A few people asked me to post photos of the gardener spa treatments I made for holiday gifts this year.
I made lavender goat’s milk soap, lavender bath bombs, lavender fizzy bath salts and mint lip balm.
I placed them in this galvanized planter. The paper sack in the back contains warm, fuzzy socks.
The goat’s milk soap was so simple to make.
I didn’t have time to make “real” soap the old fashioned way (with lye) so I just used this “melt and pour” variety. I ordered it from
Wholesale Supply Plus. You melt the soap base in a double boiler, add essential oils for fragrance and color if you wish (I left mine natural) and pour it into soap molds. EASY.
By the way, you can add “fragrance oil” which has synthetic ingredients, but I prefer to use pure essential oils so the soaps are more natural and less likely to irritate sensitive people.
The lip balm base also came from Wholesale Supply and they had these very cool tins with the sliding lids. I used a mint flavor/fragrance with that one.
The bath bombs are made from citric acid, baking soda, kaolin clay, grape seed oil, jojoba oil, lavender essential oil and Wilton cake colorant. Mine are a little bumpy because I added a bit too much oil and it made the mixture a bit too wet.(Oops!) But it still works.
You drop one into the bathtub and it explodes into fizzy bubbles. The bubbles release the lavender scent. The kids love these. For a step-by-step video (by Coastal Scents) on how to make these (and the recipe), go here. Be sure to watch the video to the very end to see her blooper when the bath bomb fizzed all over the table. That stuff works.
Happy Turkey Day Everyone!
Okay – The holiday season is officially on us and everyone is scrambling to get their gift lists together. Why not make a few gifts with garden ingredients this year?
Today is the first post in a series featuring recipes, crafts and ideas on how you can give a bit of your garden to others. All the ideas will be simple, fast and EASY. But the best part is that you will be giving someone a bit of your time and sharing either a piece of your own garden or using all-natural garden ingredients you purchased. Who wouldn’t love that?
Garden Delight Perfume Oil
This first recipe is so easy and yet, seems so luxurious. You can change the scent to your own favorite essential oils or just try my combination here. Bottle it up in tiny glass bottles found at garage sales or use one of the sources I have listed at the end for online ordering. The recipe is for making one 1/8 oz bottle. Just repeat the recipe into more bottles for gifts.
18 drops grapefruit essential oil
12 drops lavender essential oil
4 drops vanilla absoute
60 drops jojoba or sweet almond oil
In a 1/8-ox glass container, combine first three oils. Shake well and let mixture sit for at least one week before adding the jojoba or sweet almond oil. Dab the oil on your pulse points o release scent.
Note: All of the ingredients should be found a your local health food store or craft store. If not, they can all be ordered online from the following suppliers:
Lavender Lane
Mountain Rose Herbs
Bottles can be ordered from the following suppliers for about $0.55 each:
Lavender Lane
Sunburst Bottle Company
If you like this type of craft, you may also like my posts on:
Chamomile Hand Oil
Bay Bath Soak
Chamomile Eye Treatment
Now that the weather is changing, we should all take some time to pamper our skin. Every fall, I make myself a batch of this Chamomile Hand Oil.
A few drops of this emollient oil rubbed into your hands and feet each night before bedtime is a great way to pamper yourself. The jojoba oil will alleviate dry skin and the chamomile will help moisturize and soothe achy muscles. The addition of lavender is for relaxation and tea tree oil is antibacterial.
Whenever you make your own spa treatments, you must use pure essential oils (not fragrance oils, which are synthetic). You want real oils from the real plants so you can get real benefits. If you don’t have a health food store nearby that carries the oils, you can buy them from Mountain Rose Herbs and other sources on the internet. Pure oils are expensive, but a few drops goes a long way. They will last you for years.
Chamomile Hand Oil
1/4 cup jojoba oil
6 drops of Roman chamomile essential oil
4 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops tea tree essential oil
Combine all oils in a glass jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within one year for best results.
Note: If you like to make your own spa treatments, you might want to also try making this Bay Bath Soak recipe.
This weekend, I plan on doing some major garden clean up…which means, I will have major sore muscles the next day! It is amazing how many muscles I can discover after a big day in the garden. They always complain so loudly! Where were these muscles the day before? Sleeping? Goofing off? Apparently!
In preparation for the lovely pain I will be feeling, I am putting together my secret weapon: Bay Bath Soak. This stuff works and it is so easy to make. Here’s the recipe:
For one bath:
5-6 fresh or dried bay leaves, lightly crushed
4 tbsp. Epsom salts
2 tbsp. powdered buttermilk
1 bottle of wine
Place all ingredients (except wine) in the center of a small washcloth. Pull up the corners and tie closed with cotton string. Drop the washcloth ball into the bathtub as it fills with water. Drag your sorry body into the bath and get in! Squeeze the cloth while bathing or use it as a scrubber on your arms and legs to further release the herbal components. Soak…relax…have a glass of wine. Ahhh!
The bay leaves and the Epsom salts relieve the sore, achy muscles and the buttermilk softens the skin. The wine just makes you forget you were sore in the first place! This recipe was originally developed for my Herbal Garden Calendar (2005) — without the wine part…I added that special for you!
It is just a few weeks into the school year and I can already see the stress of keeping up the schedule showing up on my face! I have puffy eyes. Ugh! Time to pamper myself a little.
We can all use a little pampering now and then. No…you look fine. I’m just saying!
You have probably heard of using cucumber slices on your eyes.Yes, cucumber works, but I have something even better…
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Theresa Loe is the award- winning Co-Executive Producer & Canning Expert on Growing A Greener World TV. She blogs here about Living Homegrown®, local and fresh-from-the-garden. 
