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How To Make Herbal Beauty
Products
The luxury of home-made herbal beauty products is
something no one can resist. The subtle and evocative
smell of rosemary in the bathwater or a cooling
application of chilled lavender water is a sensuous
luxury. Unlike most luxuries, though, the cost of these
ones need not be tremendous. Once you have collected
some basic ingredients, all you need is a little
experimentation and a keen eye for unusual containers
and you are ready to begin.
Basic Ingredients
The most important consideration to bear in mind when
making herbal preparations is to only use the best
quality products you can find. Good quality oils and
natural essential oils will combine to make a far
superior product than that produced by cheap oil and
chemical, synthetic oils. Natural products are far less
likely to cause skin allergies, but it is always wise to
test your finished product on a small patch of your own
skin if not on that of the recipient.
Essential oils are produced from many different scented
plants, using both the leaf and stalk, or flower,
depending on the plant concerned. Although it is
possible to extract these essential oils yourself, it is
a long process and the fun of making some herbal beauty
products as gifts is to have fairly instant results. If
you find concocting potions really appealing, there are
plenty of opportunities for further experimentation to
be found in the many specialist books available.
Packaging
As with every product, it is the packaging that gives
the finishing touch and makes all the difference between
something that looks home-made and slightly dubious or
exciting and luxurious. If you keep your eyes open in
antique shops and yard sales, you will discover that
there are plenty of old and interesting bottles around.
Thick glass bottles in a green or blue tone can look
wonderful when decorated with a pretty satin ribbon and
a few flowers. Sealing is probably best done with a
cork, which can be trimmed to fit any size of bottle.
Screw-top bottles are another possibility but they don't
have the same old-fashioned appeal.
Another lovely idea is to buy a glass scent bottle with
a ground stopper to prevent evaporation. The container
could then be treasured and reused many times. Atomizers
can give a marvelous feeling of luxury to some home-made
scented waters. There are many unusual perfume bottles
available and they make a stunning display on a pretty
dressing table. As a complete contrast, there are also
some promisingly shaped containers to be found in
grocery stores and supermarkets; if you look carefully
next time you are shopping, you'll be amazed at how many
suitable shapes and sizes there are amongst the mustard
pots, vinegar jars, mayonnaise jars or even bottles of
squashes and cordials. You may have to cover the lid, or
substitute a cork for the screw top depending on how
attractive it is once opened, but nevertheless there is
plenty of scope.
Always label your product carefully and add instructions
if it should be kept in the refrigerator or in cool
conditions. Giving a use-by date might also be a good
idea if something has a fairly short life. Labels can be
decorated by hand or stenciled and tied with a ribbon
around the neck of the bottle. You could also use a
sticky label and attach it to the body of the bottle.
Several products can then be packaged together in a
hamper or basket, with cotton wool balls or other
packaging to fill the basket and prevent the bottles
from breaking. Home-made pot-pourri makes a very good
filler for baskets. You can carefully arrange a
selection of bottles amongst the pot-pourri, then cover
the basket with swathes of cellophane before decorating
it with a pretty bow.
Bath-Time
Products
Nothing works more magic than a perfumed soak in a warm
bath after a really tiring or stressful day. The smell
of the herbal products can add a great deal to that
relaxation and many bath preparations are very simple to
make.
There are two main groups of herbs in these
preparations. Herbs to promote relaxation and
those that help to revive you. The relaxing herbs
include camomile, scented geranium, jasmine, lavender,
neroli (orange blossom) and hops. The more stimulating
and reviving herbs include basil, lemon verbena,
rosemary, melissa and bergamot.
Although it is a tempting thought to strew freshly
picked herbs across the waters of your calming bath, I
wouldn't recommend that you try it! Speaking from bitter
experience, it causes untold blockage problems in the
plumbing and feels very uncomfortable when you sit on a
particularly sharp stalk! The best way to use
fresh herbs is to place them in a muslin bath bag.
Bath Bags
Cut out some 9-inch diameter circles of muslin and place
2 tablespoons of roughly torn fresh herbs in the middle
of each one. Dried herbs are just as successful. Gather
the edges of the circle together and make into a small
bundle, holding it in place with an elastic band. Then
attach ribbons around the bundle to cover the elastic
band, making a long enough loop to hang it from the taps
so it will dangle in the water. A set of bath bags, with
different colored ribbons to denote different herbs or
mixtures of herbs, could be put together with a
collection of other bath-time treats. Do write clear
instructions on a label so they don't get mistaken for
bouquet garni and put in a stew!
Oatmeal can be added to the contents of the bath bags.
Use equal quantities of herbs and oatmeal, as it helps
to soften the skin.
Bath Oils
These are very simple to make and very relaxing. The oil
base should be good quality, preferably almond for
normal to dry skin or safflower for normal to greasy
skin. The only oil that will completely disperse in
bathwater is a form of castor oil called turkey red oil.
However, it is not easily available in health food
stores, unlike the others, and so I would recommend
trying the almond or safflower oils instead.
Choose some essential oils that will relax or revive
(see the suggestions above) and make sure they are good
quality natural oils rather than chemical ones. Chemical
fragrances are excellent for pot-pourris and products
that will not come into contact with the skin, but it is
safer to use natural oils for skin preparations, in case
the recipient is allergic to the chemical ones.
To make the oils, add 5 drops of essential oil to every
tablespoon of almond or safflower oil that you put into
the bottle. Shake well before use. You can use just one
essential oil, such as rosemary or lavender, or you can
mix them, rose and lavender, or rosemary and orange are
good blends. The possibilities are endless and the fun
starts when you begin to choose your essential oils.
These should be available at your local health food
store or beauty shop.
Washballs and Soaps
Washballs date back to Elizabethan times and so are
traditional shapes of soap. Making soap at home can be
rather time-consuming, so I have included a recipe that
uses a pure, fragrance-free ready-made soap to speed up
the process. Traditionally, soap is made with tallow,
which is rendered or melted animal fat. It should be
available from your local butcher and you can melt it in
a heavy saucepan over a low heat and then strain it into
screw-top jam jars for storage. Take care when making
soap as the caustic soda that is used can burn your
skin, so do wear rubber gloves and handle it with care.
Lavender and Rose Washballs
2x5 oz bars plain Castile soap, finely grated
8 fl oz rose or lavender water
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops rose essential oil
Heat 3 fl oz of the rose or lavender water and pour it
over the soap. Let is stand for about ten minutes. Mix
well and then incorporate the rose and lavender oils.
Leave to harden for two days. Then make the mixture into
small balls, each one about the size of a table tennis
ball or slightly smaller, and leave to dry in a dry airy
place. When the washballs have completely hardened, you
can polish them with cloth moistened with the rest of
the rose or lavender water, or alternatively wet your
hands with the rose or lavender water and rub the balls
between your hands. Allow to dry out before packaging.
Floral Vinegar for the Bath
Floral vinegars can soften the skin when used in the
bath and are very refreshing if kept in the fridge and
dabbed onto a fevered brow in moments of stress! Cider
vinegar has a delicate apple scent and so makes an
excellent base.
There are several herbs and flowers that can be mixed
with the vinegar. The main consideration will probably
be which ingredients are easiest for you to obtain.
Successful plants include jasmine flowers, rose petals,
lavender flowers and stalks, scented geranium leaves,
lemon balm or lemon verbena leaves and rosemary.
Place a large handful of mixed flowers and herbs or a
single variety (rose and lavender with a little jasmine
works well, or scented geranium and lemon verbena) in a
glass bottle and fill up with cider vinegar. Replace the
lid or seal with a cork and place in a sunny spot for a
couple of weeks. Then strain the vinegar, making sure
that you release as much moisture from the herbs as
possible, and pour into a measuring jug. Half-fill a
bottle with the scented vinegar and top up with spring
water. One bottle of vinegar will therefore fill two
bottles of the same size with the floral vinegar. To
use, pour a generous quantity into the bath with the
taps full on.
Orange Blossom Bath Salts
8 oz baking soda
1 lb coarse sea salt
1/2 fl oz neroli (orange blossom) essential oil
Stir together the baking soda and sea salt, then add the
essential oil and store in a sealed jar. Food coloring
may be added if you wish. Use three tablespoons per
bath.
Lemon Verbena Bubbles
12 oz pure soap flakes
3/4 pint spring water
1/4 fl oz lemon verbena essential oil
1 fl oz vodka
2 fl oz glycerine
Heat the water and dissolve the soap flakes in it. In
another container, mix the essential oil with the
glycerine and vodka. Combine these two mixtures and add
a drop of yellow or green food coloring if you wish.
Store in a wide-mouthed jar with a sealed lid.
Orange and Cinnamon Soap
4 fl oz spring water
2 tbsp caustic soda
4 oz melted tallow
1 tsp neroli (orange blossom) essential oil
1 tsp cinnamon essential oil
4 fl oz safflower oil
Wearing rubber gloves, pour the water into a large
heat-proof glass bowl. Add the caustic soda and stir
well with a wooden spoon. Add the melted tallow and stir
vigorously. Then add the safflower oil and the neroli
and cinnamon essential oils. Beat well and pour into
plastic molds. Leave to set. Once they are set, ease the
soaps out of the molds and leave in a dry airy place for
two weeks.
Cucumber and Mint Soap
4 fl oz spring water
large bunch of fresh mint, any variety
2 tbsp caustic soda
4 oz white vegetable fat, melted
6 drops mint essential oil
8 fl oz almond oil
1/2 cucumber
Liquidize, or place in a food processor, the mint leaves
and spring water. Pour into a bowl and leave for a
couple of hours. Liquidize (or process) the cucumber.
Strain the spring water into a large heat-proof glass
bowl, discarding the mint leaves, then add the caustic
soda (making sure you are wearing rubber gloves). Stir
with a wooden spoon then add the melted vegetable fat.
Add 4 tbsp of cucumber puree, the almond oil and mint
essential oil. Beat well and then pour the mixture into
plastic molds. Small soaps can be made in shaped ice
cube molds or larger ones in yogurt pots or similar
containers. Leave to set for two days.
Gently ease the soaps out of the molds and then leave in
an airing cupboard or other dry airy place for two weeks
before using.
Note: It can help to line the molds with cling film as
this may overcome any problems in removing the soap once
it has set.
Article Author - Carol Miller
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