• Pamper Yourself!

Pamper Yourself!

Start the new year right by creating spa products to pamper yourself and your friends. Some examples of spa products you can make are soaps, bath salts or bubble bath, scrubs, tub teas, bath bombs, lotions and massage melts.

Most craft stores have a selection of molds, fragrances, colorants, soap bases and oils. Supplies can also be found in natural-food stores as well as online.

Melt-and-pour soap is the easiest type of soap to make. All you need is a soap base, a container or pan to melt the soap base, a mold, fragrance and a colorant. Simply melt soap following package instructions, add desired fragrance and color, and pour into a mold. It's important to melt the base slowly. You don't want to accidentally burn it in the pan.

Spraying rubbing alcohol into molds before pouring soap will help the soap flow smoothly into all the crevices. Immediately after pouring soap into mold, lightly spray the top with rubbing alcohol to remove tiny bubbles. Allow the soap to cool for several hours; then pop it out of mold. If it doesn't release easily, place it in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes and then pop it out.

In addition to molds available from craft stores, many household items can be used as soap molds. Avoid extremely rigid molds such as glass containers. Also avoid molds that can't keep their shape with extreme heat, such as foam cups. Suitable molds include plastic Easter eggs, microwavable cooking containers, gelatin molds, cardboard milk and juice containers and flexible candle molds.

It's fun to add an extra ingredient or two when making soap. A little goes a long way, so only add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of an item per six ounces of soap. Adding too much can cause soap to seize (become too thick). Some additives are decorative while others add special qualities like exfoliation or soothing dry skin.

• Almonds: Finely grind them and any other nut or bean to act as an exfoliator.
• Aloe vera: Available fresh or as a gel, aloe vera soothes dry, chapped or burned skin.
• Bran: Adds bulk to soap and exfoliates.
• Cocoa butter: Adds scent as well as being a soothing emollient.
• Coffee: Finely ground, it helps remove odors from skin.
• Ginger: A refreshing and deodorizing astringent.
• Honey: This emollient also softens skin.
• Lavender flowers: Adds scent and color as well as exfoliates.
• Oatmeal: Adds bulk and texture to soap and gently exfoliates.
• Powdered goat's milk: Moisturizes and softens skin.
• Shea butter: Moisturizes and soothes skin.
• Vitamin E oil: An antioxidant and natural preservative.
• Wheat germ: Gently exfoliates.

e-PatternsCentral.com has a great crochet pattern for a Massaging Back Scrubber that is easy to make and adds to your collection of spa items. While there, be sure to search for patterns for other great bath and spa items.

Make fizzy bath bombs by combining 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup citric acid, 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup mineral salts. Combine in a small jar: 2 1/4 teaspoons of witch hazel (water can be substituted but is harder to work with), 2 drops scent, 2 1/2 tablespoons light vegetable oil, and 1 or 2 drops color. Add lid and shake to mix. Slowly add liquid to dry ingredients 1 teaspoon at a time. Mixture should have the consistency of slightly damp sand and clump together when pressed into shape.

If mixture starts to foam while you're working with it, liquid is being added too fast. Quickly whisk reacting portion into nonreacting ingredients to stop the action. Pack into mold tightly. Unmold immediately and let dry. When dry, store in a dry, airtight container. To use, drop into a warm bath and relax!

Massage melts are solid bars of massage oils that look like soap but melt when they come in contact with skin. They provide enough oil to glide over the skin but aren't messy like massage oils. Massage melts can also be used in the bath. Cut off a small piece and place it in warm bath water.

To make a massage melt, place 3 ounces beeswax and 1 ounce cocoa butter in a glass bowl and heat in a microwave in short spurts until melted. Add 1 ounce almond oil and mix well. Add desired fragrance and colorant, and mix thoroughly. Pour into mold. Don't make it thicker than 1 inch, so it is easy to handle when massaging. Cool completely before removing from mold. Wrap in plastic wrap or small plastic gift bags.

To make a honey and lavender milk bath, process 3 tablespoons dried lavender in a food processer until it becomes powdered. Whisk together lavender powder, 1 1/2 cups whole milk or cream, and 1/3 cup honey in a glass bowl. Pour in a jar and store covered in the refrigerator for up to one week. Before each use, shake jar and pour half of the mixture into the bath.

Scrubs not only exfoliate but will leave your skin looking and feeling soft, radiant, revived, healthy, tight, silky smooth and full of energy. Before applying a scrub, clean your skin with warm water or take a hot shower or steam bath to clean and open your pores. Apply scrub in a circular motion on body and face, and gently massage to exfoliate. Rinse off and pat dry. Repeat once or twice a month. See the Nifty & Thrifty section of this newsletter for salt and sugar scrub recipes.