Showing posts with label Upcycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Upcycling. Show all posts

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Natural Beauty/Home/Pet Product Finds at "Savayava Siridhanya Mela - Millet Exhibition and Trade Fair", Bengaluru.




Hello.. Hello.. Hello.. after a long looong loooooong episode of Disappearence! :D

After joining as a "Freelance Photographer" at 'The Green path Organic state', i've got too many events(like, events hosted by Agriculture minister/projects(like, for 'swiggy' app) to shoot, edit and post that i am getting too exhausted and am finding absolutely NO TIME to write over here! :(

 But, one plus point of this job is that i get to attend events like this one: "Savayava Siridhanya Mela - Millet Exhibition and Trade Fair" that was on March 26, 2017 at the Govt. Model Primary school play ground, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru. The Objective of this event was to promote the local super food: Millets and Organic/Non-Toxic products.

Although it was too hot and draining in an open ground with no trees whatsoever, i managed to browse a few interesting stalls that displayed products worth a glance.

So, here i am sharing with you all my finds at the event. :)

This lovely old lady Ms.Sharmila joshi who is a practitioner Aroma therapist(NAHA) USA and the Founder of 'Swati aroma wonders' had such a huge spread that it compelled me to stop at her stall. She had a multitude of 100% Natural products like Kajal, Lipgloss, Eyeshadow, Face powders, Kumkum, Body perfume, Gel for Grey hair, Steam distilled floral/herb waters, Balms, Soaps, Cold pressed Oils, Baby care products and much more. If you want to have a look at the whole catalogue that lists a huge range of products, just mail me and i'll forward you the pic.

She also teaches a Certificate course in Aroma therapy. If interested, contact her at sharmilajoshi@gmail.com


Lipgloss(It did not give any noticeable colour payoff though :/ ) and other Makeup products.

Amazing smelling Vetiver water.

Next i stumbled upon this Interestingly named Brand called "Do Bandar"(which literally translates to 'Two Monkeys') :D It seems to have been founded by two girls who are best friends. And while naming the brand, they finalised on what they call themselves..i.e, 'Do Bandar'! Ha ha ha :D

 They had interesting Natural soaps like 'Vanilla Cinnamon', 'Basil-Camphor-Turmeric' and much more. They also had Natural Pet soaps and Paw balms that made the 'Pet lover' in me really happy! :) <3

Their Website: dobandar.in





Finally, there was this Home products related brand called "Bubble nut wash" that makes Eco-friendly and Skin friendly Laundry and Dish wash products made out of Pure 'Soap nuts' plucked from trees in Himalayas.

Their website: bubblenutwash.com


Here's the product that stole my heart! <3 If you want to know what it is, wait for it on my Instagram! ;D My Instagram id: 'vanityrehab'

I also Stumbled up on a Brand called 'Habicaf' that makes ready to consume South Indian style 'Chicory based Coffee decoction'. Being a Filter coffee lover, i tasted it, loved it and had to buy one. They practice Eco-Friendly grounds disposal and also use them in many different ways like composting and fertilizing. (will share a pic soon)

Their Facebook page.


There was this 'Cooking Millets in different ways' Live Demonstration going on. But, i had to leave because the heat was exhausting me and i couldn't bear it anymore. Anyways... no loss because, i myself work at a place where they have a Restaurant called 'Forgotten food: Meet the Millet' that specifically serves food made out of Millets and i get to savour it everyday! ;)

Have you attended this Exhibition/fair too? If yes, i would love to hear your experience. :)

--------------------*--------------------
Love,
Siri.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

D.I.Y: Moisturizing Vanilla Whipped Mousse Body wash


Are you hating a natural cold process soap that you bought with so much hope but isn't living up to your expectations? 
or.. Do you love one thing about it but hate another? (like me)
or.. Is it just plain boring? 
Are you feeling bad that your rupees went down the naalee(drain)? 
Are you thinking of giving it away to someone else who you think may use it? 
or worse...Are you on the verge of discarding it!? 

Then STOP! 

This D.I.Y is going to save you, your dear rupees and your fateful soap. Let's Upcycle it! Let's turn it in to something fruitful (or should i say.. foamful :D).



Ingredients and Equipment:
  • The fateful/boring soap. I used half a bar of the fateful Soulflower Milk Cocobar Soap.You can use an unscented soap to customise in whatever exact flavour you want.
  • Grater.
  • 4-6 drops of Essential oil. Your choice. I used vanilla, peppermint(used mint to freshen up the dull and dense milky odour of the soap i used) and a drop of patchouli too to spice it up a little(not pictured).
  • 1 tablespoon of any Carrier oil/Butters like cocoa, shea, kokum etc.,(if available). Whichever suits you. Since the soap was moisturizing enough for the chennai weather, i used 1 teaspoon of the light weight jojoba oil. You can use almond oil to 'yummy'fy it even more.
  • A bowl. Any metal bowl that can be used on fire will do. Microwave safe bowl if using it in one.
  • Water. Filtered or bottled.1 cup for 1 cup of flakes.
  • Fire/microwave.
  • Blender jar or hand blender.
Step by step instruction with pics:

 1) Grab all the necessary equipment and ingredients.:P :D


 2) Grate the soap to get flakes like these. Don't use a grater with tiny holes because the soap's going to get pasty and will clog the tiny holes. Use the medium or big holes of the grater.

This is the answer for "Guess The Post! A Tub Full of Curls.." Yes..those were the grated soap flakes which i used to make this bodywash :)


3) Measure them with a bowl to get an idea on how much water to use in the next step. I got 3 small cups worth and so i used same amount of water measured with that very same cup. If you want a heavy and dense consistency of the finished product then just reduce the amount of water used to 3/4th or half.


4) Bring the water to a boil.


5) Turn off the stove/microwave and put soap flakes in the boiled water. Let it sit for a few minutes and keep stirring every now and then. If there are any unmelted flakes then you can heat the mixture in low flame/microwave it for another minute or two and stir again.

Warning: Do not, under any circumstances, use high flame to boil the mixture. Because, it will foam up and overflow. And also, it will damage the texture of any butters present in the soap(just like in chocolate).


After the soap flakes have melted completely.

After letting it sit for half an hour. You can notice that the mixture has thickened as it cooled down.

See the egg yolk kind of consistency? That is what we need to achieve.

6) Put the mixture in a blender along with whatever additional essential oils and carrier oils or butters you've decided to use. Whip it for 30 seconds or more until you achieve the whipped thick milkshake consistency or a dense 'mousse'ey consistency if less water is used.

Note: If you're using butters, melt them properly before use.



It looks a little thin at this stage but is going to set after a day.



After a day, it sets to a light airy mousse. See the pic below. I made the mistake of pouring it in a tall tupperware container which made it super difficult to get the set body wash out. I had to start a violent shaking spree everytime i needed to use it. So, it's best if you store this in a jar as it will make it easier to scoop out however much you need.


As i went on violently shaking spree everyday, it affected the 'set mousse' consistency and thinned it out. See it in the below pic.

That's it! Fateful to Fruitful/Foamful! Now grab the loofah or just use the good ol' hands and foam away to glory :)

You can even make an antibacterial liquid hand soap using this recipe.Just add an essential oil which has antibacterial properties like Tea tree, Thyme, Eucalyptus, Lavender and many more.

You can also try this D.I.Y recipe with the leftover soap bits.Since you can't grate them,just cut them up to small bits and follow the same procedure.

Try this recipe in whatever combo you fancy. The possibilities are endless. Experiment. Have fun. This is going to be a super fun project to do in holidays/weekends with your friends/family.

Happy Upcycling :)

If you make your own version of this body wash, please share your experience with me. :)

--------------------*--------------------
Love,
Siri.