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products to help you feel pure and fresh at the beginning of every day.

AROMATHERAPY SOAPS

Add your favorite oils, specific to your skin type, into a bar of soap to customize it exclusively to your needs:

Your first step in making your own aromatherapy soap is to buy a tub of glycerin soap base from a specialist supplier if you can't find one, a bar of pure glycerin soap will do.

Melt 250g of glycerin in a non-stick pot over a very low heat until it is totally liquidized.

Mix in 30-40 drops of your chosen essential oils, plus any herbs of flowers you desire, and then pour into a container to set (a small margarine tub is a good substitute if you can't find a proper mold).

After an hour, the soap should have set and is ready for use. You can cut it into smaller bars if you need to, and give some to friends as gifts.

Aromatherapy soaps often don't produce as much of a lather as shop bought ones, but don't let this put you off. The foam may feel nice, but its effects in helping you to keep clean are actually minimal. By making your own soaps you know exactly what ingredients you are using on your skin.

OILS TO USE

Sunburned/damaged skin:
Chamomile
Tea tree
Sandalwood
Lavender

Deodorizing:
Bergamot
Neroli
Cypress
Rosemary
Lemon
Lemongrass
Peppermint
Lavender

Refreshing:
Bergamot
Peppermint
Grapefruit

Moisturizing:
Sandalwood
Lavender
Geranium
Rose
Wheatgerm
Ylang ylang
Chamomile

CLEANSING GELS

As well as soaps, you can make fragrant and effective aromatherapy gels to help your skin tone and soothe problem areas such as dry, flaky skin.

Soothing bath gel:
10 drops peppermint
4 drops tea tree
50ml aloe vera

Sunburn and blisters gel:
15 drops lavender oil
50ml aloe vera

EXFOLIATING SOAPS

Using an exfoliating facial scrub or soap bar to rub off dead skin cells will work wonders in helping your skin to feel refreshed as well as clean. Exfoliating soaps prevent dull and uneven skin tones by removing build-up of dead skin cells. Exfoliating products are often called scrubs, but you should take care only to gently rub when using them on the face.

Dry-normal skin:

20 drops lavender
10 drops rose
2 teaspoons cornmeal
250g glycerin base.

Normal-greasy skin:

30 drops tea tree oil
2 teaspoons oatmeal
250g glycerin base.

Learn more about this author, Janette Peel.
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