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Okay – you’ve decided to make your own spa at home.  It’s not only much more convenient but it is much easier on the pocketbook.

But what about the goodies you will be needing?  You need bath salts, body scrubs, and other goodies.  And why pay an arm and a leg for them when you can make them yourself.  You can also make them to give as gifts to your friends.

Pretty colored bath salts, scented body scrubs, scented candles – so perfect for your spa – and quite pricy to purchase from a spa.  You want the same results you get in a spa – but the price is beyond what your budget will allow.

Let’s tackle that one by making them at home for a fraction of the cost.

To make liquid bath soap you will  need to start with an unscented and dye-free mild body soap.  You can either steep herbs in the soap or add essential oil to the soap.  Either one will give you a scented soap.  To make an herbal liquid bath soap you will need a sterile 2-quart jar with a lid.  Fill half the jar with fresh herbs – loosely packed.  Pour your unscented dye-free liquid soap over the herbs and fill the jar.  Cover and store in a cook, dark place.  Shake gently every 3 days for 3 weeks.  This allows the herbs to infuse into the liquid soap.  You may see a slight color change from the herbs.  After 3 weeks, strain the herbs using a mesh strainer and transfer the liquid soap into a clean container with a lid.  If using essential oils, fill a sterile 2-quart jar with liquid soap; add 3 to 5 drops of herbal oil; stir gently can cap.  Place in a cool, dry place for 2 to 3 weeks, stirring gently every 3 days.  If you want to add color you can add 2 to 3 drops of food coloring when you add the oil to the soap.  When the oil is fully incorporated into the soap you can transfer the soap into covered containers.  Seal tightly.

Bath salts are excellent for your skin.  They are also a great way to relax after a busy and exhausting day.  A note to women – don’t remain in a bath with bath salts or herbal liquid soaps.  You will risk feminine hygiene problems caused by the disruption of the pH of your genital region.

Sea salt is best to use when making bath salt.  If you haven’t got any sea salt then use a measure of table salt combined with a half measure of Epsom salts or borax.  Trying to color this is not easy and may be best left their natural color.  To 1 ½ cups combined salts (or 1 ½ cups sea salt)  and add 40 drops of essential oil.  Stir gently to combine making sure you use a stainless steel or non-reactive spoon.  Transfer to sterile glass jars or bottles.  Store away from heat and light.  When using, ¼ cup to a full tub of water is used.

Bath beads are a bit more time consuming to make.  Using a non-reactive (glass) bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of shortening and 10 drops of your favorite fragrance – even your favorite perfume.  Knead all ingredients until completely and thoroughly mixed.  Pinch off a small amount and shape into small balls about 2 centimeters in diameter.  Place on a flat surface and allow to dry in a cool, dry location for 24 hours.  Store in a sterile jar in a cool, dry place.

You can easily make a body scrub just as easy as you make bath salts.  It’s best for the scrub to remain unscented for the least amount of potential irritation to your skin.  In a non-reactive (glass) bowl combine 1 cup of table salt and 1 cup of mineral oil.  Combine well until all the salt is coated with the oil using a non-reactive spoon (stainless or plastic).  Store in sterile jars with tight-fitting lids in a cool, dark place.

Did you ever consider making your own perfumes, after shaves, and body splashes?  Not only are your homemade products not tested on animals, but you are not using harsh chemicals that can cause an allergic reaction in sensitive skin and are absorbed into your body through the skin.  Just be sure that the flowers or herbs that you use in making your own perfumed products are free from pesticides and other chemicals.  If you grow your own flowers and herbs organically they are perfect to use. 

Anyone who is pregnant, has asthma, or any health condition should consult with their physician before using any essential oils and herbs.

Making your own perfume is quite easy and very basic.  Perfume is just an infusion of herbs into alcohol which is then diluted with water.  The cheapest bottle of vodka that you can find will work just fine.  One of the oldest forms of perfume is rose-water (which is also used in various cooking recipes).  In a quart-size sterile jar combine 2 cups of water, 4 tablespoons of vodka and add 1 cup of dried rose petals.  Gently stir using a non-reactive spoon (stainless or plastic) and cover securely.  Place in a cool, dark, dry place for anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks.  When fully infused, strain through a mesh strainer into clean jars.  Store in a cool, dark place  or store for over a year in the refrigerator.

Body splashes and body sprays are the very same thing – just applied differently.  Sprays are applied to the skin using an atomizer or a spray bottle while a splash is applied by pouring or splashing on the skins surface.  Sometimes a body splash is used in place of a perfume.  Some act like a mild astringent closing pores after a bath or shower.  A mild astringent is made easily by combining 3 parts witch hazel with one part water.  Store in a sterile glass jar in a cool, dry place.  Although this mixture is not very fragrant, it is very effective.  If you don’t want to smell like witch hazel add a bit of perfume to the spray – about 1/8 part.  So ¾ cup of witch hazel and ¼ cup water and 1/8 cup of perfume should do it for you.  Not all scents will mask the scent of witch hazel.  If that is the case, wait until the scent of the witch hazel has evaporated off your skin and then apply perfume.  If using as a spray, choose a bottle with a fine mist for an even application to the skin.  Remember – astringents dry the skin so you don’t want to use it more than 2 to 3 times a week.

Make a nail oil for yourself to moisturize your nails.  You can use a cooking oil (which may not be the best scented) and choose an oil like grape seed oil – it has no scent or flavor to it.  Mix equal amounts of cooking oil and vitamin E oil in a non-reactive bowl, stirring with a non-reactive spoon (stainless).  This oil can also be massaged into the cuticles and the hands.  You can easily heat the oil to use by placing in in a small bowl over a larger bowel of hot water.  Don’t let the water from the larger bowl get into the nail oil.  Do not heat in the microwave – that would be a fire hazard. And if too warm you can burn your skin.  If preferred, add 2 drops of lavender essential oil.  Lavender oil is one of the gentlest oils on the skin.  If you are pregnant – use plain nail oil.

Soaking your hands and feet for a manicure and pedicure is always done using warm water.  Adding other ingredients to the water will help with other problems.  For fungal problems (which can be a sign of another health concern) check with a health care provider.  If nail discoloration is purely cosmetic (for instance – caused by nail polish that has soaked into the nails) combine in a non-reactive bowl (glass) 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of warm water.  Soak your nails for 10 minutes; apply the nail oil.  The mild acid from the lemon juice will leech the stains out of your nails (as well as the moisture out of your hands so you will need to moisturize your hands).  If you don’t have lemon juice you can substitute cider vinegar using 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar to 4 tablespoons of water.  Once again, soak 10 minutes and apply nail oil.  Vinegar is a more potent acid than lemon juice.

If your nail soak is not to remove any nail discoloration then you can scent the water using a herbal sachet to infuse the water for a pleasant scent.  Try rose scented or lavender scented as well.  To make the sachet, place 3 tablespoons of crushed herb into a square of cheesecloth and tie securely with twine; submerge in the water and enjoy.  You can opt to use oatmeal – just grind rolled oatmeal into a coarse powder using a mortar and pestle and add to the sachet.

I think we all enjoy a good facial mask applied to our face.  An oatmeal mask is not only quite cheap to make but the oatmeal is very soothing for the skin and will draw out the impurities.  Your complexion will benefit greatly from it and it can be used on most skin types because it is mild.  In a shallow bowl, combine 1 cup rolled oats, ground fine (use your processor or blender for this) and ½ cup warm water making a paste.  You can make it as thick as you want.  While still warm, apply to the face and neck – avoid the eyes, nose, mouth and ears.  Leave on until dry.  Remove using warm water, a mild facial cleanser and a soft washcloth – gently removing the paste from your skin.  Rinse well, pat dry with a clean towel and apply your facial moisturizer.

Store all you spa items in a pretty basket so that they are readily available when you want them.  You can also add your own homemade spa wrap to your basket.   You know that “one-size-fits-all” is not true when it comes to many things – including spa robes.  They can fit perfectly or they can be too large or way too small for most.  Making your own will give you a comfortable fit.  Spa robes are usually made from terry cloth fabric.  Terry cloth breathes and absorbs perspiration when in a spa.  Usually they are 32-inches in length, but if you make your own you can make it longer or shorter depending on your height and preference.

Begin by measuring your upper body, just under the armpit area.  Use material that is 1 ½ times wider than you measure – this allows the wrap to go around you and doubles the front to keep it closed.  Stitch a top hem wide enough to allow comfortable elastic (½ to ¾ inch wide) to go through.  Attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic and feed it through the top hem.  Stitch down both side seams being sure to catch both ends of the elastic at the same time.  Stitch you bottom hem and your done.

If you are more of a seamstress you can get fancy by using buttons in place of elastic, or using elastic for the back and buttons for the front.  You can add a button to the side if you happen to be wider around the hips and thighs and your wrap won’t stay closed.  Or you can add a button and a loop.

Making a man’s wrap?  Just measure from the waistline to the knee and hem the garment; then thread elastic through or use a button or button/loop combination.

Remember that a higher quality terry cloth material will wash and wear much better than a cheaper piece of material that will become thinner with washing and drying.  You can also add to the longevity of your spa wraps by washing on a gentle cycle and hang drying instead of placing in the dryer.

Make your own spa products for both fun and profit!  Just click here for further details.

Making your own spa at home is very economical and quite practical.  Read our post on How to get rid of high spa costs and make your own spa at home – click here to read the post.

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Tags: bath oils, bath products, beauty products, spa products

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 9:21 pm and is filed under Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.