I’ll be the first to say that DIY is not my inherent specialty; I’d much rather pay for convenience and a fuss-free process. That is, until recently, when I realized the enormously gratifying feeling of making your own stuff! There’s something quite grand about whipping up a 90 day supply of moisturizer that fulfills my desire to become more crafty and avoid harmful chemicals on my skin.
And so my Hippie 2.0 stage begins. Anyone who knows even a quarter of me knows that I’m a bit of a modern hippie. What with my kale chips, makeup-less face (most of the time – sometimes I go glam), long flowy consignment dresses and love of all things nature (minus the ants … please no ants). It was only a matter of time before my hippie-ness progressed.
I was originally inspired by one of our members at the Sacramento studio, Elif – she is a DIY rock star and makes a ton of her own stuff (look out for a class with her sometime in the future – we’re working on it!): lip balm, candles, moisturizer/lotion, bath salts … you name it, she can likely whip it up.
After she spoiled me with a bunch of goodies, including moisturizer with enough supply to last damn near six months (yes, you read that correctly!), I got to thinking: what if I could make my own stuff and also avoid questionable ingredients? I don’t care if they are in “safe” quantities. I don’t need propylene glycol, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives or any other questionable ingredients anywhere near my skin. “Safe” now might turn out to be “toxic” later. Causation doesn’t necessarily imply correlation (example: rise in chronic illness), this is true. But necessarily means possibility, which means … I’m not taking the chance.
Just recently I made bath salts and moisturizer which I’ll share below. These recipes are courtesy of Elif and they are all kinds of awesome! I tweaked a few things here and there and I’ve also inserted notes from things I learned throughout the process that can help.
Lavender Lemon Bath Salts
Ingredients:
1 cup Epsom salt
½ cup sea salt
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp oil of choice (I used avocado)
7-10 drops of essential oil (I used lemon and lavender)
1/4 cup Dried lavender
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mixed together with a fork. Transfer to a glass mason jar and close. Next time you take a bath, sprinkle some in!
Lavender Lemon Moisturizer
Ingredients:
3 tbsp Shea Butter
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 tsp Vitamin E Oil
1 tbsp Avocado, Almond or Jojoba Oil
15 total drops Essential Oils of choice (I used lavender and lemon)
Directions:
Shea butter and coconut oil get melted in a double boiler – this effect can also be recreated by placing a pyrex measuring glass in a pan of simmering water.
Once it’s melted remove from heat and place in the freezer until the mixture is solid (approximately 20-30 minutes).
Once you remove the solid mix from the freezer, add this and the remaining ingredients to a mixing bowl. Using a mixer, whip up the ingredients until a light/fluffy texture occurs. If this isn’t happening, you didn’t leave the shea and coconut oil mix in the freezer long enough (you can always add this new mixture to the freezer and then whip it all up after it gets solid).
Once it’s got that whipped texture, transfer to a jar and store in a cool place.
Next up: homemade soy candles! Make sure to let me know in the comments if you try some DIY beauty or plan to! Even better, if you’re a DIY superstar and have some tips/recipes to share 😉
Until Next Time,
Christina Sanghera
Inspired Wellness
About Inspired Wellness
We are a wellness movement aimed at cultivating greatness in all areas of life. We believe that everything is connected and that having the body of your dreams shouldn’t come at the price of your mental and emotional health. You CAN have it all; you just need some determination, grit and the desire to truly change your life!
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One Comment
So glad you are enjoying your spa products!