Could Your Bath Be Damaging Your Skin?

We’ve all heard things throughout our life that we then stick to because we believe they’re true. In our Beauty Myths Busted series we’re going to look at some of these myths in depth to see if they are really true.

Beauty Myth

Taking long hot baths is bad for your skin.

Beauty Fact

Well, yes and no. There are really two parts to this myth…

Firstly, the “hot” part. This is true. If you have the water too hot (like when you get in it physically hurts!), it can damage your skin. The hot water removes too much oil from your skin which means your skin is left dry. I know it sounds strange that too much water can dry out your skin, but it is true. Very hot water is also terrible for the hair, and can cause serious damage.

Secondly, the “long” part. There is advice ‘out there’ that you should only stay in the bath for about 10 minutes. That’s not a bath! That’s just a little dip. To me, a bath is a chance to wind-down and relax. Who can relax in ten minutes? You’ve just got in and it’s time to get out again! I love those baths where you completely lose yourself in distant thoughts, and have absolutely no idea what time it is when you finally emerge from the bathroom.

I find baths so much more relaxing that showers. After a nice bath I tend to sleep better too.

To make your bath a little more healing, and to stop your skin from drying out, you can add a bath oil or bath melt. These contain natural oils and butters and so will moisturise your skin as you bathe. They also contain wonderful essential oils to add a healing aspect.

So, to sum up, my advice is to have a bath with comfortably warm water, for maybe not longer than half and hour or so. I would strongly recommend using a bath melt or oil to prevent moisture and natural oils being stripped from the skin.

Now, lie back, relax and enjoy!

I’d love to hear what you think, so leave me a comment below, and share it on Facebook or Twitter (below) if you think others would benefit!

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Recipe of the Month: Lavender Bath Bomb

Skincare Recipe of the Month is a monthly feature where we share one of our favourite skincare recipes that you can make at home, usually using ingredients you will already have in your kitchen cupboards.

This month we’ve got a recipe for Lavender Bath Bomb.

I’m sure you all know the wonderful and varied effects of lavender by now!

But here’s a little round-up anyway…

Lavender has long been known as giving effective relief from insomnia. The pain-relieving qualities of lavender deal effectively with muscular spasm, and can be useful for sprains, strains and sharp rheumatic pains. Lavender is valuable for most skin types and conditions, since it promotes the growth of new cells and exerts a balancing action on sebum (the skins natural oil). It has a pronounced healing effect on burns and sunburn, and can be helpful in cases of acne, eczema and psoriasis.

For this recipe you will need some sort of mould. There are many purpose-made moulds available for making bath bombs. However, you could use many items you already have in your home, such as cookie cutters, ice cube trays, yoghurt pots, etc.

Ingredients

40g bicarbonate of soda

20g citric acid

5 – 6 lavender flower heads

10 drops lavender essential oil

water or rosewater (in a spray bottle is best)

Method

1. To dry the lavender flowers, heat the oven to around 180 C. When it has reached the temperature, turn it off. Place the flower heads in the oven and leave for around two hours. Alternatively, you can leave them somewhere warm (like an airing cupboard) overnight. When the lavender has dried, remove the flowers from the stems.
2. Ensure the bowl and your hands are completely dry, or the mixture will start to fizz.
3. In a glass or ceramic bowl, mix the bicarbonate of soda and citric acid together. Add the essential oils and mix thoroughly with a metal spoon. Now add 1tsp of the lavender flowers and stir to distribute them evenly through the mixture.
4. Now we add the water. This is where the spray bottle comes in very handy! Spray the mixture with a little water and mix well. Keep adding water, little by little, until you have a mixture that holds together well. (see below for testing the consistency)
5. Put the mixture in your mould(s). Depending on the size of the mould, you may make more than one bath bomb. If you are using a cookie cutter, place the cutter on a piece of baking paper. Press the mixture firmly into your mould using the back of a spoon.
6. The water now needs to evaporate away from your bath bomb. Leave them to set for at least an hour, or preferably overnight.

To test for the right consistency, press a small amount of the mixture onto a teaspoon, if it crumbles easily it needs a little more water added. If the mixture is fizzing and frothing all over the place you’ve added too much water!

To Use

• Store in an air-tight container to keep out moisture.
• Add the bath bomb to a bath of warm water
• Lie back, relax, and enjoy!

Variations

Why stop at lavender?!

This basic recipe can be adapted to include any scent you like.

You could try;

• sage and marjoram for relief from aching muscles
• calendula petals with orange essential oil for a healing and reviving bath bomb
• peppermint and rosemary for a bit of get-up-and-go

The possibilities are endless!

I’d love to hear how you get on with this recipe! Do let me know by leaving a comment below.

If you think others would like this, please share via twitter or facebook, also below.

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Share the love

I can’t believe a whole month of 2011 has gone by already!

February is here. In two weeks time many people will be professing their love for that special someone in their life. Valentine’s Day is Monday 14th February.

Saint Valentine’s Day is an annual celebration of love and affection between couples. According to that font of knowledge, Wikipedia, the day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 500 AD. One of these martyrs was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed. Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing the blind daughter of his jailer.

Valentine’s Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, roses, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

There are many who think that St. Valentine’s Day is now nothing but a hyped-up commercialised nonsense conspired by big business to get us to spend more money. Why should we be dictated to by big business and told when we should show our loved ones how much we care?! I’ll be honest, I’m one of those people. I do believe that the whole day has been commercialised out of recognition, and is now just there for greetings card companies, chocolate makers, and florists to sell more products. But then, aren’t all significant calendar dates like that? Mother’s Day, Easter, Hallowe’en, and of course, Christmas!

If you are joining in with the spirit of valentine’s Day this year, and you’re looking for a little something special, we’ve got a few ideas for you…

In the right circumstances, with a softly lit room, relaxing music, and using some of the more aphrodisiac essential oils, massage can be a highly pleasurable and sensual experience, relaxing the body and arousing the senses.

Rose: has a soothing effect on the emotions, it lifts the heart and eases stress. It is a very feminine oil, and gives a woman positive feelings about herself.

Ylang-ylang: relaxes the nervous system, resulting in a feeling of joy. Its aphrodisiac qualities are well-known in helping with sexual problems such as impotence and frigidity.

Patchouli: there is some association between patchouli and increasing libido. Its bracing action on the central nervous system may account for this! However, it is neither too sedative nor too stimulating which effectively assists feelings of balance.

Neroli: its calming effect on anxiety could be beneficial to sexual problems, and it is said to be an effective aphrodisiac. This oil is said to induce a feeling of euphoria.

Some other essential oils said to have aphrodisiac effects are; jasmine, cinnamon, sandalwood, black pepper, and clove.

Our Walking On Air Massage Bar (shown in the image above) contains orange, lavender, sandalwood, rose, frankincense. Our Peace, Love & Massage Bath & Massage Oil contains patchouli, sandalwood, orange, black pepper. Our Hindu Love Potion contains jasmine flowers, vanilla extract, essential oils of cinnamon, clove. Our Simple Pleasures Massage Bar contains lavender, neroli, ylang-ylang. Our Smile! Bath & Massage Oil contains neroli, chamomile, ylang-ylang.

Freyaluna has lots of gorgeous bath and skincare products to treat that someone in your life, you can find them here.

Moder

n Valentine’s Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

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Mmmm… Cupcake Bath Melts!

I recently received a custom order through my folksy shop. A lovely lady (Catherine at handknit) wanted to bulk order a variety of our cupcake bath melts, to add to some gift sets she’s making up.

So I’ve made up a new batch!

These cupcakes are now packaged and ready and waiting to be sent on their way to their new owner first thing tomorrow morning. But I just had to share them with you all!

So, here they are…

Mmmm! Cupacke Bath Melts!

Here is a selection of Rose, Chocolate Orange, and Vanilla Chocolate Cupcake Bath Melts.

For those of you who have not yet experienced the luxury that is a Freyaluna Cupcake Bath Melt (poor you!), these are truly a decadent bathing experience! The mixture of natural butters and oils in these gorgeously girly Bath Melts melt all over your body to leave your skin sumptuously soft.

They look almost good enough to eat! I wouldn’t recommend tasting them though. Take it from one who knows, essential oils do not taste nice!

Of course, these cupcake bath melts are available in my Folksy shop, as well as in my MyEhive shop.

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