Lavender is well known for its relaxing smell. It’s no wonder it’s commonly used in products meant to calm and soothe. This Luxurious Lavender Bath Salt recipe is made with Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil. Bulgaria is known for its abundant lavender fields, and for the amazing oil the plants produce. If you’re a fan of lavender, then Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil is sure to be a new favorite.

This recipe uses a combination of Epsom salt and pink sea salts. Interestingly, Epsom salt is not actually a salt at all! Epsom salt is made of hydrated magnesium sulfate. Magnesium and sulfate are known for their hydrating properties, making Epsom salt a popular choice for bath salts.

Pink Himalayan sea salt is a rock salt mined from ancient salt beds within the Himalayan Mountains. Protected from pollution and impurities since its formation 200 million years ago, pink Himalayan salt is believed to be one of the purest forms of salt available. The color of sea salts range from white to a deep shade of pink. This recipe uses two sizes of pink sea salt (medium and coarse) to give texture, but you can use only one size if you prefer.

What You Need:
Four 8 oz. Bail Jars
20 oz. Epsom Salt, Extra Fine
3 oz. Pink Sea Salt, Medium
3 oz. Pink Sea Salt, Coarse
2 mL (about 40 drops) Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil
1 Tbsp. Dried Lavender
3 Tbsp. Cornflower Petals

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

ONE: In a large mixing bowl, combine the Epsom salt and both sizes of pink sea salt. Mix together.

TWO: Add the Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil. Use your hands to thoroughly mix in.

THREE: Add the lavender buds and cornflower petals. Mix in thoroughly.

FOUR: Transfer the salt to the bail jars. Store the salts in a dry cool place. Once you’re ready to use, add a large handful to hot bath water. Enjoy!
Note: This recipe originally used 10 ounce jars. It now comes with four 8 oz. jars.

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Luxurious Lavender Bath Salt DIY

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• Four 8 oz. Bail Jars
• 20 oz. Epsom Salt Extra Fine
• 3 oz. Pink Sea Salt Medium
• 3 oz. Pink Sea Salt Coarse
• 2 mL about 40 drops Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil
• 1 Tbs. Dried Lavender
• 3 Tbs. Cornflower Petals

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the Epsom salt and both sizes of pink sea salt. Mix together.
• Add the Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil. Use your hands to thoroughly mix in.
• Add the lavender buds and cornflower petals. Mix in thoroughly.
• Transfer the salt to the bail jars. Store the salts in a dry cool place. Once you’re ready to use, add a large handful to hot bath water. Enjoy!

The post Luxurious Lavender Bath Salt DIY appeared first on Soap Queen.

The scent of lavender is immediately recognizable. Today its floral, herby, and earthy notes add a special touch to everything from lotion to lemonade. That’s not a new concept, though – people have been taking advantage of lavender’s intoxicating scent for centuries.

Origins
The word lavender comes from the Latin lavare, which means “to wash.” Ancient Romans used the plant to scent their bath water because they thought it restored the skin, according to the New World Encyclopedia. They believed lavender had medicinal properties, and used it for everything from indigestion to sore throats. The Romans also used it to perfume their hair, clothes, beds, and even the walls of their houses.

Ancient Greeks used it for perfume as well. They referred to lavender as nardus or nard after the Syrian city of Naarda, where lavender was often sold. Egyptians used it for embalming and for cosmetics like massage oils.

Lavender’s popularity continued throughout history. It wasn’t used as much in the Dark Ages, but regained popularity during the Tudor period in England, 1485-1603. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, people started growing lavender in their home gardens. It was used to freshen the air and was mixed with beeswax to make furniture polish, according to the Kitchen Project. In the Victorian era, 1837-1901, the Queen of England loved lavender and spoke of it often. Women used it to wash walls and furniture, as perfume and potpourri, and as a treatment for lice. In the U.S., it was popular in medicine and gift items.

Present day
Many of the ways lavender was used throughout history are still popular today. No matter what store you’re in, you can always find bath and body products or perfumes with lavender notes. The Romans would be happy to know it’s still used in bath and cleaning products, along with wax tarts, room sprays, and potpourri.

Lavender adds an interesting floral taste to a variety of foods. It’s used in lemonade, lattes, cupcakes, ice cream, and more. The Baker Mama used it in her Lemon Lavender Poppy Seed Scones to add a bright and unique taste.

Of course, handmade products are a perfect way to enjoy the scent of lavender. The Relaxing Lavender Soap is scented with Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil, colored a lavender hue with Ultramarine Violet Oxide Pigment, and topped with lavender buds. For a spa day at home, give the DIY Lavender Clay Mask a try. It also works well in hair products, like this Hydrating Lavender Hair Oil.

How the essential oil is made
We have four new varieties you can add to your handmade products – Lavender Fine Essential Oil, Lavender Absolute 50%, Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil, and Organic Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil. The Lavender Fine and Lavender Absolute are both from France. Lavender Fine is steam distilled. This method uses steam to break apart the plant and collect the resulting vapor. The vapor is condensed and separated into two parts – water and oil. The oil is then collected, bottled, and sent to your home. The Lavender Absolute is extracted by the solvent method, which is typically used when the plant is too fragile to withstand steam distillation. That creates a super thick, dark green liquid. It can be so thick that it’s tricky to work with, so ours is mixed with fractionated coconut oil.

Pictured is the farm in France where the Lavender Fine Essential Oil comes from.

Both Bulgarian lavenders are extracted using steam distillation. The farms in Bulgaria are bigger, but the farming and distillation techniques used are similar to the farms in France. As a result, most of the difference between the oils is the way they smell. The Lavender Fine Essential Oil has a bright, herbaceous smell similar to citrus, and the Lavender Absolute 50% has a sweet and soft aroma. The Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil has a deeper, darker scent. Compared to it, the Organic Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil is lighter and has more more camphorous minty notes. Organic fields have a more “shabby” look, rather than the uniform appearance of the field pictured above. They also have a lesser yield than lavender grown by traditional methods.

On the left is the farm where the Organic Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil comes from, and right is a closeup of the “shabbier” look of the plants.

Whether you’re adding lavender to your handmade soap or your latte, there’s no denying its intoxicating and calming scent. What’s your favorite thing to use lavender in?

The post The History of Lavender appeared first on Soap Queen.

Need a few minutes to relax and unwind? This Soothing Eye Tea is a great pick me up. The “tea” is made from a combination of chamomile herb, calendula petals and lavender buds. Once you’re ready to kick up your feet, boil some water and submerge the tea bags just like normal. “Brew” the tea for about a couple minutes and remove the tea bags. Place the tea bags into the fridge to completely cool, then place the cold tea bags on your eyes for a refreshing feel. You can also place the warm tea bags on closed eyes until fully cool. It all depends on what you prefer. =)

I like to make a large batch of these to have on hand whenever I need a little pick-me-up. They are especially nice during a bath, or before bed. The recipe below makes about eight tea bags, so feel free to size up the recipe as you’d like. You can also adjust the amounts of each herb as you see fit. This project is the perfect time to use a “Keep Calm and Make Soap” mug! =)

What You’ll Need:
“Keep Calm and Make Soap” Mug
Small Sealable Tea Bags
2 Tbs. Chamomile Herb
2 Tbs. Calendula Petals
2 Tbs. Lavender Buds

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

ONE: In a small container, combine the chamomile, lavender and calendula.

TWO: Use your fingers or a spoon to fully mix the herbs together.

THIRD: Begin filling the sealable tea bags with the mixture. Make sure there is enough room at the top to seal the bags.

FOUR: Use an iron on medium to high heat, and press the iron on the open seam to seal each bag.

FIVE: Once you’re ready to use, boil a small pot of water. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Place the tea bags in the hot water for a couple minutes, remove and allow to cool slightly. You don’t want to put piping hot tea bags on your eyes! Once the tea bags are still hot but comfortable to touch, place the bags on closed eyes. Allow the bags to stay on your eyes until completely cool. Discard tea bag after use. Or, place the tea bag in the fridge to cool completely and place the cooled tea bags on your eyes for a refreshing feel.

NOTE: Because the Bramble Berry warehouse is not considered “food-safe” by the FDA, do not drink the tea once it’s been brewed. This project is for topical use only. 

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Soothing Eye Tea DIY

This soothing eye tea is great for when you need to relax, or need a pick me up!

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• Small Sealable Tea Bags
• 2 Tbs. Chamomile Herb
• 2 Tbs. Calendula Petals
• 2 Tbs. Lavender Buds

Instructions

• In a small container, add the chamomile, lavender and calendula.
• Use your fingers or a spoon to fully mix the herbs together.
• Begin filling the sealable tea bags with the mixture. Make sure there is enough room at the top to seal the bags.
• Use an iron on medium to high heat, and press the iron on the open seam to seal each bag.
• Once you’re ready to use, boil a small pot of water. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Place the tea bags in the hot water for a couple minutes, remove and allow to cool slightly. You don’t want to put piping hot tea bags on your eyes! Once the tea bags are still hot but comfortable to touch, place the bags on closed eyes. Allow the bags to stay on your eyes until completely cool. Discard tea bag after use.

The post Soothing Eye Tea DIY appeared first on Soap Queen.

Hot process soap is a fantastic method to create homemade soap from scratch. Similar to cold process soaping in many ways, hot process involves “cooking” the soap which speeds up the saponification process. In this Soap Queen TV video, I demonstrate how to create natural Lavender & Lemongrass Hot Process Soap in the crock pot. The extra heat cuts down dramatically on wait time! Hot process soap is ready to unmold within 24 hours, and does not require the 4-6 week cure time. Personally, I still like to allow my hot process soaps to cure for about 2 weeks to allow excess water to evaporate and create a harder bar.

This hot process recipe uses a combination of Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil and Lemongrass Essential Oil for a blend that’s both fresh and calming. The light green color is created with green zeolite clay and spirulina powder. Lavender buds are added to the top of the soap for a chic and rustic look. For a charming finishing touch, I used a crinkle cutter. To help avoid drag marks from the lavender buds, I recommend flipping the loaf upside down and cutting from the bottom.

What You’ll Need:
2 lb Wood Loaf Mold
Silicone Liner for 2 lb Wood Mold
2.1 oz. Sweet Almond Oil (Note: In the video the amount of Sweet Almond Oil is 12.1, which is incorrect. I apologize for the confusion!)
1 oz. Avocado Butter
4.2 oz. Coconut Oil
8.4 oz. Olive Oil
4.2 oz. Palm Oil
1 oz. Shea Butter
2.9 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
6.9 oz. Distilled Water
.6 oz. Sodium Lactate
Spirulina Powder
Green Zeolite Clay
Lavender Buds
.8 oz. Lemongrass Essential Oil
.6 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential
Optional: Crinkle Cutter

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

Have you made hot process soap before? I love to use the hot process method when I need my soap quickly!

The post Lavender & Lemongrass Hot Process Soap on Soap Queen TV appeared first on Soap Queen.