by Melanie Marten

Created on: August 12, 2008   Last Updated: August 14, 2008

When one thinks of all natural bath and beauty products, visions of pretty flowers, fragrant herbs, and delicately colored oils and creams come to mind first. With all the interest in aromatherapy and essential oils, these items do form the basis of most natural bath and beauty products. But they are not alone. This article covers ten unusual ingredients which are helpful for bath and beauty products you can make at home.

Natural Bath and Beauty Products - Arrowroot Powder

Made from the arrowroot plant, this ingredient does much the same job as baking soda in natural bath and beauty products. Its consistency is finer than cornstarch but heavier than rice flour. Its ability to dry things out is perfect for foot powders.

Natural Bath and Beauty Products - Borax

Borax is one of the more difficult to locate ingredients in natural bath and beauty products. It is often used as a laundry additive. It can be used as a stabilizer and a drying agent in cosmetics and powders.

Natural Bath and Beauty Products - Camphor

Coming from a tree of the same name, camphor has a strong, astringent scent and is used most often in sports creams and tinctures designed to clear the sinuses.

Natural Bath and Beauty Products - Dead Sea Salts

Sea salts from the Dead Sea have a higher mineral content than other sea salts and are thus prized for natural bath products. They are used for bath salts most often.

Natural Bath and Beauty Products - French or China Clay

These naturally occuring earth varieties are used in skin clarifying facial beauty masks. They absorb excess oil and tighten pores and can have cleansing properties as well.

Natural Bath and Beauty Products - Fuller's Earth

Like the aforementioned clays, fuller's earth is also used in clarifying facial masks. This all natural bath and beauty ingredient can also be used as a biding agent in cosmetics.

Natural Bath and Beauty Products - Loofah

Not only can you use the entire dried loofah fruit to scrub your skin in the shower, it is also used in the preparation of natural bath and beauty products. Shredded finely, loofah can be used for exfoliation in body scrubs.

Natural Bath and Beauty Products - Powdered Milk

Milk is very soothing to the skin, and can help soften it as well. Although liquid milk gives the same benefits, the powdered variety is both easier to store and use in dry bath and beauty products.

Natural Bath and Beauty Products - Salycilic Acid

Despite its chemistry lab name, this product is actually aspirin. Crush pure aspirin tablets (not an analgesis blend) and use in bath and beauty products where you require anticeptic properties. It works very well against dandruff as well.

Natural Bath and Beauty Products - White Vinegar

Made from fermented fruit or wine, vinegar comes in many varieties. Not only can it be used to make flower or herb infusions, white vinegar by iteslfe is a wonderful skin toner and an anti-fungal treatment for feet and nails.

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