Do-it-yourself recipes

After a few experiments this is my ultimate lip stick! Cocoa butter is an excellent nourishing and emollient, castor oil, softening, adapts perfectly to the lips and gives a slight shine, beeswax is emollient and protects our lips, honey is an excellent " anti-cold ”and repairing, tocopherol or pure vitamin E is the best ally of the skin and has an anti-aging effect, propolis has healing properties, orange is invigorating.

A few weeks ago on alfemminile.com, there was a discussion about eyelashes, how to strengthen them, and make them thick and healthy. They also asked for our opinion, so we felt like recommending, beyond the expensive specific products available in the market, a very quick and highly effective recipe to make at home. It can be prepared in no time with 3 very natural ingredients with a strengthening effect. The right formula for an irresistible look!

Some of you have "tasted" a small piece of it and were enthusiastic about it, others have asked us for more information on the soap cake that we created for the inauguration of the new website www.lasaponaria.it.

Given the great curiosity aroused, we decided to share the recipe with you!

In this recipe we will tell you step by step how to make a soap cake, an original idea as a gift to celebrate your anniversaries with relatives and friends instead of the classic dessert!

Our recipe for the "vegan lemon cream, almonds and coffee" cake

Castor oil is an excellent reinforcer and invigorating for dull and not very vital hair.

Leave the treatment on overnight, or, if you can't, at least for a few hours: you will have amazing results. Rinse with a small amount of organic shampoo and warm water.

Olive oil, which is present for 65%, is self-produced and absolutely organic.

Why does it represent the proverb "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi"? Resia is a valley located in the easternmost corner of Friuli, nestled between Austria and Slovenia. It is home to a unique population in terms of language and culture, expressed through music, dances, traditions, and truly special folk festivals! In our language (Resian), "Val Resia" means Valley of Flowers. The valley is indeed an explosion of colors and scents from over 1200 plants (species and subspecies) found in the area, some of which are endemic.

To represent it, I chose a combination of colors and ingredients:

Brown to celebrate the land: rich and generous.

The central yellow flower to symbolize some of these flowers: St. John's wort, arnica, primroses, dandelion, goldenrod, calendula...

Honey, castor wax, lavender, and almonds: precious gifts from my beloved land.

This soap is inspired by the scent that invades our garden every summer, that of lemon beerbrush! At home we have always used lemon beerbrush in the kitchen, to make excellent herbal teas and a fantastic digestive liqueur .. And I thought: why not experiment with it in soap too? !! I then made this recipe with the hot method, using both the lemon beerbrush infusion and the leaves in the dough to create a light exfoliating effect. (this year, incredible but true, the lemon beerbrush is still in bloom in November !!)

Jam like marmelade, like a mix of cultures that meet and mix. This soap is dedicated to a dear friend of mine who lives in Ammam (Jordan) who this summer brought me a wonderful extract of a local incense, of myrrh if I remember correctly. An extract with a magical, intense and enchanting scent. It is a resin obtained from the incisions on the trunk of the plant, from which a sort of latex begins to exude. This extract is obtained with antiseptic and antibacterial properties. To this exotic ingredient I added something from my home, our olive oil that we produce every year here in the Tuscan hills. An excellent oil (even in the kitchen) that makes this soap very delicate and emollient!

Faenza is considered by all to be the "city of ceramics" par excellence. Since ancient times Faenza has been famous for its ceramics and even today the Faenza workshops are among the most renowned. I wanted to dedicate this soap to my city, using clay as a characterizing ingredient!

The clay is malleable to make ceramics but (the green one) is also a real cure-all for the skin. For example, it can be used to make masks with clay and water. It can be applied to the skin of the face and body .. after about ten minutes the clay dries completely, becoming a rigid film that adheres perfectly to any roughness. The mask helps exfoliate the skin by eliminating surface dead cells making the skin smoother and softer!

ace represented by the soap: Trento and the tradition of Vin Brulé (Mulled Wine) consumed in the streets.

Why does it represent the proverb "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi"? Vin Brulé is a sweetened wine cooked with orange and lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves, and a pinch of nutmeg. It's delicious, but above all, it's THE winter drink of Trento! In the city center, at every corner, there's a stall selling it in small cups that warm your hands. Its aroma fills Piazza Fiera, which during the winter is adorned with Christmas markets, and it's a must-have during the holiday season in the villages. If in the summer, after work, people meet in the square for a "Spritz," in the winter, they gather for a Brulè at the Christmas market! It may seem a bit too warm and too spicy to be an aperitif, but it's incredibly tasty and is said to work wonders against colds. So, if you have a sore throat or a stuffy nose, instead of recommending aspirin, they'll tell you to "have a Brulè!" which, with cinnamon and the essential oils of lemon and orange, is truly a remedy. And the beautiful thing is that you can drink it in the street. Despite the early darkness, the snow, and the fact that Trentini are known for their reserve, by the time the shops close, the streets are bustling! Okay, it's true that by nine o'clock, there's no one left... but hey, we're still in Trento, and you can't expect too much when it's minus ten degrees outside! In Trento, Brulè is made with red wine, and there are as many recipes as there are pots it's cooked in, but the base is always the same: citrus fruits and spices. A scent that immediately brings Christmas to mind and warms not only the stomach but also the heart.

Recipe submitted to the "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi" self-production contest. Why does it represent the proverb "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi"? This soap draws inspiration from the beauty of Baltic amber, the roses of Polish gardens, and the natural honey from Polish bees. I would describe this soap with three adjectives: elegant, romantic, and delicate. It embodies the perfect combination of ingredients capable of awakening three senses of our body: the touch of amber powder, the scent of roses, and the taste of honey. Amber, attributed with magical characteristics, reminds me of the elegant and mysterious beauty of the Baltic Sea. The precious amber powder is used as a luxurious exfoliant, making the skin softer and smoother. Rose essential oil is known for its moisturizing, firming, and skin-repairing properties. Its wonderful scent will give you a feeling of happiness, thanks to its antidepressant properties. Additionally, rose petals create a refined composition with amber powder. Honey has relaxing, emollient, and soothing properties. This fantastic liquid gold will help keep your skin hydrated and fresh.

When I was little my mother sent me to collect hazelnuts under the trees in the lawn of my house, because being a child I slipped well under the branches ... alone I was bored, but if there was someone with me (my younger sister or my father, often) it became a challenge to whoever collected more hazelnuts, and it was immediately much more fun!

I wanted a soap with hazelnuts, precisely those from my parents' house, which I now collect together with my partner when we go to lunch on Sunday (also because in the meantime 25 years have passed, and my poor mother certainly can't get herself down in all fours under the hazelnuts!) and I wanted it to taste like chocolate too, because chocolate with hazelnuts has always been my father's weakness. And I also wanted it to taste a little like honey, because as a child I loved when Maurizio who has bees brought us the honeycombs with honey, and we had to put everything in our mouth and then spit out the wax (with which I then played as with the modeling clay!).

And so, thinking about the things in my home, when I was little, I created a very sweet soap, which smells of good things!