There are two things that have recently turned me into a bath person.
The first being my big tub. The second being these homemade Honey Lavendar Stress relief bath melts.
I am finding that I absolutely love to put my hair up into a messy bun, fill my tub with super hot water, close the door, put on my favorite Pandora relaxation station, set a candle, add in a glorious bath melt and relax my troubles away.
I usually am more of a quick shower girl..since I am constantly running, taking care of my kids, worrying about meals and my to-do list. But ever since I started making my own melts my baths have now increased to once per week. And they are glorious.
Because I am on a homemade beauty product kick, I thought it would be fun to make my own bath melts. Not only would I save money making my own (store bought melts and bath bombs run around $6-$10 a piece) but I would also be able to make a big batch at once. This way I could store them in a jar by my tub and so they would be ready for the random evening when I need some time to decompress, relieve super sore muscles and enjoy some quiet relaxation. Plus these would make a nice gift too.
Here are my ingredients:
— 50 grams Shea Butter
— 50 grams Cocoa Butter
— 1/4 teaspoon Yogi brand Honey Lavendar Stress Relief Herbal Organic Tea
— 1 teaspoon lavendar flowers (you can also find this at your local craft store possibly.. or dry your own to use)
— 30 drops Lavender essential oil (my favorite brand)
To make these just weigh out the 50 grams of the shea butter and cocoa butter on a scale. If you don’t have a scale you can measure out around 1/4 cup of each instead. Using a double boiler or your microwave, melt the butters together until melted. Break open a tea bag and measure out 1/4 teaspoon of the herbs inside. Add the tea and lavender to the melted shea/cocoa butter mixture. Stir to combine.
Put your silicone mold on a cookie sheet. Take your essential oils and drop 2 drops into each heart in the mold. Then pour your melted mixture into the mold.
Allow to cool (I stuck mine into the freezer for 20 minutes) and then pop your melts right out of the silicone tray. Makes 15 melts in this batch. That is 15 gloriously relaxing bath nights.
I know how you all love the price break down on my projects so here it is:
If you have none of the ingredients it would cost you around $60 to get all the supplies, but you will have lots of extra cocoa butter and shea butter to use for other projects like chapstick or lotions. Plus a mold to use again and again.
Actual price breakdown per batch of 15 melts:
- Shea butter: $1.54 for the batch
- cocoa Butter: about $1.30 for the batch
- Tea: around $3.00 for a 16 pack, you use 1/10 of 1 tea bag. = $0.30
- Lavender: Found $3.00 bag at Hobby Lobby – used 1/10 of bag = $0.30
- Essential oil: 250 drops in a 15mL bottle/$21.00 = $0.08 per drop. You use 30 drops in this batch = $2.40
Final price: $5.84 for 15 melts. That means they are each only $.39 per melt!
What a great price. And they would make for a thrifty gift too. Just add a batch to a little jar and you have a lovely homemade thoughtful gift.
Hope you love them!!
By the way, are you a shower person or a bath person?
xoxo
Karrie
How do they hold up in a warm environment, like the bathroom? Do they melt or get soft in the container?
They are solid at room temperature, and will melt in hot bath water.
Can I add real honey?
I haven’t ever tried really honey in this recipe before.
I’ve attempted to use liquid honey in this recipe but I didn’t have good results(unless I didn’t blend it correctly). What happened with my batch was the honey and shea butter(no cocoa butter) didn’t really mix(like oil and water) and when I spooned the mix into my molds, I could see the honey was still separate. While cooling in the freezer, the honey sank to the bottom of the molds so when I popped out the bath melts, the honey was mostly left behind. I ended up scraping off the honey from each failed bath melt and throwing in back in my makeshift double boiler to melt down and be poured again(plus scrubbing out my molds). Perhaps I needed raw honey instead of liquid – I’m not too sure.
Used dry/powdered honey
I used raw honey and even though it didn’t totally melt into the mix, it mixed in enough and worked!
Mine seem to stay on the oily side. Will they dry up after time?
No, they don’t really dry up.
Have you had issues with these clogging the drain and potentially the sewer system?
No, I haven’t had any problems so far! 🙂
All you have to do is boil water and just pour it down the tub drain I have a septic system and the plumber said to it once a week to get rid of the oils that clog up on the pipes.
Can you add food coloring? Make them prettier?
I’m sure you could, but it might color your tub…
I don’t think food coloring would mix, since they are all oils, and food coloring is water based. You could use body safe soap colorants or natural plant powders to color them.
You can get special coloring for these that’s water solvable and won’t color you or the tub–same place karrie listed for the Chapstick tubes actually. But I’m confused how they only cost three dollars a batch if the lavender is 2.40 by itself? I was curious though if the tea remnants floating around in the tub would cause issues with draining eventually? I’m a bath-every-chance-I-get kinda gal!
That’s what I was curious about too. I think she accidentally miscalculated. I got that they were about $0.39 per melt, which is still a great deal.
Whoopsie…did I mess up on my math? I will have to go and calculate again, thanks for letting me know.
To prevent clogging, I use a sift in my bath when I am letting the water out. I stops them form going down the drain. We bought some cheap ones at a hardware store and my son specially bend it to fit over plug.
I love this idea, but what about leaving any tub residue?
There was a teeny bit of oils and a few herbs left over, but you can just wipe them out. 🙂 Or let them go down the drain.
Oh, okay, no problem. I just imagined oil all around the tub! Of course, I have a very large tub and would problem use several of them, so that’s probably what I *would* have! 😉
I have a big tub too and you only need one..trust me on that. 🙂
Do you use unrefined-raw Shea butter and cocoa butter?
THANK YOU for posting this! I have a bunch of aunties and cousins that will be getting these for Christmas!
What do the butters do when they are cold? They get hard. This is the perfect way to clog your plumbing.
I’m betting that the amount of oils would be more then fine in the plumbing. I use simliar product for my daughter that is coconut oil based and I’ve had NO issues and I’ve been doing it here and there for over a year now.
If I wanted to add coconut oil how much should I add and would it ruin the recipe? Or could I exchange one of the butters for the oil?
JJ, you should be able to sub out one of the other butters for the coconut butter/oil.
I offer a few tips:
If you want the lavender or other herbs, but don’t want the mess, you can put the melts in an old nylon knee high sock. Just drop the melt into the knee high, gently knot it off so you can re-use it again. It will hold most of the large particles. Drop it into the tub, should be very little mess.
My other all time favorite is the coconut oil from Trader Joe’s. At 5.99 a pound I think it’s a good deal. I also mail order from Vitacost.com. Their coconut oil price the last time I ordered was 16.99 for 54 ounces. Coconut oil is cost effective, especially if you use food grade; you can cook with it, use it on you hair, body so on. A multi taking product.
I tried Coconut oil & Shea butter. Did not work. They were so soft couldn’t pick up after dumping from mold.
How about adding a little bit of beeswax? Just to adjust the softening problem. Could that work? It should melt in hot water.
I tried bath melts last nite. I like the scent but I didn’t like how it left my bathtub slippery and I did have to scrub the tub after. Having to clean the tub out after a relaxing bath is no fun.
You could leave out the tea & use these as a massage bar to moisture after shower like Lush massage bars. Just warm them in your hands & rub the bars on your legs etc.
That is an amazing idea!! I LOVE the Lush lotion bars they are wonderful…
I do not know what the Lush lotion bars are, but the best way to moisturize your skin from what I have discovered, (and it is THE all time moisture secret, money makers and other peoples do not reveal), is that when you get out of the shower/bath, and before you dry off, rub lotion all over your body.
Keep in mind you do not need but very very tiny amounts to cover your body. The water dilutes the lotion in perfect proportion naturally. You only want a thin ‘film-ish’ sort of layer of lotion on you.
Then, allow yourself to dry without toweling. Dry naked. Doesn’t take long. This method will leave your body so silky and smooth for a week or longer.
This is THE way to get rid of dry skin especially in the winter or if you have super dry skin naturally.
You will find how much less you will need lotion and how much money you save. You would save even more making lotion on your own and using this method.
AND …. for lotion lovers (used instead of perfumes etc) you will only need a small amount to satisfy that fresh-lotion feel. You will already feel silky.
One more added benefit is you can mix water in a little spray bottle (travel size or whatever) and mix half a teaspoon or less of lotion and use this also to apply lotion to your skin. As often as you want. (This is the other secret )
The water really is doing all of the work for you. It pulls the lotion into the skin.
This is why you are constantly reapplying lotion.
The water mixture costs a fortune in department stores and Whole Foods etc.
Yes oils are great to soak in and yes you have to scrub it all out if you do not want to slipnslide but they are fun. I use this method however and I do not fuss with the cost of lotion/ A bottle will last me such a long time when used this way.
You do not need lotion to smooth your skin. The oils in your body are what you want drawn to the surface. Same with hair.
Washing with soaps everyday and the shampoos strip your natural magical already given solution of your very own oil and I have found that using this water mix drying natural is the best at preserving what I already have as a magical healing to dry skin.
My daughter and I made a lot of these for gifts this year. She is 9 and loved that she could basically do all the steps without my help. (with the exception of the hot measuring cup out of the microwave) These turned out perfect and we are very excited to give them out!
Just wondering how water and the oily fatty ingrexients mix
They don’t mix, the oils rise to the top of the tub and get all over you, leaving you with all the good stuff on your skin.
These sounded awesome. My daughter and I made some tonight all went real easy until she came down stairs and said they are melting into mush. I double checked the measurements and directions and did them correct. Any ideas. I want to keep making them. thanks
I haven’t had this problem with my bath melts. The only thing I can think of is if they were stored in a warm room. Maybe try putting them in a cooler room and see if that helps them solidify better!
Just made my first batch tonight. I’m so excited to give these along with a few other homemade items as gifts. I was planning to mail some to a friend. We will see how it turns out. Thanks for the idea!
Love your site!! I am totally a bath person!! I love the water hot, even in the summer. In one of the comments, someone asked if these held up in the jar. My house gets hot during the day. Should I keep them in the fridge?? I have to keep my homemade deodorant in the fridge.
Try it out and see if they start to melt. If they do stick them in the fridge!
Can you use refined butters for this or does it have to be unrefined?
I recently started making a lot of things here at home (dishwasher tabs, laundry detergent, etc…) and when I came across these lovelies I knew I had to try them. I am thrilled with the results! I love these tabs and how relaxing it is to run a nice hot bath and throw one of these puppies in. I will definitely be giving these as a gift this Christmas! I know a lot of ladies who would love them. Thank you so much for the recipe for these. 🙂
Hi,
I’d love to make these! I don’t own a scale so the bit where you write “you can measure out around 1/2 cup of each instead” was helpful. Just curious, how many 1/2 cups would you say that you could get out of the 16oz tubs?
All the best,
Jon
About 4 of them! 🙂
I re-read the instructions and I see that they say to measure 1/4C of each not 1/2C of each. Did I miss something?
It is really 1/4 of a cup–just a mistype early on in the recipe but one of our awesome readers found it and it was corrected!
You said in the Instructions that if you don’t have a scale to measure out 1/2 cup of each butter – which would be a Total of 1/2 a cup. I looked up a shea butter conversion calculator on the Internet & it says that a US cup = 218 grams, divide that by 4 & that is 54.5 grams. So it looks like 50 grams = 1/4 cup. Is this correct??? Is this recipe suppose to be a total of 1/2 cup or 1 cup of both butters combined?
I had another question (I forgot) — in some of the pictures it looks like they have the tea & lavender settled to the bottom of the molds. How do I get this effect (because I like how this looks)? Does this happen (anyway) as they cool down? Or do I have to sprinkle some extra tea & lavender BEFORE I add the mix to the Molds?
It just naturally happened that the lavender and tea went to the bottom of the mold! 🙂
Question: what is the recommended (Bath Melt) size for 1 (regular size bath tub)?
My Molds may be larger then the one you used…..Because (for me) this recipe only made — (8) 1-Tablespoon sized Melts. Should they have been 1/2 that size?
If so I measured out – they should be 1-1/2 Teaspoons (or 1/2 Tablespoon) per Melt.
I tried these last night & very easy to make & came out just like the pictures!!!
My mold had 15 hearts – 1.1-inch by 3/4-inch high. I got 15 out of this recipe. So maybe next time just fill your molds halfway and you will get more from it. 🙂
I tried the ones I made that I measured out 1-1/2 Teaspoon size & it was perfect for a regular size bath tub. Thanks alot really like this recipe!!!
You are right–thank you! It’s changed!
I think your final cost is off.
1.54+1.30+.30+.30+2.40= 5.84
5.84/15= .389
About .40 per 15 melts
Yep!
Can a layer of sea salt be put in the bottom of the mold before putting in the melted mixture? I’ve purchased bath melts recently that had a layer of pink sea salt on them.
Ooh that sounds great! I haven’t tried it before but I definitely think it’s worth a try!
These are super cute! If you wanted, you could add your essential oil directly to your oil mix. If you used your glass pyrex as a “double boiler” as sorts, you could pour right into your mold & save on dishes, which we’re all about 😉 Any extra can be stored in the pyrex covered with saran wrap until next time!
I just made these and had a bath with them, and they’re fab! Thanks for the recipe :-). They’ve left my skin lovely and soft. I’d like to make them as a favour for my wedding- any idea how far in advance I’d be able to make them so that they would still be fresh and lovely 🙂
What a great idea! I would say you could make them 3 months before the wedding. The hard part would be finding a place to store them where they won’t melt especially over the summer! Congrats on your upcoming wedding!
Thank you so much Karrie! These are ADORABLE and such a great gift idea. I can’t wait to make them. I love that they’re made of all natural ingredients too. I used to make crafts all the time but haven’t in several years. This just got me excited again. I can’t wait to explore the rest of your page. Thank you! 🙂
How would you store these?
I was thinking about giving them as gifts.
Thanks!
Hello
These are wonderful- easy to make and feel/smell amazing. I stored them in a kilner jar (sealed) and unfortunately they went mouldy within a week 🙁 I’d like to make some for Christmas for gifts this week. Any tips on storage?
Many thanks x
I love these! I copied your recipe, but made a blend of lavender and sandalwood oils and used heather flowers (the lavender flowers I had have gone dull). They are incredible in the bath, the only problem I’m facing is that they don’t store well. I’m finding it difficult to keep them dry at room temp. Any advice? Lukas
I want to make these and use in the shower cause I’m not a big tub fan so I can’t wait to try them!
Just wondering what the shelf life is for these? Just made a batch for my mum for Yule 🙂
I kept mine for 6 months the first time, so they should last quite a while.
Do you use unrefined or refined? I find that the unrefined have such a stronger smell and it can be hard to smell the actual essential oil in them. Also have you tried them in paper baking cups? I’ve seen a few recipes with them and wonder if they peel off easily?
I think I used refined, but can’t remember! I haven’t tried in paper cups, but let me know if you do! I’m sure they would work.