Author Archive for Jane L. Church

How to turn “ordinary” homemade spa products into fabulous treats

Published
by
Jane L. Church
on October 26, 2008
in Business and Products
. 0 Comments

Even though you may follow a recipe to make your first batch of two of spa products, once you get the hang of making spa products, you can start to experiment to create an endless variety of products that make your creations truly unique.

You can create a completely new brand and “mood” for a product, simply by changing a few key ingredients.

For example, one of my favourite recipes is for my Peppermint and Blood Orange Invigorating Body Scrub. The basic recipe calls for Peppermint and Blood Orange as the essential oils.

However, different combinations of essential oils will produce a different result and a different feel. For example:

Cinnamon, Apple, Orange & Vanilla = “Country Kitchen”
Orange + Cinnamon = “Spiced Citrus”
Coconut + Pineapple = “Pina Colada”

In the same way, different grades of sea salt or different types of seeds will produce not only a different visual effect but also different qualities on the skin - from a luxurious, almost velvety
product through to a more abrasive exfoliating scrub.

The possibilities are limited only by your imagination!

The Handcrafter’s Companion is now in its 3rd Edition and it’s one of the most popular “how to” guides for making spa products available anywhere. At just $27, I think you’ll agree it represents great value (and if you don’t agree, you can get a 100% refund, so there’s no risk). To download your copy right now, all you have to do is purchase here via our secure server and you could be making your own fresh creations in as little as a few hours!

To your success with spa products!

Jane Church

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Where to find bath and body product ingredient suppliers

Published
by
Jane L. Church
on October 20, 2008
in Business
. 0 Comments

Even with all the right spa product recipes, you still need to source the ingredients to make your own products.

Many of these ingredients - such a sea salt or sunflower oil for body scrubs - are available at your local supermarket. Then there are other more unusual items, such as jojoba oil, liquid soap base or exotic essential oils, that you will need to source from elsewhere.

If you live in a larger city, you will very likely find that there are specialty shops that sell many of the ingredients you are after (especially essential oils). Near where I live (in Australia), Perfect Potion is very good for many items.

But I also source many of my ingredients from Internet speciality retailers. They not only have a very good range, but the prices are very competitive AND you don’t have to spend time going to a physical store to make you purchases.

Many readers of The Handcrafter’s Companion e-book come from different countries around the world so they often ask me where to source ingredients.

Here are a few of the better online retailers I have found:

USA: From Nature With Love
Canada: Aquarius Aroma
UK: Aromantic
Australia: AquaSapone

If you know of any other recommended retailers (or you operate a relevant retail website yourself), feel free to leave a comment with your link.

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What kinds of bath and body products can you make at home?

Published
by
Jane L. Church
on October 18, 2008
in Business and Products
. 0 Comments

When people ask me what I do and I tell them that I teach people how to make fabulous bath and body products from home, they often express surprise that it is so easy to replace store-bought products.

Here are some of the products that I regularly make (and are featured in The Handcrafter’s Companion e-book).

- Fragrant handcrafted soaps
- Luscious bath bombs
- Soothing bath teas, additives and soaks
- Fun and foamy bubble baths
- Nourishing body butters, balms, lotions and creams
- Invigorating body scrubs, polishes, salts and masques
- Extravagant home fragrance products
- Luxurious potpourri and sachets
- Unique aromatherapy blends

The great thing I’ve discovered about this fun and profitable hobby is that once you learn a few core techniques and recipes, it’s very easy to branch out to create a myriad of different products.

I have to fly out the door right now, but ‘ll show you what I mean very shortly - promise!

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How To Make Your Own Luxurious Bath Bombs At Home

Published
by
Jane L. Church
on August 29, 2008
in Bath Bombs and Recipes
. 0 Comments

Here’s how you don’t have to spend a fortune for a relaxing spa treatment by making your own pampering “bath bombs” and turning your bath time into a luxurious spa time!  Drop one of these fragrant balls in your bath and it will start to fizz away, releasing a relaxing aroma that adds a touch of luxury to your life - without leaving home or spending a fortune!

So what is a bath bomb? A bath bomb is a colored ball (about the size of a tennis ball) that contains natural ingredients that “fizz” when placed in your bathtub. When placed in the bath, they fizz away, releasing skin moisurizers and delicate fragrances to turn your bath into a “home spa”.  You’ll love using bath bombs yourself or gifting them to those you love.

Try this Easy Bath Bomb Recipe:

Fizzy bath bomb uses basic ingredients that are easily found in almost any store and they are fairly easy to make.

Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 c baking soda
  • 1/2 c citric acid

Wet Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 Tbsp oil (for oils use 1 Tbsp cocoa, mango or shea-butter melted)
  • 1/2 Tbsp carrier oil (jojoba, grapeseed or sweet almond)
  • 3/4 Tbsp witch-hazel in a mister (can also use flower water, e.g. rosewater)
  • 15 to 20 drops essential oils or fragrance
  • 1/4 tsp or 1 large capsule Vitamin E oil
  • 1/4 tsp borax (an emulsifier)
  • Vegetable or other natural color

You will also need a bath bomb mold, ice cube trays or soap molds in order to shape your bath bombs.

Instructions for combining the ingredients

Start by blending the dry ingredients. A mixer comes in very handy. Next, add the dry coloring. There is no need to add too much color, since the addition of the witch hazel will make the color come to life (but don’t add the color just yet).

Now you’re ready to add a fragrance of your choice, followed by the witch hazel. Using a squirty bottle or mister, mist it into the batch while stirring. When the mix begins to stick together, you are ready to transfer the mixture to the molds.

Now you’re at the final stage. Place the mixture in the molds and wait for a few minutes before tapping them out to dry. Dry the bath bombs for a minimum of 3 to 4 hours. The harder your bath bombs get, the fizzier they will be in the bath!

Here are some of the countless variations to the basic bath bomb recipe: While baking soda and citric acid are staple ingredients, you can add half a cup of borax, cornstarch, sea salt, or epsom salts to create a totally different bath bomb. .

These ideas are just to get you started. Grab yourself a recipe book and instruction manual such as “The Handcrafter’s Companion” for more fun and creative spa product ideas. This manual makes it easy for you to make your bath tub into a home spa - with your very own “signature” brand of luxury bath bombs!

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