Archive for April 2016

You Make Me Feel LIke a Natural Woman - April Workshop - Natural Beauty Products

Sunday 10 April 2016 § 1

Last Thursday I ran my first ever class called “You make me feel like a natural woman” for 17 wonderful women who booked on to make completely natural bath bombs, toner and make up remover, with no additives and to watch a demonstration on how to make your own natural moisturiser.  If I’d thought about it at the time I would have called it “Let’s all make a (bath) bomb” which is an old Heaven 17 song from the 80’s!!  But you are all probably far too young to remember them! 
I have been making my own care products for about 10 years now, after a chance find of a ‘make your own beauty products book’ on a car boot sale.  I had very mixed results with my first efforts to produce a moisturiser, it had the consistency of car wax, but boy was I proud of my efforts and I used every last bit, even though it did make me waterproof!  After 4 years of trial and error I realised that I had to be very accurate with my ingredients and a neighbour told me to use a blender to make it lighter and creamier and hey presto I can now make a very decent face and body moisturiser. 

I demonstrated how easy it was to make a simple moisturiser to the assembled group, and we all had a sample to see what they thought of it and I think everyone was pleasantly surprised how easy and quick it was to make. 



Then it was time to get everybody involved, we had come here for everyone to get stuck in and make bath bombs, so we all weighed out our dry ingredients, then mixed our wet ingredients and dripped the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, whilst mixing furiously, to try and achieve the consistency of wet sand.  By that I mean that the mixture is clumping together when you crush it in your hands.  There is a knack to it and I have to admit I had made at least 6 lots of bath bombs at home, with varying degrees of success.  My first attempt was a great success – but that was just beginner’s luck.  I had many failed attempts as well.   There was a delicious scent in the air on Thursday and some wonderful coloured bath salts were made, some of us even got our bath bombs to keep their shape!  But I tried again when I got home and I think I know what makes a successful bath bomb now.  Drum roll – you have to keep it in the mold and take it home in the mold.  It is so fragile otherwise.  I had made two beauties to show, one heart and one ball and they were perfectly formed, but the heart collapsed midway through the evening as I had taken it out of the mold, whereas the ones I left in overnight are rock solid!  Never mind – the bath salts can be put in a jar with a little spoon and still make your bath smell wonderful and your skin smooth.  Practise definitely makes perfect.  So keep practising ladies!

Finally, we made a toner with green tea and aloe vera and a very simple but gentle make up remover with aloe vera, water and olive oil.   Everybody went home with a little pot of moisturiser (here’s 17 I made earlier!) and their home made products.  It was a lovely evening and there was lots of laughter and mess!!  I hope everyone had a good time and I hope everyone learned something and will have another go at home.

Sadly I had made 20 pieces of chocolate flapjack and forgot to hand it out – much to the delight of my son Josh who helped himself to a piece or three!!

Georgina Perry