Winter skin savers/ saviours 2015

Shea butter whip

This is a life saver in the colder months. It just keeps skin looking glowy and smooth. 

Moisture is kept on lock.Which I am thankful for. 

Ashy skin will not prosper here lol!

 This is great all year round really but it really comes into its own when you need extra defence against the very cold and changeable weather, hot baths, heaters being on and general chill your skin experiences.

 Here is my Shea butter whip recipe, that I swear by, your welcome!

Face oil (custom blend)

 People can be a little scared of putting oils on the face but controlling the amount you use 

with a dropper is handy and testing it to see how your skin reacts is always best.

 If your face doesn't like it you can use it on your body. 

For the last 2 years I have been making my own DIY custom oil blends.

I will do a post in future.

NipFab Hyaluronic Fix Body Gel 

This is a great light gel formula that provides much needed moisture.

The hyaluronic element is a great way to promote moisture in the skin.

 A great way to use this is layering it under Shea butter especially 

on areas that maybe be exposed to water and cold more often such as hands.

Coconut oil

 This is just LIFE! Coconut oil has been one of the super stars of 2015 and it really works well for me.

 I am lucky enough to have skin that works well with coconut oil and doesn't suffer any comedogenic issues. This multi-purpose oil is a great one to have on your shelf. 

Here is my D.I.Y organic coconut oil tutorial.

The Body Shop Hemp hand protector

 This is a long time holy grail product in my family. My mum has used this for donkey years. 

A great handbag essential. It is thick and intensely creamy and nourishing. 

This definitely is a winter defence product.

 It doesn't smell that great but as you can see nearly every last drop has squeezed out as it is that great.

Sale times are great times to stock up for the year!

Alba Botanica mask

 This has been one of my most prized finds of the year!

you can see my Alba Botanica Hawaiian facial range review here. 

It is organic, paraben free and all that good stuff.

It is an affordable, long lasting non-abrasive exfoliating mask and has done wonders for my skin.

Madara Claryifying toner*

My skin really took to this toner so well and it has become a really good Autumn/winter toner. 

Another non-abrasive exfoliant, which is keeping my small amount of pores minimised and my PH levels pretty much on point. I am really pleased to have found it.

Check out my Madara Clarifying toner review here.

Lucas' Pawpaw ointment

 I have a weird thing I do where I bite my lips when I am thinking. I am doing it now!

This leads to me occasionally having a dry patch or two which I will nibble on subconsciously.

 Hence a vicious unstoppable and annoying cycle ensues.

 Bites lips, gets dry patch, nibbles on dry skin, rips off skin, apply balm and restart.

 As a result of this, a tube of Lucas' Pawpaw ointment is always in my bag. 

I use lots of lip products interchangeably but this never leaves my bag EVER. 

It really sorts my lips out and is another multi-purpose balm to keep in your SOS box.

Crystal collagen eye masks 

This is an oldie but a goodie for me. 

I don't use them often so always have a supply. 

I buy a pack of 5 from eBay or friends going to china annually and they just give me a bit of a boost. 

My eye shape means that I have epicanthal folds but not wrinkles.
Luckily I don't get eye bags or have extreme discolouration around my eyes.
When  I am tired it's more my actual eyes going red/ blood shot. 

So these are just to make my skin feel good and pamper myself with.

So these are a few of my staple savers/saviours for Autumn/Winter.

What are your must haves?

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays

*An item in this post was sent to me. However all views expressed are my own.

 Please see the  Ms. Wednesdays Girl disclaimer in full here.

D.I.Y: How to make homemade virgin Coconut oil

Fun fact I adore fresh young coconuts but loathe the desiccated dried flake stuff! yuck!!

Don't waft a Bounty bar at me as I will definitely have to consider what we have going on here! 

What do we have going on here?! lol

So my Mum went a little over board and bought about 9 coconuts and after eating a few and savouring that delicious coconut water, we were at a loss with what to do with them.
 The logical answer was to make virgin coconut oil.
It is pretty simple ( can be time consuming)  to do and the end result is soooo rewarding. Coconut oil can always be found in my house. It is great for cooking, skincare, haircare and medicinal purposes. 

Tools needed:

I used 6 coconuts

1. Coconut grater.

 If you don't have this chopping the coconut and putting into a blender with a small amount of water works well too.

2. Cheese cloth or small holed metal sieve

3. 1 large pot

4.1 large container

5. soup ladle

6. clean sterilised containers for storage

 Step 1 - Drain the coconut by piercing 2 of the eyes with a clean knife or screwdriver and empty coconut water into a container. (This great by itself or in smoothies)

Step 2 - Crack Coconuts in half and shave or remove from shell and cut the coconut meat into uniform sizes.  

Step 3 - Place all of the Coconut meat in a clean container and add double the amount of cold water to the amount of Coconut leave for 45 mins and then strain creamy coconut water into a separate container.

*Step 4*- If you used the grater ignore this step. Pour your coconut meat and cold water into a blender and blend until you have a smooth creamy consistency. 2- 3 mins max.

Step 5 - Once you have your Coconut meat separated by using a sieve or cheesecloth,  from your Coconut milk allow the milk to settle in a cool place overnight to 2 days. The cream will rise to the top and have sediment in the bottom. Carefully scoop out the  Coconut cream and place in another clean container. Then drain the liquid and collect the sediment at the bottom. Throw the water away.

As this is a D.I.Y coconut oil extraction it wont be cold pressed as we don't have a machine to extract and will be doing it by hand. Plus we want to extract a maximum amount of Coconut oil.

Step 6- Place the Coconut cream in a pan and cook on a gentle heat. The cream will begin to turn brown and you will see oil collecting.

Step 7- When the cream is dark brown but not burnt remove from heat and pour oil into your sterile containers using a sieve to remove sediment.

6 Coconuts should yield 5 60 ml jars and 1 500 ml jar for cooking minimum. 
Please do be aware however that there is no set amount of meat inside a standard sized mature coconut so results may differ.
F.Y.I for those who have pores that clog easily Coconut oil lists high on the comedogenic ratings scale. It is not an issue for all but I would highly recommend doing a patch test just in case.

P.s the leftover coconut flesh is totally usable and can be used in food or desserts. You an freeze them in ice cubes so you have usable portions. the same goes for the coconut cream and milk which is great in Thai curries/ smoothies etc.

So that is it guys incredibly simple and cheap as chips! 

Your hand may ache but they be looking cute and moisturised lol!

Until next time................

Smooches

Stephanie aka Wednesdays Girl

xoxo

Don't forget to come find me and  Follow @GirlWednesdays