Looking for a simple and fun gift to make?

This recipe is from my new book Naked: Botanical Recipes for Vibrant Skin and Healthy Hair. One of the most basic recipes in the book, these bars are a simple blend of sweet almond oil, cocoa butter, and essential oil. You can add herbs or natural colors as well, or make them unscented by leaving out the essential oils (the cocoa butter itself smells like chocolate). Once in the bath, you can rub them on your skin for extra hydration. They leave your skin soft and silky and add a moisturizing element to the bath for dry, irritated skin or eczema.

Ingredients:

• Measure by weight:

  • 8 ounces cocoa butter

• Measure by volume:

  • ½ cup sweet almond oil

  • 60 drops orange essential oil

  • 30 drops cedar essential oil

  • 30 drops fir essential oil

Kitchen tools you will need:

• Scale

• Measuring cup

• Double boiler

• Spoon

• Molds

• Glass jars or containers

• Labels, jars, or bags

Directions:

1. In a double boiler, melt the cocoa butter.

2. Add the almond oil and stir until melted.

3. Take off the stove and add the essential oils. At this point, you can also add some dried lavender flowers if you wish.

4. Pour into molds and let cool completely. I find that small glycerin soap molds work well, but you can also use small muffin pans or candy molds. This recipe takes a while to cool and solidify. You can put the molds in the refrigerator to speed the process.

5. To use, get in the tub, add a bath melt, and watch it melt. Kids love this part!

6. Gently rub the oils into your skin.

7. Be careful when exiting the tub as the oil can make surfaces slippery!

Making your own gifts can be a labor of love. It is inexpensive, engages the creative process, and helps us learn more about natural remedies and their healing properties. What could be better than receiving a healthy gift that someone else took the time, energy, and thoughtfulness to make?

© Elaine Sheff, Clinical Herbalist, RH (AHG)