Since there is so much gifting this time of year, I wanted to share two more recipes from Aura Cacia that seem like nice, simple luxuries to share this time of year. I’m working on a writing project so my posts here might be more infrequent than usual, but I’ll still be checking in and you will be the firsts to know more about what I’m up to when the time is right. For now, here are two bath and body recipes to get you through the holiday season, either through gifting or using yourself. The first is a peppermint foot soak for those that are on their feet all day, athletes, dancers, or anyone that gets tired, achy feet and legs. Peppermint is the go-to herb and essential oil for tired feet and legs and this soak is guaranteed to make your tootsies tingle in the best possible way.
Peppermint Foot Soak (recipe from Aura Cacia)
Ingredients:
4 Tbs sea salt
4 Tbs baking soda
16 drops peppermint essential oil
16 drops tea tree essential oil
16 drops tangerine (or Sweet Orange) essential oil
4 oz. wide mouth amber glass jar
Directions:
- Measure sea salt, baking soda and essential oils into a small bowl and mix until blended. Sotre in an airtight container.
- To use, measure 1 to 2 Tbs into a basin, fill with hot wather and soak feet until water cools. Rince and towel dry.
The second recipe is for a fizzy bath powder which is easier to make than it sounds. The citric acid granules combined with the baking soda is what creates the fizziness. These can be fun for tweens and teens to make their friends, although anyone can enjoy this scent. If mixing a citrus aroma with lavender sounds strange to you as it did me at first, try it! You will be surprised at how well they blend together and if you are looking to shed a few pounds, lavender and grapefruit or lavender and sweet orange are actually great combinations because they relax while also being uplifting and energizing. And we all know that anxiety and stress = cortisol = weight gain so relaxing is just as key as the uplifting/energizing part.
Grapefruit and Lavender Fizzy Bath Powder (Aura Cacia’s recipe)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tbs sea salt
2 Tbs citric acid granules (you can find these at well-stocked natural foods stores like Whole Foods, usually in the bulk bins section, or craft stores, or online)
24 drops grapefruit essential oil
24 drops lavender essential oil
4 oz. wide mouth amber glass jar
Directions:
- Measure baking soda, salt, citric acid and essential oils into jar, replace lid and shake until well mixed.
- To use, add up to 1.4 cup to bath water.
As always, be sure to label everything and write down what you did because if you are like me you will surely deviate from the recipes a bit and you will want a record of what you did and if you liked it. I’ve been thinking recently about how families pass on their food recipes and how if you are a crafter you should really pass down your craft recipes as well. With herbs and essential oils, these materials have been around for all our ancestors before us, and will be around (hopefully) for generations after us and how amazing would it be for your great great grandkids to be able to make the same scented body oils or bath salts that you did…? So if for no other reason, make sure you write down those recipes because your descendents need heirloom, family history, herbal knowledge. Pass it down and pass it on.
XOXOXO
Great ideas! I will be making the first one for myself 🙂
Wonderful share! It is really a wonderful idea to keep an archive of our food recipes, craft recipes, home-made skin & body care recipes, etc., it is not only useful for the next generation but also for us to recollect those recipes later in our life.
Exactly! If I didn’t write these things down, I’d be lost!