By Josie Moody, VO Office Manager
The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty was so full of wonderful recipes, and I just had to share more with you here (see Part I as well). For those who aren’t familiar with how the beauty industry contributes to animal cruelty, authors Sunny Subramanian and Chrystle Fiedler gently walk you through the issues involved, outlining why “animal testing is cruel, unnecessary, and inaccurate.”
I love all the tidbits explaining the various uses of common household ingredients—I’m talking about you, coconut oil!—as well as the appendices that include a list of favorite natural, organic ingredients and what they do, and a list of vegan-friendly beauty brands.
Enjoy another sampling of these compassionate recipes below!
Lavender Mint No-Poo
I hate washing my hair, but my hair can look oily if I go more than two days without. Enter this fabulous (dry) shampoo! Hair powders such as this (aka dry shampoo) absorb the excess oil from your scalp between washings. If your hair is dark, some powders can be visible on the hair, so the authors offer helpful variations for folks with dark or red hair that will blend better. Kaolin clay was not available at the natural foods co-op where I bought my supplies, but the helpful woman in the Wellness Department suggested I use French green clay instead. As the name states, it is indeed green clay, but the color was not noticeable in my highlighted hair.
Ingredients
- 5 teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons kaolin clay (I used French green clay)
- 5 drops lavender essential oil (or essential oil of your choice)
- 5 drops peppermint essential oil (or essential oil of your choice)
Directions
- In blender, combine arrowroot powder, kaolin clay, lavender essential oil, and peppermint essential oil. Blend until well combined. Pour into jar.
- Shake mixture or apply with a clean makeup brush onto roots of dry, unwashed hair. Let stand on hair for a few minutes.
- Brush hair until all powder is removed.
- Store at room temperature for up to 6 months.
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Flax Seed Body Scrub
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sweet almond, coconut, olive, or jojoba oil
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Directions
- In a blender, puree together sweet almond oil, flax seeds, and sugar until smooth. (Or, in a small bowl, whisk ingredients together.)
- Using hands, massage a small amount of scrub all over skin in the shower, using circular motions.
- Rinse skin with warm water and pat dry with a towel. Follow with your favorite body moisturizer.
Pro-tip
- Be sure to use a hair trap in the bathtub when you use this, and be prepared to wipe down the tub afterwards. I ground my own flax seed in a coffee grinder, so I think that next time I’ll make sure to grind it finer. I modified the recipe by adding orange essential oil, now that, thanks to this book, I’ve discovered how great essential oils are! They mention that you can follow this scrub with a favorite body moisturizer, but I found that I didn’t need to, since this scrub exfoliates and moisturizes.
Do you have a favorite body care recipe or site you’d like to share with us? Mention it in the comments below!