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How to Make Bath Bombs (& A Natural Bath Bomb Recipe with Shea Butter)

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July 21, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 5 Comments

Have you ever wondered how to make bath bombs? Considering how easy it is to get hooked on using bath bombs, it’s not a surprise that you’d want to learn how to make your own DIY bath bombs. Keep reading to learn how to make bath bombs with an easy, natural bath bomb recipe with shea butter.

It’s not hard to get hooked on bath bombs. Especially if you love taking baths. However, if you’ve tried a lot of bath bombs, then you’ve likely noticed that there’s a big difference between cheap commercial bath bombs and ones that are handmade. As someone with extremely sensitive skin, I can’t indulge in bath bombs made with cheap fillers and synthetic ingredients. They not only cause skin irritation and rashes, but sometimes I’ll itch for days afterwards.

The same is true for soap fragrances. While the soap recipe might be perfect for my skin, the wrong fragrance can totally leave me itching for weeks. So much in fact, that I’ll wake up in the middle of the night scratching. Sometimes pinning down the ingredient that caused an allergic skin reaction can be a challenge. Therefore, I try to stick to natural colorants, scents and ingredients when I make my own homemade soap and skin care products. This is even more important when making bath bombs. Because unlike soap, which causes a reaction even after its been rinsed off, I’m soaking in a tub with that bath bomb for quite some time

Let’s Learn How to Make Bath Bombs

My natural bath bomb recipe is perfect for anyone who suffers from skin sensitivities and allergies. Not only is it made with natural colorants for bath bombs – in this case pink kaolin clay and orange peel powder – it also contains hydrating shea butter and an uplifting essential oil blend. Are you ready to to learn how to make bath bombs? Keep reading to learn no just how to make my natural bath bomb recipe, but also about the skin care benefits of the bath bomb ingredients I used.

What Gives Bath Bombs Their Fizz?

There are two key ingredients that give bath bombs their fizz. They are citric acid and baking soda. When combine, the chemical reaction between these two ingredients creates carbon dioxide. This in turn makes the bath bombs fizz. Some bath bombs, such as the bath bombs made popular by Lush, also contain synthetic foaming agents such sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSA) or sodium coco-sulfate (SCI.) The addition of these ingredients gives bath bombs amazing bubbles in addition to the fizz.

Tips on How to Make Awesome Bath Bombs

When learning how to make bath bombs, I recommend starting with a simple basic bath bomb recipe. This will give you a feel as to how bath bombs are made and familiarize you with the process. The basic idea behind making bath bombs isn’t difficult. However, there are tips and tricks you need to know when making bath bombs. Otherwise, you may end up with bath bombs that fizz prematurely. Or, in the process of making round bath bombs with a two-piece mold, you may find that your two halves don’t stick together.

Beginners mistakes, however, are easy to make. In fact, I’ve made them myself in the past. Luckily, with a little research first on how to make bath bombs, you can minimize or even prevent making these mistakes entirely.

Formulating Your Own Bath Bomb Recipes

Once you get the hang of how to make bath bombs, you can begin formulating your own bath bomb recipes. There are some basic rules that can help you either create your own bath bomb recipes from scratch or customize and existing recipe.

Tip #1

I recommend using ingredient weights when formulating your bath bomb recipes, rather than unit measurements. Not only is this a more accurate way to create a bath bomb recipe, it also makes it easier to determine the amount of fragrances or other ingredients needed for your recipe as recommended usage rates are provided as a percentage. This will also make it easier to scale your bath bomb recipe up or down at a later date. As such, you will need a digital scale to weigh out the ingredients when you make your bath bombs.

Tip #2

When using baking soda and citric acid as the base for your bath bombs, the recommended ratio is to use two parts baking soda to one part citric acid. If you’d like to use a foaming agent, such as SLSA or even sodium cocoyl isethionate, it should account for anywhere between 15%-25% of your recipe.

You can make bath bombs without citric acid. However, a combination of baking soda and citric acid produces the best fizz. Using lemon juice as a substitute can set off your fizz prematurely. And it can be a challenge in high humidity. While using cream of tartar, reduces the fizz reaction even further. Therefore, if you want to make the best bath bomb recipe, I recommend using citric acid.

Tip #3

Additional dry ingredients are typically added to a bath bomb recipe to prevent premature fizzing. Dry ingredients such as arrowroot powder, cream of tartar, cornstarch and clay can be use based on your preference. I like to choose my own dry ingredients for bath bombs based on the desired result and skin care benefits of those ingredients. These dry ingredients can be added to your bath bomb formulation with or without a foaming agent such as SLSA. When adding dry ingredients, it’s important that they don’t comprise of more than one half of the amount of citric acid in your recipe. Otherwise the fizzing performance of your bath bombs may be affected.

Tip #4

It’s not recommended that you add Epsom salt or Dead Sea Salt to your bath bomb formulations. This is because the magnesium in these ingredients draws moisture from the air into your bath bombs. This in turn can cause premature fizzing. However, I’ve made a number of bath bomb recipes using salt with success. (These bath bomb recipes include my Epsom salt bath bomb recipe for chronic pain as well as my rose essential oil bath bomb recipe. I also have a hidden color bath bomb recipe with magnesium flakes.) By adding a hard butter to your recipe, I’ve found that it does prevent premature fizzing. Just be sure to wrap your creations tightly once they’ve dried.

Tip #5

Rather than using a liquid for making bath bombs, such as witch hazel, I instead use a combination of carrier oils and/or body butters. As I live in a humid area, I’ve found that these ingredients work better at preventing your bath bombs from exploding early due to high humidity. If you prefer to use a liquid rather than oils or butters in your bath bombs, then stick with 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol. It evaporates more quickly than witch hazel, thereby making it more suitable for humid climates.

Tip #6

There are a number of options when it comes to choosing colorants for your bath bombs. You’ll learn more about different colorants and how they react in bath bombs – and ultimately bath water – as you experiment more and learn how to make your own recipes. Natural colorants, such as colored clays or botanical powders are one option. While lake dyes and micas are another. If you love a show in your bathtub, like the ones you get from hidden rainbow colored bath bombs, then lake dyes or dyes formulated specifically for bath bombs are the way to go. They will give the biggest color show and won’t leave a colored ring around your tub once the bathwater drains out. Lake dyes typically account for 28-34% of the total weight of a bath bomb recipe.

Tip #7

You should not use food coloring in your bath bomb recipes. Not only can food coloring stain both your skin and the tub, it’s simply bad practice especially if you’re formulating recipes to sell or give as gifts. In addition, it’s also important to note that not all colorants are approved for use in bath bombs. Some green colorants, for example, including green chromium oxide, are not approved by the FDA for use in bath bombs. Therefore you should do your research on colorants before deciding which ones to use. While some colorants can be used in wash off products such as soaps or body wash, it’s not always true for things like lotions or bath bombs where there is a longer exposure time.

On the other hand, for little to no color show, you can use natural colorants or mica powders. Natural colorants, such as the spinach powder and French green clay I used in my natural mango butter bath bombs, are an easy way to create a green color. Alternately, mica powder can be used in significantly smaller quantities than both natural colorants for bath bombs or lake dyes. They’ll give your bath bombs bright colors before they go into the tub, but very muted tones once diluted in bathwater.

Tip #8

If you choose to use skin safe cosmetic micas, then you will need to also use polysorbate 80. Polysorbate 80 works as an emulsifier when used in bath bomb bombs. Soluble in water and alcohol, it binds with the colorants and oils used to make your bath bombs and helps disperse them evenly throughout your bathwater. This keeps any oils or fragrances you used in your recipe from floating on top of your bathwater. It also prevents the colorants used from sticking to both your skin and the tub and it helps glitter disperse more evenly. As such, if you don’t mind using non-natural ingredients to make your bath bombs, polysorbate 80 makes a wonderful addition to your bath bomb recipes whether you use mica or not. The suggested usage rater for mica is 1-2% of your recipe.

Skin Care Benefits of My Natural Bath Bomb Ingredients

Now that you know how to make bath bombs, let’s move on to my natural bath bomb recipe and why I chose to use the ingredients I did.

Having sensitive skin can make it challenge to find the perfect skin care products. From anti-aging skin care to anti-acne treatments, there’s a whole world of potential skin reactions waiting to happen. Therefore, I chose each of the ingredients used in my bath bomb recipe for their specific skin care benefits. These ingredients include orange peel powder, shea butter, pink kaolin clay and an easy, aromatherapeutic essential oil blend.

Orange Peel Powder

Vitamin C is the new anti-aging skin care treatment. However, daily doses of vitamin C serums or creams, while practical for our faces, isn’t quite so practical for our bodies. By adding orange peel powder to your natural bath bombs, you can give your entire body a boost of Vitamin C’s antioxidant benefits. Not only does Vitamin C help stimulate collagen production, it can also help repair damage from free radicals, brighten skin and fade dark spots caused by hyperpigmentation.

In addition, orange peel powder can also help unclog pores, tone skin, diminish the appearance of scars and reduce inflammation. It’s also an effective treatment for body acne. So if you struggle with back acne – or even acne anywhere on your body – adding orange peel powder to your bath can prevent acne breakouts and promote healing.

Pink Kaolin Clay

Pink kaolin clay is a naturally occurring cosmetic clay. Its color comes from combination of both white and red kaolin clays. Suitable for sensitive skin, this natural rose colored clay helps balance out skin and absorb excess oils, while also gently cleansing skin. It also lends my natural bath bomb recipe a pink color. Combined with the orange powder, these two natural bath bomb colorants give the resulting bath bombs a peach-like color.

Refined Shea Butter

Shea butter is hydrating body butter that’s naturally rich in vitamins A and E. Rich in essential fatty acids as well as other vitamins and minerals, shea butter offers a number of skin supporting properties. Commonly used as a natural moisturizer, shea butter is also used as a component in skin care formulations that target acne. I used refined shea butter, which has been deodorized, for my natural bath bomb recipe in order to allow the fragrance of my essential oil blend to shine through.

Essential Oils

Essential oils offer a number of aromatherapeutic and skin care benefits. For my natural bath bomb recipe, I created an essential oil blend containing grapefruit essential oil, sweet orange essential oil and cardamom essential oil for their uplifting and re-energizing properties.

Grapefruit essential oil, specifically, is often used in aromatherapy to combat acne, reduce stress, stimulate circulation, increase energy, enhance mood and improve digestion.

Tips for Making No Fail Bath Bombs

Now that you’ve learned about the ingredients that went into my natural bath bomb recipe, here are some easy tips for success when you’re ready to get started.

Tip #1

As you are working with fine powders such as SLSA or even citric acid, it’s recommended that you wear a face mask respirator or dust mask. This keeps small particles from being inhaled when mixing your bath bomb ingredients together. In addition, nitrile gloves are also recommend. Not only will this prevent colorants from staining your hands, it will also keep the citric acid from burning any open cuts or scratches.

Tip #2

Some ingredients, such as orange peel powder as well as certain essential oils, can cause photosensitivity. Therefore you should take extra care to use sunscreen and wear protective clothing if you plan to spend time in the sun. (You can learn which essential oils are phototoxic along with safe usage instructions for phototoxic essential oils here.)

Tip #3

When using a two part bath bomb mold, it’s important not to pack each side before pressing the two sides of the mold together. Otherwise, the two sides won’t stick together resulting in two half spheres rather than a single solid one. Instead, you should pile each side of the mold loosely with your bath bomb mixture. Lightly compact each side, then pile more of the bath bomb mixture into each side of the mold. Finally, firmly press both sides of your bath bomb mold together. (It’s important not to twist the two sides of mold together when using a round bath bomb mold.) Then gently tap around the edges of the mold with a spoon to release your bath bomb.

For one piece bath bomb molds, use the same process. However, instead of pressing the mold against another half, firmly pack the remaining bath bomb mixture into the mold with your hands. Tap the mold with a spoon to help release the bath bomb if necessary. I suggest you set the molds onto a cutting board, then tap until the bath bomb slides out when the mold is lifted off.

Tip #4

Your bath bomb mixture, once mixed, should be the consistency of wet sand. When picking up a clump of the mixture with your hands, it should hold together when squeezed then dropped back into the container. This is important. If your bath bombs are too dry they may crumble and not hold together. On the other hand, if they are too wet, you may get a premature fizz in addition to having difficulty releasing the bath bombs from the mold.

Natural Bath Bomb Recipe with Shea Butter

Ingredients:

8 oz. baking soda
4.5 oz. citric acid
2 oz. refined shea butter
.5 oz. orange peel powder
.25 oz. pink kaolin clay
.25 oz. arrowroot powder
2.5 mL grapefruit essential oil
1 mL sweet orange essential oil
.5 mL cardamom essential oil
carrier oil of choice, as needed

Instructions:

My natural bath bomb recipe is made using the peach bath bomb mold from this set. However, you’re welcome to use any bath bomb mold of your choosing when making my shea butter bath bombs. Likewise, you can always substitute the essential oil blend I used for my natural bath bomb recipe with a peach fragrance oil at the manufacturer’s suggested usage rate.

Begin by weighing out refined shea butter using a digital scale. Place the shea butter into a heat safe container. Heat at 30% power in the microwave until melted. Alternately, you may also use the double boiler method. Once the shea butter has melted, remove from heat.

Next, measure out the essential oils using a fresh graduated plastic transfer pipette for each essential oil. Then add to the melted shea butter. Mix to combine. Then set aside.

Next, weigh out the baking soda, citric acid, arrowroot powder, orange peel powder and pink kaolin clay into a in a separate container. Mix the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Now add the melted shea butter with the essential oils to the dry ingredients mixing as you go. Mix until the entire concoction is the consistency of wet sand. If it’s too dry, stir in a small amount of a carrier oil of your choice, a little at a time, until it reaches the proper consistency.

To make my natural bath bomb recipe, pile the mixture into the peach shaped bath bomb mold. Lightly compact the bath bomb mixture into the mold, then repeat the step. Follow by firmly pressing the bath bomb mixture into the mold. Then unmold. Repeat for each shea butter bath bomb until you’ve used up all of your natural bath bomb mixture.

Once your shea butter bath bombs have hardened, wrap or package as desired for personal use or gifting.

More Bath Bomb Recipes to Try

Once you’d tried my shea butter bath bomb recipe, be sure to give one of these other homemade bath bomb recipes a try.

Natural Bath Bomb Recipes

Spinach & French Green Clay Bath Bombs with Natural Colorants
Epsom Salt Bath Bombs for Natural Pain Relief
Lavender & Chamomile Bath Bombs with Natural Botanicals
Homemade Holiday Peppermint Bath Bombs with Essential Oil
Lavender Essential Oil Bath Bombs with Shea Butter
Lemongrass & Sage Bath Bomb Minis
Natural Cola Bath Bombs with Essential Oils
Rose Petal Vanilla Bath Bombs with Natural Colorants

Creative Bath Bomb Recipes

Fizzing Shamrock Bath Truffles
Cranberry Fig Fizzing Bath Truffles for the Holidays
Moisturizing Bath Fizzy Powder Recipe
Halloween Pumpkin Bath Bomb Recipe
DIY Easter Egg Bath Bombs with Glitter
DIY Mermaid Bath Bombs with Moisturizing Cocoa Butter Shells
Hidden Rainbow Bath Bomb Embed Bars
Hidden Color Pineapple Bath Bombs for Summer Self Care
Rose Essential Oil Bath Bomb Recipe
Homemade Milk & Honey Bath Bombs
Moisturizing Strawberry Milkshake Bath Bomb Recipe

Once you’ve gotten comfortable creating your own natural bath bombs, invite your friends to join in the fun! Learn how to throw a bath bomb party for a girls night in to create self care treats. Or get together to craft homemade holiday gifts for friends and family.

I’m so excited that you’ve chosen to start your natural skin care journey! I hope you’ll stick with me as I continue to share new recipes for natural bath bombs, homemade soaps and fabulous skin care products! You can keep up with my new recipes and healthy lifestyle posts by following me across your favorite social media platforms. Follow me now via Pinterest, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up to receive my newsletter to stay in the loop.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes Tagged With: anti-acne, anti-aging, bath bomb recipe, bath bombs, bath tutorial, crafts, diy, essential oils, natural skin care, shea butter, vitamin c

Natural Eczema Treatment for Real Relief from Eczema & Dry Skin

January 21, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon

If you’ve ever suffered from eczema then you understand how awful it can be. Finding relief from over-the-counter topical eczema treatments, however, can be a challenge. Often times, I’ve found, these products make my eczema worse. This natural eczema treatment is different.

Formulated using only natural ingredients known for their ability to help relieve inflammation, itching and dryness, my natural eczema relief balm offers real relief for your eczema or dry skin – with or without essential oils.

The struggle to find a natural eczema treatment that works.

You may remember my anti-aging serum recipe I shared two weeks ago. The carrier oils used in that serum are also incorporated into my natural eczema treatment. So if you’re looking for more ways to use those ingredients, this natural eczema relief balm is the perfect recipe!

While I’ve been lucky and haven’t struggled with eczema since eliminating most dairy products from my diet, not all of us are able to escape our eczema through diet alone. In fact, my dear friend Cathy, recently had her eczema flare up so badly, she ended up with open wounds from scratching. And, like most of us, she went through an array of over-the-counter eczema treatment products. None of which actually offered any relief from her symptoms. A few of them, in fact, actually made her skin burn. While others made the itching worse.

As I had plans to meet up with Cathy for Wine & Art Wednesday, I quickly threw together a natural eczema remedy for her irritated skin. My natural eczema relief balm worked fabulously on Cathy’s eczema. While the anti-aging serum (sans the essential oils) I also created the same day, did wonders for the eczema on her face.

Crafting a natural eczema relief balm recipe.

Since making my natural eczema treatment for Cathy, I’ve revised my natural eczema relief balm recipe three more times. The recipe I’m presenting you with today, is the result of those changes. This natural eczema remedy has the consistency of a rich, creamy beauty balm. It fully absorbs into skin after about a minute or so. In addition to soothing itchy and inflamed skin, it also moisturizes and protects skin while still allowing skin to breathe.

I formulated my natural eczema treatment with essential oils. However, if fragrances or essential oils irritate your eczema, you can simply omit them from my natural eczema relief balm recipe. The remainder of my eczema repair balm is made up of other primarily plant based, natural ingredients with the exception of lanolin and beeswax. These ingredients include skin conditioning shea butter and murumuru butter as well as rosehip seed, moringa seed and borage carrier oils. 100% vitamin E oil is also added for its ability to promote healing.

About the ingredients in my natural eczema treatment.

Every ingredient used for my natural eczema relief balm was chosen with care for its ability to remedy eczema. Following are details on the skin care benefits of some of these ingredients.

Borage Oil

Borage oil is one of the key ingredients in my natural eczema relief balm much like my anti-aging serum. It offers a variety of natural skin care benefits especially for those who suffer from acne, eczema, skin reddening and rosacea. This natural oil is suitable for even the most sensitive skin and is a superior moisturizer. A common treatment for dry skin and cradle cap, borage oil helps fight skin inflammation and dryness to promote skin health. (Learn more about borage oil here.)

Moringa Seed Oil

A nutrient dense carrier oil, moringa seed oil is another prize ingredient for my natural eczema treatment. Like borage oil, it has anti-inflammatory properties when used in skin care. While naturally occurring antioxidants help promote cellular turnover for healthy looking skin. Its incredible moisturizing properties help to hydrate maturing skin as well as ease the symptoms of eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis. (Discover more ways moringa seed oil is commonly used here.)

Murumuru Butter

Murumuru butter, similar to the carrier oils used in my natural eczema treatment, is also rich in essential fatty acids. It also contain pro-vitamin A. This makes this natural butter a popular product in anti-aging skin care formulations. In addition to its moisturizing properties, murumuru butter promotes moisture retention making it an especially useful addition when used for dry skin and eczema remedies. (Learn how to make a murumuru sugar scrub recipe for eczema and dry skin here.)

Manuka Essential oil

Manuka essential oil, like manuka honey, comes from the leaves of the popular New Zealand plant by the same name. This essential oil is non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing, making it suitable for all skin types. This also means it won’t irritate eczema prone skin. Like the other ingredients in my natural eczema relief balm recipe, this essential oil is also anti-inflammatory. It is commonly used to offer relief for itchy skin and dandruff, rashes and common skin diseases. (Learn more about manuka essential oil, and how to make a natural manuka deodorant recipe, here.)

Now that you know a little more about the natural ingredients that went into my natural eczema treatment, let’s get started making it!

Natural Eczema Relief Balm Recipe

Ingredients:

3 oz. unrefined shea butter
1 oz. emulsifying wax
1.5 oz. murumuru butter
.75 oz. cosmetic beeswax
.5 oz. rosehip seed oil
.5 oz. borage oil
.5 oz. pharmaceutical grade lanolin
.25 oz. moringa seed oil
.05 oz. vitamin E oil
20 drops manuka essential oil
20 drops patchouli essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil

Instructions:

You will need a digital scale to weigh out the ingredients for this natural eczema treatment.

Begin by weighing out the shea butter, emulsifying wax, murumuru butter, lanolin and beeswax. Combine the ingredients in a double boiler and heat over medium low heat until all the ingredients have melted.

Turn off the heat. Then weigh out the rosehip seed oil, borage oil and moringa seed oil. Stir into the melted butters, waxes and lanolin. Now remove the ingredients from heat.

Add the vitamin E oil and essential oils. Stir to combine. Then pour into your containers of choice.

I used a combination of 2 oz. glass amber jars and 1 oz. white polypropylene thick wall plastic jars.

Allow your natural eczema relief balm to cool completely. Once it has solidified, screw the caps onto your containers.

Usage:

To use your natural eczema treatment, simply massage onto affected area as desired. Allow the balm to sink in. (This may take a minute or two.) Then reapply as needed throughout the day.

Wet wrap therapy for moderate to severe eczema.

For really bad eczema, I also recommend using this natural eczema relief balm in conjunction with wet wrap therapy. Wet wrap therapy is another natural eczema treatment for moderate to severe eczema.

Eczema wet wrap therapy creates a physical moist barrier for your skin. When used in conjunction with an eczema relief balm or cream, it helps the moisturizer penetrate skin more deeply. This natural eczema treatment can significantly improve your skin’s condition in as few as two days. Learn more about wet wrap therapy for your eczema, along with instructions, here.

More Natural Eczema Treatments

If you like my natural eczema relief balm recipe, then you may want to consider one of these other natural eczema treatments.

What’s your favorite natural eczema treatment? Share your success stories – or struggles with eczema – in the comments.

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Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: body balm recipe, borage oil, dry skin, dry skin balm, eczema, essential oils, healing balm recipe, home remedies, home remedy, lanolin, manuka essential oil, moringa oil, murumuru butter, natural remedy, natural skin care, rosehip seed oil, salve recipe, shea butter

Best Scar and Stretch Mark Treatment You Can Make at Home

April 5, 2018 By Cari Dunn

This homemade salve recipe for the best scar and stretch mark treatment from guest poster Cari Dunn of Everything Pretty will teach you how to easily create a homemade salve that can help fade dark spots and promote cellular turnover.

Our scars tell a story. Whether you fell as a child, cut your finger while cooking a holiday dinner, or otherwise hurt your skin, each mark has a story. If you have stretch marks from children, then you have a lot of stories to tell about those marks.

Even though our scars are a part of our history, we don’t have to like them. Unfortunately, plastic surgery might be the only way to get rid of some scars, but there are natural products that you can make to help reduce scars and make them appear less noticeable. This homemade salve recipe for the best scar and stretch mark treatment is one of those ways.

You shouldn’t use this salve for the best scar and stretch mark treatment on broken or injured skin. Wait until your skin has healed to where you don’t have an open wound before you use this salve.

Fresh scars are easier to fade than old scars. If you have an old scar, you may not get results for three to six months with daily use.

For best results, use this best scar and stretch mark treatment salve with my scar and stretch mark sugar scrub. You should use the scrub three times a week and use the natural homemade salve twice a day.

For this homemade salve recipe for the best scar and stretch mark treatment, I wanted to use several carrier oils as they each have their own skin care benefits. You don’t have to use the same oils that I used, but I do recommend using at least two of them plus the vitamin E oil. Whatever you decide to use, use the same amount of oil or the recipe won’t turn out right.

Best Scar and Stretch Mark Treatment Ingredients

Rosehip Seed Oil

Rosehip seed oil is probably the most popular carrier oil for scars making it one of the key ingredients in this best scar and stretch mark treatment. This oil is extracted from the seed pod or the petals of the rose plant. The resulting oil is high in fatty acids and vitamins that make it a great oil for your skin.

Rosehip oil is a dry oil, which means that absorbs quickly into your skin. The oil has vitamin A, retinol, a natural way to treat fine lines and wrinkles. The vitamin A helps promote cellular turnover so skin can heal. Rosehip seed oil works so well on scars due to the linolenic acid, omega-3, and omega-6 fatty acids.

Rosehip seed oil is said help reduce redness and pigmentation, which can help make scars less noticeable. The fatty acids and vitamins in it have also been said to fade scars and prevent the formation of keloid scars.

It is important to note that rosehip seed oil can increase your sensitivity to the sun, so always wear sunscreen if you use this salve before you go outside.

Moringa Oil

I also used moringa oil, which is sometimes called ben oil. Moringa oil is high in oleic acid, omega-3, and omega-6 fatty acids. It’s high in vitamin E, a natural antioxidant.

Moringa oil has many benefits for the skin. It’s naturally anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, and naturally antimicrobial.

Another benefit to using this oil is that it naturally exfoliates dead skin cells. It’s also a dry oil, so it absorbs quickly.

(Also be sure to try this recipe for a moisturizing sugar scrub for dry skin! Like my best scar and stretch mark treatment, it is also formulated with hydrating moringa oil and soothing oat butter.)

Sea Buckthorn Oil

For the third oil, I used sea buckthorn oil. It’s high in vitamin E, which can help boost skin healing. It’s high in omega-7 fatty acids, palmitoleic acid, which is rare in carrier oils. The oil is said to boost cellular turnover and boost your skin’s ability to heal, which is perfect for treating scars making it another must have ingredient for this best scar and stretch mark treatment.

It’s also a dry oil, so it soaks into your skin and goes deep to moisturize.

To learn more about different carrier oils and their benefits, check out my book Carrier Oils: A beginner’s guide to using over 40 carrier oils in bath and body recipes.

Vitamin E Oil

Even though the oils are all natural sources of vitamin E, I wanted to add more of the oil because it’s a wonderful oil for your skin. Vitamin E is an antioxidant, so it can protect your skin from free radicals.

It also acts like a natural preservative. Since it’s an antioxidant, it can preserve the shelf life of carrier oils. The recipe for my best scar and stretch mark treatment doesn’t have water in it, so it doesn’t need a preservative like you would need in a lotion with water. However, the oils can go rancid. Vitamin E helps keep the oils from going rancid.

Beeswax

Beeswax is obviously hard at room temperature, so it’s used to harden this recipe to turn it into a salve. But beeswax has several benefits for the skin beyond thickening this bes scar and stretch mark treatment recipe.

When applied topically, beeswax forms a protective layer on top of the skin. It traps the oils on your skin, so they can work to help heal your skin. Some creams and salves use petroleum based products, but these can clog the pores and don’t allow any air to flow through. Beeswax forms a barrier, but it can still allow air to flow.

Beeswax also works on healing skin because it’s a humectant. It attracts water molecules from the air, pulling them to your skin. This helps keep the skin moisturized and hydrated over time.

The vitamin A found in beeswax can help exfoliate the skin.

Shea Butter

Shea butter is one of my favorite butters to use for skin care products because it’s not oily and has a lot of skin loving benefits.

Shea butter is what’s known as an emollient. It penetrates the skin and seals the top layer. This traps moisture against your skin.

It’s also high in vitamin A. Vitamin A is important to promote collagen production and reduce dark spots on the skin, including those from scar.

High in antioxidants and vitamins, shea butter is one of the best butters to use on scars. It moisturizes, protects, and hydrates the skin so it can repair itself.

Helichrysum Essential Oil

There are actually four types of helichrysum, but I used Helichrysum italicum. It’s extracted from a Mediterranean plant, a flower that’s close to the daisy. Like chamomile, it’s a gentle oil that’s great for sensitive skin or, in this case, skin that has scars.

Helichrysum essential oil doesn’t leave your skin oily, but it does moisturize your skin. It can also fade dark spots on your skin, including hyperpigmentation due to scars.

It’s said to promote cellular turnover, which is what you want in a scar and stretch mark cream. It’s high in antioxidants, so it’s a great oil for anti-aging. (Try it as a substitute for carrot seed essential oil in this natural anti-aging night cream recipe!)

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender essential oil is a popular essential oil that’s used in many different skin care recipes. It’s a gentle oil, so it’s safe to use on scars.

Ready to make my natural skin care recipe for the best scar and stretch mark treatment? Great! Here’s how it’s done.

Best Scar and Stretch Mark Treatment Salve Recipe

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons rosehip seed oil
2 tablespoons moringa oil
1 teaspoon sea buckthorn seed oil
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
1 tablespoon beeswax
2 tablespoons shea butter
12 drops helichrysum essential oil
8 drops lavender essential oil

Directions:

Gather all of the ingredients called for in my natural homemade salve recipe for the best scar and stretch mark treatment.

Using measuring spoons, combine rosehip seed oil, moringa oil, sea buckthorn oil, vitamin E oil, beeswax, and shea butter in a heat proof glass container. I use a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup.

Set the container on canning jar rings in a medium sized pan. Carefully add water to the pan to cover the oils. Be careful not to get water in the measuring cup.

Heat on medium until the beeswax and shea butter is melted, stirring occasionally.

Carefully remove from heat. Let cool until no longer steaming.

Add essential oils and stir well.

Pour into a 4-ounce mason jar.

I made a full 4-ounce mason jar with a little left over. I keep small souffle cups on hand to pour a little in. These are perfect for keeping in my purse or giving to friends and family.

For best results, use this scar and stretch mark salve with my scar and stretch mark sugar scrub.

More Skin Care Recipes to Try Right Now!

If you liked my recipe for the best scar and stretch mark treatment, then check out the following posts for more DIY skin care recipes!

Not Ready to DIY It? Buy It Instead!

Not quite ready to recreate the recipe for my best scar and stretch mark treatment? Buy one of these homemade versions instead!

Visit my Everything Pretty DIY bath and beauty recipe page for more recipes like this one. Never miss a post from Everything Pretty by subscribing to my newsletter.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: anti-aging, beauty, crafts, diy, healing salve, helichrysum essential oil, home remedy, lavender, moringa oil, natural, natural remedy, salve recipe, scars, sea buckthorn oil, shea butter, skin care, stretch marks, vitamin e

Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes Recipe

March 14, 2016 By Rebecca D. Dillon

This traditional solid sugar scrub cubes recipe is not only easy to make, but it’s ready the same day for gifting. Made using all natural ingredients this solid sugar scrub cubes recipe is great for crafting year round to give as homemade gifts for everything from birthdays to Mother’s day! And the easy no hassle recipe is also easy to customize with your favorite essential oil or essential oil blends and a carrier oil that suits your skin care needs.

Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes Recipe

Ingredients:

2.5 oz. Stephenson’s Natural Shea Butter Melt and Pour Soap Base
4 oz. Shea Butter or Sal Butter
1.2 oz. Natural Anti-Aging Rosehip Seed Oil (or other carrier oil suited for your skin type)
.35 oz. Lavender Essential Oil (or other essential oil of choice – or try a blend of equal parts lavender, sweet orange and ylang ylang essential oils!)
16 oz. white granulated sugar
pinch of mica or other powdered pigment color, to suit

Instructions:

I lined my DIY wooden soap mold to use as a mold to create my solid sugar scrub cubes, then cut them into squares once they’d hardened with a Chef’s knife. However, you can also use a small cardboard box lined with plastic or even a silicone candy mold that has multiple cavities in fun shapes. This will make individual solid sugar scrub cubes that don’t need to be cut afterwards. This silicone chocolate rose mold would be great for making solid sugar scrub cubes for homemade Mother’s Day gifts.

In addition to a mold, you will also need a digital scale to weigh out your ingredients.

Begin by weighing out the melt and pour soap base with your digital scale. Then, using a Chef’s knife, cut the soap into chunks and combine in a double boiler. (You can also combine the soap base in a large glass Pyrex measuring cup to heat in the microwave.)

Weigh out the shea butter and mix in with the soap base. Heat in the double boiler until the ingredients have melted completely. Remove the melted shea butter and soap base from heat.

Now weigh out the rosehip seed oil and lavender essential oil and stir into your melted ingredients.

Weigh out the granulated sugar into a large glass bowl. If using a powder pigment for color – such as ultramarines, oxides or micas – cut a pinch of color into the sugar using a butter knife or spatula.

Pour the sugar into the shea butter/soap/oil mixture and mix well to fully incorporate the ingredients.

Now scoop the solid shea butter sugar scrub mixture into your mold(s) and level with a spatula. Place your filled mold(s) in the refrigerator until your solid sugar scrub cubes have fully cooled and hardened. (If you aren’t using a silicone mold you will need to line your mold for easy removal of your final product. In addition, placing your mold onto a cutting board before filling it with your scrub will make transport to the refrigerator much easier.)

Finally, remove your completed solid sugar scrub cubes from the mold(s) and package in an airtight container until use. I packaged mine in 8 oz. Clear PET Plastic (BPA Free) Refillable Low Profile Jars.

I also like the idea of using these Printed Mini Mason Jars from beau-coop if you’re making large batches of these solid sugar scrub cubes for DIY wedding favors or other event gifts.

If you enjoyed this natural skin care recipe for making traditional solid sugar scrub cubes, then you may also like my collection of simple homemade skin care recipes for creating your own natural salve, homemade body butter and exfoliating sugar scrub. These three skin care recipes all share one ingredient in common and each have only two ingredients each! Or if have extra dry skin you may also want to try my White Tea scented solid sugar scrub cubes recipe that combines nourishing argan, sweet almond, coconut and macadamia nut oils with cocoa butter and a bit of beeswax to lock in moisture.

For even more natural and homemade skin care recipes you can follow my DIY Bath and Body board on Pinterest. You can also find and follow me on Blog Lovin’, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, G+ and Instagram so you never miss a recipe.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Homemade Gift Ideas Tagged With: anti-aging, crafts, diy, easy, gift idea, Mother's Day gifts, natural, shea butter, skin care, solid sugar scrub cubes, sugar scrub recipe

Luxury Double Butter Soap Recipe

February 16, 2016 By Rebecca D. Dillon

If you have dry skin, start your daily natural skin care routine with this double butter soap recipe. Crafted with high percentages of both cocoa butter and shea butter this cold process soap recipe is perfect for your dry skin needs.

My son, like me, suffers from dry skin in the winter and asked if I could make him a really moisturizing soap for his skin. In the end I settled on a high conditioning/low cleansing double butter soap recipe made with 20% cocoa butter, 10% shea butter, and an 8% superfat. I also added corn silk powder to my recipe for it’s gentle exfoliating properties and a silky feel. And, to help curb potential skin issues, I also included a small amount of neem oil in the recipe as well.

My son’s other request for this homemade soap was that it make him “smell like a man.” So I scented it with a mahogany teakwood fragrance oil. Fragrance however, is optional, and you can either leave this double butter soap recipe unscented when you make yours or use a fragrance oil of your choice instead.

Before you get started on my luxury double butter soap recipe, there are a few things you should know. One, this soap recipe is NOT recommended for beginners. This soap moves really quickly and there’s a good chance it can and will seize up on you. Therefore you should soap at as low a temperature as possible and you may want to mix this one by hand. Should you use a stick blender, be prepared for this soap to basically act like you’re making it using the hot process soapmaking method should it seize.

If and when it does seize on you, simply wait for it to gel. (It will look translucent when it does this.) Then continue mixing if needed and pour (spoon) into your mold at this point. You can also wait for it to hit gel stage if you like before adding your fragrance. Unlike hot process soap however, you won’t need to add heat once you mix the oils, butter and lye-water as it’s going to heat up on its own and do all the work for you.

Two, I’m providing two separate soap recipe options for this double butter soap recipe – one with palm oil and one without – so that the final bars are as similar in properties as possible. I made mine with palm oil as I still have leftover palm oil I’m trying to use up. Palm oil can and will speed up trace and can contribute to the soap seizing. However, should you decide not to use palm oil, it may slow things down a bit for you. (Learn more about using palm oil and find more of my palm free cold process soap recipes here.)

Three, the neem oil in my double butter soap recipe is completely optional but I do highly recommend it. Probably my favorite carrier oil, neem oil is a common ingredient in skin and hair care products and is often used to treat problematic skin conditions including eczema and rosacea. It’s a moisturizing oil with regenerative properties and its naturally rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids. It is also anti-viral, antibacterial and antifungal. While neem oil, as a stand alone product, has a strong odor, this scent is easily masked with natural essential oils or fragrance oils. (Click here to find more of my skin care recipes that contain neem oil.)

Luxury Double Butter Soap Recipe (with Palm Oil)

Ingredients:

7.2 oz. cocoa butter
3.6 oz. shea butter
5.4 oz. 76° melt point coconut oil
10.8 oz. olive oil
1.8 oz. castor oil
5.4 oz. palm oil
1.8 oz. palm kernel flakes
.25 oz. 100% neem oil, optional

11.5 oz. distilled water
4.8 oz. sodium hydroxide/lye

2 oz. – 2.5 oz. fragrance oil, optional
1 Tablespoon (60% solution) sodium lactate, optional
1 Tablespoon corn silk powder, optional

Luxury Double Butter Soap Recipe (Palm Free)

Ingredients:

7.2 oz. cocoa butter
3.6 oz. shea butter
7.2 oz. 76° melt point coconut oil
10.8 oz. olive oil
1.8 oz. castor oil
5.4 oz. lard
.25 oz. 100% neem oil, optional

11.5 oz. distilled water
4.8 oz. sodium hydroxide/lye

2 oz. – 2.5 oz. fragrance oil, optional
1 Tablespoon (60% solution) sodium lactate, optional
1 Tablespoon corn silk powder, optional

Instructions:

Both of these luxury double butter soap recipes will fit into one of my DIY wooden loaf soap molds and will yield approximately 10-12 bars depending on how thick you cut them.

You’ll need to follow my basic cold process soapmaking method instructions when making this homemade soap. (If you’ve never made cold process soap before here’s a good, inexpensive beginner’s cold process soap recipe to get you started. This is not a good soap recipe for beginner soapmakers.) Be sure to take all proper safety precautions when working with lye including goggles and gloves.

Choose the double butter soap recipe you’d like to make, then begin by measuring out the distilled water in fluid ounces. Pour into a heat safe pitcher. Next, use a digital scale to weigh out the lye. Slowly pour the lye into the water in a well ventilated area and stir until all the lye has dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Now weigh out the soapmaking oils using your digital scale and combine in a stainless steel pot. Heat until all the oils have melted, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.

When the lye-water and soapmaking oils have cooled to 85°F to 90°F – or room temp if it’s within your experience and comfort level – you’re ready to make soap.

Start by measuring out the corn silk powder with a measuring spoon and add to your melted soapmaking oils. Use a stick blender to combine until the soapmaking oils are free of clumps and the corn silk powder has been evenly distributed. As there’s the likelihood this soap may potentially seize, you may want to weigh out the fragrance oil and add it at this time as well rather than waiting til trace. Alternately, it can be added after the soap gels.

Now measure out the liquid sodium lactate and stir it into the lye-water. (Sodium lactate is used to make a harder bar of soap.)

Next, slowly pour the lye-water into the soapmaking oils. Mix with a stick blender until you reach trace. If the soap seizes, be patient. Wait for the soap to gel, then mix again and pour (or spoon) into your mold. Leave the soap uncovered overnight.

You should be able to unmold your soap the next day.

Once you’ve removed your soap from the mold, cut into bars then allow to cure 4-6 weeks before use.

Want to learn how to create your own custom cold process soap recipes using a lye calculator? See my tutorial on creating cold process soap recipes using a lye calculator here.

For more of my homemade soap recipes, be sure to follow my Simply Soapmaking and DIY Bath and Body boards on Pinterest. Or keep up with all of my new homemade soap, bath and beauty recipes by following me on Blog Lovin’, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Filed Under: Soapmaking Tagged With: cocoa butter, cocoa butter soap, cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, moisturizing, neem oil, palm free soap, shea butter, shea butter soap, skin care, soap tutorial, soapmaking, winter