Making your own extract

Extracts are a great addition to your recipes, not just for your natural cosmetics but also in the kitchen.
There are a couple of ways to make extract, but today I'll share the easy method. 

If you look up recipes for extract on line, you will find very different recipes. It's not an exact science, but I will stick to the recipe I found in a book on natural cosmetic ingredients.

What do we need?
*clear, plain wodka, usually around 40% alcohol, if you can find a stronger one that's good too.
*herbs, this can be anything from vanilla to mint, rosemary or any other herb. Dried or fresh, just make sure the herbs are clean, free of dirt and bugs.
*a clean jar or bottle.

The recipe I found was 1 part herbs and 10 parts liquid. I think this is a pretty good recipe, but if you want to you can add more herbs. Just make sure all of the herbs are covered with liquid and you're still able to shake and or stir the mixture.  Like I said before, it's not an exact science. Feel free to experiment.

Put the herbs in the jar, fill it with the liquid and leave it in there for at least 4 weeks. Regularly shake or stir the mixture to get a good extract.
When it's done, separate the herbs from the liquid. You can use a clean dish towel to clear out the large parts and run it through a coffee filter to get the smaller parts out.
Store it in a clean jar, preferably with colored glass.

How do we use it?
Extracts can be used in many recipes. They're a great addition to face masks, creams, deodorants. Or if you're making vanilla or mint extract you can use it in all sorts of delicious recipes.
Only use a couple of drops in each recipe, remember you're adding  extra liquid to your recipe, this may influence the texture of your creams.
I often use extracts in face masks and most recently in a great sage deodorant, but I'll tell you more about that in my next post.

My shop update

My etsy store is one of my passions in life, next to of course natural cosmetics.

To celebrate the opening of my store there's a 10% discount for costumers.
Use the code TUMBLR10 at the end of your checkout.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunsetSparkles

I hope to sell some stuff, make my costumers happy and buy some new supplies.
And just grow and learn from this experience.