If you use the right ingredients, making a homemade cinnamon orange facial scrub is one of the easiest things to do. It smells great, works great and is quite amazing to use. Just think about it. A tube of Johnson and Johnson Clean and Clear Morning Burst Facial scrub will cost about $6.00-$7.00. So while that may be cheaper it has all these chemicals which is not ideal. The whole reason to make a homemade facial scrub is to use natural high quality products that is good for your skin and not to save money. You can’t do both and get effective results.

Instructions for making a homemade cinnamon orange facial scrub:

1. 1/4 cup organic cinnamon sugar (2oz)
2. 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice ((1 oz.)
3. 3 tablespoons of olive oil (1.5 oz.)
4. 3 drops cinnamon leaf oil (0.005 oz.)
5. Shake well to mix
6. Scrub your face or whole body with the mix using a circular motion to massage it into the skin well and obtain soft healthy skin. Avoid the eye area.
7. Rinse off the scrub with warm water before applying a toner and moisturizer.
8. Use once a week only
9. Shake well before each use as the oils will settle

Unlike other homemade scrubs, this homemade Cinnamon Orange facial scrub has a secret weapon. In addition to being a natural exfoliate, cinnamon is natural disinfectant, antiseptic and anti-microbial. Take a closer look many of the other homemade facial scrubs and you will see most of them can have high propensity to create bacteria. They are merely scrubs and don’t offer much in the way of anti microbial or disinfecting properties. So while it is important to keep your hands clean and dry when you use this scrub, the cinnamon will take care of any bacteria issues.

Cinnamon is also a powerful anti-oxidant. It has an ORAC value of 131,420 (?mol/100g) making it the 7^th most powerful anti oxidant and the only you can apply to your face easily. Not very practical to add cloves to your face. Plus Cinnamon has those disinfectant properties remember. Cinnamon sugar has strong anti-oxidant properties but adding three drops of cinnamon leaf oil gives a high power anti-oxidant effects and kill any facial bacteria. Antioxidants also act as a preservative because it slows down oxidation, especially if a product contains oils that tend to oxidize quickly. Please remember not to exceed the recommended quantity of Cinnamon leaf oil as too much will cause skin irritation.

Accessories for your homemade Cinnamon Orange Facial Scrub

Scrub Container – The best container to put this homemade cinnamon orange facial scrub is a 4oz glass spice jar with a sifter cap. Unlike plastic, glass will not create any chemical reactions with the plastic. The sifter cap will ensure that you can pour it into your hands evenly. You can remove and wash the sifter cap each time for added protection.

Stainless Steel Spatula - You might also want to use an easy to clean stainless steel spatula to prevent cross contamination.

Swimming goggles for eye protection – Sounds silly right? But a pair of swimming goggles can prevent any facial scrub getting in your eyes.

Properties of this homemade Cinnamon Orange Facial Scrub
Exfoliate, antiseptic, disinfectant, anti-microbial, Vitamin C, astringent

Tip and hints for using homemade Cinnamon Orange Facial Scrub

1. Do not use more than once a week
2. Store in refrigerator
3. Shake well prior to use
4. Mix ingredients precisely and do not exceed mixture ratios
5. Use a spice bottle with sifter cap
6. Use a circular motion to scrub
7. Avoid getting product into your eyes. Wear swimming goggles for extra eye protection

To purchase high quality Ceylon Cinnamon visit Cinnamon Vogue

How to make a natural cinnamon oil disinfectant spray

Tired of all the chemicals you are spaying in your house? Wondering if they cause all those cancers? If you have children or pets this is a major issue for many parents. Many of those chemicals cause chemical corrosion even to the bottle they come in. So imagine what it does to all the living breathing people in the house. Time to  learn how to make a home made All-Natural Disinfectant Spray with Cinnamon Leaf Oil.

Ceylon Cinnamon leaf oil is of one nature’s best natural disinfectants you can find. And it smells absolutely fantastic. It is one of those scents that you don’t get tired of easily. It just gives off that earthy clean smell. Not the usual over powering chemical smell.

First you need a nice robust spray bottle. Home Depot has a good spray mister. The bottle says designed to resist chemical corrosion. Guess you don’t need to worry about that with this Cinnamon disinfectant. You should pay the six bucks and get  spray mister bottle because the cheap one break very easily. In either case keep the receipt (do not forget) because even the best ones break before 5 years and this one says there is a 5 years guarantee. So here is how to make to make antural disinfectant

1. Add 24 oz. of  Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) or distilled water (tap water if you must) to the spray bottle
2. Add 2 teaspoons of pure Cinnamon Leaf oil (0.35 oz.) to the spray bottle.
3. Shake bottle well
4. Spray, leave for 30 seconds and wipe well with a clean damp micro fiber cloth
5. Shake before each use as the oil will settle to the bottom very fast.

Tips & Warnings

1. Store the cleaner in cool a dark place. Keep away from heat and the sun to prolong shelf life
2. Shake well prior to each use as the oil will accumulate at the bottom
3. Use a micro fiber cloth to wipe all surfaces. Tests show that cleaning surfaces with microfiber cloths or mops eliminates 99% of bacteria, while conventional cleaning tools reduce bacteria by only 33%. And with their superior ability to “grab” dust and debris, cleaning is faster and easier.
4. Safe to use on tile, metal and counter top surfaces
5. Color test to see if it works on wood and vinyl surfaces without damaging.  We have not yet seen any adverse effects on using diluted Cinnamon leaf oil to clean wood or vinyl surfaces.
6. The ideal water to cinnamon oil ratio is 68:1. Do not exceed this ratio as it may cause skin irritation. In either case wear gloves when using any disinfectant including this natural cinnamon disinfectant.
7. May cause a slight skin irritation, very similar to when using alcohol based cleaners. Take precautions and test in a small area before use. It should present no problems to most people.
8. For stubborn black ants on counter tops you maybe need to spray one squirt of cinnamon leaf oil without dilution. Wear gloves if you do so and keep away from eyes. Spray and wipe with a damp microfiber cloth.
9. Unlike chemicals cleaners Cinnamon Leaf oil is an extremely effective natural disinfectant with no known side effects like cancer.

10. If you apply concentrated Cinnamon leaf oil directly to skin or breath it directly or ingest it, you may experience irritation, a burning sensation, redness, welts, a rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, dizziness, facial flushing, red eyes and nausea. So be careful when dealing the concentrated Cinnamon leaf oil.

11. Do not touch genital areas if you have directly touched concentrated Cinnamon leaf oil even if you have washed your hands as it will cause a burning sensation. Yes we discovered this the hard way. Wear gloves when handling Cinnamon leaf oil.

12. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also avoid using cinnamon in any form.

Top 20 Places To Use A Natural Cinnamon Disinfectant

• Kitchen counters
• Kitchen trash can – disinfect and get rid of bad odors
• Toilet and toilet seats to disinfect and get rid of bad odors
• Bath tubs
• Showers
• Car interiors including vinyl surfaces to disinfects. Test a small spot for color fastness but it should present no problems in most cases
• Inside kitchen cabinets to kills small fruit flies and insects
• Spray on mattresses to kill bed mites
• Floors
• Door knobs
• Toilet Bowls
• Refrigerators interiors and exteriors
• Stoves
• Cutting boards – To get rid of Salmonella
• Washing toys
• Sinks
• Diaper pails
• Windows
• Fruit basket surfaces to keep away fruit flies
• Computer keyboards and mice
• Shoes and sneakers
• Day care centers

Properties

• Germicidal
• Antimicrobial
• Anti-fungal

10 Reasons to use Cinnamon Leaf Oil as a disinfectant

1. All natural – Can be used on any surface even food preparation surfaces such as cutting boards and inside refrigerators
2. Zero chemicals
3. No side effects other than skin irritation if not diluted properly
4. Safe for use on 99% of surfaces
5. Keeps away black ants, mice, cockroaches and many household insects
6. Cheaper than buying commercial disinfectants
7. No cancer causing agents
8. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Cinnamon improves cognitive (brain) function
9. Pleasant odor
10. Excellent scent throw and staying power

Unfortunately because the US FDA heavily regulates anything that can be used like a medicine, the FDA will no longer allow us to display any material or cite any research studies on the benefits of Cinnamon. Apparently we cannot even make a suggestion. This is an unfortunate turn of events but we must follow the law.

But we do make the best Cinnamon products in the World and hopefully you can get this valuable information from other sites. Admittedly they will not be as as comprehensive as ours but this is how Big Pharma controls your health.

The truth about natural flavoring

One of the interesting things I discovered when I was developing our world class Ceylon Cinnamon Tea is the strange world of “Natural Flavoring “. Yes that right! The strange world of natural flavoring. Just like the strange world of High Fructose Corn Syrup, Red#40 dye, Sodium Nitrate, and Asbestos, the truth about natural flavoring is strange.

When I started out to source a great Cinnamon Tea with my business partner, I bought virtually every brand of Cinnamon Tea I could find. Every one of them was a disappointment, except one particular brand of Ceylon Cinnamon Tea I shall call Brand Fake. No point in giving our competitor free publicity right? To give credit where credit was due, brand Fake was far superior to all the other brands, even though it was not organic. To tell you the truth I am not that enamored of all this organic nonsense because really, quite lot of organic claims are false or misleading. That is not say I don’t recognize and appreciate real organic stuff. Coming from an Asian country I can tell I used to enjoy the best organic fruits and vegetables you could find. You see my grandfather would never buy fertilizer. It was unheard of. Pay for fertilizer? That was an absurd concept to him.

Initially I had my heart set on sourcing some good organic Cinnamon Tea. It all started when I bought some organic Cinnamon Powder for our Cinnamon Sugar  which proved to be fantastic. As a result I was convinced that organic was the way to go. Since we had organic Cinnamon Powder so why not organic Tea right? In due course I found a supplier in Sri Lanka who was selling an organic Cinnamon Tea. I shall call this Brand “ Wishy Washy ”. The tea bag was really great, being one of those funky pyramid style tea bags where you could put larger leaf teas inside so it would brew better. The pyramid style bags are silk, made in China (who said all Chinese stuff was terrible) and biodegradable, which was an added advantage.

So I ordered a sample and waited with baited breadth. Then, total and utter disappointment!. I felt like I had been shot in the head  with a good sized buck shot. It was like that movie scene in “ My cousin Vinny “:  where Marissa Tomei explains about the deer being shot. Remember that? Oh dear or dear! How I cried. It smelt like cow dung.  A strangely pungent smell at best.. I stand corrected. Fresh cow dung actually has a rather nice aroma. An acquired smell for sure, but workable. During our tests people  positively hated this so called organic cinnamon tea. I don’t know about what passes for organic these days but even the quality of the tea was mediocre. Which proves the fallacy that not all organic products are good, if they are indeed organic. Some Sri Lankan’s, like their Chinese brethren who made fake
baby formula are an innovative lot, quite capable of mixing utter rubbish into a legitimate product.

To cut a long story short, I emailed brand Wishy Washy and told them the bad news. Of course I didn’t tell them it smelled like cow dung or it tasted like squirrel piss. That would have been undiplomatic. I was hoping against hope to salvage the relationship and truth be told they were our only source for Cinnamon Tea at that stage. I sent them a sample of brand Fake and asked them to match it. Now you have to understand that dealing with the Sri Lankan Postal Service and customs is like dealing with the Mafia. Actually the Mafia is far quicker and more efficient. Our package arrived a month later in Sri Lanka. A month! Two months of a frustrating game was played out after that. I was very polite and very patient even though I wanted to beat them to a pulp. I implored them to make a better Cinnamon Tea for us. All to no avail. All I got were cryptic emails and no progress. Then salvation came.

By sheer luck, my business partner found this other company in Sri Lanka. An innovative tea company that was just hungry for the business.  I shall call this Brand “Savior “. A truly world class company striving to compete with the best in the world. It is at times like this that I become proud of my Sri Lankan heritage. Don’t get me wrong. Now I am an American first and Sri Lankan second now. Still there is a certain pride when the country of your birth can do something very well.

Brand Savior sent us a sample of their Cinnamon Tea. Again our hopes were dashed. It was just not good enough. What was going on? Certainly it could not come close to Brand Fake in the all important smell test. So I sent them a sample of Brand Fake and told them to match the quality. Of course there was much huffing and puffing. Countless samples were sent to us and none worked.  The problem is that their Cinnamon Tea bags were made by adding tiny Cinnamon Flakes into  the tea bags. Fine in theory but it just didn’t produce enough Cinnamon in a cup of Cinnamon Tea. Yes there was a faint whiff of Cinnamon but that was about it. There was no zest in the product. It was flat. Lifeless. Completely without panache.

That is when we got into this business of flavoring. You see brand Fake was pretty clever. They were putting pieces of tiny Cinnamon Sticks in their tea bags but also infusing the tea bags with Cinnamon flavor to give that wow scent. So I asked brand Savior to infuse the Cinnamon Tea with Cinnamon flavor but leave out the tiny flecks of Cinnamon sticks in the tea. I mean really, what is the point if flavor could achieve the same effect? After many experiments they produced a range of samples for us. It was really great! Exactly like Brand Fake. Nailed it! Finally I had a product that could match our competitors. So I sent our first order.

But by a stroke of sheer luck, just before they shipped it, I asked them what kind of flavor they had used. They said it was a Natural Cinnamon flavor that was manufactured by a Swiss firm called Fermenich. I was astounded. Why would anyone, least of all the country that had the best Cinnamon in the world, buy Cinnamon flavor from a Swiss company? To me it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. But I think you all know the answer. It was cost. It is much cheaper to use natural flavors. So I thought, hey it’s a natural flavor, let’s go with it.

But I still felt a little uncomfortable. What is natural flavoring? If they say its natural flavoring it can’t be that bad right? You would think so. That led us on a huge hunting expedition on Google. I discovered natural means fake.

According to FDA 501.22 Section 3 Natural flavoring merely means “essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. Natural flavors, include the natural essence or extractives obtained from plants listed in subpart A of part 582 of this chapter, and the substances listed in 172.510 of this chapter “

That is like those credit card terms and conditions your credit card company or Apple sends you. Can you understand of any of that? I personally think that is probably the greatest travesty of American justice. That a bunch of lawyers run this country and they exploit the masses with their legalese.

Basically from what I understand from the FDA statement is that natural flavorings are extracted from the real thing. Notice the statement “whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional”. To me that means all the benefits are lost.  In the case of Cinnamon flavoring, I assume the natural flavoring is somehow extracted through a process of distillation or other chemical processes. Because they did not add any other substance to it, the manufacture can now claim it to be natural. I think that is cheating. Just like those “ Free Credit Report “ ads on US TV, this is tragically a US problem. I want to paraphrase Obama when I say in no other country is this kind shenanigan even possible.

Why would anyone use natural cinnamon flavoring when you can use real Cinnamon leaf oil or Ceylon Cinnamon Bark Oil? Because Cinnamon Leaf is not sophisticated enough for food use and Cinnamon Bark is very expensive. Natural Cinnamon flavoring is cheap. Which is why Brand Fake was using it! But it was not the flavor of Cinnamon people need. They need the nutritional of cinnamon but most are unaware.

So it was decision time. For half a second I thought about using the natural flavoring but discarded that as a really silly idea. I thought we should create something real and tangible. Not only to remain true to our principles (honestly I don’t have that many principles) but also to make a better product so we can be more competitive. This natural flavoring process is destroying the good properties of Ceylon Cinnamon. Mind you this is pure speculation on my part, but logical reasoning. My feeling is that when you extract Ceylon Cinnamon into an essential natural flavor all you are extracting is the Cinnamon smell and taste and nothing else!  What if that natural flavor extracting process is destroying the beneficial properties of Ceylon Cinnamon, leaving only the scent and taste of cinnamon? I think it does. And worse it is misleading to those who take Cinnamon Tea for health reasons.

I know I will certainly try to avoid buying all products that claim to have natural flavoring. Natural flavoring. A fake statement in a fake world. A lesson learnt.

To purchase high quality Ceylon Cinnamon visit Cinnamon Vogue

Research links
Josh the Aspie”s Blog – Natural Flavor is an artificial flavor
Supermarket Guru – How natural is natural flavoring?
Bruce Bradley – Processed Food: Trick or Treat?