauty parties.
Thanks for the nice feedback.
Deborah:
I tried the oatmeal cookie bath recipe and I love it and will
probably be making that several times a week now! Please tell
me what the baking soda does. Why is it in the recipe?
Janice:
Deborah, baking soda is a common household ingredient that is
used in cosmetics as a skin soother, cleanser, and deodorizer.
In the "Oatmeal Cookie Bath" recipe -- the baking soda acts as
a gentle cleanser and skin softener. It is also soothing to tired
muscles.
Lilly:
Janet, do you have a recipe for something that would add comfort
and cooling during a hot flash?
Janice:
Lilly, Hot flashes can be annoying and can range from a warm sensation
to burning-hot session-- It may help to dress in layers and to
keep your environment on the cool side (turn down your thermostat).
Some women suck on ice cubes, drink cold drinks, and visualize
themselves walking in the snow or swimming in a cool mountain
lake. You may also want to cutback or avoid hot liquids and spicy
foods which can trigger hot flashes. Here is a recipe for a cooling
body powder from Natural
Beauty for All Seasons to try:
Cooling
Cinnamon Body Powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Mix together the cornstarch and cinnamon until well blended. To
use: sprinkle on dry skin or use a powder puff. Yield: 4 ounces
StorkNet:
Janice, thank you for sharing your talents, healing thoughts and
recipes with StorkNet members. Any new books or projects in the
works? What can we look forward to at www.janicecox.com?
We hope you will come back again. In the meantime, we'll be blending,
mixing and testing over here, and we'll let you know our favorites!
Janice:
Thank you for having me on StorkNet - it is a wonderful site and
a great way to exchange information. I hope visitors are inspired
to create just a few of their own beauty products - it's something
women all over the world have done for centuries and it is extremely
rewarding. It is convenient, fun, and very cost effective. Not
to mention that you know exactly what ingredients you are using
- Enjoy! You can always visit me at www.janicecox.com
where we feature a beauty forum, recipes, and hopefully soon,
hard to find ingredients for sale. I am currently working on a
revised edition of Natural Beauty at Home with more recipes, due
out next fall. I also write a regular column "Recipe for Beauty"
for the Magazine Natural Living Today. Remember - "We are all
born with a natural beauty, it is how we choose to use it that
makes us truly beautiful!"
Have a beautiful
day,
Janice
Cox
Read
StorkNet's full review of Janice's books and discover her
personal recipe for Great Expectations (stretch mark) Cream! We
think you'll love it!
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Janice:
Creating my own beauty products and treatments is something
I have always loved doing since I was a young girl. It first
started out of necessity - I grew up in a small town where we
did not have a lot to choose from in the line of natural products
- also, I did not have much money to spend on luxury items such
bath and body products. So, I began collecting recipes and using
treatments that my Mother and Grandmother both used. Some of
my early experiments were with egg facials, oatmeal scrubs,
and witch hazel astringents. Now, nearly thirty years later
my hobby has definitely turned into a passion - which after
three books and hundreds of magazine pieces has turned into
a career!