Preparing your own beauty products is both easy and fun. Use our recipes to create fragrant, luxurious bath, body and home beauty gifts that everyone will love.
Indulgent coffee and cocoa body scrub
This scrub will leave the skin wonderfully soft and moisturised.
Ingredients (makes two cups)
• 1⁄2 cup olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup sunflower or canola oil
• 2 tablespoons ground coffee beans
• 11/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Method
1 Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
2 Pour into a wide-mouthed jar.
3 Mix well before use because the sugar will sink to the bottom. To use, massage two to three tablespoons gently into your body. Leave on for a couple of minutes, then rinse.
Variations
• You can use any plant oil in the place of the olive or canola oil.
• Replace the sugar with coarse sea salt for a salt scrub.
• Add a few drops of peppermint or lavender essential oil to the mixture, if you prefer.
Packaging ideas include a beautiful spoon to stir the mixture, along with the instructions for use.
TIP Place the sugar in a blender for a couple of minutes for a gentler scrub.
Relaxing lavender and chamomile milk bath
The amino acids in milk help to soften and moisturise the skin, while chamomile is a wonderful relaxant.
Ingredients (makes two cups)
• 1 cup whole milk powder
• 1⁄2 cup cornflour
• 1⁄2 cup Epsom salts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 40 drops lavender essential oil
• 1 cup strong chamomile tea
Method
1 Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.
2 Add the olive oil, essential oil and chamomile tea to the dry mixture and mix thoroughly.
3 Add three tablespoons to your bath water.
Note After making the mixture, store in a glass jar or any airtight container. Since the recipe does not contain any artificial preservatives, it should be refrigerated and used within three days of preparation.
Variation Stir in a couple of drops of food colouring to give the mixture a lavender hue.
Packaging idea Print words such as ‘relax‘, ‘care‘ or ‘nuture‘ onto acetate. Cut the acetate to fit into a glass jar so the words are legible from the outside. Be sure to include the instructions for use.
Peppermint and ginger foot soak
Epsom salts have many benefits like treating skin problems, relaxing the nervous system and drawing toxins from the body. Peppermint will leave feet feeling fresh and ginger will aid blood circulation.
Ingredients (makes one cup)
• 1⁄2 cup coarse sea salt
• 1⁄2 cup Epsom salts
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 2 tablespoons dried peppermint (optional)
• 15 drops peppermint essential oil
Method
1 Combine the dry ingredients and mix well.
2 Add the peppermint essential oil and mix well.
3 To use, add two tablespoons to a bowl filled with warm water. Soak your feet for approximately 10 minutes.
Variation use dried rosemary instead of dried peppermint.
Packaging idea Print the instructions for use on the back of the product label.
Coconut and oatmeal facial scrub
This scrub will leave your skin with a healthy glow and is suitable for all skin types. It also doubles as a facial mask. Turmeric is considered helpful in treating acne and skin blemishes.
Ingredients (makes two cups)
• 1⁄2 cup finely ground oats
• 4 tablespoons desiccated coconut
• 2 tablespoons milk powder
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• dried rose (optional)
Method
1 Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
2 For dry skin, mix two teaspoons of the powder with olive oil or yoghurt to form a thin paste. For normal to oily skin, mix with water or rooibos tea to form a thin paste. Massage onto a clean face, leave for 15 minutes then rinse well.
Packaging idea Half-fill a glass jar with the mixture then place a beautiful dried rose on top, as decoration. Be sure to include the instructions for use.
Fragrant cinnamon and orange cupboard sachets
These sachets will not only keep your cupboards smelling wonderful, they will help to keep moths away too.
Ingredients (makes two cups)
• fragrant glycerin soap, grated
• dried orange slices
• whole cinnamon sticks
• whole cloves
Method
1 To make dried orange slices, cut an orange into thin slices. Place the slices on a paper towel in the microwave on high for two minutes. Take the slices out and place them on a sheet of baking paper. Place in the oven at 80oC for a couple of hours until dry.
2 Break the dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks into pieces. Combine all the ingredients.
3 Place the mixture into small fabric bags.
Variation Replace the orange and cinnamon with other fragrant dried herbs.
Room and linen spray
This easy-to-make formula is an ecofriendly way to freshen rooms and refresh bed linen.
Ingredients
• 300ml distilled water
• 5ml essential oils of your choice
Method
1 Combine the water and the essential oil.
2 Pour into a spray bottle.
3 Shake well before use.
Variation Instead of using 300ml distilled water, mix 100ml odourless alcohol (for example, vodka) with 200ml water. This will extend the shelf life of the product and help the essential oil to mix better with the water.
TIP Always use distilled water as it is largely free of impurities and chemicals.
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