Get a kitchen-based beauty treatment: Make toiletries at home

Several city residents make their toiletries at home; we ask some to share their recipes.

An increasing number of people these days are opting for kitchen-based remedies for beauty treatments. Manisha Dutta, who used to be an advertising professional, founded a toiletry brand in 2014. She makes organic bath and body products.

Organic sugar bath bombs made at home.

On the other hand, Alka Shah, who is a homemaker, started making such products initially for her family. Soon, her items became popular, and she began receiving orders. For others, it was about adapting their lifestyle to a particular skin condition.

For instance, Shabia Walia’s concern for the products she used on her baby daughter got her tinkering with home-based toiletries. Doing so eventually made her switch careers. Walia ended her 10-year career in the media, and opened a soap and cream manufacturing company in 2014. Then there are those — like corporate professional Rahul Tiwari — who make their own body wash during weekends.

Read: Straight from the kitchen: 5 natural ways to straighten hair

Here, we get these city residents to share a few simple recipes for home-made toiletries.

Home-made organic shower gel made at home. (Rahul Tiwari)

Body wash

Ingredients

For the soap solution

•1 bar of organic soap (we took the sandalwood flavour)

•16 cups of water

For the moisturising solution

•3tbsp olive oil

•1tbsp coconut oil

•3tbsp honey

•1tsp castor oil

•Sandalwood flavoured essential oil (4-5 drops depending upon the fragrance requirement)

Method to make the soap solution

•Heat the water, and add the grated soap bar

•Stir it occasionally

•Empty it in a container (don’t make it brimful; leave some space)

•Leave the solution for around 6 hours

•The mixture will become thick

•Add water to the mixture to get the desired consistency

Note - This will help you make a jug of soap solution that can be used to make the bodywash several times

Method to make the moisturising solution

•Mix all the oils, honey and essential oil, and stir

•Add 4tbsp soap solution to the moisturising solution and mix well.

•Store it in a container and stir well before usage

- Rahul Tiwari, Corporate Professional

Sugar bath bomb made using coconut oil.

Sugar Bath Bombs

Ingredients

•1 cup sugar

•1/2 cup organic soap, shredded

•1/4 cup almond or coconut oil

•A few drops of essential oil

•1 to 2 drops of food colour

Method

•Take the shredded soap and melt it in a microwave at high temperatures; give regular intervals of 10 seconds to avoid the soap from boiling. The soap should just about melt. If you can’t use a microwave, you could also use a double boiler to melt your soap

•Once the soap has melted, you have to move quickly. Add almond or coconut oil to the melted soap. Add a few drops of essential oil and of food colouring, as per your choice of fragrance and colour

•Lastly, add granulated sugar and mix it all together. Do this before the soap starts to set

•Now, either roll the mixture into nice round balls or press them into a cupcake or a heart shaped mould. You can choose any shape you like. You can also set them as a big bar and then cut them into cubes

•Leave the sugar bath bombs to cool and set for an hour or so. You can also pop them in the freezer for 30 minutes to set them

•Once the bombs have set, twist the mould in order to remove the bombs from the mould

•Store them in a dry jar. Use one crumbled sugar bomb per bath. Since it has sugar, oils and soap, it serves as a soap, exfoliant scrub and moisturiser, all rolled into one.

- Shabia Walia, founder, Wild Earth

Home-made moisturiser made with cocoa butter and coconut oil.

Moisturiser

Ingredients

•30gm beeswax

•50gm cocoa butter

•50gm shea butter

•125ml coconut oil

•Handful of dried calendula/lavender flowers

•10-20 drops of essential oils

Method

•Place beeswax, along with shea and cocoa butter, over a double boiler, and gently warm over low heat until they melt

•Add coconut oil to it. Remove from heat and add the essential oil

•Add calendula or dried lavender and let it steep

•Quickly pour into prepared tins or glass jars and allow the mixture to cool completely

•Salves should be stored in a cool location where they will remain semi-solid and will not continue to re-melt and re-solidify. If stored correctly, the salves will last for 1- 3 years.

- Manisha Dutta, founder, Cape Of Good Soap

Hibiscus toner made using fresh hibiscus flowers.

Hibiscus toner

Ingredients

•Water

•Fresh hibiscus flowers

Method

•Boil hibiscus flowers in water

•Cool and strain

•Store this concoction in the fridge. Now, you can use it as a toner or as a facial mist. It can also be used for a bath in a tub, or as a hair rinse. You can also consume the concoction with green tea as well.

- Alka Shah, homemaker

Read: Get set to glow and shine with these quick remedies and make-up trends