Uses of Beeswax

Beeswax is actually a very versatile product and can be used for wide range of purposes. Here is a guide to the top 5 uses of beeswax.

As a lip balm

Beeswax is the perfect base to make moisturising lip balm. There are plenty of recipes to choose from, but generally speaking the way to make lip balm this way is to melt some beeswax over a pan of boiling water and then add in one or more essential oils of your choice. Stir thoroughly and once the mixture has melted, pour it into a container using a funnel.

As a leather protector

Beeswax mixed with resin makes the perfect leather protector. It even makes it waterproof. This substance can be used on shoes, belts, briefcases or any other leather product you want to keep looking as new.

Ingredients: 4 ounces beeswax, 1 pint vegetable oil and 4 ounces rosin/resin (can be purchased at a music shop)

The beeswax should be melted over a pan of boiling water. Then add the vegetable oil and resin and stir until mixed thoroughly. Ideally this mixture should be applied to leather while it is still warm for ease.

Wax crayons

Children love wax crayons to draw and colour with. They are totally safe as they are non-toxic so are perfect for use by kids.

Ingredients: 1 ounce beeswax, 1 ounce grated soap, concentrated food coloring

Heat the beeswax in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Add the grated soap and stir until it has all melted. Add the food colouring drop by drop until it has reached the desired colour. Pour the mixture into moulds made from tin foil. Once cooled they are ready to be used.

Furniture Polish

Beeswax makes an effective furniture polish. Simply mix equal parts of beeswax, linseed oil and turpentine whilst gently heating them in a bowl of hot water. When the mixture is cool put a little on a soft rag and use to polish all your wooden furniture.

Copper preservative

Beeswax stops the oxidation of copper which can look unsightly when it appears. When sealing a copper item, simply soften some beeswax and then apply it to the item on a soft cloth or rag. This will remove any oxidation residue and prevent further from appearing.

Beeswax can of course also be used to make candles and a variety of other beauty and cosmetics further to the uses listed above.

5 Reasons to Make your own Soap

You are in control of what goes in

If you don’t want to expose you or your family to harsh chemicals then making your own soap can guarantee they won’t be. You can control the ingredients used, the colour, the texture and smell as well as the ingredients that are included.

It makes a wonderful present

Homemade soap is a very thoughtful and nice present to give someone. Not only are they relatively cheap to make, they can be beautiful to look at and of course are a pleasure to use. They are a great item to fill your present drawer with too so if you are ever stuck without a gift for someone, you can head straight for your soap!

There are no chemicals included

The ingredient list on the back of a soap packet can display all sorts of unrecognizable chemicals. If you make your own soap you can guarantee it is chemical free. Furthermore, you can add your own ideas and turn soap into a nice, healthy product by including all sorts of additional essential oils and essences.

It saves you money

Making soap is definitely a cheaper alternative to buying it. Also, once you’ve been bitten by the soap making bug, the chances are you will want to start making other natural products like washing powder, floor cleaner and maybe even other cosmetics. It is possible to save a bundle when you make all cleaning products and cosmetics yourself.

It’s fun

There is no doubt about it, making soap is both a fun and satisfying hobby. You can let your creatively run wild, adding differing natural items, oils, essences and more into the recipes and even make some nice packaging to finish off the products. The whole family can get involved too so it can be a family project that you can all enjoy together.

Australian Bush Combination Drops

The Australian Bush Combination drops are flower essences designed to replace panic, anxiety and fear within ourselves with the ability to cope. Similar to Bach’s Rescue Remedy in this way, the Australian Bush Combination Drops are designed to bring forth good qualities and emotions within ourselves whilst simultaneously expelling the negative ones.

Flower essences have been used as a natural remedy for thousands of years. They work on the mind, body and spirit and are obtained by extracting the healing quality of the most evolved part of a plant - its flower. They work purely on an emotional level to treat imbalances in the body in order to achieve optimum health.

Many great healers and thinkers of the past believed that only by achieving spiritual, emotional and mental harmony could a patient’s illnesses and diseases be cured. The Bush Essences are a complete range of products designed to provide sensitivity, strength and courage to the individual in order to help them listen and follow their natural intuition as well as pursue their goals and dreams.

The Bush Essences take each negative emotion and replace it with a good one. Hate gets replaced with love, fear replaced with courage, insecurities with self-confidence - the list goes on and on! The Australian Bush Combination Drops are now available in a handy spray bottle that is small enough to be carried in a handbag. It is ideal for helping to deal with emotional upset and has a calming effect in a crisis.

Have any of you tried using any of the Australian Bush Essences? We want to hear from you whether the results were positive or negative, so don’t hesitate to send in your comments below.

Aromatherapy for Healthy Legs and Feet - A guide for home use

The feet and legs are often the most neglected part of the body in terms of care and attention, however they are both incredibly important to overall health. Learning how to carry out aromatherapy on your feet and legs is a great way of ensuring your health will stay in tip top condition.

There is plenty of information found in our guide “Aromatherapy for Healthy Legs and Feet” here at Baldwin's that will teach you all you need to know for foot and leg care and general well being. There is information about preventing and curing common ailments as well as a step by step guide to foot and leg massages using specially formulated essential oils.

For those interested in aromatherapy and massages, here are some good tricks for massaging feet to keep them in good condition:

This is to be carried out on someone else (rather than on yourself).

• Take the foot in your lap and rub a little essential oil into your palms. Place one hand on top of the foot, and one underneath and gently slide your hands off the foot coming forward towards the toes. Repeat this 4 or 5 times.

• Gently circle around the ankles with your thumbs. All these movements should be slow and soothing and not too hard as sometimes the ankles especially can be tender.

• Next rub over the top of the foot with your thumbs making circular movements. Move from the ankles towards the toes and repeat a few times.

• Rub each toe with similar circular movements and then rotate each toe both in a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction.

• Gently pull each toe between your finger and thumb and then rotate the entire foot both clockwise and anti-clockwise.

• One final exercise is to rub the foot within your hands to create friction. When the foot is warm it can be placed in a towel whilst you take the other foot and repeat the whole process.

Send in any other exercises you have for carrying out soothing foot massages. Also let us know if you have the aromatherapy guide and if you find it useful.