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Saturday, December 14, 2013

Make Your Own Foamy Steamed Milk Without an Espresso Machine

The holidays are coming up, and nothing gets you awake and ready for Christmas morning like a nice cup of coffee with foamy milk! However, what if you don't have an espresso machine? I have an espresso machine now (you can get a decent one for $40 at Walmart), but back in the day, I used to do this easy little trick to make foamy milk for coffee. 

What You Need:

1. A small microwaveable container with a tight lid.

2. Milk

3. Microwave




Directions:

1. Pour a little milk into your container. (No more than 1/3 the depth of the container.)



2. Put the lid on and shake it within an inch if its life. Do this over the sink in case your seal isn't very tight.



3. Immediately put it in the microwave and microwave for about 30-60 seconds, monitoring it closely. You may need to stop it at intervals and re-shake (over the sink).


4. Pour over your coffee!


The End!






Thursday, December 12, 2013

Make Your Own Best Face Wash Ever!

Ingredients:

1. Witch Hazel
2. Dr. Bronner's (peppermint)
3. Activated Charcoal powder (optional)

Witch Hazel is a super great toner. Way easier on your skin than the stearyl alcohol in most face wash. Dr. Bronner's is super effective, gentle, sudsy, and organic. Plus, the peppermint one helps open your pores. Charcoal is a very effective purifier, but if that confuses you, skip it.

I put a little Bronner's and a tiny scoop of charcoal in a bottle and filled the rest with witch hazel. You can play around with ingredients and amounts. I like being able to tailor ingredients to my personal needs.

For dry skin: Skip the charcoal and add a little olive oil or castor oil.

For oily skin: Add a tiny bit of lavender infused vodka or more charcoal.

I saw huge improvements to my problem skin after one day of using it, but I've now used it for two weeks with no change in effectiveness. Usually my skin builds up a tolerance after a couple of days. It helps to wash with warm water followed with a cold water rinse to open and close pores.


Learn from my mistake: 

If you would like to put this concoction in a foaming bottle, skip the charcoal. It clogs it. (Front of picture = good. Back of picture = bad.)


The End!