DIY Project : All Natural Room Spray

How To: Make An All Natural Room Spray

Hello! My name is April Barrese, I'm the owner and operator of Little Leaf Botanics, an artisan shop specializing in handmade nature infused beauty products. In my everyday life and my business I strive for the most eco-friendly, all natural solutions. From laundry detergent to my favorite homemade herbal salves, my cupboards and studio shelves are filled with beautiful, plant based, green products. It took awhile to wrap my mind around a green lifestyle and a lot of time to learn to live it, time that I absolutely loved spending and still do! There's always more to learn  Here is my chance to share a little of that knowledge with you.

Essential Oils

Of all the plant based materials I work with, essential oils are my favorite materials. Versatile, powerful, gorgeous and useful are all applicable words for essential oils. So what are they? They are distillations (by steam, CO2 or other method) that extract the essence of the plant or other substance yet retain the scent of the plant. They are made in various ways but the end result is all natural. Happily, it's more and more common to find organic versions of these oils as well.


Since my favorite use for essential oils is creating products that smell gorgeous and create an  energetic, happy feeling, I thought I'd show you how to make a very easy room spray/spritzer. I like to use these in place of commercial room sprays for a variety of reasons. Essential oils are reputed to cleanse the air in ways synthetic scents cannot and they are so refreshing and uplifting, once you have used them, it's hard to accept substitutes.

Safety First:
Before we start, it is important to know that essential oils are very potent. All essential oils should be kept out of reach of children and pets, and they should NEVER be used undiluted on the skin. Also, when using a room sprayer, (natural or otherwise) please avoid spraying the eyes of yourself, children or pets. And yes, I know these are pretty obvious precautions, but it doesn't hurt to reiterate them :). If you treat these oils with care and respect, you will have an enjoyable experience. Just keep these guidelines in mind.

You'll need:

• A few essential oils from the grocery/ natural foods store, or purchased online

• Distilled water, approx 1/4 cup or more

• Small glass dropper bottle

• Small spritzer container (preferably glass or aluminum, over time, essential oils like to destroy plastic)

• Funnel (optional)

Mix:
I recommend a fresh, peppy blend of citrus oils such as lemon, lime and grapefruit, or a very stimulating blend of rosemary, peppermint and spearmint to get you started. The sky is the limit with combining, the only requirement is that you have to like the end result.

Mix and match your essential oils to your taste preference in the glass dropper bottle. If you have extra it's handy to keep it for a quick refill of your spritzer.

Add between 10-20 drops of your essential oil blend per 1/4 cup of distilled water. This is a ratio that can vary depending on the oils you use and the strength of scent you like but don't go overboard. Remember, essential oils are quite potent.

Finally, add your mixture to your spritzer bottle (this is where a funnel comes in handy if you have one). Shake your spray bottle before spraying every time you use it. The essential oils will separate from the water without a chemical binder. And that's it! You can spritz this anywhere you'd use a room spray and feel good knowing you aren't pumping chemicals into your house. Maybe you'll even feel a little more 'pep in your step'. 


Thanks for reading, happy blending and Happy Valentine's Day!

All photos subject to copyright, images courtesy of Little Leaf Botanics, 2012-2013. Do not use without written permission.

DIY Project: Bath Melts

Hello! This is Ashley from Aqua Blossom :) I am so excited to be writing this guest blog for Craft Cafe! I make handmade, natural bath and body products, and while it is a super fun and interesting job, I am usually pretty exhausted by the end of the day.

My favorite way to relax and unwind - especially during cooler weather - is with a nice, hot bath. I know, it sounds amazing right now! But what if I told you there was a way to make that bath even more relaxing? Oh, trust me, there is. Bath melts can turn your relaxing bath into a luxurious spa experience, and the best part is that you can make bath melts at home using just a few ingredients, and some kitchen tools that you probably already have.

First, get you'll need to gather the ingredients. I realize not everyone has a slab of cocoa butter just laying around, so I'm including links to Craft Cafe supply shops where you can buy these items.

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 oz, or approximately 1/2 cup cocoa butter
  (can be found at Blue Ridge Body Supplies)
• 1/4 cup sweet almond oil
  (also at Blue Ridge Body Supplies)
• fragrance or essential oil
  (CandleLynn Supplies has a huge variety of fragrance oils to choose from - just make sure you buy one that is safe for bath and body use)

Next, you'll need a few things from your kitchen: a glass measuring cup, metal pot or saucepan, spoon or bamboo skewer to stir, plastic dropper, ice cube tray or mini muffin cups to pour the melts into.

To get started, measure out your cocoa butter and sweet almond oil in the glass measuring cup. Next, you'll need to fill the pan with water and make a double boiler by setting the measuring cup in the water (but do not let any water get into the cup). TIP: if you're using a measuring cup with a handle, you can hang the cup from the side of the pan so it is suspended in the water. Allow the butter and oil to melt slowly, on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. I like to use bamboo skewers to stir, but a spoon will work just fine.

Once it has melted completely, carefully remove from heat. Now you can add a fragrance oil or essential oil. With an essential oil, you'll only need about 6-8 drops. With a fragrance oil you can use slightly more. If you are using natural cocoa butter, it is going to have a chocolatey smell that can be difficult to mask with floral scents, for example. My advice? Just go with it! Use a sweet smelling fragrance that complements the cocoa. I decided to use Hot Cocoa fragrance :) If you really dislike the natural cocoa smell, you can always use a deodorized cocoa butter.

Finally, it is time to pour into molds. You can use an ice cube tray, small soap or candy molds, or even mini muffin cups. Allow the bath melts to cool - you can pop them in the fridge to speed up the process. The first time I made bath melts, the cocoa butter took HOURS to solidify and I was left wondering what I did wrong. That is totally normal - cocoa butter can take a long time to solidify at room temperature.

Once they have cooled for a while, pop them out of the molds and store them in a container or zip bag. They should last about 6 months, but I'm sure you'll go through them much faster once you give them a try :) Just add one or two (depending on size) to a hot bath and enjoy! PLEASE be careful standing up and getting out of the bath, as they can make the tub slippery.

This is a very simple bath melt recipe - you can get creative and make it your own by experimenting with different butters like shea, mango, and kokum; different oils; and even embellishments like dried lavender buds, rose petals, or sea salt. 

I've had so much fun making these and sharing my recipe with you! I hope you have fun as well, and most importantly - have a relaxing day :)