PLHH
10-22-2002, 03:35 PM
Courtesy of Tami of Tami's Soaps
www.soapbytami.com
Ok---here goes--- these are all things that can be made far in advance of the holidays. I figured that was the best place to start.
I have listed some suppliers- I am not affiliated with these people but I have had success with my purchases through them. Everyone has different experiences, but if you can't get things locally, I hope these people will serve you well!
~Milk Bath~
4 cups powdered milk (you can use the cheapest you can
find- I usually get it at Sam's Club)
1 1/2 cups ground oats (if you have a coffee grinder, these grind really well in one of those)
1/2 cup baking soda
1 cup seasalt
Measure and dump these ingredients into a big zip lock bag. Shake it around. I usually scent this with a vanilla fragrance oil. You might want to try your local craft store or www.brambeberry.com. If you go to a craft store, be sure to buy SOAP fragrance and not candle fragrance. Candle fragrance is not skin safe! If you are using fragrance, add about an oz or to
smell. Some people like to add a little cosmetic glitter, too. When using it in the tub, 1/2 cup is usually plenty. Now, for packaging-- you can use kraft (or colored) tin tie bags. Or check out the milk cartons at www.creativemode.com. If using either
of these, kids can decorate them with stickers to give it even more gift appeal. Or you can sometimes find great containers at the Dollar Stores.
~Glitter Gel~
This is very popular with girls and easy to make! There are a couple of different options, I prefer the first one because it is more natural, but feel free to experiment!
#1
1/2 cup aloe vera gel (if you have a Wal-mart, they
usually have a good price on it)
1 tsp glycerin (optional-- makes it a little thicker)
about 1 tsp. cosmetic grade glitter (bramble berry has this, too-- don't use craft store glitter unless it says it is cosmetically safe!)
Fragrance (if desired, I don't)
#2
Use premade hair gel and just add cosmetic glitter. Usually, this is packaged in little jars. If you want to, you can use cool little plastic cosmetic jars (www.making-soap.com) or clear plastic jars
(www.brambleberry.com)
-Out of habit, I keep my lip balms and glitter gels in
the fridge until I need them.
~Fire Starters~
Pine cones
Candle Wax (available at craft stores)
Candle Fragrance of choice (pine, cedar work
great...but experiment.. just don't use SOAP fragrance
for this.)
Melt the candle wax in a double boiler. I usually use a coffee can in a pot of water. If there are any candlemakers out there, I'm sure they could offer suggestions. Add fragrance (and candle color, if using) and dip the pine cones. Let cool on a piece of
wax paper. I usually package these in a tin from the Dollar Store.
~Lip Balm~
This is a very basic recipe-- alter the oils, tinker with it however you would like-- just keep the ratio of solids to liquid oils the same and you'll be fine!
1 oz beeswax
1 oz shea or mango butter
1 oz oil (you can mix and match oils here-- apricot kernel, olive, avocado, sweet almond, castor, etc.)
Just a touch of vitamin E (you can squeeze out a couple of capsules)
ADD LATER
Flavoring if using ADD LATER
Melt these together over low heat in a double boiler. Remove from heat, add flavoring and Vit. E, then pour into tubes/pots. Flavoring and pots/tubes are available at www.brambleberry.com or lots of places--maybe even craft stores?) I usually pour mine
into tubes because they are less likely to get contaminated if you don't have to dip your fingers in. But both work great! My personal favorite oils in it are a combo of apricot kernel and hempseed oil with a bit of castor- it's really absorbitive! And I
only use peppermint EO in mine, but orange EO or the flavorings work great.
-Tubes, pots and flavorings are available through
www.brambleberry.com or www.stuffjulielikes.com. They
may also be available at your local craft store, but not mine.
I've never made this one, but it is from www.rainbowmeadow.com and I'm sure it would be a hit with the chocolate mint lovers out there!
1 oz cocoa butter
1 oz beeswax
2 oz castor oil
5 drops pepperment essential oil
Melt beeswax and cocoa butter. Remove from heat and stir in castor oil. Allow to cool before stirring in essential oils, but mixture should still be warm and pourable. Stir essential oils in well and pour into lip balm tubes. Recipe can be increased. Peppermint essential oil may be decreased if too tingly. If more
tingle is required, peppermint may be increased up to a total of 20 drops.
-Shea butter is available through www.olivetreesoaps.com (also at local health food stores for BIG BIG bucks!!)
-Specialty oils - www.making-soap.com or your local health food stores (probably big bucks!).
~Salt Scrub~
2 parts sea salt
1 part epsom salt
little bit of liquid soap (Dr. Bronner's etc.)
little bit of castor oil
little bit of jojoba oil
*these little bits are less than a tablespoon or so* ou want to get them all to stick together but not get mushy. Oils may be varied, but the liquid soap really helps it hold together. Add body-safe fragrance, mix all together and place in plastic jars. Do not use on freshly shaved skin! Otherwise, rub into skin and rinse off in shower. Leaves skin smooth and soft.
~Bath Fizzies~
This recipe is originally from www.snowdriftfarm.com.
I've made very minor changes to it. Do not try it on a humid day-- they just don't work!
dry -
1 cup baking soda
1/2 citric acid
1/2 cup cornstarch
wet -
2 tablespoons oil (I use jojoba usually)
1 tablepoon water
fragrance/coloring (can use a few drops of food coloring)
Mix dry ingredients together. Then mix wet ingredients together and drizzle into the dry ingredients. This should feel like the kind of damp sand that works best for sand castles. When they are mixed together well, shape as desired. Almost anything can be a mold for them-- I usually press mine into halves of those plastic ball Christmas ornament balls you can get at Craft stores.
You can also use condiment containers, etc. Tap out and let sit overnight. These are kind of tricky-- if you can't get them to hold together as you'd like, try adding small amounts of whichever you need (dry or wet).
~Bath Tea~
1/4 cup each (dried)
rose petals
calendula
lavender
black current leaves
oatmeal
Tiny bit of fragrance or eo's if desired.
Mix together-- then drizzle with 1 tablepoon glycerin.
Let sit over night and package in muslin bags or teabags.
Another good recipe for these (with a cool picture!) is at www.making-soap.com
~Roll-On Perfume~
This is designed for these little roll-on bottles. Mix about 4-5 parts oils with 1/2 to 1 part fragrance or essential oil- it depends on strength of fragrance. Pour into bottles. Bottles are available at
www.making-soap.com
~All Purpose First Aid Salve~
*itching, insect bites, scratches, cuts, burns, etc*
1 part st. john's wort
2 parts calendula
1 part comfrey leaf
1 part comfrey root
1 part plaintain
Use all these herbs in dried form. Infuse in olive oil (or your favorite oil with a long shelf life). What I do is put herbs in an knee-high, then cover with olive oil. Turn the heat on low, then turn off and let infuse for several hours. You may want to turn the heat on and off often, but don't let it get too hot. Remove the knee-high herbs. Mix in enough beeswax to create a salve and heat over low heat. Add a little vitamin E when it is cooling, then pour into tins/jars/whatever.
~Dream Pillow~
1 cup each lavender, chamomile, mugwort and hops. There are tons of recipe sites for dream pillows, so just let me know if you'd like more links.
~Tooth Powder/Paste~
*I haven't tried this. It is from Rosemary Gladstar.*
1/2 cup very fine white clay, sifted several times
1 tsp seasalt
1 tsp baking soda (optional)
1 tsp myrrh powder, sifted several times
a few drops anise seed oil, peppermint or spearmint oil to taste
Using a wire whisk, mix clay with sea salt, baking soda and myrrh. If making paste, mix with enough water to form paste. Add EO if using to taste. May also add glycerine to taste.
~Aftershave~
Pack a wide mouth canning jar with bay leaves (mostly) but add some whole cloves, a bit of grated ginger and allspice til you get a fragrant mix that pleases your nose. Leave a couple of inches at the top of jar.. add rum. Cover, shake and let sit for about a month. Strain and rebottle.
~Powder~
Equal parts kaolin clay, arrowroot powder, cornstarch. Mix together.. may add few drops of essential oils or very, very finely ground herbs. If adding herbs or eo's, let sit a few hours before packaging.
~Dream Time Balm~
Follow basic instructions above for making balm- This is to be gently rubbed into your temples to help you sleep and remember your dreams! Herbs are listed from the majority in the blend to the lesser amounts, but not specific.
Mugwort
Rosemary
Spearmint
Calendula
Patchouli
Lavender
www.soapbytami.com
Ok---here goes--- these are all things that can be made far in advance of the holidays. I figured that was the best place to start.
I have listed some suppliers- I am not affiliated with these people but I have had success with my purchases through them. Everyone has different experiences, but if you can't get things locally, I hope these people will serve you well!
~Milk Bath~
4 cups powdered milk (you can use the cheapest you can
find- I usually get it at Sam's Club)
1 1/2 cups ground oats (if you have a coffee grinder, these grind really well in one of those)
1/2 cup baking soda
1 cup seasalt
Measure and dump these ingredients into a big zip lock bag. Shake it around. I usually scent this with a vanilla fragrance oil. You might want to try your local craft store or www.brambeberry.com. If you go to a craft store, be sure to buy SOAP fragrance and not candle fragrance. Candle fragrance is not skin safe! If you are using fragrance, add about an oz or to
smell. Some people like to add a little cosmetic glitter, too. When using it in the tub, 1/2 cup is usually plenty. Now, for packaging-- you can use kraft (or colored) tin tie bags. Or check out the milk cartons at www.creativemode.com. If using either
of these, kids can decorate them with stickers to give it even more gift appeal. Or you can sometimes find great containers at the Dollar Stores.
~Glitter Gel~
This is very popular with girls and easy to make! There are a couple of different options, I prefer the first one because it is more natural, but feel free to experiment!
#1
1/2 cup aloe vera gel (if you have a Wal-mart, they
usually have a good price on it)
1 tsp glycerin (optional-- makes it a little thicker)
about 1 tsp. cosmetic grade glitter (bramble berry has this, too-- don't use craft store glitter unless it says it is cosmetically safe!)
Fragrance (if desired, I don't)
#2
Use premade hair gel and just add cosmetic glitter. Usually, this is packaged in little jars. If you want to, you can use cool little plastic cosmetic jars (www.making-soap.com) or clear plastic jars
(www.brambleberry.com)
-Out of habit, I keep my lip balms and glitter gels in
the fridge until I need them.
~Fire Starters~
Pine cones
Candle Wax (available at craft stores)
Candle Fragrance of choice (pine, cedar work
great...but experiment.. just don't use SOAP fragrance
for this.)
Melt the candle wax in a double boiler. I usually use a coffee can in a pot of water. If there are any candlemakers out there, I'm sure they could offer suggestions. Add fragrance (and candle color, if using) and dip the pine cones. Let cool on a piece of
wax paper. I usually package these in a tin from the Dollar Store.
~Lip Balm~
This is a very basic recipe-- alter the oils, tinker with it however you would like-- just keep the ratio of solids to liquid oils the same and you'll be fine!
1 oz beeswax
1 oz shea or mango butter
1 oz oil (you can mix and match oils here-- apricot kernel, olive, avocado, sweet almond, castor, etc.)
Just a touch of vitamin E (you can squeeze out a couple of capsules)
ADD LATER
Flavoring if using ADD LATER
Melt these together over low heat in a double boiler. Remove from heat, add flavoring and Vit. E, then pour into tubes/pots. Flavoring and pots/tubes are available at www.brambleberry.com or lots of places--maybe even craft stores?) I usually pour mine
into tubes because they are less likely to get contaminated if you don't have to dip your fingers in. But both work great! My personal favorite oils in it are a combo of apricot kernel and hempseed oil with a bit of castor- it's really absorbitive! And I
only use peppermint EO in mine, but orange EO or the flavorings work great.
-Tubes, pots and flavorings are available through
www.brambleberry.com or www.stuffjulielikes.com. They
may also be available at your local craft store, but not mine.
I've never made this one, but it is from www.rainbowmeadow.com and I'm sure it would be a hit with the chocolate mint lovers out there!
1 oz cocoa butter
1 oz beeswax
2 oz castor oil
5 drops pepperment essential oil
Melt beeswax and cocoa butter. Remove from heat and stir in castor oil. Allow to cool before stirring in essential oils, but mixture should still be warm and pourable. Stir essential oils in well and pour into lip balm tubes. Recipe can be increased. Peppermint essential oil may be decreased if too tingly. If more
tingle is required, peppermint may be increased up to a total of 20 drops.
-Shea butter is available through www.olivetreesoaps.com (also at local health food stores for BIG BIG bucks!!)
-Specialty oils - www.making-soap.com or your local health food stores (probably big bucks!).
~Salt Scrub~
2 parts sea salt
1 part epsom salt
little bit of liquid soap (Dr. Bronner's etc.)
little bit of castor oil
little bit of jojoba oil
*these little bits are less than a tablespoon or so* ou want to get them all to stick together but not get mushy. Oils may be varied, but the liquid soap really helps it hold together. Add body-safe fragrance, mix all together and place in plastic jars. Do not use on freshly shaved skin! Otherwise, rub into skin and rinse off in shower. Leaves skin smooth and soft.
~Bath Fizzies~
This recipe is originally from www.snowdriftfarm.com.
I've made very minor changes to it. Do not try it on a humid day-- they just don't work!
dry -
1 cup baking soda
1/2 citric acid
1/2 cup cornstarch
wet -
2 tablespoons oil (I use jojoba usually)
1 tablepoon water
fragrance/coloring (can use a few drops of food coloring)
Mix dry ingredients together. Then mix wet ingredients together and drizzle into the dry ingredients. This should feel like the kind of damp sand that works best for sand castles. When they are mixed together well, shape as desired. Almost anything can be a mold for them-- I usually press mine into halves of those plastic ball Christmas ornament balls you can get at Craft stores.
You can also use condiment containers, etc. Tap out and let sit overnight. These are kind of tricky-- if you can't get them to hold together as you'd like, try adding small amounts of whichever you need (dry or wet).
~Bath Tea~
1/4 cup each (dried)
rose petals
calendula
lavender
black current leaves
oatmeal
Tiny bit of fragrance or eo's if desired.
Mix together-- then drizzle with 1 tablepoon glycerin.
Let sit over night and package in muslin bags or teabags.
Another good recipe for these (with a cool picture!) is at www.making-soap.com
~Roll-On Perfume~
This is designed for these little roll-on bottles. Mix about 4-5 parts oils with 1/2 to 1 part fragrance or essential oil- it depends on strength of fragrance. Pour into bottles. Bottles are available at
www.making-soap.com
~All Purpose First Aid Salve~
*itching, insect bites, scratches, cuts, burns, etc*
1 part st. john's wort
2 parts calendula
1 part comfrey leaf
1 part comfrey root
1 part plaintain
Use all these herbs in dried form. Infuse in olive oil (or your favorite oil with a long shelf life). What I do is put herbs in an knee-high, then cover with olive oil. Turn the heat on low, then turn off and let infuse for several hours. You may want to turn the heat on and off often, but don't let it get too hot. Remove the knee-high herbs. Mix in enough beeswax to create a salve and heat over low heat. Add a little vitamin E when it is cooling, then pour into tins/jars/whatever.
~Dream Pillow~
1 cup each lavender, chamomile, mugwort and hops. There are tons of recipe sites for dream pillows, so just let me know if you'd like more links.
~Tooth Powder/Paste~
*I haven't tried this. It is from Rosemary Gladstar.*
1/2 cup very fine white clay, sifted several times
1 tsp seasalt
1 tsp baking soda (optional)
1 tsp myrrh powder, sifted several times
a few drops anise seed oil, peppermint or spearmint oil to taste
Using a wire whisk, mix clay with sea salt, baking soda and myrrh. If making paste, mix with enough water to form paste. Add EO if using to taste. May also add glycerine to taste.
~Aftershave~
Pack a wide mouth canning jar with bay leaves (mostly) but add some whole cloves, a bit of grated ginger and allspice til you get a fragrant mix that pleases your nose. Leave a couple of inches at the top of jar.. add rum. Cover, shake and let sit for about a month. Strain and rebottle.
~Powder~
Equal parts kaolin clay, arrowroot powder, cornstarch. Mix together.. may add few drops of essential oils or very, very finely ground herbs. If adding herbs or eo's, let sit a few hours before packaging.
~Dream Time Balm~
Follow basic instructions above for making balm- This is to be gently rubbed into your temples to help you sleep and remember your dreams! Herbs are listed from the majority in the blend to the lesser amounts, but not specific.
Mugwort
Rosemary
Spearmint
Calendula
Patchouli
Lavender