Monday, January 28, 2008

Suds To Sink Into

Slipping into a tub filled with a bubbly froth is a dazzling treat. Using a few simple ingredients, you can create a foamy fragrant bubble bath and float away in a stream of whipped white peaks and valleys.

Because some bubble baths and soaps can be drying, these recipes include softening oils and glycerin. (Glycerin is a clear, fragrance-free liquid byproduct of the soap-making process. It can be purchased in the health-care sections of grocery stores and pharmacies.)

The cleansing effects of suds are best experienced with your whole body extended under the foam. Pull your hair up, sit back and dip your washcloth under the water. Lather the washcloth with the suds and brush the length of your body. Rinse off the suds after you are through.



Fizzy Herbal Bath Tablets
These effervescent bath tablets produce a sparkling mineral bath. Dissolve them in a cooling morning bath for a refreshing way to wake up and greet the day. Makes three to four 2-inch tablets.

  • Soap mold or small cookie cutters

  • ½ cup baking soda

  • ½ cup cornstarch

  • ½ cup citric acid

  • 10 drops herbal essential oil such as eucalyptus, bay or rosemary

  • 1 teaspoon crushed dried chamomile flowers or rosemary

STEP 1 Place the soap molds or cookie cutters on waxed paper. (Do not grease them with petroleum jelly!)

STEP 2 In a large nonreactive bowl, mix together the baking soda, cornstarch and citric acid. Add the fragrance oil and the crushed herbs, and blend.

STEP 3 Using a spray-mist bottle, gently mist the mixture, blending as you go until the salts just hold together. Do not overmist, or the mixture will fizz prematurely!

STEP 4 Press the damp mixture into the soap molds or cookie cutters. Place your hand or a piece of cardboard over the mold and flip over to gently remove the solid form. Let dry overnight.

STEP 5 To use, gently toss one or two tablets into the bathwater and watch them bubble and fizz.

Reprinted from Soothing Soaks: Relaxation for the Bath by Laurie Welcher (Chronicle Books, 2000).


source from http://beauty.ivillage.com

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