Salt scrubs are easy to make and are great for exfoliating the skin.  Start by pouring a carrier oil into a jar - about a third of the jar size.  This can be a basic Sweet Almond or Grapeseed oil or you could choose a thicker oil for added benefits such as Avocado or Rosehip oil. 

Then add Dead sea salt to the jar until you are happy with the consistancy.  The salt will sink in the jar so you can more as you go or top up with oil, depending on your personal preference. 

If you wish to add an essential oil fragrance oil then you can add approx 5% of the oil you put in. So if you add 100ml of carrier oil at the beginning you can add upto 100 drops, generally half of this is enough.  Ensure you select cosmetic fragrance oil.

Sweet Almond oil is one beauty item you should always have on hand, it has a high fat content and contains vitamins B1, B6, B2, A and E, virtually colourless and odourless and whats more it's cheap and affordable. But whats it for?

Sweet almond oil is one of the most popular carrier oils used in massage therapy and aromatherapy.  Used to massage essential oils safely into the skin it is also great for moisturising the skin, soothing irritation to strengthening hair.

Sweet Almond oil can be used:

Dry skin : Lightly massage into the body after washing to lock in moisture. Even add a couple of drops to regular body cream for extra moisture or essential oils for skin benefits. It is also know to sooth itchy skin, as well as being good for chapped lips.

Eye Make Up Remover: Almond oil is great for removing heavy make-up, especially mascara and eye shadow. Place a few drops on a cotton ball and wipe over your eyes. Follow with your usual cleanser and eye cream.

Body Moisturiser: The upper torso begins can be a problem for most women as they pass 40. We tend to moisturise our face and neck but not our chest, so along with the sun exposure, this area ages before the rest of your body.

Cuticle softener : Sweet almond is a great alternative to cuticle cream, just moisturise a little each night onto your hands and cuticles to keep them soft.

Hair : Pour a few drops of sweet almond oil in your palm and apply gently on your scalp, massaging your scalp to encouraging blood flow. If you suffer from dry hair, apply the oil to your hair and leave for an hour wrapped in a damp towel then rinse.

Recently I came across 2 articles outlining the dangers of chemicals in our cosmetics, such as parabens which I thought I would share with you.

• Whats really in what we put on our skin.

• Parabens Chemical everyday items 

If you are not familiar with "parabens" they are listed on the back of ingredients as Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Heptylparaben, Methylparaben, Propylparaben etc.

I initially became interested in paraben free creams and skincare about 5 years ago after reading an article of similar findings and I was alarmed to think how many products on a daily basis I used which have many hidden chemicals.  You only have to look on the back of a bottle of skin cream to see the endless list of ingredients which we can hardly pronounce never mind know what they are.

This is why I initially set up Simply Essential as I wanted to offer lower cost more natural options as there was and still is little option out there and certainly not on the high street.

I'm sure many of the commercial outlets will soon jump on the band wagon as people become more savvy about their products and they will triple the price of a face cream and brand it as a natural product but there is no need to pay that for a good cream.

Paraben free cream.

Shea butter is a natural moisturiser made from the nuts of shea trees in Africa.

When extracted, it makes a base for many creams and lotions as well as medicinal ointments to heal chapped skin. Shea butter is often combined with cocoa butter, olive oil, jojoba oil or vitamin E oil to make a variety of skin-softening creams and lotions.

Shea butter has anti-ageing properties as well. It has shown to improve skin elasticity and helps diminish wrinkles.

Simple Shea butter recipe

3/4 Shea butter - eg 150g
1/4 carrier oil - eg 50g

Melt shea butter using in a bowl over a pan of boiling water method or on defrost setting on your microwave.  Remove from heat when the shea butter softens and is easily stirred with a spoon. Do not be tempted to melt quicker in a microwave as this will cause the butter to adopt a grainy consistancy when set.

Add the carrier oil of your choice such as jojoba oil, avocado oil and almond oil etc.  Chosing the right carrier oil for your skin can offer additional benefits and consistance, some oils are thicker than others but you can combine different oils. The addition of the oils keeps the shea butter from hardening when it cools.

You can add cosmetic fragrance oils or essential oils to the mix at this point remember a maximum of 5% of dilution (weigh the total mass of the mixture then divide by 100 for 1% then times this for required dilution of essential oil.  If using the above example 200g mass = 2ml for 1% dilution therefore 2% recommended strength is 4ml. 1ml is equal to 20 drops approx.

You can pour the mixture into a pot and leave to set.  Once set if you would prefer your moisturiser to be thicker then simply remelt and add more shea butter and then allow to reset.  It is fine to place in a fridge to speed up the setting process.

Your final product will have the same shelf life as the carrier oil used.  If you wish to increase this you can add a vitamin E capsule and this will double the shelf life.

For best results use at night and allow to soak into the skin.

If you are looking for a fluffy lighter body butter, allow the mixture to half set and whisk on the highest setting until the mixture resembles whipped cream and forms peaks similar to meringue, or about 10 minutes. If the mix is not thick enough leave the mixture to cool and thicken further before whisking again. You may need to do this a few times to achieve the right consistency.

£2.95 for 100g of Shea butter
100ml Carrier oils from £1.49 

Dragon Balm for coughs and colds

Dragon Balm cream is not very widely used as it isn't really available on the high street but imparts a great warming effect when applied to the temples and under the nose and chest will help relieve colds.

It has a menthol fragrance with added Chamomile, Lavender, Rosemary, Eucalyptus and Camphor essential oils.

Also great to apply to over stretched muscles after exercise - or after a hard days work!

Our dragon balm cream has not been tested on animals and paraben free and only £3.39 for a 60ml jar.