Home-Made Cosmetics

Home-Made Handcream
Ingredients:
1/2 oz. sodium laurel sulfate
4 oz. cetyl alcohol flakes
1/2 oz. anhydrous lanolin
8 oz. glycerine
38 oz. water food colouring (pink), if desired
A few drops of rose water, if desired (to scent)
These ingredients are available from your local pharmacist.
Warm glycerin and add cetyl alcohol flakes. Stir until dissolved. Add sulfate and lanolin. Add water gradually. Whip in a blender.
Makes 16 small baby food jars.

Bath Crystals
Ingredients:
3 cups of Rock Salts or Epsom Salts
4-9 drops of Food Coloring...enough to achieve desired color...start light, you can always go darker
10-15 drops of Essential or Synthetic Potpourri Oil
Directions: Put the salts into a quart jar or any other air-tight, clean container. Add a few drops of food coloring and the Potpourri oil to the salts. Shake the container untill the color is mixed. There will be some pieces of salt that stay darker than the rest. If you want more color or fragrance, then keep adding a few drops at a time untill the desired color and fragrance are achieved. Use your nose to decide how strong you want the salts. Remember some fragrances are stronger than others. If at any time you get too much coloring or fragrance in the Bath Crystals, just add more salts to dilute. For a more deluxe Bath Crystal: add 2 tbsp. glycerine. For softer water add 2 tbsp. clear liquid dish soap. For a touch of bubbles, use 2 - 4 tbsp. of Bath Crystals per tub of water.

Lip Balm/Gloss
Ingredients:
5 to 6 tablespoons (75 to 90 ml) sweet almond, jojoba, castor, or quality vegetable oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) beeswax
2 tsp. (10 ml) pure honey
10 drops essential oil of spearmint or peppermint for a sweet taste, or tea tree for treatment of cold sores and chapped, flaky lips (optional)
1/2 tube favorite colored moisturizing lipstick (optional)
Directions: Melt together the oil and beeswax, in a small saucepan over low heat, or in a double boiler just until wax is melted. Use the larger amount of oil if you want a thinner, glossier consistency. Remove from heat. Add honey and blend mixture thoroughly. If you would like to add color to your gloss, add the piece of lipstick now, while the mixture is still hot. Stir the mixture occasionally as it cools to prevent separation. It should have the consistency of petroleum jelly when ready. If you choose to add an essential oil to your lip treatment, add it after the gloss has almost cooled and stir thoroughly.

Fairy Dust Glitter Gel
Note: Be sure the glitter is polyester and not aluminum
Ingredients:
1/4 cup aloe vera
1 tsp. glycerine
1/4 tsp. fine polyester glitter (any color)
5 drops fragrance oil (your choice)
1 drop food coloring (your choice)
Directions: Mix aloe and glycerin in a small bowl. Stir in glitter, fragrance and color. It is ready to use immediately.

Dusting Powder
Ingredients:
1 cup cornstarch
a few drops of alcohol based perfume
Directions: Stir with a fork and let air dry overnight. Then re-stir the next day.

Perfume
Ingredients:
50 drops fragrance oil
1/2 ounce Everclear grain alcohol or 100 proof vodka
Directions: Add the oil to the alcohol.

Fizzing Bath Oil Balls
(makes about 10 fizzing balls)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup baking soda
1 tablespoon ascorbic acid (crushed Vitamin C - not chewable)
1 tablespoon borax
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoons sweet almond oil
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
1/4 teaspoon fragrance oil
Directions: Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and stir until well blended. Drizzle in almond oil and stir until mixture is moistened. Add vit E oil and fragrance oil stirring until well mixed. Take teaspoons of the mixture and form into ball shapes with fingers. (The mixture will be crumbly and fragile, so do the best you can.) Place balls on waxed paper. Two hours later, you can gently reshape the balls. Let balls air dry on waxed paper for ten days. Store balls in a closed container to protect from moisture. To use, drop a ball into bath water.
NOTE: It takes the full 10 days to harden, so be patient. The amount of oil they add to the bath water is just enough without getting too oily.

Milk Bath
Ingredients:
1 Cup Cornstarch
2 Cups Dried Milk
1/8 Teaspoon of Fragrance
Directions: Mix in a large bowl. Store in airtight containers or package in small plastic bags for gift giving.