Last Minute Presents: DIY Bath Melts

IMG_20121221_230155You can buy bath melts with a significant price-tag attached at your local or online cosmetics and beauty shop but you can just as easily make your own with a few simple ingredients available at a far more reasonable price. They also make very nice presents so if you’re still looking for something to give for the holidays, stop looking right now.

A week ago shackspace member Bine gave a bath melts workshop at shackspace and it left us with a very nice smelling space and lots of presents to give away. Here’s the recipe if you want to make your own.

Ingredients

Making the bath melts

  1. Carefully dissolve cocoa butter in a water bath
    Note: cocoa butter begins to melt at 30C, do not overheat the butter.
  2. Mix up powdered milk, olive oil, baking soda and citric acid
  3. If you want to add food coloring, now’s the time
  4. Add the molten cocoa butter and mix well
  5. If you like you can add essentials oils. Use between 15 to 50 drops.
  6. If you want to decorate your melts, add glitter or dried flowers to the ice cube tray now
  7. Use a teaspoon to press the mixture into the ice cube tray or silicone molds
  8. Let the tray rest in your freezer for half an hour so the melts can harden
    Carefully remove the finished melts from the ice cube tray. This is easier if you’re using silicone trays.

Pack everything up and store in a dry place.
Use three to four melts for a single bath.

Tips

You can make your own (relatively) water free food coloring using easter egg dye (they either come pulverized or as small pellets).
Simply add a tiny amount of water to help dissolve the powder. Once its dissolved use olive oil to thin the color before adding it to your mix.

Also pay close attention during making and later storing of the bath melts to ensure that everything is kept dry and no water is introduced since otherwise your bath melts will begin fizzing and bubbling away prematurely ;)

How does it work?

The cocoa butter begins to dissolve at around 30C and is a common ingredient in a wide array of cosmetics and food products. It’s commonly used as a skin care product to aid dry and chapped skin. Together with the olive oil and milk powder it’ll leave a smooth oily film on your skin when dissolved in water.

The baking soda and citric acid when introduced to water will start to fizz and bubble resulting in a fresh bubbly feeling on your skin and soften the water. Do not use too much citric acid since it might irritate your skin.