|
|
|||||||
|
HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
3 cups Dead Sea salt, regular sea salt or Epsom salt, or a blend of two or three of these salts. Sea salts typically come in several grain sizes. Combining multiple grain sizes can make your salts more appealing. Keep in mind, however, that more course grains do take longer to dissolve in the tub.
15-24 drops of your selected essential oil or essential oil blend. Be sure and take heed in the safety data for the oil(s) you choose to use.
1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil or other carrier oil for moisturization (optional)
Place the salt mixture into a bowl. If you have chosen to include the optional vegetable oil to your salt recipe, add it to the plain salts and mix well with a spoon or fork. Then, add the drops of your chosen essential oils. Again, mix very well. Add the mixture to a pretty jar, salt tube, or container that has a tight fitting lid. Salts that are kept in a container that is not air tight will lose their aroma more quickly.
After a day, you may wish to mix well again to ensure that the oils are well incorporated.
To Color to Your Salts:
For the most natural bath salt recipe, leave your bath salts uncolored. Certain exotic salts including Hawaiian Red Sea salt and Black Sea Pink salt are naturally colorful. Try mixing these salts with with Dead Sea or plain sea salt for a speckled effect.
If you would like to add color to your salts, FD&C liquid dye or mica powder can be added before you add the essential oils. When adding FD&C grade liquid dye, be sure to add only a drop at a time and stir well. When adding mica powder, only add a tiny amount (1/16-1/8 a teaspoon is usually sifficient) and stir very well. Using too much dye or mica powder can discolor the water and discolor skin, so be very careful. Leave bath salts at a soft pastel color. It is also important that you make sure that you are using skin-safe colorants and that the user of your bath salt blend does not have any allergies or sensitizations with the colorant that you have chosen.
To Use:
Add 1/2-1 cup of the salts to running bath water. Mix well to ensure that the salt has dispersed well in the tub before entering. To keep the essential oils from evaporating too quickly, you can add the bath salts just before getting in the tub instead of while the water is running. Sitting on undissolved chunky bath salts, however, can be uncomfortable, so make sure the salts have dissolved well before entering.
8-10 drops of your choice of essential oil or you own blend of essential oils (be sure they are EOs that do not provide skin sensitization)
1 ounce carrier oil such as sweet almond
Blend the oils together and store in an amber or cobalt glass bottle. Apply during massage, being careful to avoid sensitive areas.
1 Bottle of Baby Lotion (16 ounces)
1 Jar of Delon Vitamin E Cream (16 ounces)
1 Jar of Vaseline (16 ounces)
Mix all together with an electric mixer and put in jars or in those plastic food storage containers
4 oz. Water
4 oz. Vodka (vodka may be substituted for water or a pure rosemary tea infusion)
4 teaspoons Liquid Glycerin (available at many drug stores) - optional and simply sweetens the mouthwash
10-12 drops Peppermint or Spearmint Essential Oil
5 drops Myrrh (optional - Myrrh can assist in mouth and gum care)
Notes: This recipe makes a rather minty mouthwash but as it contains no added flavorings, it is not as sweet or strong as commercially available mouthwashes.
Boil the water and vodka then add the glycerin. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add the essential oils and let cool for 1/2 hour and bottle. I like to bottle the mouthwash in a clear plastic bottle that has a flip top to make it easy to pour the mouthwash into a small dixie cup for use.
4 oz. clean spray bottle with a fine mist setting (do not use a bottle that previously contained cleaning products or hair products such as hair spray).
30-40 drops of your favorite essential oil or essential oil blend keeping the safety data of the chosen essential oil(s) in mind
1.5 ounces of distilled water and 1.5 ounces of high-proof alcohol (vodka is suitable, rubbing alcohol is not) or 3 ounces of distilled water.
Example blends of essential oils that may be used:
20 drops lime
14 drops bergamot
4 drops ylang ylang
2 drops rose
15 drops clary sage
9 drops lemon
6 drops lavender
20 drops rosemary
8 drops grapefruit
4 drops peppermint
2 drops spearmint (optional)
15 drops bergamot
15 drops spearmint
Be sure and take heed in the safety data for the oil(s) you choose to use since an air freshener, by its nature, will come in contact with all those in your household.
Directions: Fill the spray bottle with the choice of either 1.5 ounces of distilled water and 1.5 ounces of alcohol or 3 ounces of distilled water. (Even though a 4 oz. bottle is suggested, leave about 1 oz. unfilled so you can shake the bottle well between uses.) Then, add 30-40 drops of essential oil. Essential oils can very in strength. You may want to try 20 drops at first especially if you live in a household with someone who is sensitive to strong aromas. Shake the bottle prior to each use, and let it sit for about a day before making a conclusion that the aroma is too weak; the aroma can change after the air freshener has had time to sit. Mist lightly in the room. Be especially careful not to allow the air freshener mist fall onto furniture or into open beverages.
Natural incense cones, sticks and loose incense mixtures can be made and enjoyed at home. Below is a basic recipe that you can use and adapt to your aromatic preferences:
1 part Frankincense Powder
1 part Myrrh Powder
1 part Sandalwood Powder
3-4 parts Makko Powder
4-5 Drops Essential Oil (optional)
For your first time making incense, use 1 tablespoon as the basis for 1 "part" in your recipe. That way if you are not pleased with the recipe, you will not have wasted a large batch and can easily adjust the recipe to better suit your needs next time.
Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix them with a spoon or fork. Very slowly add water drop by drop while mixing until you have a workable "dough." If planning to add essential oils, choose oils that compliment the aroma of the powders. Suitable choices include frankincense, sandalwood, patchouli, vetiver or orange. Add your optional essential oils and mix the dough again.
Form small cones or create handmade "sticks" by rolling them into thin 4-5" long spaghetti-like strands. They won't be perfect, especially not your first time. Set your cones and/or sticks on wax paper and allow them to dry for at least 1-2 days. I prefer to use this recipe to make sticks because the sticks tend to burn more evenly than the cones. If making cones, be sure that you keep their size small and that you form a good "point" on them. They are less likely to burn properly if they do not taper well into a small point. Handmade sticks can be burned by filling a heat resistant bowl with fine sea salt and sticking the handmade stick straight into the sea salt (make sure it is securely in place).
You can also experiment by trying other powdered herbs. Be sure to only use herbs that are not toxic when burned.
If you find that your incense does not burn properly, your incense may not have had enough time to dry or there may not be enough makko powder in your recipe.
Blend #1
An exotic, citrus blend:
3 drop Jasmine
9 drops Sandalwood
12 drops Bergamot
6 drops Grapefruit
5 drops Oakmoss
Blend #2
A citrus blend with a lovely floral hint:
12 drops Bergamot
5 drops Lemon
8 drops Grapefruit
4 drops Ylang Ylang
6 drops Cedarwood
Blend #3
A wonderful Christmastime blend:
8 drops Fir Needle
8 drops Spruce
7 drops Cedarwood
7 drops Juniper
Blend #4
A warming spicy blend:
11 drops Orange
6 drops Ginger
8 drops Cinnamon
1 drop Nutmeg
4 drops Frankincense
Unscented plant materials such as whole flowers, petals, leaves, pine cones, and wood chips can usually be purchased from stores and online vendors that sell an array of herbal or craft items. It's even more fun to dry your own flowers, petals, leaves and pine cones to make your own very special potpourri.
Drying Your Own Flowers and Other Materials:
The best way that I have found to dry your own flowers and plant material is to use a dehydrator. This not only speeds up the drying process, but the natural fragrance of the flowers and plant material is often retained. It also helps preserve the shape of the flowers and drastically reduces the likelihood of mold/rot occurring with your items as you dry them. The best type of dehydrator for making potpourri is one that has a fan and a temperature control. But any cheap dehydrator should work (I've seen cheap introductory ones for $20 US in some stores).
An easy way to find fresh flowers and other items suitable for drying is to check your own flower garden or back yard. Ask your local florist if they'll save flowers with broken stems and other items that they can't sell but will sell to you inexpensively. Roses with missing petals are great for potpourri because you can pluck all the remaining petals, dry them and turn them into potpourri. To dry potpourri in a dehydrator, trim and clean (as appropriate for the items you are drying) your flowers, petals, etc. and place them in the dehydrator. Don't let the items touch each other. The type of material that you are drying, the air humidity and your brand of dehydrator will all contribute to the length of time it will take to dry your potpourri materials. Dry the material until it is thoroughly dry, otherwise mold can occur. Flowers and petals should feel crisp. It is best to allow your items to cool before determining whether they are done. Be sure to follow all safety and usage instructions for the model of dehydrator that you use.
Making the Potpourri Essential Oil Blend:
Choose one of the above blends and add your oils to a dark colored glass bottle and mix well by rolling the bottle in between your hands. By making a small quantity of your chosen blend, you can later "refresh" your potpourri later by adding more drops of your blend. You of course can also experiment with your own blends of oils or browse through AromaWeb's Recipe Box to explore other blends. It is suggested that your blends include essential oils or absolutes that are considered "fixatives." Fixatives are oils or materials that increase the "staying power" of the aroma. Oils that have fixative properties include Benzorin, Cedarwood, Frankincense, Myrrh, Oakmoss Absolute, Patchouli, Peru Balsam, Sandalwood and Vetiver.
Scenting Your Potpourri:
Mix your desired assortment of flowers, petals, leaves, wood chips, etc. Choose a bowl that you would like to display your potpourri in and place your potpourri into this bowl. Choosing glass or glazed ceramic bowls work best as the essential oils can absorb into porous surfaces. Using a pipette, dropper or the orifice reducer that may be built into your blending bottle, sprinkle 5-8 drops of your blend onto your potpourri. Based on the strength of the chosen blend and the amount of your potpourri materials, you may need to adjust the number of drops that you use. When the aroma weakens, add more drops of the blend to refreshen the aroma.
1 (16 oz.) bottle rubbing alcohol
1/2 cup sudsy ammonia
1 teaspoon liquid dish soap, like Dawn or Joy
Pour ingredients into empty gallon container or empty gallon milk
jug. LABEL IT CAREFULLY!
Fill the rest of the container with water. Put into spray
bottle and refill as needed.
1/4 cup borax
Vegetable-oil based liquid soap
1/2 teaspoon lemon oil
In a small bowl, mix the borax with enough soap to form a creamy paste. Add the lemon oil and blend well. Scoop a small amount of the mixture onto a sponge, wash the surface, and rinse well.