For this recipe you do need a sourdough starter, which is difficult to create from scratch.  Ask around your friend-circle and hopefully someone has a starter you can use.

Ingredients to feed the starter

• glass jar (about a 375g size)
• 20g sourdough starter
• 50g warm water
• 50g flour (I use 00 pizza flour)

Ingredients & Materials for the bread

• 320g warm water
• 50g of the fresh sourdough starter
• 500g flour, sifted (I use white spelt flour)
• 10g salt (I use pink salt)
• Cling wrap
• Extra flour for dusting
• Bread baking tin
• Baking paper
• Tea towel
• Cast iron bread baking pan (optional)

Method

1. In a large glass bowl, pour in the 320g of warm water and add the 50g of fresh sourdough starter - mix well with a spoon until milky in appearance
2. Sift the 500g of flour over the water and sourdough starter, the add in the salt
3. Stir together with a wooden spoon until you can't any longer and then use your hands to roll and mix into a sticky dough.
4. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and let rest in a warmish environment for 60 minutes.
5. Uncover the bowl (hand onto the cling wrap) and then pull and fold the dough in a North-South-East-West rotation style.  Replace the cling wrap and return the bowl to the warmish environment to sit for another 30 minutes.
6. Repeat Step 5 two more times (so you have pulled and folded three times in total). 
7. Return the covered dough to the warmish environment and let it rest for 6 to 7 hours, or until it has more than doubled in size.
8. On a clean, dry bench top (or baking mat), dust with the extra flour
9. Remove all the dough from the bowl onto the floured bench top
10. Fold the dough into a rectangle/oval shape, with the sides wrapped underneath.
11. Lift the shaped dough onto the baking paper and then lift the paper and dough into the bread baking tin.
12. About 20 minutes before you complete the next step, turn your oven on to 220 degrees Celsius.  If you are using the cast iron bread baking pan, insert it into the oven now, so it pre-heats.
13. Cover with the tea towel and place into the warmish environment and leave it for 1.5 to 2 hours.
14. Take the tea towel off your bread (it should have risen slightly).  Insert it into the pre-heated oven.  If you are using the bread baking pan, using oven mits, remove the lid and place the bread tin into the base and replace the lid.
15. Bake for 38 minutes.  If you are using the bread baking pan, after 20 minutes remove the lid and bake for a further 18 minutes.
16. Take your bread out of the oven and place onto a cooling rack!

I love this face moisturiser.  It's light, nourishing and doesn't make you sweat.  I started out making it for me, and now I'm making it for friends and family who love it also.

 Ingredients

• 1 cup aloe vera gel
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (I use the organic oil from Aldi)
• 2 tablespoons jojoba oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons beeswax pastilles
• 8 to 10 drops lavender & Frankincense essential oils (from DoTerra)
• 60ml amber or frosted glass jar.

Method

1. Add coconut oil, jojoba oil, and beeswax pastilles into a double boiler (if you do not have one, substitute for a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water). Heat until melted, mixing with a whisk or spoon
2. Let mixture cool, approximately one to one and a half hours.
3. Once cooled, slowly add aloe vera gel, while blending with a hand mixer. Blend until light and fluffy.
4. Add essential oils and blend once more.
5. Spoon face cream into a glass jar.

If you make more than one jar, store it in the fridge until you're ready to use it.  The jar you are using day to day should be fine in your bathroom - just keep it away from direct sunlight and heat.

I started using this homemade shampoo when I was experiencing hair loss, and I wanted to grow my hair back.  It worked well and also gave my hair some extra body!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup distilled or filtered water
• 1/4 cup liquid Castile soap (preferably unscented)
• 1/2 teaspoon jojoba oil
• 10 drops peppermint essential oil
• 10 drops tea tree essential oil
• Flip-cap or foaming bottles for storage

Method

1. in a measuring jug, measure out all the ingredients
2. Pour into the bottle(s)
3. Thoroughly shake
4. Shake before each use.

This recipe comes from Vitalia, who also have good ingredients and containers DIY cosmetics.

I love this deodorant.  I live in a warm, humid climate, and this keeps me smell-free all day and also doesn't make me sweat more than I normally would.  It also smells nice!

This amount lasts me about a month to 6 weeks.

Make sure you have a scale that does small measurements.  I tried using a regular kitchen scale and it was a disaster.  I've got a small scale that does 0.1 increments, and that works well.

Ingredients

• 15g shea butter (I get mine from Vitalia)
• 40g bicarbonate soda
• 15g virgin coconut oil, melted (I use the one from Aldi)
• 10g Arrowroot or Tapioca flour
• 5g Kaolin Clay
• 3 drops Glycerin (I get this also from Vitalia)
• 2 drops Vitamin E Acetate (I buy the capsules from the pharmacy and puncture one to get the drops out).
• Essential oils (I like using grapefruit and Bergamot)
• 60ml jar or pot (this is what I use, and it perfectly fits 1 portion of this recipe)

Method

1. Using the double boiler method, melt the shea butter.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the bicarbonate soda, arrowroot and Kaolin Clay.
3. Add this dry mixture to the melted shea butter and stir until combined.
4. Add in the coconut oil and glycerin and stir.
5. When cooled slightly, add in the Vitamin E and essential oils.
6. Stir well and transfer to the jar or pot and set aside to cool and solidify before using.