The Natural Beauty Workshop

Coco-Lime Bath Cookies

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo The Natural Beauty Workshop has put together a special bath tub recipe. Inspired by the traditional baked good, Mexican Wedding Cookies, the following recipe will add a delightful, fizzy twist to your next bath.  This all natural recipe is full of skin loving ingredients.  Rice Bran Powder is known to help soother and balance skin.  Mango Butter and Organic Virgin Coconut Cream Oil add moisturizing properties to the bath, while Coconut Milk softens and conditions the skin.   

Coco-Lime Bath Cookies

Ingredients
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Rice Bran Powder (coarse or fine)
1 cup Cornstarch
1/2 cup Coconut Milk Powder (for mixture)
1/2 cup Coconut Milk Powder (for topping)
1 tbs. Cocoa Powder
2 oz. Organic Virgin Coconut Cream Oil
2 oz. Mango Butter
5 tsp. Lime Essential Oil
1 cup Baking Soda
1/2 cup Citric Acid

Directions
Warm the Mango Butter and Organic Virgin Coconut Cream Oil in a double boiler or a hot water bath until completely melted.  Remove the Mango Butter and Coconut Oil from the heat, allowing it to cool slightly, but not to harden.  Next, line a small baking sheet with waxed paper and set it to the side.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the Brown Sugar, Rice Bran Powder, Coconut Milk Powder, Cornstarch, and Cocoa Powder.  Stir the ingredients well, making sure to break up any clumps in the powders or sugars.  Since these ingredients can be a little clumpy by nature, you may want to grind the mixture in a blender or food processor to achieve a totally even consistency.  However, a few small clumps will not damage the cookies, so if that is totally optional.  In a second mixing bowl, combine the Baking Soda and Citric Acid.  Again, make sure to work out any clumps in the mixture.  Next, combine the two bowls of dry ingredients and mix well.  Add the Lime Essential Oil to the melted Coconut Oil and Mango Butter than pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients.  Begin stirring and kneading the mixture immediately.  You must work quickly at this point to get the cookies formed and placed onto the baking sheet.  Using your hands, form tablespoon sized balls of the mixture.  Roll the balls in the Coconut Milk Powder, covering them completely.  Place the balls onto the baking sheet then press them down gently, flattening the top.  They should be similar in shape to a gingersnap or sugar cookie.  Continue shaping cookies with the remaining mixture.  Allow the cookies to harden for a full 24 hours before attempting to remove them from the baking sheet.  After 24 hours the cookies should be hard enough to be handled and packaged.
 
Usage & Packaging
Mexican Wedding Bath Cookies should be stored in a tightly sealed bag or container.  Moisture or humidity can cause the cookies to fizz or "flower" prematurely.  These cookies look adorable in our Cello Bags or 1/2 lb. Tin Tie Bags.  To use the Cookies, simply drop one or two into a warm bath.  They will fizz and bubble, filling the bath with the delightful aroma of Lime and Coconut. 

Valentine's Day Bath Tub Tea

Drop a heart shaped tea bag into your bath to add a little love to your tub.

Bath tea is a favorite bath treat of mine.  You can pack a lot of goodness into one little tea bag.  Herbs, milk powders, and salts are just a few of the many things you can stuff inside these single serving bath treats.  Best of all, the herbs will be safely contained inside the bag, keeping your tub (and plumbing) safe from a messy situation.  Fusible tea bags can be used as-is or cut into fun shapes.  In honor of Valentine's Day, I've made up a batch of heart shaped bags and filled them with an especially romantic recipe.

Valentine's Day Bath Tub Tea

Ingredients
1/2 cup Sea Salt, Medium
1/4 cup Shavegrass c/s
1/4 cup Oatstraw Tops
1/4 cup Calendula Petals
1/4 cups Lavender Buds Powder
1/2 cup Red Rose Petals

13 Large Tea Bags

 Essential Oil Blend
12 drops Bergamot Essential Oil
12 drops Mandarin Essential Oil
8 drops Lavender Essentail Oil
6 drops Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
6 drops Geranium Essential Oil

To Make the Tea
Pour the Sea Salt into a stainless steel mixing bowl.  Add the essential oil blend to the salt, stirring well to evenly disperse the oil.  Next, add the dried herbs and mix well.  Cover the bowl and set aside until the teabags are ready to be filled.

Cutting and Filling Tea Bags
Begin by counting out 13 tea bags.  Fold the tea bags in half and use a pencil to trace half of a heart onto the bag.  Make sure that the middle of the heart lies on the fold.  To make sealing and filling easier, trace a heart that is large enough to touch the top and bottom edges of the bag.  Cut out your heart, unfold, and set aside.  You can cut your hearts out lengthwise or crosswise.  One direction will give you a tall heart, the other will give you a fat heart.  I've cut both to show you the difference. 

Next, you'll need to seal 3/4 of the edges of the heart shaped tea bags.  Set an iron to a dry setting on medium to high heat.  Carefully run the hot iron over the edges of the tea bag.  Try to seal 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch into the bag, leaving a good sized space for filling.  Be sure to leave at least 1-2 inches of the bag open.  You'll need this open space in order to fill the tea bag.

Once your tea bags are ready, you can fill them up!  Each bag will be able to hold around 2 tablespoons of the tea mixture.  Try not to overfill the bags, as they will be harder to seal.  If you end up with extra tea mixture, simply cut and prep more tea bags.  After filling each bag, carefully seal the opening with your iron.  If you are having trouble sealing a bag, check to see if you have the right sides of the bag together.  If the wrong side of the fusible paper is facing out, the bag will not seal properly.

The finished tea bags can be packaged in a number of ways.  Cello bags, or Tin Tie Bags are my favorite ways to show off the tea bags, but be creative!  Clear takeout boxes, specialty envelopes, or muslin bags, are some other nice ideas.  Try presenting your bath teas inside a vintage tea cup, or in a basket of gourmet scented soaps.

To Use
Simply drop one or two tea bags into warm bath water to release the aromatic essential oils.  The herbs inside the bag will steep in water, creating a relaxing, herbal bath.  The salt crystals will dissolve on their own, giving the bath additional detoxifying, and circulatory benefits.

Tips and Suggestions
This recipe can be easily customized or altered to suit your tastes.  Try changing the essential oil blend, or selecting different herbs.  Milk powders, Clays, Water Soluble Extracts, or Grain Products can also be added to bath teas.  Like salt, they will dissolve into the water when added to the bath.