Tell Me A Story: Essential Oils

Showing posts with label Essential Oils. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Homemade Bath Salts

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Homemade Bath Salts

Pamper your family and friends with this homemade gift that is fun to make, relatively inexpensive, and yet with personalized labels it can look like it came from an exclusive spa.

Christmas 2011 - I didn't get all the homemade gifts made in time for our Christmas Eve celebration - so...I gathered all the ingredients for my children and grandchildren to create their own Homemade Bath Salts. They liked their other presents - but we really had fun together creating individual Homemade Bath Salts.

Don't forget to pamper yourself with the aromatherapy fragrance that suits you best.

Decorate recycled glass jars, or purchase glass bottles at your local hobby and specialty stores (Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Joann, World Market), or online at Specialty Bottle.

CLICK on the link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://www.specialtybottle.com/clearfrenchsquaresmi.aspx

Gather Materials

Epsom Salts
Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
Essential Oils
Food Coloring
OPTIONAL:

Glycerin
Dried Fragrant Plants (Lavender or Eucalyptus or Roses)

Glass Jars or Bottles with Lids

Labels
Ribbon & Decorations

Text on the back of our personalized labels:

Enjoy the therapeutic benefits

of our all-natural bath salts

with the relaxing, soothing

effects of aromatherapy.

Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of scented salts

to a bath for a soothing,

luxurious experience.

Relieves pain from minor sprains and bruises.

Made with Essential Oils:

Eucalyptus, Lavender,

Mulberry, Patchouli,

Sweet Almond, Tea Tree, Vanilla

Note:

Please use our text to create your own personalized labels.

Directions

Mix Epson Salts (1 Cup)

and Sea Salt (1/4 Cup)
or a combination of the two.

Caution: Some people add Baking Soda to bath salts, as a water softener, but I've heard of baking soda causing explosions when added to bath salts.

Epsom Salts and Sea Salt are soothing for tired muscles, and both gently soften the water for a luxurious bath experience.

Add a few drops of food coloring, until you achieve the desire shade.

Christmas Eve Family Activity: Daughter Kristin creates her own personalized fragrant Bath Salts. Copyright Marcia Norwood

Mix in several drops of essential oil. Start with three drops, and see if you like the fragrance.

Remember: color and fragrance are diluted in the bath water.

OPTIONAL: Add Glycerin and/or Dried Fragrant Plants (Like Lavender or Eucalyptus or Roses)

Stir salts vigorously until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Pour/layer colored bath salts into glass containers for yourself or give as gifts.

Patchouli Bath Salts Recipe
Patchouli oil has a sensual woodsy aroma.
Add sparingly to...

Epsom Salt
Sea Salt

or a combination of both.

Green Food Coloring
Glycerin (Optional)
Rope or Twine Decoration

Mandarin Orange Bath Salts Recipe

Epson Salt (1 -2 Cups)
Six Drops Mandarin Essential Oil
Orange Food Color
Decorate with Orange Ribbon

Lavender Bath Salts Recipe

1 Cup Epson Salt
1/2 Cup Sea Salt
8 Drops Lavender
Red & Blue Food Coloring to make Lavender Color

Have fun pampering yourself and your friends and family!

This Christmas - I'm creating organic Bath Teas with herbs and epsom salts - packaged in tea bags. Watch for pictures in future blogs!

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and bring a friend!

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Thursday, October 3, 2013

EAU DE COLOGNE

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Eau de Cologne

Meaning:

A perfumed liquid made of

essential oils and alcohol

Synonyms:

cologne water; cologne

Hypernyms

("eau de cologne" is a kind of...):

essence; perfume (a toiletry that emits and diffuses a fragrant odor)

I experimented with essential oils and Vodka to create my own cologne for gifts. The entire process was a fun creative adventure.

It was a joy to give my homemade colognes and perfumes as Christmas gifts.

Scented mixtures need to age in a glass container anywhere from a few days to a few years to develop the full aroma.

So - let's get started.

Are you ready to become a "le nez" (French for perfumer) and make your own homemade perfume and cologne?

I ordered clear glass corked bottles from Specialty Bottle.

CLICK on the link or

COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://www.specialtybottle.com/corkedbottlesmi.aspx

I ordered amber, spray bottles from Specialty Bottle.

CLICK on the link or

COPY & PASTE the link in your browser:

http://www.specialtybottle.com/amberbostonroundglassbottlesmi.aspx

Perfume, cologne and all other liquid scents are simply a mixture of fragrant oils, alcohol and/or water.

Remember: The scented mixture is then aged in a glass container, anywhere from a few days to a few years, to develop the full aroma.

Perfume has the strongest concentration of oils per ounce. Cologne is next on the list with a slightly higher concentration of oils than eau de perfume, eau de cologne and eau de toilette.

Click on each photograph to enlarge.

Gather Supplies

Essential Oils

Vodka

Glass Bottles with Lids or Corks

Distilled Water

Decorations or Jewelry for Bottles

I create tags and labels for my line of bath and body products using Microsoft Publisher. I print the tags on photo paper on my Kodak Easy Share 5300 printer.

Shopping for supplies is always a fun part of any project.

"I'm buying this Vodka to make perfume," I confessed to the clerk at Hy-Vee.

"Sure," he said with a grin on his face. "That's what they all say."

Warning
Test homemade cologne before you actually use it. Experience the full scent, and check for any allergic reactions. Apply a small amount of cologne to a patch of skin on your arm. Wait 24 hours and check for an adverse reaction.

Directions

Blue Moon Perfume
1 Cup Distilled Water
1/3 Cup High-Proof Vodka
5 to 6 Drops Lavender Oil
9 to 10 Drops Chamomile Oil

Musk Cologne
1/3 Cup High-Proof Vodka
11 Drops Musk
7 Drops Sandalwood
6 Drops Oakmoss
4 Drops Jasmine
3 Drops Patchoili
2 Drops Cinnamon Scented Oil

Place ingredients in a glass bottle.
Place lid securely on bottle, and shake vigorously to mix.
Place cologne in a cool, dark place to mature...for at least one week.
Shake the cologne well once a day.
Test the cologne scent, and adjust fragrance as needed.

Experiment
Try mixing different essential oils to create your own signature fragrance.

I blended lemongrass, eucalyptus, and patchoili oil for a unique fragrance that just happens to keep bugs away!

My daughter, Faith's boyfriend, actually sprayed the cologne on bugs and it killed them. That's probably not a great thing to market for a perfume - but - hey - it's the truth.

Discover the fragrance likes and dislikes of the person you're giving the fragrance to. I gave a lemon-scented fragrance to a special friend before I realized he overdosed on lemon previously, and can't stand the scent of lemon. I'll do better next time.

My favorite essential oils to mix for cologne and perfumes are:

Blood Orange
Sweet Almond Oil
Lavender Oil
Mulberry Oil
Baby Powder Oil

"We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

Aristotle

(384 BC - 322 BC)

Greek Philosopher, Student of Plato, Teacher of Alexander the Great

One of the most important founding figures in Western philosophy.


Homemade Lotion and Bath Salts. Copyright 2012 Marcia Norwood

CLICK on this link or COPY & PASTE the link in your browser

for my recipe for homemade cream:

http://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/2013/09/wrinkles.html

Thanks for stopping by!

Come back often, and bring a friend!

Look for more special STORYTELLER Gift Projects in upcoming blogs....like homemade Bath Salts!

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

P O T P O U R R I

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER
Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Click on each photograph to see an enlargement.

Potpourri

Noun

Pronounced: Po (long o) - purr (like a cat) - ee (long e like in tree)

1. Stuff that smells good.

2. Dried flower petals and spices and oils mixed together and used to make a room smell nice: usually kept in a decorative bowl or jar used to perfume a room or closet or drawer.

3. A collection of different things....seemingly unrelated items; an unusual assortment.

Origin

The name potpourri comes from the French phrase

pot pourri, which literally means "rotten pot." The phrase was used to describe a stew.

Something must have been lost in translation.

However, I do make potpourri a lot like I make a stew: gathering ingredients to suit my individual taste, and blending them all together.

My homemade potpourri begins by gathering roses and other flowers (even pine cones) from our gardens.

Flower petals and leaves of herbs are dried in baskets...or on towels on the counter. Air-flow is important so the flowers do not mold.

After the flower petals have dried...Add a fixative (like orris root or Vermiculite) in with the dried petals.

Next - add scented oils to the fixative. Orris root is the root of the iris plant. Vermiculite is available at garden centers.

I purchase essential oils and other supplies to make

homemade perfume,

potpourri and

lotions

from

Hobby Lobby...

AND

BULK APOTHECARY

http://www.bulkapothecary.com/

AND

SAN FRANCISCO HERB CO.

http://sfherb.com/

Potpourri is packaged

in sealed containers:

mason jars,

covered bowls,

bags or

homemade sachets.

I create personalized labels in Microsoft Publisher, and print them on cardstock or photo paper with my Kodak Easyshare 5300 Printer.

Potpourri makes wonderful gifts.

I also package it in small bags for sachets to be used in closets or drawers...and sell it at fairs.

Marcia's booth at Independence Events Center, Independence, Missouri. http://www.independenceeventscenter.com/

We'll talk about how to make homemade SOAPS, in upcoming blog!

Homemade Soap. Copyright 2012 Marcia Norwood

Homemade Soap. Copyright 2012 Marcia Norwood

Thanks for stopping by!

Come again, and bring a friend!

Marcia Norwood
America's STORYTELLER

Telling Untold Stories in Photographs, Prose and Public Speaking

Marcia Booth at The Little Blue Art Fest, Blue Springs, Missouri

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