Bath Salts, Creams and Oils

Bath salts.

The base of a bath salt is an equal mix of sea salt and baking soda. To this one adds other ingredients as one wishes: dried and powdered herbs, powdered resins, powdered milk, clays and muds, food coloring for effects, and of course essential oils. Go easy on peppermint and cinnamon, they irritate the skin, and citrus oils, which can induce a phototoxic reaction. Store in a pretty jar and replenish as needed.

Creams.

There are so many recipes for home-made creams online that I'm not going to present one here, but I will make one comment: home made creams are basically soap without lye, so the manufacturing process is very similar.

Warm up the fat-based ingredients until they turn into a homogeneous blend, warm up the water-based ingredients until they reach the same temperature as the fat and whip the two together into a cream, a task made much easier by the use of a hand blender.

Add the essential oils after the contents have turned into a stable emulsion and expect the product to curdle occasionally. If that happens, add hot water, not oil, drop by drop, to thicken the cream.

Oils.

I swear by this therapy in a bottle, which is as simple as mixing 2 oz of cooking oil with 10 drops of your favorite essential oils.

Shake the mix vigorously for two minutes and let the blend rest for a day in a cool dry place to allow its components to achieve synergy.

The end product is good for everything: removing make-up, cleansing the dirt and grime of a long day off your face, moisturizing dry skin, discouraging breakouts.

Contrary to popular belief, using fat based ingredients to clean your face does not make your complexion oilier.

You can use any cooking oil you wish, each of them has a different quality. Some, like grape seed, almond and apricot oils, are rich in vitami
E and barely there on the skin. Others, like avocado and olive oils, are a lot richer and heavier, but they are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants and are just the nourishment dry winter skin needs.