It’s time to sadly admit that winter is in and it’s only going to get chillier from here on out. Not that I’m unhappy about that, I love layering clothes and wearing giant coats and making snow angels. But for as many days I love the winter, there are just as many when the wind tries to tear my face off and I just can’t get the chill out of my bones.

I find there is nothing as relaxing as steeping in the tub, and nothing makes a bath better than the accompanied fizz of a bath bomb. It makes sense somehow that in the winter, when our sources of natural water have been converted to hard ice or snow, that we would want to lay in a hot bath.

Those times after a long day, I’ll use bath salts to ease my muscles and light a candle and just lay there. When I’m feeling a little friskier, I keep some Mr. Bubble on hand. Most often though, I want something in between, relaxing and energizing. This is where bath bombs come into play; they’re fizzy and fun but still have the aromatherapy and essential oils to calm me down.

Bath bombs are not only wonderful to use, but they’re surprisingly easy to make and personalize yourself. After scouring various books and websites for the best, easiest to make bath bombs, I decided to experiment with elements from each. Most of the ingredients can be bought at a grocery or drugstore. The hardest thing for me to locate was the citric acid used to make the bath bombs fizz. The best place would be your local winemaking shop or, as I had to do, buy it online.

There are several ways to customize this recipe by using food coloring, special molds, one girl I saw even made bath cupcakes, but I’m not that savvy unfortunately.

Dry Ingredients:
1 cp Bicarbonate of Soda (baking soda) 1/2 cp Epsom salts or Coarse Sea Salts 1/2 cp Acitric Acid 1/2 cp Cornstarch (optional, makes the bomb float)

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 tsp of essential oil or fragrance 3/4 tbsp water or water and liquid glycerin 2 1/2 tbsp of any nut oil (optional)

1. Mix cornstarch, baking soda, essential oil and nut oil until it looks fluffy.
2. Add your Epsom salts and acitric acid. Mix again.
3. Mix in water. This is the hardest part because water starts the chemical reaction in the acitric acid. I use a spray bottle and used about two sprays, just enough where the mixture molds in your hand. Note: Spray every two to three molds as needed to keep enough moisture in the mix.
4. Mold the bombs into shape. I use the bottoms of cheap Easter eggs. Be careful not to twist out of the mold, just tap and it should, with a little luck, fall into the waiting cookie sheet or Pyrex. Repeat with all of the mixture.
5. Cover with a cloth overnight to dry. If you live in a wetter climate, it is possible to put the bombs in the oven at 200 to help the drying process, but my apartment was dry enough.
6. Use one bomb per bath and enjoy.

Here’s another recipe that I though was really too fun not to include, it is also easier than the bombs and great to make with kids.

Bath Cookies:

Ingredients:
2 cps finely ground sea salt (or Epsom salts) 1/2 cp Baking Soda 1/2 cp cornstarch 2 tbsp light oil 1 tsp vitamin E oil (I use capsules and just break the gel coating) 2 eggs 5-6 drops essential oil/vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients until doughy.
3. Take about a teaspoon of dough and roll it into a ball or roll the dough out and use cookie cutters. Feel free to add flower petals, cloves, or herbal tea (as I did) in the dough.
4. Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. Make sure the cookies are a good distance apart otherwise they will run together like my first batch did.
5. Bake for about 10 minutes, no need for browning. Be sure not to over bake them.
6. Allow the cookies to cool completely, I say overnight. Carefully remove them with a spatula; they will be fragile.
7. Use one to two cookies per bath and allow to dissolve.

If your first batch of cookies crumbles like mine did, you can still use them; just place them in a nylon and under the running water as the tub fills up. A nylon is also helpful if you added anything to the dough, such as tea.

By: Freya D'Amico

About the Author:
Freya runs http://www.fishnorfowl.net – where she writes about how to start and achieve your creative goals, cute indie shopping, and the occasional pumpkin eating dinosaur. She lives in Chicago with a six-toed cat and supply of hair dye in every color.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to creating (or choosing) wedding favors. Take a look at the list below for fifteen fabulous ideas.

For outdoor/garden weddings:

-Small, painted terra cotta pots filled with excelsior, topped off with a few of your favorite flower bulbs and finished with pretty ribbons or raffia

-Store-bought miniature bird’s nests filled with Robin’s egg candies

-Decorative sachets filled with scented lavender, rose petals, or other dried flowers

For beach/beach-themed weddings:

-Homemade cookies shaped like sand dollars (or seashells) in decorative wrappers, tied with ribbon

-Sea/bath salts in glass containers with homemade thank-you tags

For summer/backyard barbecue weddings:

-Personalized bottles of hot sauce with homemade thank-you tags

-Miniature jars of jams/preserves in small baskets filled with excelsior

For winter wonderland weddings:

-Personalized cocoa/tea/coffee packs in silver mint julep cups, wrapped in tulle and tied with ribbon

-Snowflake-shaped cookie cutters in sparkling organza bags

For any wedding:

-Jordan almonds or butter mints, wrapped in tulle, tied with ribbon and decorative bells

-Votive candles in glass holders, wrapped in tulle and tied with ribbon

-Chocolate truffles in pretty boxes, tied with ribbon and homemade thank-you tags

-Silver photo frames (with promise to provide a picture from the wedding after the big day)

-Personalized miniature champagne (or sparkling cider) bottles

-Miniature, scented hand soaps wrapped in tulle, tied with ribbon and a homemade thank-you tag

As you can see, there are tons of great favor ideas. And sometimes what makes them great is all in the details–so don’t be afraid to get a little creative or personalize ready-made favors.

By: Jessica Bonilla

About the Author:
Jessica Bonilla is a freelance marketer with a special interest in helping brides and grooms plan perfect weddings.

There’s nothing better than coming home from a long day at work and having a long soak in a beautifully smelling bath. The cost of shop bought bath salts can be very expensive, especially the ones that come in the pretty glass bottles. Making your own unique bath salts can be as simple as adding some essential oils and colouring to some bath salts but by adding herbs and other natural ingredients, the combinations are endless!

This basic bath salt recipe can be varied to make endless unique recipes:

Combine 3 cups of epsom salt with 2 cups of baking soda and 1 cup of table salt. Mix together in a large bowl with a spoon or your hands. Choose your colour and if you are mixing two or more colours together to get your desired shade, do this before you add it to the salt mixture. Normal food colouring can be used. Mix together until the colour is evenly distributed.

Finally, you add the scent by using essential oils. The salts should be heavily scented as they will last longer because you won’t need to use as much. Finish your creation off by using pretty glass bottles with a ribbon and a handmade label. Your end product will look like something that you’ve just bought from one of those expensive spas and it will have cost you next to nothing to produce!

Now who wouldn’t like to receive that as a gift?

Spend time learning about the ingredients that you use. Essential oils and herbs have all kinds of benefits to help you create a bath salt recipe to meet the varying needs of your customers. Custom made recipes to suit individual needs are an essential part of any homemade bath and body product business.

By: Lynsey Fletcher

About the Author:
Click HERE to get your FREE E-Course for great bath and body ideas, how to create your own unique bath salt recipe, presentation and packaging tips and much more! Whether you’re looking to make some money from your craft or you are just looking to make some homemade treats for yourselves, friends and family, ‘The Handcrafters Companion’ is an absolute must see! From pampering bath treatments, to rich, soothing creams and butters and aromatic home fragrance products, this book has them all! Visit BATH SALT RECIPE for hundreds of bath and body recipes so you too can create your own homemade spa products!