ll sorts of beauty products can be made at home for a fraction of the cost. shampoo, conditioner, lotion, hot oil packs, facial packs, body packs, body scrubs, body salts, creams, bath bombs, toner and more. last month, i gave a recipe for a simple soda bath. there are lots of easy recipes that combine only one or two ingredients. in fact, popular face masks include simply mashing avocados or cooking oatmeal and applying them to your face. or even simpler, smear honey on your face, let it sit for 15 minutes then wash off with warm water while gently massaging your face with your fingertips.

bath salts can be as simple as mixing equal parts of baking soda and sea salt with a few drops of essential oil of choice. massage oils and hot oil packs for hair are made the same way any infused oil would be made.

lotions can be one of the more complicated products to make. it’s similar to making mayonnaise, combining ingredients together that don’t normally mix well. in the case of lotion, it is water and oil. a great recipe to try is rosemary gladstar’s “rosemary’s perfect cream”. a copy of the recipe can be found online at recipenet. this recipe is made in the blender but a stick blender could be used as well.

there are dozens of books available on the topic of bath and beauty using herbs. some of my favorites include:

earth mother herbal by shatoiya de la tour

earthly bodies and heavenly hair: natural and healthy personal care for every bodyby dina falconi

the bath and body book: creating a personal oasis with natural fragrances, scented lotions and decorative effects by stephanie donaldson

the herbal body book: a natural approach to healthier hair, skin and nails by stephanie tourles

i highly recommend requesting books through your library loan system to look through and try out before purchasing. make sure the recipes are easy to follow and the ingredient lists aren’t too extravagant. try making a few of the recipes to see if you like how they are made and how well the end results are.