MAKING AROMATHERAPY CREAMS & LOTIONS

I learned a lot reading this book. I now understand where oils come from, how they are processed, which ones are preferred, and what they are used for. The author also includes many great recipes for skin care products. The topics of proper storage and sterilization of the implements used are also covered. If you wanted to go into the business of making skin care products this book is an excellent primer. If you just want to make a few things and experiment, you will quickly realize that an investment in many products may be required to complete the recipes offered here. I’ll keep this book around. It’s a great resource, and I enjoyed reading it.

I’ve been making products for several years now and always love reading different books about making products. Donna Maria is someone I look up to in this industry and I’ve been fortunate to learn a great deal from her and this book is a wonderful extension of all the amazing resources she offers to handmade entrepreneurs. I read through this book in just a few hours, took several inspirational quotes and new tips from it, and highly recommend it. It’s chock full of accurate information and is presented in a very readable and user-friendly way.

I’ve read dozens of books over the years that use the same types of natural ingredients. Donna Maria has uncovered and made available the newest aromatheraputic technologies for the home nuetricutical maker. Some folks have had trouble locating ingredients perhaps like CO2 extracts, hydrosols, and waxes. In the years since the book was first published, these ingredients flourish on the internet…there’s not one I haven’t been able to find. I’m so excited to have a new direction to experiment with for facial and body preparations.

The book is presented in several sections. The first section details useful essential oils and extracts(like Sea Buckthorn Berry), many nutritious plant oils(like Tamanu Oil), and finally emulsifying and thickening agents (like Vegatable Emulsifying Wax).

Then come the recipes. The first recipes are for creams and lotions. These recipes appear to be Donna Maria’s favorite. The only trouble I had with the thickened creations was the addition of some not so natural emulsifying ingredients I would choose not use (such as Vegetable Emulsifying Wax). I would however use the beeswax formulas. Donna Maria states herself that “as much as the addition of these ingredients increase the aesthetic appeal of a product, it does nothing to treat the skin.” Thus the next section:

Skin Elixers. Wonderfully nutritious aromatheraputic concoctions to feed your skin and psyche. These are the 50/50 oil and water recipes. How can you resist recipes like “Dry Skin Sundae” and “Dew Drop”? This is my favorite section, even though there were more recipes for dry skin than my oilier skin.

And as wonderful as the elixers are, there’s more. The final section covers Aromatic Beauty Foods. The fruit-on-your-face kind of recipes with ingredients like Soapwort Root, Clays, EOs, Honey, Mango, Oats, Hydrosols…the list goes on.

This is my new favorite skin care recipe book… I like to try the newest ingredients that research is bearing out to be greatly beneficial for the skin. Even health-food store brands can’t begin to touch the quality of these elixers. Be good to yourself and “Feed Your Skin”.