PLANT COLOR ALKANNA ROOT
Since time immemorial, my heart has beaten exclusively for plant colors in natural cosmetics. They are the most natural way of a coloring natural cosmetics to emphasize. It requires a certain flexibility and patience, as the result is never exactly predictable.
But maybe that's what makes coloring with them so exciting?
One of my favorite recipes is a solid hand and foot treatment that I dyed with an extract of Alkanna root. Alkanna tinctoria, also known as makeup root, was used for dyeing in ancient times. It belongs to the family of the leafy plants, there are about 30 - 50 species. Commercially available as a root or powder.
Today it was again time to provide for replenishment. Inexpensive and ready in just 10 minutes, it cares for particularly stressed and dry skin. Just mine.
The classic ingredients for this are cocoa butter and shea butter. I jazzed mine up with an extract of calendula oil and jojoba wax as a botanical alternative. And because I'm already craving florals a blend of geranium and lemongrass for scent.
RECIPE VEGAN HAND AND FOOT CREAM
30 g jojoba wax (alternatively carnauba wax)
40 g cocoa butter
35 g shea butter
15 - 20 g marigold extract in jojoba oil
For the color extract, I extracted 10 g of alcanna root in 100 g of ready-made calendula oil extract for 10 days and then filtered it. Of this, 15 - 20 g were added to the recipe.
Melt the solid fats slowly over a water bath. Then add the marigold oil extract. Let cool a little and stir in the essential oils. Pour into silicone molds and allow to set. I put them in the refrigerator to do this. The excess can be stored in a screw-top jar in a cool, dry place until needed.