Showing posts with label Bath Essentials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bath Essentials. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Eucalyptus Green Tea Bath Bomb





What's under the bubbles??? A bath bomb, of course...

This DIY was interesting to say the least.  You know that friend that I told you about during my Leprechaun Loot post, the one that’s surrounded by boys.  Well, along with the fun Leprechaun Loot, I wanted to send something that was just for her; something that she could use to just relax and take some time for herself.  That’s when I remembered seeing adorable little heart shaped bath bombs on YouTube.

After watching video after video and reading countless blogs, I came up with a plan to make my own.  Of course since this was part of a St. Patrick’s Day gift, I had to make them green.  What if I were to go one step further and use actual Green Tea?

Green Tea Bath Benefits
Restores Skins Elasticity
Antioxidant
Healing Properties
Click here for more…

Then there was the oils… Every single tutorial I watched or read talked about essential oils, so I had to go get some.  When I was at the store, I saw eucalyptus.  I am a sucker for eucalyptus, and the combination with Green Tea sounded so earthy and appealing.

Benefits of Eucalyptus Oil
Anti-inflammatory
Decongestant
Antiseptic
Helps with joint & muscle pain
Click here for much more…

Here was my journey into the world of DIY Bath Bombs…

Mini Eucalyptus Green Tea Bath Bombs

Items Needed
¼ Cup Epsom Salt
½ Cup Baking Soda
¼ Cup Corn Starch
1/8 Cup Cream of Tartar
3 Family Size tea bags of Green Tea
3 tsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Water
3 tsp Eucalyptus Essential Oil
3 drops Green Food Coloring
1 Tbsp Almond Oil
Mold
Bowl and Wisk


***There are a lot of recipes with citric acid as the main ingredient to counteract with the baking soda.  Problem… I could only find it online, and I wasn’t going to wait.  Then I saw that Cream of Tartar has the same effect.  However, I only had a small container and bigger ones were pretty pricey.  I also saw how lemon juice can be used, but it doesn’t make the big fizzing action like a citric acid bath bomb. That’s how I came to the conclusion to use the Cream of Tartar I had and lemon juice to make up the difference.***

First, combine all your dry ingredients (Epsom Salt, Baking Soda, Corn Starch, Cream of Tartar, & Green Tea) in a bowl.



Wisk together.



Combine all your wet ingredients (Lemon Juice, Water, Almond Oil, Essential Oil, & Food Coloring) in a separate smaller bowl.



Now, this is where I put the wet mixture into a small spray bottle, planning on spraying it onto the dry ingredients.  However the oil started to clog the sprayer, so I ended up taking off the top and slowly dripping it in.



***Important… Add the wet ingredients SLOWLY, so the mixture doesn’t react to the liquid.*** 

Put in a drop or two and whisk together.  Put in a drop or two and whisk together… So on and so on…

I thought I would never stop whisking!  Eventually though, it started to look like my favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream.



Check your mixture.  If it clumps when you squeeze it in your hand, you know it’s done.



Put it into your mold, and pack it in.

I used a flower silicone tray, but I have seen people use plastic molds, Christmas ornaments, and even a plastic bag.


If using a silicone mold, like me, don’t even think about touching it for at least 24 hours.  I covered them and waited.



Even after that, mine were still damp at the bottom and falling apart.  I pressed them back into the mold and stuck the tray in the freezer. 

If a freezer is needed.  Keep them in there for 30 mins to an hour, take out the tray and let it cool before removing the bombs. 

After taking them out of the tray, I placed them on tissue to help remove any excess moisture. 

Finally, it was time for the moment of truth… The fizz test!

 

Disclaimer… No, it did NOT fizz as much as I hoped it would have. It fizzed, but VERY slowly. 

Ok, I might have been a little disappointed that there was no big fizz action going on, so there was only one thing left to do… I took it to the tub!



It dissolved much faster when I was in the bathtub and there was movement in the water. Plus, it smelled SO nice!  Since mine were mini bombs, I saw no problem with popping another one into the bath as well.  I got out of the tub after I was thoroughly prunie and my skin felt so light and airy.  I told that to my husband, and he had NO clue what I was talking about.  Humph... <eye roll> That’s why I have you people…  You get it!

Because these were a gift, and my friend LOVES clovers, I painted a quick Celtic clover on a mini draw string bag, wrapped up the bath bombs in foil to protect them and keep out any moisture, and placed them inside.  It was so cute, and I was a little sad when I had to mail them out.


 

Overall, I think these were a winner.  They are easy to make, and there are so many different ways you can play around with them.  I’m thinking I might try lavender ones next time, maybe even with citric acid to get that big fizz.

Have you ever made bath bombs before?  How was your experience?

What combinations of scents do you think would go good together?

There are SO MANY possibilities!

Until next time…

Happy DIY-ing!!!


St. Patrick's Day Fact from Global News...

Green has NO historical link to honoring St. Patrick.

Turns out blue was the color knights wore in the Order of St. Patrick.
The association with green likely dates back to the 18th century when Irish independence supporters used it to represent their cause. (Plus it goes nicely with the country’s grassy, viridescent hills).


For more facts you might not know, click here.


Friday, January 22, 2016

All Natural Peppermint Candy Cane Sugar Scrub




Christmas time is over.  You now have to make room for all your new fun toys, you don’t want to see another large turkey dinner for a while, snow is not so magical anymore, and you have loads of peppermint candy left over that you don’t know what to do with.

Problem solved!!



I found this cute jar of peppermint sugar scrub.  The way she put everything together was absolutely adorable. 
Peppermint CC Scrub
Plus, (Bonus!) it looked exactly like a bottle from a Starbucks Frappuccino.  Of course, I had to go get one right away.







So once I disposed of the delicious liquid inside *wink*wink*, I got the stickers and left over residue off the bottle.  Click here to learn the easiest way to remove sticker residue.

Next, it was time to make the scrub.  The way she did it sounded alright, but I was psyched to use actual peppermint candy.  Since I wanted to go that route, I decided to go all the way and make the scrub ALL natural.

I made two different sugar scrubs, just to mix it up a little.  They’re very similar, but with a slight difference.


Here’s what you need:

Pink Scrub
7 peppermint candy canes
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
½ tsp peppermint extract


White Scrub
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup almond oil
½ tsp peppermint extract


I made the pink scrub first.  First, chop up the candy canes to make it easier on your mixer.



Next, I used my coffee grinder, but a food processor or high powered blender would work just as well.  Grind up the peppermint candy to a powder.  This is what makes that beautiful pink color.



**Be sure that there are no larger pieces of the candy left that can hurt the skin when rubbed on.**   

Next, mix all the ingredients for your pink scrub together. Now, this is optional, but I put a little extra sugar in to make it more exfoliating.  It’s a personal preference, and completely up to you however thick you prefer it to be.  Once everything is mixed, move it to the side.



Now… this is where I accidently tipped over my peppermint extract and lost half the bottle on the counter.  This, I would NOT recommend.  For half the day, no matter how much I scrubbed, I was consumed with the strong smell of peppermint.

Moving on…

Time to mix all your ingredients for your white scrub.  Once again, I added a little more sugar.  Still optional…



Next is the part that reminded me of the sand art I used to do as a kid.  Bring out your bottle, and make sure the inside is clean and dry.  Next, start spooning/funneling in your scrubs.  Make any fun design you want.  Since this is a “Candy Cane” scrub, I decided on making the classic striped look. 

I put in one layer, then used the handle of a wooden spatula to press it down and compact it before putting in the next layer.



This is where having a love of MOCHA Frappuccino got me in a little bit of a pickle.  The lid was brown.  A brown lid doesn’t go with pink and white striped peppermint! However, just a couple coats of metal spray paint, and problem solved.   




It looked so cute, but of course it was missing a label.  You have to know what’s in the bottle, don’t you??  I went into Photoshop, and made a quick design before printing it off on address labels, of all things. 


Put everything together, and you have a really cute bottle of sugar scrub that’s great to show off your mad DIY skills.  The best part, since it’s all natural, you can use it anywhere.  You could even eat it if you chose to.  Umm… I don’t think I’m going to though. 

My sister-in-law is the lucky one over here.  She got the bottle I made as a belated Christmas gift. Luckily, I “forced” myself to go buy another Mocha Frappuccino.  That way, when I make another one, I have my container. 


Who knows what flavor it will be next.

Until then...


Happy DIY-ing!!