Starter Kit Gift Idea #1 Frankincense Shaving Soap

Many of us LOVE home made gifts! And yes, that includes our facial shaving population. :-)

Day 1 of my Starter Kit Gift Ideas is for Frankincense Shaving Soap.

Ingredients

2 bars castile soap (Dr. Bronner's is a popular brand)
1 Tbsp carrier oil (you can use coconut, olive, avocado, almond)
4 Tbsp french white clay
5-10 drops of Young Living Frankincense Essential Oil

You will also want to choose what type of container you are putting the shaving soap in. For a complete gift set, you can by a shave brush & container. Sometimes they even come with a razor and other accessories.

 

Otherwise, you can put the soap in a mason jar, mug, bowl etc.

Instructions

1. Grate the bars of soap using a cheese grater or mandolin
2. Place the grated soap in a medium sized pot on low heat. Add in the oil of your choosing and let them melt together. This could take a minimum of 15 minutes to start seeing results. Some bars may take even longer. 
3. Once the soap and carrier oil are melted smoothly and combined, add in the clay and mix well. 
4. Remove the mixture from heat and add in the frankincense oil. Stir gently but well.
5. Pour into the containers you chose. You can also pour the remaining liquid into silicone muffin or shape trays for refillers.
6. Let the uncovered containers sit out for 5-7 days to harden and cure. They will harden more over time, and the shaving cream lasts for several uses.

How to use a shaving soap & brush

• The methods are somewhat personal to each user. Foaming a shaving soap is a bit like mixing concrete; use too much water and it's soup, not enough water and, well, you get the picture. That being said, this is a good place to start. 
• Soak the bristles of your brush in hot water for about 15 seconds. Remove it from the water and squeeze off the excess water OR shake it a few times. 
• Swirl your brush briskly around the top of the shaving soap, rubbing the soap into the brush. When a lather starts to form, continue rubbing for another 30 seconds or so to make sure the brush has picked up enough soap.
• Rub the lathered-up brush on your face, brushing vigorously to coat with the soap. The lather will start to build up on your face. You should have more soap than hair showing. You may want to add a few drops of water onto the brush and continue to lather your face.
• Once you reach the desired lather, you can rinse and squeeze your brush then get to shaving!

About Frankincense 

This is directly from Young Living:

"Frankincense (Boswellia carteri) has a sweet, warm, balsamic aroma that is stimulating and elevating to the mind. Useful for visualizing, improving one's spiritual connection, and centering, it has comforting properties that help focus the mind and overcome stress and despair. Frankincense is considered the holy anointing oil in the Middle East, where it has been used in religious ceremonies for thousands of years. 
More recently, it has been used in European and American hospitals and is the subject of substantial research. 
Frankincense is also a valuable ingredient in skin care products for aging and dry skin. The ancient Egyptians used it in rejuvenation face masks. Frankincense has an approximate ORAC of 6,125 (TE/L). TE/L is expressed as micromole Trolox equivalent per liter."