Evyline’s Blog

incredients

Waterphase

• 75 g Distilled water 75m

Oil Phase

• 12 g Jojoba oil
• 13 g sweet almond oil

• A ground up snaketail bloom

Cooling phase

• 1.5 g Geogard Ultra

Prepare the Oil & Water Phases

1. Sterilize all of your equipment by running it through the dishwasher. Wash your hands thoroughly, and consider wearing disposable gloves while making the lotion. Microbes that are on your hands and equipment can make their way into your lotion and spoil it.
2. Measure the ingredients of the oil phase into one heat-proof glass jar. Measure the distilled water amount for the water phase in a second jar. Next, place both the jars in a large saucepan, and fill the pan with an inch of hot water.
3. Bring the water to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. You’re ready for the next step after you’ve heated and held the jars for at least twenty minutes, and the contents of both jars are 75°C/165°F. Take the jars out, and place them on a kitchen towel on the counter.
4. Next, pour the heated distilled water into the oil-phase jar. You’ll see it immediately turn an opaque creamy color. Gently stir with a spoon for several minutes, then let it cool. Leave the spoon inside the jar since you’ll need to return five minutes later to give it another stir.

Cooling Phase

1. As the lotion cools, it will thicken to a cream consistency. Return every twenty minutes or so to gently stir. You can also add the Geogard Ultra at this point.
2. If you make this lotion without a preservative, it will last up to one week in the refrigerator. After that time, invisible bacteria and fungi will begin colonizing it and it will not be something you want to put on your skin.
3. To preserve it for longer, you will need to add a broad-spectrum preservative. There are many available but my favorite is Geogard Ultra. It comes in a powder form and you’ll need to dissolve it in a teaspoon of hot water before you add it to your lotion. Geogard isn’t heat-sensitive so you can add it without taking the lotion’s temperature. It will preserve your lotion for eighteen months.
4. Many other broad-spectrum preservatives need adding at precise amounts and temperatures. If you choose another type, please refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.
5. If you’d like to add the optional essential oil, stir it in when the lotion is 45°C/110°F or cooler.
6. Now we need to test for pH. Stir a half teaspoon of lotion in 1-2 tsp distilled water. Dip one of your pH papers into liquid and then compare the color to the ones on the pack. Lotion and skin creams need to match the pH of your skin or they can be irritating and affect the effectivity of preservatives. If the pH is between 4.5-5.5 you’re spot on. 
7. You can make the lotion more acidic (lower the pH) up by adding tiny amounts of lactic acid or citric acid dissolved in a small amount of warm, distilled water. Make it more alkaline (increase the pH) with triethanolamine or by dissolving a small amount of L-Arginine or bicarbonate (baking soda) in water and adding it. Pass it through the sieve and into the lotion. Take the pH reading again and adjust again if needed.

I never would’ve believed that my parents would allow me to travel to Rome by myself. Well… not all the way. They did drive me to the airport in Warsaw. It was more than a three hour drive, early in the morning. It is a good thing Byral and Lyselli stayed home with Fyhal looking after them, because the ride was nerve-wracking already without my sister’s excited chitter.

 Mom was fussing about everything all the way: do I have the tickets, did I remember to take my passport, am I sure I’m going to be alright? 

Yes.

Yes.

And I don’t know. The more she asked it, the more nervous I started to get. By the time they left me alone, in the airport gates, I had to take deep breaths to calm myself. I almost forgot to take my backpack after the baggage scanner. I got through security just fine, the few potions I did pack were all in the bigger bag I gave away at the check-in. Dad reminded me to leave my water bottle with them, before I stepped through the security gates. They waved goodbye and my mom called out “I love you, stay safe!” one last time. Some people stopped to stare and I just waved back and smiled. She texted me as soon as they were back in the car. I was waiting in the line to get my bag checked and had nothing new to tell her!

All alone in the airport I walked through some of the shops, but didn’t find anything interesting. I had an hour for my plane and I spent most of it waiting by the gate, studying other passengers. As far as I could tell all of them were human! It made me a little self-conscious. I kept on adjusting my hair to cover up my ears properly. 

Waiting wasn’t the worst part! 

I am certain elves were not meant to fly. Two hours in a shaking metal shell was not one of my favourite experiences so far.