All the recipes below have been shared with us by customers and are here for you to enjoy. We have not extensively tested any, so cannot vouch for their accuracy, but have no doubt they all work for those that wrote them.

Headlice Treatment

It has apparently been discovered that a 5% solution of Benzy Alcohol will prevent headlice from closing there spiricles (air tubes), this means they can be quickly killed or smothered by applying a solution to the scalp.
A suggested formula below has apparently proven successful in treating headlice without the need for harmful pesticides...
25ml of Benzyl alcohol
100ml of Hair Conditioner Base
1ml of Shampoo Base.
...make up to 500ml with clean water and put into a spray-bottle.
Before using, shake well to disperse the alcohol.
Spray on the hair and work in well thouroughly soaking the hair, after about 15 minutes wash out and use a normal conditioner.
While hair is wet use a nit comb.
Any lice found should appeare dead.
This will not kill the eggs so the treatment must be repeated every 5 days for 15 days.
The solution is not unpleasant to use and the price is right.
Norm

Solid Perfume

(Sarah Conduit. Makes appx 30ml jar or 2 15ml)
This is a solid version of your fav fragrance that will be slighly oily and melt
when placed on your pulse points to release fragrance.
1/4c Beeswax
1/4c Sweet Almond Oil
Essentail Oil/Fragrance
Melt the beeswax in a double-boiler (or something similiar, like a coffee can in a pan of hot water) to make this easier, make sure its flaked/chopped or already in small bits. when completely melted, add Sweet Almond Oil and stir till completely mixed. Take off burner, and let cool a BIT. It should still be liquid. Add fragrance to preference. Pour into jar and let cool. I like to pour them into pretty little soapstone containers or jars, and it makes a gorgeous gift!

Fizzy Bath Melts

(A variation on our own recipe which apparently works really well, from Karen Irving)..
40 g cocoa butter
10 ml sweet almond oil
110 g baking soda
40 g citric acid
15 ml cornstarch
2.5 ml fragrance
They seem to work pretty good and I am using heart shape ice cube molds from Ikea (rubber). I was getting air bubbles before but now I bang the mold on the counter a few times and so far no bubbles.)

Bubbly Bath Bars

(Tracey Harkness)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup of tartaric acid (cream of tartar)
1 cup of sodium bicarbonate
1 cup of sodium laurel sulfoacetate SLSA (or an equivalent)
1/3 cup (more or less) of glycerin liquid
a few drops of colour fragrance or essential oil a mold
Makes 18 oz.
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the colorant and fragrance a few drops at a time until the desired shade and scent are achieved. Mix in the glycerin liquid a little at a time until the mixture holds together in your hand. Transfer to your mold and press firmly into the mold. Unmold after about a hour and check for firmness. If the mixture crumbles, return it to the bowl and add more glycerin, then remold.
If it holds together when unmolded, you can cut into chunks or slices if needed and continue to let dry on wax paper. It can take a day or 2 to dry out completely so patience is needed!!!!

Honey & Ginger 'Melt' massage bar

(Mrs N. Deering)
250g dried chick peas laid in the bottom of suitable 'bar' moulds (simple M&P soap moulds are perfect).
200g cocoa butter
50g shea butter
50g beeswax
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp ginger essential oil
3/4 tsp sandalwood essential oil
15 drops lemongrass essential oil
10 drops cinnamon essential oil
Melt the oils gently. Add the essential oils and honey. Cool slightly to ensure the moulds are not distorted when the mixture is poured (applies to plastic moulds). Pour into moulds over chick peas and cool until solid. Putting them in the fridge or a freezer for a while will help.

A gentler body scrub, for those who don't like to use salt:

(Kim Dyos)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sweet almond oil or a mixture of sweet almond with 1/4 of a speciality oil (I used kukui nut)
5-8 drop fragrance oil (I used lime)
Mix together and put in a jar of appropriate size. Use after showering, take a handful and scrub skin with it. Rinse with water, but do not use any soap / shower gel afterwards, as you want the oils left to continue moisturising and scenting
Cheers

Kim

Exfoliating scrub

1 Cup- Brown Sugar
1 Cup- White sugar
Mix in one or more of the following oils to give a great scent:
Lavendar oil
Vanilla oil
Peppermint oil
Almond oil
six until it becomes a thick paste, then you just scoop out as desired, and rub onto elbows, knees, hands, even face! For a smooth finish with a light scent!
Ken Price

Face scrub mask

60g jar
Oats
Honey
Kaolin clay
Brown sugar
wheatgerm oil (could use another)
Few drops of essential oil depending on skin type if wanted (or use honey & oat fragrance)
Measure enough outs to fill about 2/3 of your jar then tip in to a bowl.
Add 1-2 tsp of the clay, 1-2 tsp sugar & 4 tsp honey.
Mix well & add wheatgerm oil & essential oil a bit at a time untill it makes a thin paste.
Jo Burden

Lemon cheesecake soap loaf

250g transparent M&P 500g Opaque M&P
Lemon Scent
Yellow colouring
Oatmeal or Porridge Oats
1 x Medium sized Loaf mould (1 kilo capacity)
1.Melt white soap base and add a few drops of yellow colouring or powder until you get the right lemon colour.
2.Add your fragrance
3.Pour into your mould and spray with alcohol to remove all bubbles
4.Allow to set
5.Melt your transparent soap base and add as much Oatmeal as the base will allow to still be ever so slightly runny
6.Spray your loaf again with alcohol before pouring/spreading the oatmeal mixture into your mould
7.Flatten off the top and allow to cool
8.Once it's turned out your loaf will look like a lemon cheecake and smell divine. The oatmeal will be a great exfoliator too.
If you wanted to get fancy, you could add a third layer of white between the yellow and the oatmeal base, or even whip up your yellow base so it was fluffy.

Tea Tree and Linseed Soap Loaf

1 Kilo of Transparent Melt & Pour soap base Tea Tree Essential Oil
Green Colouring
50g of Linseeds
1 x Medium sized Loaf mould (1 kilo capacity)
1 x Ready made bar of Dark Green M&P soap (use the basic recipe for melt and pour)
1.Divide your soap base into 3 equal parts
2.Melt one part with no added colour or scent
3.Stir in your linseeds and pour into the mould
4.Spray with alcohol to remove bubbles
5.Allow to set
6.Melt your second part and add green colouring and your tea tree oil
7.Spray your mould with alcohol and pour in the green base
8.Allow to set
9.Grate up your bar of green soap
10.Melt your third part of base
11.Mix in the green grated shreds
12.Spray your mould with alcohol
13.Pour in to the mould
This mixture makes a really eye catching loaf and the linseeds are great for exfoliating whilst adding an interesting feature

Banana Slice Soaps (Makes 4 bars)

150g Transparent Melt and Pour base
350g Opaque Melt and Pour base
Yellow colouring
Banana Scent
Dried Banana Chips
4 x soap bar moulds (Square or rectangular)
1.Place your banana chips over the base of each mould. You should be able to fit in 3 or four of these. Make sure they are flat on the bottom and do not overlap or stick out.
2.Melt your clear base
3.Carefully pour in ever such a tiny amount of the base so as to just cover the chips.
4.Spray with alcohol to remove bubbles
5.Allow to set
6.Melt your opaque base and add your scent and yellow colouring until it is a nice banana colour
7.Spray your moulds with alcohol
8.Pour in and allow to set
When you turn these out the chips should be visible in a thin layer of clear on top of a lovely banana looking base. Great fun for kids and really popular at fairs. These are my biggest seller. You may need to adjust the amount of M&P you use depending on your mould size, but practise makes perfect.
Claire Mackaness

Real Chocolate Cream Body Scrub

This is very simple to make and the ingredients are cheap!
2 tbsp emulsifying ointment ? I got a large jar of this from the chemist for less than £2
3 tbsps vegetable oil ? I used sweet almond, but any oil will do as long as it doesn?t have a powerful scent of its own, e.g. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp cetearyl alcohol
75gms plain chocolate
150mls boiled spring water
2 tsps cocoa powder
2 tbsp ground rice ? I ground mine in a coffee grinder to give a rougher texture than bought ground rice. Ground apricot kernels or similar would work just as well.
1.5mls liquid parabens or Citrozine
Put the emulsifying ointment, vegetable oil, cetearyl alcohol, and plain chocolate into a pyrex bowl. Place over a pan of simmering water until all melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the water and the cocoa powder (I use a balloon whisk, but an electric whisk is fine). Place the bowl into a basin of cold water to speed things up and stir slowly with the whisk until thickened. Stir in the ground rice and parabens or Citrozine, then spoon into a clean jar. If you like the scrub thinner or thicker, adjust the water accordingly.
This has proved a great favourite with my friends and smells just amazing in the shower!! I made about a litre of it to give away over the Christmas period. Leaves you feeling very soft and pampered.
Kate Lawrence

Sam Spiritwood's Whipped facial butter

This is an intensely moisturising but light butter which is non greasy. You can use any essential oil that you prefer but these ones were chosen for being specifically great for the face. All of the ingredients were obtained from "The Soap Kitchen" apart from the oils which were already in the house. They do sell them though.
30ml jojoba oil (organic)
10ml hemp seed oil (organic)
50g organic Shea butter
100g Babassu oil
10ml Vitamin E
12 drops each of Jasmine, rose (both are usually blended due to price) essential oils 2 x drops french lavender
2 x drops lemon
8 x drops sandalwood
Melt the solid butters (Shea, Babassu) until liquid and then shove in the rest of the ingredients. MIx well and place the lot into a plastic tub and put in the freezer. Once it starts to get solid around the sides, you need to whip it out of the freezer and use a food mixer to mix it up until it doubles in size. This will fill the mixture with air and make it look like a good butter cream icing.
This will make a very light and airy facial moisturiser which can be stored in glass jars (even a jam jar will do). Be warned that one you start to whip this stuff, you will end up with quite a lot of it. It should look and feel mousse-like on your skin and then melt away into nothing. This is best used at night as it is very intensive. Can also be used all over the body if wished.

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