Make Your Own Lotions, Bath Bombs And Salts

Guide To Making Your Own Beauty Products:

If you wish to make your own beauty products but do not know how to, here is help. Not only will these products be natural, holistic and organic, you will benefit from them also and not have to spend a fortune on buying them from big stores.

Salts And Scrubs:Mix equal amounts of baking soda and Epsom salts together and then scent with a few drops of essential oil. With so many fragrances available, the variety of bath salts you can create are endless. Don’t throw away lime peels. Dry them (not in the sun) and powder. Mix 3 tbsp of this powder with 5 tbsp of wheat bran or oatmeal. In a jar, pour quarter cup of olive oil, 4 tbsp honey and the oat and orange peel mix. The honey will settle at the bottom, the oil will float and the orange and oat powder will stay suspended like star dust. Throw in a star anise and let it sink to the bottom to complete the picture! An excellent scrub for the winter months; just shake before use. Add drops of essential oil or swap for citrus peel, dried jacaranda or rose petals, sesame seeds or powdered almonds.

Bath Oils: Instead of making a family pack, buy little vials and make a whole bunch of different smelling bath oils. Take any base oil like olive or baby oil. Fill more than half the vial with this oil, then add a few drops of sandalwood or lavender essential oil for relaxation in one, jojoba to soothe the nerves in another, ylang ylang for a bit of sensuality, bergamot to revive the spirits, moon flower to sleep well, etc. Label each so that you know which one is for what.

Lotions: These don’t last too long without preservatives, so stick to making non-dairy based lotions. Fruits also reduce the shelf-life, but you can specify a use-before-date on the bottle. This one lasts about a week if you refrigerate it: Take 1 cup dried chamomile, 2 tsp honey, 1 cup milk and 8 tsp wheatgerm. Steep the chamomile in milk for a few hours. Strain, keeping the liquid. Add honey, and wheatgerm to the liquid. Blend well. Place in a bottle. Or you can blend half a cup of aloe vera juice with 4 tsp of melted unsalted butter. Drop a few cloves into the bottle along with a few whole coffee beans to lend an exotic and unusual fragrance.

Bath Bombs And Fizzies:These are little molded bath salt balls – when you drop them in the bath, they burst forth and blend with the water.

Dry Ingredients: 1 cup baking soda; 1/2 cup citric acid; 1/2 cup corn starch;

Wet Ingredients: 2 1/2 tsp sunflower oil; 3/4 tsp water; 2 tsp essential oil; 2 tsp natural colorant (you can use turmeric, juice from beetroots, pomegranate or mint); 1/4 tsp borax;

Method:Sieve the dry ingredients together. Then add 4 tsp of sea salts or epsom salts. Adding Epsom salts adds a bit of shine to the bomb and also makes the fizzing action more vigorous. It also seems to shorten the drying time. Set aside the dry ingredients in a bowl. Measure and combine all the wet ingredients and borax in a small clean jar. Close tightly and shake vigorously. Slowly drizzle the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring constantly with your other hand. This mixture is very dry and crumbly. If you add any other ingredient (such as herbs, epsom salts or dried flowers) you may need to add a bit more almond oil, but be careful not to add too much oil as this makes the bomb soggy and may start a reaction. The mixture should just start to hold together, when pressed in your hand like very slightly moist sand pressed together holds its shape.

Use clear plastic 2-part Christmas ornament balls or halved ping-pong balls. Do not oil the molds beforehand when using these plastic molds, but make sure they are clean and dry. Pack each side of the mould and squash the halves together hard (the mould shouldn’t fit together completely). Don’t twist the two halves, just push them straight together and smooth off any excess around the crease with your fingers. After a few minutes, tap the molded bomb gently once or twice against your work surface.

Related articles

• Natural Bathing Treats (www.101beautysalon.com)
• Make Your Own Essential Oils Bath Salts Recipe (ecosalon.com)
• How to make bath salts (natureglow.com.au)
• Indulge in the Best Bath Products at Home (apartmentguide.com)
• Homemade lotion bars, great for dry skin! (lauramakes.com)
• Orange Bath Salt (kitchenkemistry.wordpress.com)