Drying Up

I'm running out of everything at the same time. Toothpaste will be first, followed by hair conditioner and moisturizer. I don't know what I will do with my dry, chapped, winter white legs and grey knees which I have kept concealed under knee socks and tights. And now that flip flop season is here, it's also time to unveil the feet, which is perhaps my scariest feature. Hiking in the mountains in the Philippines, we came across a venerable old man in his 90s who had spent his life barefoot working in the rice terraces. My husband was quick to point out that we had the same feet. They're THAT BAD.



As a remedy to this, I have considered bathing in olive oil. But I want to have glowing, hydrated skin. I don't want to be slippery. Instead, I will attempt this homemade concoction that I found here. Try it with me.

Ingredients:
1 ounce calendula infused extra virgin olive oil (or plain olive oil)
1 ounce shea butter
1 ounce mango butter
1/2 ounce avocado oil
1/4 ounce jojoba oil
1/4 ounce beeswax

Blending Procedure:

Melt all ingredients over a low flame in a double boiler until the beeswax is nearly completely melted. Remove from heat.

Stir to melt the rest of the beeswax and to fully incorporate all the ingredients.

Use a handheld mixer to mix the ingredients together at high speed. This will whip up the ingredients, especially the shea and mango butters, and add a bit of air to help promote more of a a whipped texture for the finished product. You can add fragrance and/or essential oil at this time (about 1/2 teaspoon or so should suffice depending on your preference), but I prefer the natural scent of the calendula by itself.

Pour into jars while the mixture is still warm and pourable. Label and enjoy!!

UPDATE: Holy Hannah, does this cream ever STINK. The Shea butter is natural and unrefined but it comes with a big old stinky smell that no amount of essential oil can hide. Overall, good cream (my legs are smooth) but next time I may go with Cocoa butter/mango butter and coconut oil and use the Shea sparingly. Or on my enemies.