Zhi Bath & Body

Making an exfoliating body polish or body scrub takes a teeny teeny bit more work than a bath tea or bath salt, but the end result of look and feel of your skin is well worth the bit of extra effort put into it.  Before going into the directions, I'll just share a few of the benefits of using body, foot, or hands scrubs and/polish.  The biggest benefit is getting that top layer of dead dry skin off that makes our body feel rough and look dull and dry.  By removing that top layer, you get to that new healthy-looking layer that makes us look as if we are glowing.  The second biggest benefit is the level of moisturizing that occurs as you are getting rid of any old skin cells.  When used properly, any of Zhi's body scrubs will offer a level of moisture that leaves the skin without the need for an additional moisturizer or lotion; the same will hold true for this recipe.

NOW.....On to the business of making a body scrub!  PLEASE NOTE: ALWAYS PERFORM A PATCH TEST PRIOR TO USE OVER ENTIRE BODY TO ENSURE ALLERGIC REACTION DOES NOT OCCUR. 

Ingredients

1 Cup Fine Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

3 Ounces  Almond Oil or Sunflower Oil (Sunflower is less expensive but works just as well) 

5ml Lavender Oil (Essential o7;il is best but more expensive than the fragrance oil)

Dried, crushed, Lavender petals. Enough to fill your palm. (Optional)

Directions

1. Add dry ingredients (sea salt, baking powder, cornstarch) to the bowl and mix well until there are no lumps.

2. Add Sweet Almond or Sunflower oil and stir until oil is absorbed into the salt mix.  Most of oil should be absorbed by the salt. (Add more oil if mix appears too thick and salt does not flow freely.)

3. Add Lavender oil and mix well. (Use less for a lighter scent and more for a heavier scented scrub.)

4. Enjoy! 

What better way to relax than with the relaxing scent of Lavender...or whatever fragrance is relaxing to you! Bath teas are simple to make and wonderful to enjoy.

Ingredients

Spatula & Bowl (Metal bowl works best)

Wooden/Plastic Spoon or Scoop

Iron

1/2 Cup Dead Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

15ml (1/2oz) of your favorite relaxing/calming essential oil (or your favorite fragrance oil)

2 Cups Dried Florals

5-6 Bath Tea Bags (Available for purchase from Elements Bath & Body )

Directions

1. Combine the sea salt and baking soda in a bowl and mix well; removing all lumps from the baking soda.

2. Add 10ml of the oil to the mixture and stir until evenly coated.

3. Then add the dried florals to the mix and stir until all flower petals are lightly coated with oil.

4. Drizzle the remaining oil into the bowl with the flowers and salt mix. Continue to stir until all florals are well-coated.

5. Finally scoop even portions of the mix into the bags; being mindful to stir after each scoop as the salt mix will settle on the bottom of the bowl. NOTE: DO NOT OVERFILL BAGS AS THE CONTENTS MAY EXPAND WHEN WET.

6. Using a standard iron, seal each bag at the open end. Cut off excess end of sealed bag if desired.

7. Toss into the bath when seal has cooled and enjoy!

Simple to make, simple to keep, and good for the environment!  All natural corn cob air fresheners offer lasting scent that can be recharged time and time again.  It is not man-made, but rather the waste of corn cobs---dried.

As a matter of fact, I believe these air fresheners are the most simple product I make and carry.  Now YOU can learn to make your own!

This recipe is for 1oz to 2oz sachets...depending on what you prefer.  One pound of corn cob will yield approximately 8-2oz sachets.

The tools needed are as follows:

1 pound of dried corn cob

A mixing bowl with a lid (metal or glass to prevent oil penetration and ease clean up)

A spoon, spatula, or small wisk  (hard plastic or wooden)

1oz fragrance oil

8 to 16 organza, canvas, or plastic bags

Instructions

1. With the corn cob in the mixing bowl, slowly pour the 1oz bottle of fragrance oil into the bowl; stopping occasionally to stir oil into corn cob. (This ensures the oil is distributed evenly.)

2. Cover the bowl with a lid or saran wrap and let sit for at least an hour to allow the oil to be absorbed. (The finished product should not be oily or wet when placed in its bag.)

3.  Fill bags (plastic, organza, canvas, etc) with corn cob in equal amounts between 8 to 16 pouches...depending on how many ounces of air freshener you prefer in each bag. 

4. Enjoy!

Spppsssss...Here's a tip or two:

     Spoon your finished product into small plastic zip bags then place them into the organza or canvas bags....the fragrance will permeate the plastic and will last longer.

    When you fragrance starts to fade, give the bag a shake to boost the scent.  If there is no change in the intensity, its time to replace the sachet or simply repeat the above steps to recharge it!

Making soy tart favors is easier than ever. With a little practice and the following steps, you'll be on your way to creating the most memorable, best smelling tart favors. The process got easier when soy tart and votive wax was introduced.

Before, because soy is such a soft wax, it wasn't feasible to make tarts or votives of 100% pure soy wax pellets. Now, however, tart and votive pellets are available and make the best tart and votive candles.

Now, on to the instructions....

Preliminaries

Gather all your equipment, ingredients, and utensils ahead of time. You will need or should have on hand the following:

Wax melting pot or double boiler
Pouring pot
Thermometer

Enchanted Lites Soy Votive Wax
Pipettes for each different fragrance to be used
Liquid candle dye

Handful of toothpicks

Tart molds (I work 20 at a time)
Waxed paper (Cut into 4in squares)

3" x 4" plastic bags (plastic wrap works and is cheaper)
Tulle squares (Or circles--if you prefer tulle over bags)
Bag ties or ribbon cut into 6"-7" strips
Labels

Instructions

1. Weigh your wax to be sure you have enough for the size of your project. (Refer to the store or literature where your molds were purchased to find out how much wax each mold holds)

2. Pour the wax into your pouring pot and melt (with double boiler or wax melter) wax until it reaches between 140-160 degrees. Use the candle thermometer to check for the right temperature.

3.  Remove wax from heat. Using the pipettes, Add fragrance; up to 10% is recommended. (10% is the equilivant of 1oz of fragrance per pound of wax.). DO NOT exceed 1.5oz of fragrance per pound of wax. Stir well.

4. Because a little goes a LONG way with liquid candle dye.  Dip the end of a toothpick into your dye and add to wax one drop at a time and stir well until the desired color is achieved.

(To test that desired color is achieved, put several drops of the colored wax on a waxed paper square and let cool.)

5. Let wax cool in the pouring pot until it has reached a temperature of between 90 and 110 degrees. The cooler the wax when its poured, the less shrinkage will occur.

6. Pour wax into the tart molds until the wax is ready to spill over the edge. Let cool. (To prevent overflow, be sure to space molds so that they do not touch when wax is poured).

7. Let tarts cool COMPLETELY.  DO NOT place in the fridge or in water to speed the cooling process. Tarts are ready for packaging when they fall out of the mold freely.

Finishing Touches

1. Wrap each individual tart in plastic wrap and label if using sticky labels. (For plastic wrap, tape may be necessary to keep it wrapped up.) If using plastic bags, place one tart in each bag and fold the top over; use tape to secure.  Label the bag if using sticky labels.

2. Stack one completed tart on top of another and and place the two on a tulle square (or circle). 

3. Bring the edges of the tulle together as if holding the top of a bag closed.  Tie the ribbon around the tulle where it is gathered.

4. Attach your charm, tag, or embellishment of choice and TAA DAA!!!

5. You're done!