Clinical Week

This is my first semester teaching a nursing clinical for a group of senior management students. This is week two of four. I am having such a good time...it is such a revelation that I have learned so much in the past 11 years! I could not have asked for a better group of students and they seem to be having a great time as well. They are located at five different sites and it is a bit of work, but so worth it! Our hospital is seeking Magnet Status and one of my students was able our last week to interact with a surveyor and made a wonderful impression...what an experience! Hope to have more to share this week!

Plans are to make some more facial and body lotion for a friend that wants to buy some this week. Looking for some pump bottles that I can reuse (have to be green!). I will post pics of the process when I get to this project! I am finding that I am much more creative these days. I made a birthday gift yesterday with dead sea salts, lavender oil, lavender buds, and baking soda...mixed everything and put in in a jar with a pretty pink bow around it! It smelled amazing and I think she liked it (didn't take pictures...I will get better at this, promise!).

The Weekend

It's been a wonderful weekend! The boys were here a lot of the weekend and I have made a lot of products. I made oily facial lotion for me and my daughter. I infused sweet almond oil and apricot kernel oil with herbs (chamomile, lavender, red clover, and slippery elm) and then made the lotion with water, vegetable glycerin, and emulsifying wax. This is the recipe that I base all my lotions off of...3 Ingredient Lotion.

I also started making my own fabric softener, dish washer soap, and diaper rash cream for my nephew! We also completed a homemade gift for the boys' parents for Valentines Day (pictures to come!). So excited to start doing some of this.

Acne/Oil Prone Facial Soap

Well, I have successfully made a second batch of facial soap! I forgot how MUCH soap this recipe makes and how FAST it traces!! This soap has herb infused canola oil (witch hazel bark, red clover, lavender, sippery elm, comfrey, and chamomile), olive oil, coconut oil, soy oil, and bees wax as well as lye mixed with water and witch hazel in it and scent is tea trea and lavender...it is amazing soap that everyone loves (me included)! It will now set, come out of the molds and then cure for 3-4 weeks. Adding pics!

BTW here is where I found the original recipe that I use!!

This is the mixing process...this is out of order, not sure how to correct this is pic 3.

Oil cooling to 110...pic 1.

This is my "muffin" bars of soap pic 6.

This is trace...see the soap becoming thick? Pic 5.

More "muffin" bars and the leftover in a mini loaf pan...pic 7.

Adding Tea Tree oil for it's antibacterial and healing properties and Lavender Oil for it's antibacterial properties and scent! Pic 4.

Lye, cold water, and witch hazel cooling to 110 for mixing...pic 2.