Lavender is an ingredient that has many uses in creating handmade soap and cosmetics. Its essential oil has a fresh, clean scent which can be used alone as a fragrance, or can be successfully blended with other oils to create fragrances for both men and women. Lavender essential oil is naturally antibacterial and gentle to the skin making it an excellent additive to cosmetics for children and adults. Lavender essential oil is one of the few natural essential oils that is affordable and pleasant smelling. And its fragrance is one that insects despise.

If you like lavender, you can purchase it in three basic types. French lavender (lavandula angustifolia) has the characteristic fresh, floral fragrance of lavender. Spike lavender (lavandula latifolia) has an odor similar to that of camphor. Lavandin (lavandua angustifolia x lavandula latifolia) is a hybrid between French and Spike lavender and has a fragrance somewhere in between the two. In addition to lavender essential oil, some manufacturers also produce lavender absolute. Lavender essential oil is produced by steam distillation, whereas lavender absolute is produced by extracting the essential oil with a solvent. Lavender absolute is more concentrated than lavender essential oil, and more expensive.

Using Lavender In Your Soaps and Cosmetics
Here are several ideas for using lavender in home cosmetics:
Insect Repellents: Blend lavender with citronella essential oil for an effective insect repellent. To help take the sting out of insect bites, put a drop on the bite and rub in.
Face Care Products: Add lavender essential oil to toners, creams and lotions for gentle and natural acne fighting effects.
Deodorants: Because lavender is naturally antibacterial, it is an excellent natural odor fighter. Add several drops of lavender essential oil to arrowroot powder to make a natural deodorant powder. Dissolve several drops in alcohol and then add to water to make a spray on deodorant.
Soaps: Add powdered lavender or lavender essential oil to your favorite soap recipe to make lavender soaps.

Precautions When Using Lavender In Your Cosmetics:
As with all essential oils, precautions should be taken if you are pregnant, epileptic, if you have a heart condition, or if you are in a delicate state of health. If you fall under one of these categories we recommend that you see a physician before using lavender, or any other essential oil in your cosmetics.

Lavender Shopping Links:
Lavender Bulgaria Oil
Lavender Oil ( 100 ml/ 3.38 fl. oz.)
Lavender Fragrance Oil ( 100 ml/ 3.38 fl. oz.)

The aloe vera plant (also called Aloe barbadensis) is unique among plants for it’s importance to the cosmetics industry. Cosmetic products made with aloe vera are used to treat everything from dry and scaly skin to chapped lips and dermatitis. Aloe vera is most noted for its gel and juice which is widely used in creams, lotions, shampoos and a variety of other cosmetic preparations. Aloe vera gel and juice are available commercially in liquid and in dehydrated form. An oil-soluble extract is also produced from the aloe vera plant. It is sold under the names aloe vera oil and aloe vera extract.

Aloe vera pulp is the clear, thick substance inside of the aloe vera leaf. (It is often called aloe vera gel, but it is usually treated before it is used in cosmetics). Aloe vera juice is made by liquifying aloe vera pulp. Aloe vera gel is made by adding a thickener such as irish moss to aloe vera juice. Aloe vera oil is made by extracting oil-soluble portions of the aloe vera plant into a light vegetable oil, such as safflower oil. Aloe vera juice, gel and oil can be used in cosmetics.

Using Aloe Vera In Your Cosmetics.
Here are some ideas for incorporating aloe vera into your cosmetic formulas.

Aloe Vera Bath Salts:
Add a small amount of aloe vera oil or dehydrated aloe vera gel to Epsom salt or sea salt to make “Aloe Vera Bath Salts.”

Aloe Vera Bath and Body Oils:
Add a small amount of aloe vera oil and your favorite essential oil or fragrance oil to a blend of light vegetable oils (such as corn oil, jojoba oil or sunflower oil) to make aloe vera bath oils, aloe vera body oils, and aloe vera hair oils.

Aloe Vera Soaps:
To make aloe vera liquid soaps add some aloe vera gel or aloe vera oil to liquid castile soap. To make aloe vera bar soaps from scratch replace some of the water in your recipe with aloe vera gel or juice or replace some of the oils in your recipe with aloe vera oil. To make aloe vera soap from premade soap you can melt down soap flakes, add some aloe vera oil or gel to the melted solution, stir well and pour into soap molds.

Precautions When Using Aloe Vera In Your Cosmetics
Aloe vera gel and juice are highly perishable, and should only be used in cosmetics that are self-preserving (such as cosmetics that contain a high percentage of soap, alcohol, glycerin or other preservative) or in cosmetics that will be used up quickly. Also, some people may be allergic to aloe vera, or the preservatives that are used in commercially available aloe vera gel and aloe vera extract. If in doubt, perform a patch test on yourself before using aloe vera in your cosmetics.

Aloe Vera Shopping Links:
Aloe Vera Extract -Oil Soluble
Aloe Vera Freeze Dried 200x

Turn a leftover box into a beautiful package for your bath salts and bath teas. This project is a nice way to turn an old box into something useful. It also makes a nice package for Mother’s Day gifts.

Supplies Needed:

A clean box or other cardboard container. I recommend that you use a round box for this project. This way you have no square edges to deal with. (For this project we recycled a round tea box, however, any type of clean cardboard container with a lid will do).

A paintbrush

Enough fabric or wide ribbon to cover the box.

One bottle of Modge-Podge® (Modge-Podge® is a sealant and glue sold at craft shops).

One roll of double sided tape.

One roll of very thin ribbon (1/4″ wide or less)

To make the box follow these steps:

Step 1: Cut the fabric (or ribbon) to fit around the box.

Step 2: Cover the sides of the container with the fabric (or ribbon). Use double-sided sticky tape to hold it in place.

Step 3: Using your paintbrush, paint over the fabric with one layer of Modge-Podge®.

Step 4: Apply the thin ribbon around the edges of the container. Use thin-strips of double sided sticky tape to hold in place.

Step 5: Using your paintbrush, paint over the whole container with several layers of Modge-Podge®. Allow each layer of Modge-Podge® to dry before applying another layer.

Here are some things that you can fill your box with:
-bath salts
-bath tea
-bath fizzies
-small bars of soap