What’s more refreshing than a squeeze of citrus? Lemon is known to brighten the skin, shrink pores, and prevent oil-induced acne. With vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium, we love using this summery fruit in our skin-care recipes. These are a few of our favorites!

1. Lemon Ginger Tea Soaps

You Will Need:

-Madeleine pan

-Olive oil spray

-1 lb. shea butter melt & pour base

-Cutting board

-Sharp knife

-Microwave

-1 TB. lemon essential oil

-Yellow food coloring

-1 tsp. lemon ginger tea

-Soft cloth

-Purple cotton fabric

-Grasscloth wall covering

-Lavender sprigs

To Make:

Spray the Madeleine pan with olive oil spray. Put the soap base onto a cutting board and use a knife to cut it into ½-inch cubes. Put the cubes into a glass container and microwave for one minute, and then continue microwaving, 10 seconds at a time, until the soap base is completely liquid. Add the lemon essential oil, food coloring, and lemon ginger tea. Pour the mixture into the pan, and allow it to harden completely. When the soaps are ready, carefully remove them from the molds using a knife under the back edge. Wipe away any excess olive oil spray with a soft cloth.

For the wrap, tear the purple fabric into thin strips. Cut a slightly thicker strip of grasscloth wall covering. Pair the shell halves together, and wrap with the grasscloth and a strip of torn purple fabric, trapping a sprig of lavender in with the fabric.

2. Lemon Balm Lip Balm

You Will Need:

*Yields 6 tubes

-Kitchen scale

-6 g beeswax

-Double boiler/Turkish coffee pot/Pot: small

-8 g extra virgin coconut oil

-12 g lemon balm-infused organic olive oil

-4 g raw cocoa butter

-Lip balm tubes: (6)

-Heat tool (optional)

To Make:

Melt the wax over medium-low heat in a double boiler, Turkish coffee pot, or a small pot with a pour spout. Add the oils and cocoa butter when the wax is liquefied, and melt all of the ingredients together. Stir constantly and keep a watchful eye on the oils; you want them to just reach the melting point and not overheat. Fill each lip balm tube halfway full and let cool slightly; this will set the bottom of the tube so a hole doesn’t form in the top when cooled. Before the tubes start to set, fill them the rest of the way so there is a convex curve on the top, being careful not to spill over the edges. When the lip balm cools, it will shrink and should end up having a flat top. If you need to even out the top, a heat tool works well.

3. Strawberry Lemonade Milk Bath

You Will Need:

-11/ 2 cups powdered milk

-2 cups Epsom salt

-1 cup rose petals

-1 tsp. lemon essential oil

-1 tsp. strawberry fragrance oil

-6 drops red food coloring (optional)

-Large jar w/ lid

To Make:

Combine all of the ingredients, with the exception of the red food coloring, in a jar and shake them. If you choose to add the food coloring, add it after the other ingredients have been combined. It will not color the contents of the jar, but it will give your water a slight pink hue when you use the product. If you add it before the powdered milk, it will color your product light pink.

For more nourishing skin-care recipes, pick up a copy of Willow and Sage  on your local newsstand or our website!