 Donna Maria Coles Johnson has always been attracted to great-smelling beauty products. When she purchased her first green apple-scented facial mask as a preteen, "I closed my eyes and fancied myself a world-famous model with a flawless complexion and perfectly conditioned hair," she notes in her book, "Making Aromatherapy Creams & Lotions." Donna Maria practiced telecommunications law for major corporations, but left the rat race to become an aromatherapist and create natural, handmade beauty treatments. "I was bored and frustrated with my lack of any creative outlet to speak of in my career," she tells OrganicAuthority.com. "What it ultimately turned into was a desire to set up the kind of lifestyle that I wanted when I had a family."
She later founded the Handmade Beauty Network, a trade association that serves as the voice of the handmade beauty industry-and a great source for purchasing a wide range of products. Many of the network's members specialize in certified organic essential oils, lotions, soaps, herbal bath teas and body scrubs that will meet your organic lifestyle needs. (Check out Goddess Garden, Life in the Woods and Victoria's Lavender.)
In our third installment of do-it-yourself spa recipes, Donna Maria shares two of her favorites: "Rosemary's Apple Crisp Body Scrub" and "Breakfast Spread."
"I love the body scrub," she says. "It smells so good! It has all of the ingredients in an apple brown betty"-one of her favorite desserts. "It's one of my prize recipes." Apples contain malic acid, which helps slough away dead skin cells. Combine their fresh juice with the recipe's rolled oats and tapioca pearls, and you have a delectable aromatherapy scrub that will exfoliate, moisturize and soften your skin.
The Breakfast Spread-a facial delicacy-features a truly unique ingredient: cream cheese. "I am a cream cheese fanatic," Donna Maria says. "I was going through my refrigerator one day and thought, 'What can I put on my face?' Cream cheese gives you a really attractive texture when it's soft."
Note: Because you follow an organic lifestyle, OrganicAuthority.com recommends using certified organic ingredients, when available, in all DIY spa recipes to minimize your risk of exposure to pesticides, chemicals, toxins and preservatives.
Rosemary's Apple Crisp Body Scrub
This mix of apple juice and "crunchies" forms a luxurious whole-body exfoliant that is moisturizing and soothing. "Age" the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before using.
Makes 1 application
Ingredients
5 tablespoons whipping cream
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons freshly juiced apple juice
4 tablespoons tapioca pearls
2 tablespoons whole rolled oats, lightly crushed
1 cup Epsom salts or coarse sea salt
1 drop rose essential oil
1 drop neroli essential oil
2 drops palmarosa essential oil
2 drops lemon peel essential oil
Directions
1. Warm whipping cream in microwave for about 15 seconds.*
2. Add honey and apple juice; then stir to combine.
3. Add tapioca and oats; then stir.
4. Add salts and stir well.
5. Add essential oils and stir.
6. To use, stand naked in a dry bathtub and scoop some of the mixture in your palms. Beginning with your extremities, gently scrub your skin in circular motions, moving up your leg to your thigh, and from your hands to your shoulders. If you have a helper to scrub your back, all the better! This scrub is even gentle enough to smooth over your breasts (avoid the nipples) and lower neck area. Rinse off and pat dry with a towel.
* Special note from Donna Maria: "If you prefer not to microwave, you can gently warm the whipping cream over a very low heat source. Watch it carefully to avoid scalding. Remove when hot and continue with recipe, as outlined."
Breakfast Spread
A most refreshing and creamy, skin-soothing treat. Spread leftovers on your toasted sesame seed bagel!
Makes 1 application
Ingredients
½ small tangerine, peeled and seeded
2 ounces softened cream cheese
Directions
1. Mash the tangerine flesh with the back of a fork. Add tangerine flesh to softened cream cheese and stir well to incorporate. Reserve 1 teaspoon of Breakfast Spread, and enjoy it with your English muffin and tea.
2. To use, apply to clean face and neck, avoiding eye and mouth areas. Rest for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water, and follow with toner and moisturizer.
Donna Maria tells us that you can substitute other citrus fruits for the tangerine.
"You can use orange," she says, "or lemon if you have really oily skin." Citrus fruits (particularly lemon) are ideal if you have an oily complexion, as they work as an astringent to open clogged pores.
Editor's note: Recipes in this article are featured in "Making Aromatherapy Creams & Lotions." Copyright © 2000 by Donna Maria Coles Johnson, reprinted with permission from Storey Publishing.
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