Spa Day

So Caitie wanted to do something special with her friends. She and I put together some recipes for "spa" products and then created a class, which we held on Monday. We definitely tried to fit too many projects into the time we had, but it was a really fun day. The lip gloss and bath bombs were the biggest hits.

One fun thing we talked about was the idea that there are top, middle and bottom notes in fragrances. Top notes are fresh and light. As the most volatile scents, they're the first you smell, but the scent evaporates quickly and doesn't last too long. Citrus and mint scents generally fall into the this category. Middle notes are the heart of a fragrance. They balance the rest of the notes and create the warmth and body of a scent. This note can make up as much as 80% of the fragrance. The bottom notes last the longest and are deep and rich. Woodsy and spicy scents form the bottom notes. So I challenged the kids to try to hit all the notes in their body sprays.

Since we didn't get to play with soap as much as we had hoped, we're going to plan a whole class devoted to soapmaking, probably in January. Fun!

Here are the recipes we used!

Special Spa Recipes

Lip Gloss:

Base:

1 tbsp shortening

1 tsp honey

¼ tsp olive oil (optional, for a thinner, glossier product)

To tint and flavor:

Wilton cake decorating icing colors

Concentrated flavor oils for candy making

OR… Dissolve one packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid into ¼ tsp hot water

Mix base ingredients together until thoroughly blended. (You may heat for 10 seconds in a microwave to aid mixing. Do not melt.) Add desired color and flavor. Store in a covered container.

Bath Bomb:

1 cup baking soda

½ cup citric acid

½ Epsom salts

½ corn starch

2 tsp water

1 tbsp oil (olive, almond, coconut)

1 or 2 drops of food coloring as desired

Scent (essential oils or commercial soap scent)

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly with a whisk. Mix liquid ingredients ina  small jar and shake until mix. (They will separate. It’s ok.) SLOWLY add wet ingredients to dry, a tsp at a time, whisking as you go. When all wet ingredients are added, form the bath bomb by pressing it into a mold. The compact it is, the better the end result. Let dry and unmold. Store in a plastic bag or container and KEEP DRY! Use within 6 months.

Foot Soak:

3 cups Epsom Salt

2 cups sea salt

1 cup baking soda (optional)

Several drops of peppermint essential oil

Food coloring as desired

Combine all dry ingredients. Add color and scent drop by drop, mixing to achieve desired result. Store in an airtight container. Use ¼ cup in warm water for a foot soak.

Cleopatra’s Milk and Honey Bath Salts:

2 cups of powdered milk

1 cup of Epsom salt

1 cup of sea salt

1/2 cup of baking soda

2 tbsp. Honey

1 tbsp. oil (olive, almond, coconut)

Vanilla scent (optional, extract or commercial soap scent)

Combine all dry ingredients. Combine honey and oil. Add liquid to dry ingredients. Mix well. (You may need to use your hands.) Add scent. Store in an airtight container. Use ½ cup in a warm bath to soothe and moisturize skin.

Body Spray:

¼ cup ethanol

¼ cup distilled water

2 vitamin E capsules

Essential oils

Combine ethanol and water in spray bottle. Pierce vitamin E capsules with a pin and add liquid to bottle. Cap and shake well. Add essential oils until desired scent is achieved. Cap and shake well. Shake before each use.