DIY Rose Milk Bath

                                Rose petals, Milk, Rosewater..... luxury bath

          A friend of mine and her daughter recently returned from a day spa in California.  While they had a great time just getting out together, they came home with their pocketbooks considerably lighter!   After hearing some of the pampering treatments at the spa, I set out to reproduce the same at home.  After all,
why not enjoy some of natures luxury in your own home!

     The simple, but extremely luxurious rose milk bath!   I have to tell you, I was actually surprised at how refreshed I felt and how awesome my skin felt after this treatment.

     Recipe       
Homemade rosewater (click  for rosewater tutorial)
Dry milk or regular milk (1-2 cups)
Rose petals

As your tub is filling with warm water simply pour in your rosewater, milk, and sprinkle petals on top. That's all it takes, simple and luxurious.   If you don't have any rosewater, try a milk bath, you will be amazed at how your skin feels, fill tub and pour in dry or liquid milk and enjoy.    Radiant and silky.  The moisturizing natural fats in milk are good for your skin and hair.  The lactic acid found in milk is a gentle exfoliat(leaving a new, soft layer of skin) as well as a soothing agent.

You can add oatmeal to your milk bath, oatmeal functions as a skin protectent, its properties protect the skin from irritants and soothes skin. Oatmeal will help to lock in moisture and soften your skin as well.    I grind my whole oats in my coffee bean grinder, instead of buying it from the drugstore,
Take your powdered oats and add them as the water flows from your faucet to ensure they mix well.

Enjoy,   Anna

   

Homemade Lotion

                                       Almond Biscotti Body Moisturizing Lotion......delish

I made this lotion today using Almond Biscotti skin safe fragrance oil from Brambleberry.com

Click here for recipe.     It came out creamy, luxuriently soft and smooth.  Great fall scent,
absolutely yummy.

Homemade Lotion Recipe for all skin types, babies too!

Peppermint Rose Lotion

Updated 9/23/16

I made this incredibly creamy lotion today with  dried peppermint leaves steeped in rosewater for the liquid, and beeswax for the emulsifier.   It is light and creamy, with the consistency of  a body butter.  The scent is subtle, floral, feminine, just lovely.  

This can be made with simpler ingredients and it will turn out  great.   Good for all skin types, 

even babies. Don't use any additives that you may be allergic to, of course!

You can make this all natural  recipe with distilled water in place of the rose water.
 Easy to make in your own kitchen, this recipe makes 2 Cups of moisturizing, non greasy lotion.
 ___________________________________________________
1 cup distilled water

3/4 cup oil of your choice  (olive oil, grapeseed, almond,                                                              sunflower,  avocado....)
3 tbsp. beeswax  (or 1.5 oz)

Essential oil of your choice   
____________________________________________________NOTE: This is intentionally a small batch as it has no preservative so that it can be used up in a few weeks.  Kept in the frig it will last longer.  You can make this in the blender or you can use a stick blender, I've done it both ways. Blender is messier.

Sterilize all your equipment in bleach water or spritz with alcohol before pouring lotion in it. This lotion does not have any preservative, so please be sterile.   Lotion can last appx. 3 months if properly sterilized, you can refrigerate it for longer shelf life. Add some vitamin E for skin benefits and boost longer shelf life.

HOW:
Melt the beeswax and  oil together in a microwave or double boiler.  It will be clear, no beeswax chips floating in it when it is done. Do not overheat in the microwave!    
Allow to cool down a few minutes.

Warm your water. Put your water in the blender along with any essential oil if you are using any, turn blender on medium and slowly pour the melted oil/beeswax in thru the lid with the stopper removed.   It will turn white, your are making lotion! It is done when you no longer see any water on top.  If you still see water, turn up the blender and mix longer.  Lotion will thicken as it sits.
You will end up with a beautiful, creamy body butter.    

With no preservative, any bath and body product with water in it is prone to bacteria if not used up in time, so......pamper yourself and use that beautiful lotion you just made!

 I made this same lotion with Almond Biscotti, a paraben and phthlate free fragrance oil from
BrambleBerry.com

Thanks for stopping by,  Enjoy !   

Anna

Homemade Body Butter, Lotion with beeswax, free recipe

                            Homemade Chamomile Body Butter

UPDATED NOTE 2/25/15:   Please take note that this body butter recipe does not list

a preservative. Any product with water in it is a potential breeding ground for bacteria,

with serious complications.  This recipe is not intended for resale products, but as a

way for you to make a homemade body butter without chemicals. Please follow 

sterilization procedures if you try this awesome and fun project.

And remember to make an amount that can be used up within a couple weeks or please
add a preservative.

I was inspired by Louisa Shafia's post from lucidfood.com, to try my hand at homemade lotion.
This in itself is not a novel enterprise I know, but the fact that this lotion is made without any added stearic acid or emulsifying wax or preservative caught my eye.  Very easy, frugal to make this
gorgeous lotion at home.

Beeswax acts as an emulsifying (turning the oils and water into a combined product) agent.  No other emulsifier is needed.   It worked like a charm.  It came out the consistency of a beautiful body butter. Creamy, luxurious.  A very pleasing lotion with no chemicals or fillers.

My recipe is made with freshly brewed chamomile tea. The scent of the body butter is gorgeous. Not strong,  subtle and natural.  Very nice.  This recipe is SO creamy, absolutely lovely.  I've made this same recipe with plain, distilled water, with no tea, and added almond biscotti fragrance,  it was so warm and compfy, also made it with peppermint and loved it.  Just add your favorite essential oil and enjoy your own trademark lotion. If you make this with tea rather than distilled water it will have a shorter shelf life.

With no added preservative this will only keep a few weeks, longer if refrigerated.  I spritzed my containers with alcohol before filling them to get rid of any bacteria, and I used distilled water.  If I were going to sell this I would use a preservative in it, as any time you are dealing with water in a homemade natural product you are potentially dealing with bacteria and a preservative is a must. Optiphen is a good one, it is paraben, formaldahyde free.  Brambleberry sells it.


RECIPE:  Can be made in a blender or with a stick blender.  This recipe makes about 2 cups.

• 1 cup tea made with distilled water  (or just water if you don't want tea)
• 3/4 cup liquid oil: like almond, olive, grapeseed etc.  (I used 2/4 cup almond & 1/4 cup grapeseed oil)
• 3 Tablespoons beeswax  (if using solid bar beeswax, grate it)
• Optional :  Vit E for a longer shelf life: 1-2 capsules or 1 tsp
• Optional: an essential oil for scent at your desired strength

1) Spritz all your utensils, blender, and lotion containers with alcohol.
2)  Make tea, or have distilled water ready if not using tea.
3)  Melt beeswax and oil together in microwave or double boiler. Allow to cool a few minutes.
4)  Pour tea or distilled water and essential oil (if using) into blender, or into bowl if using
    a stick blender.
5) Turn on blender, (medium) slowly pour in your oil/beeswax thru the stopper lid. It thickens
     fast.  It's done when no more water is on top. If you still have water, turn up the speed of
     of the blender.
6) Scoop out and put in jars, keep uncovered until cool. Will thicken more as it cools.

Made with Almond biscotti scent, warm and yummy

Made with homemade rosewater and peppermint tea, fresh and natural

Made with Chamomile tea, subtle

                                                                                               

Enjoy, ..................Anna

This post is joined to some great Blog Hops come join the fun:

Blissful and Domestic
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways
The 36th Avenue
The Clever Chicks Blog Hop
Serenity You Blog Hop

How to make Rose Water

Want to make pure sunshine in a bowl?  Try your hand at a homemade rose water recipe.

........I  MADE  THIS

FROM THIS......

Why rose water, and what is it used for?    Rose water traditionally has been used in beauty treatments for literally thousands of years and for good reason. Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Phoenicians prized it, and it is said that Cleopatra used it to bathe her face.  Why?  It is a natural soother, calming is mild antiseptic that nourishes and hydrates the skin and face.   Rich in such vitamins as A,D,C,E and B3 it is an essential ingredient used for all skin types.  It helps reduce redness, inflammation, irritation and restore the skins natural ph balance gently. How?
Naturally it has the ability to stimulate the flow in the small, actually,  minute blood vessels that lie under the skin.  Scars, sunburn, and the natural aging of the skin all benefit from this process. It's soothing properties and  gentle fragrance make it a plus for the home remedy gal.     More.........


Uses:  Can be used as a toner, cleanser, and spritzer on its own, or combined with other ingredients to make a great mask or bath.

My rosewater spritzer. I love it.

My favorite use is simple, I put it in a small spray bottle and spritz it on my face to feel refreshed knowing it is acting as a hydrant and antibacterial keeping my face clean and clear.    I also use it on a cotton ball as a toner / cleanser before bed.  I spritz it on my teenagers faces as well, and they tell me it is helping their skin.

How to make Rosewater:  easy to make at home with fresh rose petals and water.  There are several methods,  I've tried the distilling method and the steeping method and prefer steeping. Its just flat easier, and I saw no difference in the rose waters, except perhaps some minute pieces of rose that I just strained out.  The outer, sometimes rougher, tougher looking petals of your roses should NOT be discarded as they contain the highest levels of beneficiary components.

Steeping Method:

Recipe:  One cup, packed, rose petals      2 cups boiling water    Steep 30 minutes    lasts 10 days in frig
Simply put petals and water in pot, boil, steep, strain.. Refrigerate.  Water takes on the color of your roses used.   Beautiful.

Distilling rose petals

Distilling Method:
You will need more rose petals for this method.

Using a large stainless steel kettle, place a brick on the bottom.  Surround the brick with your freshly picked rose petals. Fill with water to the top of the brick, not covering brick.   Place a bowl on top of the brick.   Invert lid to kettle and place on kettle.  Turn on your stoves burner and allow water to boil. As it boils and steam rises it hits your inverted lid and drips down into your bowl. That is why you must invert your lid, otherwise it drips right back into the boiling water/petals.   You can boil your water/petals until about half  or more of the water is gone.  The water you collected in the bowl is your fresh homemade rosewater.  Gorgeous.  Smells like a summer day.

Other Recipes:  Lemon Juice and Rose Water Face Mask: A good facial mask  for oily and acne-prone skin. Lemon juice is rich with Vitamin C to keep your skin looking fresh, toned and young. It also contains alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). See my post on AHA's. 

•  1-2  tablespoon of juice into a small bowl. 
• Add 1-2 tablespoon of rose water into  bowl. Mix them well. Apply to your face evenly and let it stay for 5-10 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then apply a face toner of rosewater.  
• variations:  add warmed honey or yogurt

Moisturizer:
I have not tried this recipe myself, so if you have please leave a comment about it below, thanks.

• 50/50 mixure of rosewater and glycerin.  Glycerin can be found in your local pharmacy and is inexpensive, it is a natural moisturizer, colorless, odorless, humectant. Dissolves in water, alcohol. Great natural ingredient for your skin.

 Homemade Soap and Lotions:  Rosewater is commonly used in soaps and lotions, as a gentle, natural ingredient with great skin enhancing benefits.  Simply replace the water used in your favorite homemade soap or lotion recipe with rosewater.  Soapers I've talked to replace 4oz regular water in their recipe for rosewater.  I am making it with all rosewater today and will post my results.

Bathe:  Add rose water and any extra petals to your warm bath  for a skin and spirit calming bath.  If you have any dried milk add it, and have a rose-milk bath.

Enjoy!