Body & Bath Oils

We're all struggling with dry winter skin, and what better way to add in some moisture factor than in your bath or shower time - when your skin is warm and pores are open to receive the nourishing oils.

Initially I was keen on making a foaming shower oil, like the ones you can buy in the shops but with natural ingredients. However the surfactants need to have certain properties such as to be able to foam in a water free environment. This makes sense as a shower oil is an oil based product. I tried my formulation with the surfactants we have and you do get a small amount of foam action when lathered up in water, but I wasn't happy enough with the end result to publish it. So we will stick with plain luxury oils made into a post-shower application product, or you can add them to your bath water for an indulgent soak. The recipes are super quick and easy to make and the end results make for stunning gifts too.

The Oils

For bath oil products, because some of the oil will be lost in the water, we prefer to go with carrier oils that are cost effective yet still really good for skin. Grapeseed, almond, apricot kernel, safflower, rice bran, hemp oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride and avocado oils are all great choices here. But you can absolutely use any oil of your choosing.

DIY Body Oils

For body oils, all the product will be going directly on your skin so you can go a bit more high end with your oil choices if you desire. We still like sticking to a good, hard working base oil such as almond or safflower, and then adding in some fancier oils for that 'something extra'. Try adding in some coffee bean oil, aloe oil, jojoba, prickly pear seed oil, moringa, or tamanu oil into your body oil for a touch of luxury.

Adding essential oils to your body and bath oils makes the experience therapeutic and you can customise your scent. We really like these combinations:

• Ylang ylang, grapefruit and geranium
• Vetiver, chamomile and sandalwood
• Bergamot and citrus oils