Sometimes I find all it takes to kick-start a great DIY run is a new ingredient or two. A scent, texture, colour, or flavour can really spark my imagination and send me off into a fabulous little world where I make a gigantic mess and come out with tons of new tubes and tins of goodies (and the occasional whoopsie as well). Here’s a list of ingredients that have been inspiring me as of late—I’d really encourage you to give them a try, they are all fantastic!
Labdanum Essential Oil
This essential oil was a curiosity buy, but I ended up absolutely falling in love with it. It smells utterly fantastic. It’s deep, spicy, mysterious, a little cinnamon-y, and slightly addictive. It’s technically a resin, and as such it is very thick. I like to rub a drop of it between my wrists until it melts and blends in. I keep a bit of it next to my bed, I add a little to my argan oil serum. It was used by the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt to bind their false beards made from goat hair. It’s sometimes used as a substitute for ambergris, and if royalty loved it, I think that explains why I think it’s so fantastic.
Marshmallow Root
After discovering the awesome detangling abilities of marshmallow root, I will never be without out. Period. If you are tired of your hair tying itself in knots, get some, you won’t regret it.
Spirit of Africa
This beautiful spice blend of smoked sweet peppers, garlic, basil, and salt is my new favourite thing to add to pretty much everything. I highly recommend it!
Clay
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, my love of clay isn’t news to you. I’ve used it for masks for a couple years, but now I am absolutely in love with its cosmetic applications. From lipstick to face powder, clay is incredibly useful and awesome.
Rose Petals
We’ve got a big, beautiful rose bush out back, and I’ve been having tons of fun devising uses (beyond just rose water) for some of the petals. I can’t wait until I have a big herb garden to play with!
Raw Honey
After a trip to Spillimacheen, British Columbia that saw me return home with five different types of raw honey, I am totally in love with the stuff. For iced tea, infused honey, face masks, and minor injuries, it’s just amazing!
Cocoa Butter
This was one of the first ingredients I fell in love with (one of the first ingredients I ever purchased as well), and I am shamelessly re-kindling my love affair with it. Because it melts at 34°C, it is generally solid at room temperature, but melts readily when massaged into the skin. I love to turn a little nugget of it around in my hands, and am always rewarded with baby soft skin that smells deliciously of cocoa.
Virgin Coconut Oil
Speaking of ingredients that smell freaking fantastic, virgin coconut oil is like summer in a tub. It smells so fantastic that I almost wonder if something is wrong with my every time I don’t lick myself after applying it. It melts at 24°C, so it’s been liquid for all the best parts of the summer (yay for hot weather), and my skin just loves it. It’s especially awesome for knees, elbows, and other rough patches.
Smoked Grapeseed Oil
This is a culinary oil, though I suppose you could add it to a body butter if you wanted to smell like beef jerky all day. I love adding this to veggie burgers, sautéing vegetables in it, and mixing it with olive oil for a bread dipper. Its smokey flavour and scent are strong and dry, and it has a delightful, light mouthfeel. It’s smokey perfection, basically.
Cool post! I’ve been obsessed with a similar oil lately–a hickory-infused olive oil that was crazy on sale ($2, regular $9!) at Superstore. I bought 5… I use it in eeeeeeeeverything. Well, everything savoury/bbq-y, at least 😛
OOoh, I want some! That sounds like it would be SO delicious… because, you know, I definitely need more oils…
Really intreaged by the labdanum essential oil. Will have to add it to my need to try list!
Do, it smells so divine! Let me know what you think of it whenever it arrives 🙂
I live about 2 hours south from Spillimacheen. I visit their booth at the Farmers’ Market in Cranbrook and their store whenever I go that way. Love their honey and their jam. Knowing that there are very little pesticides used in the area makes their honey seem that much sweeter!
I’m so jealous, Joanne! They don’t get closer to Calgary than Banff’s Wednesday Farmers Market, and I find it pretty tricky to get out to Banff before the market closes on a work day. Which one of theirs is your favourite? I really love their Amber, but of course Alpine Light Gold is heavenly… mmm…
Where can I purchase Labdanum Essential Oil?
As noted above, I get mine from New Directions Aromatics 🙂
Ok…this may sound silly. But! Besides rubbing it between your wrists, what are the benefits? What are other uses for it? What does it do? Am I completely missing something here?
You’re not missing anything—I love it most for its scent, so that’s what I raved about. However, NDA says:
I hope your eating coconut oil as well because it’s so yummy! On toast, pancakes, curries mmmm:). But if you haven’t tried it I suggest pumpkin seed oil. My absolute favorite oil in the world! It’s fantastic for salad dressing mixed with apple cider vinegar. You can only use it cold and can’t cook with it but so so worth the nutty flavor. Its also great for body oils and moisturizers:).
I’ve ordered some red reef clay and some oxides. Your blog is so much fun to read, though I need to ask. You make sooo many soaps and products, what do you do with it all?? I just made 2 different sosps and a small batch of shampoo bar. Its going to last a long while…but I want to make more soap because it’s so addictive. Do you give your stuff away to family and friends? I think I need too;).
Of course! I just need to devise even more delicious uses for it as I love it so much 🙂 It’s sort of funny to say (and a total first world problem) “oh, I have so many delicious oils that I find it difficult to find time to eat that particular one”, but it’s true—my oils cabinet is getting a bit ridiculous with all the new olive oil specialty shops we have opening in town 😛
I haven’t tried pumpkin seed oil, but it sounds amazing. I must pick up a bottle when I’ve emptied a few of my full ones 😛
As for my obvious surplus of product… I do end up gifting a lot of it, especially the soap (I keep my parents and my boyfriend supplied quite nicely). When it comes to cosmetics, I work to make everything in small enough quantities that I don’t have a ton of each product sitting around (it helps that I have an extra fridge in the basement to store things in). Oil based things, like body butters and lip balms, are generally very shelf stable, and again, I work in small batches. I usually make 100g of lotion at a time as it’s the most spoil-prone thing I make on a regular basis, and then make it as I need it (it’s so easy that it’s no trouble). But yes, gifting is the most powerful get-rid-of-er there is, and I can promise you will be very popular at Christmas time 😉
I just got a huge order from NDA for my upcoming Holiday concoctions/soaps, and I included in my order several items that will be for personal use. I bought some of the Labdanum oil and I LOVE it! Thanks for suggesting it. I get so many good recipes from your blog.
Awesome! I’m so thrilled to hear you love the labdanum as well 🙂 I brought some into yoga the other day to share with my yoga teacher, haha. She loved it as well. And thanks for reading!
I was wondering if you had checked out wholesalesuppliesplus.com ? they have a special policy that give something like a 20% discount to those who live outside of the US to make up for not being able to offer free shipping.( If I read it right.)
http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com//Offshore-International-Shipping.aspx
check it out, They have an AMAZING price for GREAT quality Calendula petals, since I know you love them so much.
I haven’t, but I shall add them to my list of places to check if I’m really having a hard time finding something 🙂 I find the extended delivery period and customs are often the worst part of cross-border ordering, not just the price. If customs decides they’re “interested” in something you may never, ever see it, and nobody will give you a refund. I know some of our cross-border Christmas gifts are still languishing in customs despite ordering them in November 🙁