Baking Soda Soother - Bath Blend of the Month

Soaking in a warm tub with baking soda can do wonders for the body, especially in gardening season.  This recipe has soothing ingredients to assist with all the summer ailments.

Summer Baking Soda Soother

• 1 cup baking soda
• 10 to 20 drops of lavender essential oil, for stress
• 1/2 cup coconut oil for dry skin
• 1/4 cup lavender flowers or leaves (for sunburn)
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats (for itching)

Combine items and add 1/2 cup of mixture to a cloth bag or tied closed in a washcloth and fill the tub.  Rub ball or bag over skin while soaking.

Homemade Body Butter - Bath Blend of the Month

 Homemade Body Butter

Body butter is a great way to soothe skin and give it a silky feel.  

• 6 oz Coconut Oil
• 2 oz Cocoa Butter
• 2 oz Essential Oil of Choice

This can be placed in several 8-ounce (1/2 pint) canning jars.  Clean your containers in warm soapy water and allow to dry.

While your containers are drying melt both your coconut oil and cocoa butter. You can melt them over a double boiler, or in a microwave-safe bowl in microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring in between each burst.

Once the oil and butter have melted, place them in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. Do not place in the freezer. Once the oils and butter are opaque, using a stand or hand mixer, beat on high for 4-5 minutes. The mixture should become thick and creamy. If after 5 minutes of beating it doesn’t become thick, refrigerate for 5 more minutes and beat again.

Once the oils become creamy, refrigerate for 5 more minutes. After 5 minutes, add in your essential oil and beat until well incorporated. Once stiff peaks form, spoon into your clean containers and seal. Will last up to 6 months in an airtight container.

TO USE: Spread a small amount onto face, neck, hands and arms to give skin a smooth, soft feel.

Bath Melts - Bath Blend of the Month

Enjoy these moisturizing cocoa butter bath melts in a wonderful bath and add some sweet luxury to your day, or make them for your friends for Gal Spa Day. They are made with ingredients so natural that you could eat them. The aroma of cocoa, coconut, and lemon is uplifting and can brighten a gray day in March. These bath wonders are perfect for a pick-me-up-bath, as the silky soft oils melt in the warm water and soak into your skin, leaving it moisturized and soft.

 

I got this recipe through Stephanie Rose at Garden Therapy and added my own twist to it.  Her version used lavender essential oil and flowers, but I like a lemon scent in my bath, so I swapped in my favorite lemon herbs.

 

The main ingredient, Cocoa butter, is hydrating and soothing for your skin. At room temperature it is solid but as you add it to a hot bath it melts and the oil disperses into the water and absorbs into your skin while you soak. An edible fat extracted from the cocoa bean, it smells and tastes like chocolate because it is the main ingredient in chocolate. High in antioxidants it is ideal to use in bath items.  As a moisturizer it is perfect when combined with lemon herbs because lemongrass is known to enhance overall skin texture by cleansing and detoxifying, eliminating excess oil from the skin making it more supple while lemon balm is known to be an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory with antibacterial qualities. 

 

Coconut oil also becomes liquid at body temperature.  It is smooth and smells of coconut and is so moisturizing that it is often used to treat eczema.  It has the ability to reduce the inflammation caused by sun exposure and can fight bacteria without drying.

 

Lemon and Cocoa Butter Bath Melts (Makes 12 1-ounce bath melts)

·      2 Ounces cocoa butter (measure it by weight to get the best ratio or use 3 1/2 Tablespoons)

·      2 Tablespoons coconut oil

·      20 drops lemon or lemongrass essential oil

·      1/2 Tablespoon dried lemon balm

·      1/2 Tablespoon dried lemongrass

·      Silicone soap or ice cube mold to use as a mold

 

Melt the oils in a double boiler over hot water. Stir constantly and keep a watchful eye on the oils. You want them to just reach the melting point and not overheat.

 

Immediately pour into silicone molds. Sprinkle the dried herbs on top of the hot oil, dividing the tablespoon up evenly between the bath melts.

 

Move the silicone mold to the refrigerator to cool for two hours, and you’re done. Store the finished bath melts in the fridge or a cool place if your house is warm so that they don’t melt before you want to use them or gift them.

 

To Use: Pop one or two bath melts into a tub filled with hot water and soak for at least twenty minutes. Although designed for the bath, these melts can also be smoothed on the skin in the shower, just beware of a slippery floor when you rinse the oils off.

 

Homemade Body Butter - Bath Blend of the Month

Happy Labor Day - 

To celebrate, pamper yourself with this fluffy body butter.  It is one of the simplest to make.  You need a hand mixer and a decorative container to place it in when you complete it.  It makes a great gift and you can scent it with any fragrance you want.

6 oz Coconut Oil

2 oz Cocoa Butter

2 oz Essential Oil (your choice)

Mixer

Directions:

Clean your container in warm soapy water and allow to dry.

While your container is drying melt both your coconut oil and cocoa butter. You can melt them over a double boiler, or in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring in between each burst.

Once the oil and butter have melted, place them in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. Do not place in freezer. Once the oils and butter are opaque, using a stand or hand mixer, beat on high for 4-5 minutes.

The mixture should become thick and creamy. If after 5 minutes of beating it doesn’t become thick, refrigerate for 5 more minutes and beat again.

Once the oils become creamy, refrigerate for 5 more minutes. After 5 minutes, add in your essential oil and beat until well incorporated.

Once stiff peaks form, spoon into your clean container and seal. Will last up to 6 months in an airtight container.