Make it Yourself Monday-Bath Melts

After a long, hard day working or even a nice day relaxing at the beach or by the pool, a soaking bath can be very relaxing. Add some bath melts and it can also be quite soothing and nourishing to the skin! To make your own, you will need;

4 oz. Shea or Cocoa butter (or a mixture)
4 Tbs. Citric Acid
6 Tbs. Oatmeal
1 Tbs. Cornstarch
4 oz. Baking Soda
Essential oil or Skin safe Fragrance oil of choice. Check the manufacturer for the recommended usage amounts.
Mold of choice

Melt the butter in a double boiler, then set aside to cool but don't allow it to solidify. In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Once the butter is cooled a bit, add in the dry ingredients and stir. If you mix them when the oil is too hot it may fizz, and since you obviously can't mix it if the butter has solidified completely, timing is everything! Once mixed, quickly add in the essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice and mix thoroughly. Once mixed, work quickly spooning the mixture into your mold. I have found that silicone ice cube tray molds work great for these melts, and they come in a great variety of shapes. Check the dollar stores for great bargains too!  



To use, just toss one or more into your tub as it fills. They will melt in the warmth of the water and you will get a moisturizing treatment as you relax in the tub. Make these with the right choice of essential oil and you could also combine an aromatherapy treatment in there as well!  Just be sure to exercise caution when you go to get out of the tub, as these tend to make the tub slippery. The more you use, the more you risk slipping, so PLEASE be very careful!. 
 

Feelin' it Friday- Mango Butter

TGIF! Today we are looking at Mango Butter,  Mango butter is a hard, white fat which melts at 101-102 degrees F. It comes from the fruit seed of the mango tree, botanically known as Mangifera indica. Although this fruit is largely grown in the sub-tropics of India, it also grows in other parts of the globe. From the seed, a firm "butter" is rendered. This tropical butter is similar in composition to both Shea and Cocoa butters, although the fatty acid content is slightly different. In its natural form, Mango Butter smells slightly sweet and fatty, but when it's refined, it is a very mild odor, and the scent is easily covered in any formulation. Also, when it is refined, it more easily melts at skin temperature. While it really doesn't apply well in a stand alone application, it can be warmed and melted, then used on the skin. It then disperses evenly and smoothly, as it leaves an emollient and protective layer. This butter is a wonderful additive in many formulas, as it is quite nourishing to the skin. In fact, Dermatologists often recommend Mango Butter to treat wrinkles, and those that use it report seeing lines and wrinkles disappearing within 4-6 weeks of using it daily.

Mango Butter has been traditionally used in the rain forests and the tropics for its skin softening, soothing, moisturizing and protective properties, as well as its ability to restore flexibility and reduce the degeneration of skin cells. It also protects against UV radiation. Mango butter has natural emollient properties, wound healing, and regenerative properties. It relieves dry skin, heals skin rashes, heals peeling after sun exposure, clears blemishes and wrinkles, and relieves itching. It is a great additive (or base) for many body care products, so look for it in your soaps, lotions, massage creams, balms, and hair care products.

Make It Yourself Monday- Recipes for (more) Relief

Hope you had a fantastic father's day, and nice weekend. This is Make it Yourself Monday, and here are some more recipes to provide relief!




With summer often comes hot, sweaty, sore, muscles, and sometimes even stinky feet. To provide some relief try one of these recipes.


Cooling and Deodorizing Mist


Get a 8 ounce spray bottle and fill it three fourths full of water. Then add 4 drops of peppermint, grapefruit, and lemon, and 3 drops of wintergreen essential oils. Then add a cap full of vodka. Twist lid on and shake well. You can use this now, or you can wait until it gets cold in the refrigerator for even more cooling, soothing and relief. This spray is great for achy leg muscles after an athletic event, a work out, or just a long day. It is also wonderful for those little piggies who just don't feel up to going to the market anymore! Leave this in the fridge so it will be ready for when you need it, and it will last you for several weeks. You can also give a squirt into those stinky sneakers too for a quick freshen up!




Cucumber Hand Wash


For a nice hand wash that will soothe irritated skin. Try peeling one small cucumber and put it in blender and blend it until it is liquefied. Add one tablespoon of witch hazel to the juice and wash your hands with the mixture. Pat dry and moisturize as normal. This formula helps heal abrasions and relieves puffiness, as well as soothing irritated skin.


Herbal Foot Soak


Herbal soaks are great for tired, achy feet, and they are easy to prepare. Plus, you can alter a herb or two and customize the blend or just give yourself variety! All you need to do is to steep 2 cups of fresh herbs, or 1 cup of dried herbs, in 2 gallons of water for 20 minutes. With the herbs in the pot, bring the water to boil, then reduce heat and simmer with the lid on, for 20 minutes.  Once the time is up, strain the liquid and throw away the plant material. Pour the liquid into foot basin. Once it has cooled enough to not harm you (use it as hot as you can handle it, your feet will love you!), soak your feet for 20 minutes, then pat dry and moisturize as normal. 
As for herbs, you can use many, but I suggest you try these; comfrey, elderberry, chamomile, lavender, pine, rosemary, sage, and/or horsetail

Some More Food You Can Use

A few weeks back I did a couple of posts on foods that you could use for your beauty care. I inadvertently left the following recipe sitting on my draft board, so here you go, one more! Sage Cucumber Potato Ice Cubes 1/4 small raw potato, peeled 1/2 medium-sized cucumber, peeled 2 Tbs sage infusion, cooled* *to make a sage infusion you take 1/4 cup sage (fresh or dried) and pour 1 cup almost boiling water over it, allow to steep for about 30 min. then strain. Throw out the sage and store the "tea" aka infusion in the refrigerator in a glass jar, covered. This will remain good for about 2 months.* Slice the potato into chunks then mash into pieces in a food processor to get them as fine as possible. Use the food processor to puree the peeled cucumber very briefly. You don't want to over process it. Then strain the excess juice. The whole thing will be runny, but preserve the more pulpy part.Now mix the potato, cucumber and tea together and pour into an empty ice cube tray. Freeze.Next time your eyes are puffy, red and/or sore, pop out one of these ice cubes and place it over the eyes. Leave it on for 2-3 minutes, or you may just dab them on, if leaving it lay on bothers you. When finished, rinse your eyelids off & pat dry. You'll see the difference! The cubes will remain good, in the freezer for 2 months. Also, for another, quicker, easier remedy, you can throw a few slices of cucumber or 2 teaspoons in the freezer before you get into the shower in the morning. After you've gotten out of the shower & dressed, place the frosted spoons or the cucumber slices on your eyelids. Sit back and relax for 10 minutes.The cool of the spoons reduces puffiness, while the cucumber actually possess a natural ingredient that helps to sooth irritated skin.

Contest End Quickly Approaches!

The "Name the newest Unique Garden Essences Bath Soak Contest" is just about to an end, so have you entered the perfect name? Do so, and you will not only win some of the soak, but you will also get a surprise prize! You have until after just midnight on July 2 to leave your entry under the comments section of the original post [for the contest]. Please don't leave it on this one, as it will be easier if all the entries are together. Then, the hard part begins for me. I will choose the winning name and post it, just as quickly as I can. But I have to say, as of this moment I am at a loss because there are just too many good ones entered! It will be a tough choice for sure!

Just in case you aren't the winner, don't worry, you too can soak in the luxury of this blend very soon! I will be listing it in my Etsy and Artfire shops just as soon as labels are made with the new name!

Name That Bath Soak and You Will be Soaking in Some for Free!

NAME THIS SOAK CONTEST

16 oz jar of bath soak Today, well now it is more accurate to say that yesterday was my birthday. I also must confess to you that, sadly, I feel every bit my age, and then some! LOL. For days now I have been creating all manner of new recipes, so I decided that I would celebrate my big day by treating myself to a bath with one of my new creations. I chose a bath soak that has several ingredients, most of which are used for healing and soothing. Although I generally have friends and family test my products first, I have to say that I am SO GLAD that I didn't wait to try this one! Not only did it relax me, it really soothed my aching joints and muscles, and it left my skin feeling oh so soft! I have to say that if I didn't make this stuff, I really would buy it! Sooo, happy birthday to me and to my newest bath soak! [This is a picture before all the ingredients were added] Now, what I need is a name. I kind of gave up on the creative naming idea a while back, settling for the more direct, plain names so that search engines could find me easier, but I am bored with them....so a compromise. I am going to name them, then subtitle the more direct name. All of that to get to this, I need your creativity! What do you think I should name it????? Let me know your ideas by leaving a comment here. The winner will receive their own bath soak and a surprise gift as my thanks for a job well done! I want to get labels made and list this soon, so please submit your ideas by July 2, 2009. You may want to check out my shop to get an idea of my products and their names. http://uniquegarden.etsy.com/ The last bath soak I made was named "Luxury Bath Soak" and the one before that was "Cleo's Bath Soak", for Cleopatra. While I will not give out my ingredients on the net (thank you unscrupulous people), I can tell you that it is all natural, has 9 different ingredients, and includes a therapeutic blend of essential oils. While certainly not all inclusive, this soak is formulated with ingredients that are known to;

• reduce inflammation and edema (swelling)

• relieve pain
• promote soothing and relaxation
• draw impurities from the skin
• remove dirt and debris from pores soak in kraft bag
• remove dead skin cells
• improve circulation
• both promote and speed healing of the skin
• encourage rapid and healthy regrowth of skin and tissue cells
• prevent infection
• generally bring a smooth, healthy glow to your skin

There you go, you now know as much as I can tell you. I hope that you find inspiration. Have Fun, be creative, and Good Luck to you!!

Now for the fine print. You will need to leave a way for me to reach you in case you are the winner, so leave an email addy, your bog url, an Etsy or an Artfire shop name. By submitting your entry you are giving Unique Garden Essences the right to use that name without further compensation. A winner may not be chosen from the names submitted, if none are deemed suitable. I really do want to share this soak with you, so I will do my best to be open-minded and find one that works. I have several new products making their debut shortly so your entry may work for one of those, if not for this one. Should that be the case, you would be contacted for approval and with the details.