Stay evergreen ⋆ THE STAR READER

Our last for the year Cream Bar Circle gathering, was festive of cookies, sweet cacao celebration, with bubbly feelings in the air. Everyone was little tired from the year, but eager to mix few fast home made beauty recipes. The team for the event was green. We wanted to make easy recipes from freshly squeezed aloe vera and add some scrubs and cleansers for seasonal purification.

The dark hours in the winter time are suitable for deep salty warming baths and anything that keeps the spirit evergreen. Aloe vera is a perfect moisturizer, perhaps not suiting for winter face cream in the cold weather, but anything cleansing and hydrating is made with the soothing aloe magic.

I also had some extra French green clay, which we decided to experiment with. I used the French green clay for the making of face mask with French lavender and was instantly in love with this deep cleansing green mixture.

French Green Clay?

French Green Clay is also known as Green Montmorillonite Clay. It is a soft, mineral-rich clay that is found in and named after Montmorillon, a commune located in western France. French Green Clay was first mined in France (hence its name), but now has been found, and mined, in other clay deposits in the Western US, China, and elsewhere in Europe. French Green Clay is sometimes also called Sea Clay.

It’s rich in minerals including iron, magnesium, selenium, silicon, phosphorus, calcium, manganese, and copper. French Green Clay is a strong drawing agent; it is excellent at absorbing oil and removing impurities from the skin, and it holds nearly its weight in water. This clay rejuvenates the skin while it exfoliates and helps remove oil, dirt and debris. It promotes glowing skin that looks smoother, softer and healthier.

French Green Clay is rich in important minerals and is a highly absorbent clay that can be used in facials, body wraps, soaps, deodorizing body/foot powders. French Green Clay can also be used in the formulation of hair pastes and other hair care products that help to naturally cleanse the hair and scalp. As a highly absorbent clay, it is not recommended for use in skin care products intended for frequent use by those with dry or sensitive skin/hair.

French green clay has been reported to:

Absorb oil/remove impurities
Smooth skin
Deliver nourishing minerals to skin
Increase circulation
Tighten pores
Calm skin inflammation

Green Days

In the making of body scrub recipe with French Green Clay we decided to use Dead Sea salt. Denitsa had to crush the salt with the molter until finer. For me, the Dead Sea salt has extreme warming active effect and is not particularly suiting for my sensitive skin. This effect is less dramatic, when the scrub is applied with bath glove or sponge under shower and massaged gently. I would still recommend to use finer salts, such as pink or Icelandic flakes salt.

We also swapped the Camellia Oil with Jojoba Oil. I would recommend if exchanged, the oil should be with about 85% fatty acid oil composition. The matcha tea added wonderful texture greenness to the mix and made perfect sense as it has wonderful skin properties on its own. Matcha is an excellent ingredient for the skin as well. Matcha is anti bacterial and contains incredibly high levels of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is helpful in reducing inflammation and to even skin tone. The antioxidants are also known for reducing acne and increasing skin elasticity.

Matcha is rich in chlorophyll which is a natural detoxifier and helps to remove toxins from your skin and body.
Matcha contains high levels of catechins, which are a potent antioxidant and help to fight the processes that cause free radicals and prevent poor health.
Matcha helps to absorb and prevent excess oil and sebum on your skin, which can help to reduce the appearance of acne and blackheads.
Matcha naturally produces energising properties, which helps to stimulate skin cells and blood flow to help reduce the effects of ageing.
Matcha contains more antioxidants than dark chocolate, spinach and fruits like acai combined.
Matcha contains a number of important nutrients, including iron, protein, potassium, calcium and vitamin C.
Matcha contains L-Theanine, an amino acid that supports relaxed and smooth skin.
Matcha contains anti-inflammatory properties to help reduce the appearance of skin conditions and support radiant skin.

Green Tea & Salt Body Scrub

This recipe uses Palmarosa and Peppermint essential oils. We decided to go for the same Essential Oil combination, which gave extra refreshing note to the aroma. Both oils are known for their headache pain relieving properties.

Makes one 8-ounce (240 ml) jar.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (210 grams) small grain sea salt
3 ounces (90 ml) camellia oil
1 tablespoon (15 grams) French green clay
1 tablespoon (15 grams) matcha green tea powder
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) palmarosa essential oil
1/8 teaspoon (0.65 ml) peppermint essential oil

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl and stir well. Break up any lumps in the salt or powders. Blend camellia oil with essential oils in a small container, then add to dry ingredients. The texture of the scrub can be adjusted by adding all, or only a portion of the liquid phase to the dry. Mix ingredients well and transfer to jar (or use immediately).

I store my jar tightly closed in the bathroom. There are no ingredients that can mold easily, unless much of water is added, while used. The scrub leaves my skin deeply purified and has wonderful calming and toning effect. My fair skin, does not like salt scrubs very much, so I massage it gently and avoid all the sensitive skin areas of my body.

French Green Clay Deodorant

Lavender Bergamot Deodorant Recipe
© Rebecca Dawn Dillon

It is interesting that, French green clay obtains its light green color from naturally occurring iron oxide and decomposed plant material – the same life cycle that the earth uses to regenerate herself. In turn, its soft texture and elemental composition lends itself well to a variety of skin care preparations.

Ingredients:
6 oz. arrowroot powder
3 oz. magnesium hydroxide
1 oz. French green clay
2 oz. cocoa butter
2 oz. baobab oil
0.5 oz. 100% neem oil
0.5 oz. refined shea butter
1/2 teaspoon beeswax pastilles
0.1 oz. lavender essential oil
0.05 oz. bergamot essential oil

Instructions:
To make my lavender bergamot deodorant recipe with French green clay, begin by weighing out the cocoa butter and shea butter into a large glass Pyrex measuring cup or glass bowl. (It’s important to note that refined shea butter has a higher melting point than unrefined shea butter. Therefore substitutions may cause variations in the recipe.)

Next, measure out a level teaspoon of the beeswax pastilles and add it to your container. Melt these ingredients on a double boiler. Once melted, weigh out the baobab oil and neem oil. Stir these oils into the melted butters and wax. (If needed, you can gently heat the deodorant mixture again then mix well to combine.) I used substituted the oils with infused oils, which I have made some months ago. I used chamomile coconut oil and rice bran rose petal oils. It is possible to replace the baobab and neem oil, with any carrier oil, preferably with dryer kind of oils such as hemp or jojoba oil. But the nice effect of neem oil is in its antibacterial properties.

While the lavender bergamot deodorant mixture is still hot, weigh out and stir in the arrowroot powder, French green clay and magnesium hydroxide. Mix well to combine. I did not have magnesium in powder form, so I used magnesium oil instead. If this is the case, it is advisable to see the consistency of the mixture and add little extra arrowroot powder. I do not recommend to use the oil, but to find if possible the magnesium hydroxide powder.

Then follow with the essential oils, weighing out the amounts first, then stir them into the deodorant mixture until thoroughly incorporated. Finally, pour your lavender bergamot deodorant into your desired containers of choice. My mixture turned little softer, but the result is perfect. I can do my yoga class and still be fresh whole day after. I store my deodorant in small travel jar and have bigger jar in my bathroom shelf. Avoid using with wet fingers, apply small dose under each armpit and wash hands after. Unless you find biodegradable paperboard jars or design your own eco-friendly package.

Perfect protection, feels gentle and you will never want to use normal store deodorant again

French Green Clay Mask

Recipe by Bubmblebee Apothecary

Ingredients:
6 tbsp aloe vera gel
6 tbsp French green clay
6 tbsp white kaolin clay
1 tsp lavender flowers
1 tsp powdered St. John’s Wort
12 drops lavender essential oil
12 drops natural preservative (optional; use if you’re going to store mask at room temperature for more than a day or so)

Instructions:
Measure clays and aloe vera and mix together thoroughly. Add powdered herbs, essential oil, and preservative, if using. Mix well. Use immediately, or store in glass jar with lid for later use. I prefer storing mine in the refrigerator, so it lasts longer and it has less chance of developing germs.

I find this French green clay mask, to have deep cleansing after effect on my skin. It leaves the skin circulation deeply restored, rosy and fresh. It is little too drying for my skin complexion, so I don’t apply it more than once a month.

The best way to use is by covering thick layer over the face and neck area, avoiding the eyes. After about 15 minutes I wash it off by gently massaging the lavender bugs with the help of little warm water. It is good to apply rich face cream afterwords.

Green Clay face mask, available upon request by *Onca*

Are you fresh and clean and living in a forest dream? The symbolism of the Christmas tree is about youthfulness. To remain forever young, no matter how dark it gets around. The fountain of youth was depicted in many ancient cultures in the form of a fountain of course, but also a tree and also pine cone. Why pine cone? Firstly it comes from the evergreen trees, it carries the sacred golden ratio geometry and it has deep meanings in esoteric teachings. This teachings are connected to the cosmic theology and the human body. The pineal gland is the ultimate awakened lotus, which when once opened “inside us” brings enlightening awareness, which in its turn creates symbolic “eternal sunshine”. We are then living our full potential as cosmic beings.

“We all have a ‘pineal gland’ located near the ‘centre’ of our brains. Pine cone shaped (hence its name), the pineal gland was once considered a ‘vestigial remnant’ of a larger organ – the Third Eye. The pineal gland is the only midline brain structure that is unpaired (azygous), tucked in a groove where the two halves of the thalamus join. Sitting thus precisely between the two hemispheres (behind the ‘third’ ventricle) it personifies the abstracts occult concept that we find our centre by balancing duality. Rene Descartes believed that the pineal gland to be the ‘principal seat of the soul’ and viewed it as the Third Eye. Descartes attached significance to the gland because he believed it to be the only section of the brain to exist as a single part rather than one-half of a pair.”
~Richard Cassaro

Well, after you try this home made remedies, your skin, body and mind, would never think of ready commercial cosmetic shopping. There is pleasure, curiosity and realization in the process of creating your own hygiene compounds. Once taken this path brings to you to minimization of toxicity in life. More over it awakes new living needs and habits, which eventually lead to greener life. The life that we all, who are concerned of our green footprint want to participate in.

This changes are slow, but easy to make and the ingredients, which I use are not difficult to find. I feel pampered and grateful to the people who wrote this recipes. It will take some time to contribute with my own creative recipes, but for now I enjoy sharing our experience, from trial and error. I also feel that last year was important new chapter in my life with the beginning of my own ONCA Ritual Offerings. Please like, share and enjoy.