Deodorants and Body Cream making

Good Morning everyone,

Last night was our last workshop night for this week and we made lovely natural deodorant blocks and Body Cream.  I first spent the first hour explaining each product to our lovely ladies.  I also explained to them the purpose of each ingredient used within the formulas and how each of them benefit their skin and enhance the products' textures and applications.  We then proceeded by making the 2 products.  The first products made were the deodorant blocks because they needed to cool down and harden in order for them to take their block home with them.  The deodorant block we made is specially designed to allow one to sweat as here at The Body Bar, we know that sweating is an important and natural process our bodies undergo.  The Body Bar deodorant block is designed to kill the bacteria that thrive under our armpits using natural active ingredients, to prevent the sweat from smelling.  Our deodorant does not mask the smell nor does it block the pores to prevent sweating.   

Here are the pictures of our lovely ladies making their first deo block:

Weighing all the ingredients for the deodorants block

The ingredients together before the melting process

After melting, the additives are added to the liquid mixture

Stirring the mixture until it is ready to be poured in the moulds

Adding the scent

Finally, the mixture is ready and is poured into the 2 moulds until the deo blocks are completely hard and solid.

The final deo blocks scented with Rooibos, mandarine and vanilla

Whilst the deo blocks were hardening, we proceeded by making the Body creams.  The formula I chose for this workshop is a winter cream.  Thicker than a lotion, it moisturises and nourishes the skin.  It is also easily absorbed by the skin leaving it smooth and velvety.

Here are the pictures of the body cream making process:

The emulsion is starting, the 2 phases are now being blended together

Every drop matters with our formula

Off the heat, the mixture is stirred until completion

Once the mixture has cooled down completely, it is ready to be placed in its final container

The final Body Cream scented with Rooibos, mandarine and vanilla

Well, this is the closure of The Body Bar's first workshop series.  It was a superb experience filled with fun, laughter and lots of information.  Here is what the lovely ladies have to say on their feedback forms:

Q:Have you gained anything on this workshop? If yes, what? If no, why?

Ann:  "An enormous amount! Beautiful products and easy to follow instructions on how to make them."

Joanne: "Yes, so much knowledge and the confidence to make my own products."

Q:Did you find it informative and easy to assimilate?

Ann: "Very informative and the manual is a great help."

Joanne: "Absolutely!"

Q:Do you feel confident to practice the art of making natural cosmetics 

unsupervised? Why?

Ann: "Yes, the manual is very explicit and easy to follow and Sarah is just a phone call away!"

Joanne: "Yes, thanks to Sarah's clear instructions and passion."

Q: Anything more you would like to say?

Ann: "Sarah's passion and knowledge of her products are truly inspirational.  We had so much fun! I can't wait to put all I have learnt into practice.  Sarah's attention to detail is phenomenal."

Joanne: "No, just thank you!"

Q: Have I inspired you? Has the process inspired you?

Ann: "Yes, absolutely. Thank you very very much.  Thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge."

Joanne: "Yes! yes, yes."

Thank you so much ladies for starting this creative journey with me.  It was fun, exciting and the most important of all for me is the experience you and I have gained from this workshop.  

Having made each product from start to finish , these ladies are now equipped with the knowledge and experience required to recreate all the products by themselves. 

Thank you for visiting The Body Bar today

Have a fantastic Friday

ox Sarah xo 

Bath Bombs and Bath Salts making

Good Morning Everyone,

Last night was The body Bar's Bath Bombs and Bath Salts workshop.  The first session was all about information.  I explained the ins and outs of bath products, their content and their purpose.  I believe that it is not a coincidence that people tend to gravitate around the ocean.  Most people plan their holidays around the ocean and the beach seriously have an appeal that draws people to it.  Recreating the salt water in our baths has been used for many therapies as the minerals in the water are essential for the overall health of our skin.  Bath products may seem unnecessary to the rushed and a must for the body conscious.  Essentially bath products are designed to relax the muscles, sedate the nervous system, reduce muscle pain, detox and purify the skin and replenish our bodies with much needed minerals and nutrients.  

The first products we made were bath butter bombs.  These fantastic bombs are designed to fizz in the bath and release their goodness in the water in which you soak, soak and soak. We added some Shea and Cocoa butters to the bombs for their nourishing and moisturising properties.

Here are the pictures from last night's bath butter bombs making:

Our lovely ladies weighing the ingredients for the bath butter bombs

Weighing the butters for the bombs

After mixing all the ingredients together, we need to pack the mixture into shape.  It looks a lot easier than it actually is.

Still packing the mixture into moulds

Time to remove some of them from the mould

Packing and unpacking the bombs

The final butter bombs scented with a sweet and spicy ambiance fragrance.

Then, we made the bath salts and here are the pictures:

Our lovely lady evenly mixing the dry ingredients together

Adding the additives

Adding the Cucumber and Aloe scent

Mixing all the ingredients into a uniform, even mixture

We separated the mixture and coloured them individually to layer the salts in the container.

Our ladies layering their bath salts into their containers

The final product scented with cucumber and aloe

Now remember, all these products are handmade with love for the very first time by our fantastic ladies and I think they are doing an amazing job.  It is so  exciting to share this with them and see the value they are getting from it.  Just through their sharing, I see that they are inspired and already creating their next formulas in their heads.  They can already see how they and their loved ones can benefit from the products.  We are having loads of fun and sharing loads of laughter which makes me know that they are loving it and enjoying these newly learnt skills.

Thank you for visiting the blog today

Come back tomorrow for our deodorant and cream making update

Have a wonder full day

ox Sarah xo

Body Scrub making workshop

Good Morning Everyone,

Last night was the very first body scrub making workshop I have done and it was amazing.  For 3 years now, I have been making and using my own natural body scrubs.  I can notice that it has enhanced the overall quality of my skin.  My skin is stronger, more flexible and less likely to split and dry.

It is always fascinating for me to see that most people do not use scrubs and do not know the importance of this product for the well being of their skin.  It is such an underrated product and should be at the top of everyone's list in my opinion.  I was one of those people, 3 years ago, that had no idea and no desire to use scrubs as part of my routine and i can honestly say that this product has changed not only the way I see my skin but the way I engage my cleaning routine.  Showering has become an exciting part of my life as opposed to a "I have to" exercise.  I now had to pass on my personal experience and the facts about scrubbing to my lovely ladies participating in the making of this fabulous product.  I think they are now definitely going to use this product weekly for the well being of their skin.

During the first session of this workshop, I explained what is a scrub, how it works and how important it is.  Then, done with the talking, all about action, I demonstrated how to use the product to my lovely ladies and we all scrubbed our hands for THE TEST!!!!  Well, well, well, this is when they got it!!!  Talking is all good but the experience tells the story.  I then saw the sparkles in their eyes.  They could now physically see all I'd told them about the product and that for me is magic.  Only then, could we proceed into making the product with hearts filled with jubilation.  

Here are the pictures from the Body Scrub Making Workshop:

Our lovely ladies weighing the dry ingredients within the formula

Weighing some more ingredients

Mixing the dry ingredients.  In this scrub we also added some dried goji beries and cranberries.  Those enhance the scrub and also give it a rustic, yummy look.

Mixing some more

Now weighing the liquid ingredients within the formula

Adding the warm coconut scent

Mixing it all together 

Placing the product into the container

Our lovely ladies with their trophy

The final product

After making our fantastic, delicious scrub, we proceeded to cut our 2 bars of soap made the previous night. The first batch we cut was the green tea and glitter soap they made on their cold process soap making workshop and the second batch was the one I demonstrated.  With a cucumber and aloe scent, green clay and linseeds.  Here are the pictures:

Removing the soap from the mold and its lining.

Green tea and glitter bar of soap

The soap has now been sliced by me to demonstrate how to mark and cut

Marking the soap for further cutting

Cutting the soap

Final soap bar

Now I am cutting the demo bar of cucumber and aloe soap

Final soap bar

I would like to thank these lovely ladies again for making this possible.  Without them, I would not be able to share this experience with you.  They are so inspired, so inspiring and are discovering a world, previously unknown to them.  It is humbling to see such wonderful ladies enjoying and learning the magic behind the glamour.  

Thank you so much for your willingness to have fun and create.

I will be posting tonight's workshop tomorrow so make sure to come back soon to enjoy some new creations.

Have an awesome day

ox Sarah xo