Easy Vanilla Rose Bath & Body DIY Recipes ~ Romantic Homemaking Series

"Ointment and perfume delight the heart..."

~ Proverbs 27:9a

As February is often considered the month of "love", we continue again with our Romantic Homemaking Series. As evidenced by what has been shared thus far, it is fair to say that the rose is the star of the show. To me, they make everything special (but you can always substitute your favorite skin-safe flower in these products). When you integrate bits of beauty into your home rituals, life feels luxurious. A humble home can still prepare an aromatic bath for their loved ones, a refreshing scrub, a fresh perfume and so forth without hindering the budget. These sweet, little recipes can be adapted to whatever you have in your home (I've included mix and match ideas). Be creative with the resources you have and enjoy making up a romantic collection of bath and body recipes for all to enjoy! I also included some printable labels which would make for some lovely gifts too. Now, let's do some kitchen-crafting!

Relaxing Vanilla Rose Bath Salts

Basic Ingredients:

-- 1 c. pink salt, sea salt or Epsom salts

-- 1 c. pink salt, sea salt or Epsom salts (for more variety, use something different than what you chose above)

-- 1⁄4 c. dried rose petals (this is a great way to use up a bouquet you may have dried last year or you can use dried lavender, dried dandelion, dried calendula, dried violets, etc. If you don't have anything dried on hand, try adding in the contents of a few herbal tea bags!) 

-- 10 drops of vanilla essential oil  (or 2 tsp. vanilla extract)

Optional luxurious adds-in (mix and match in as much of these as you like):

-- 1/4 c. baking soda

-- 1/4 c. oats

-- 1/4 c. powdered milk

-- 10 drops of romantic fragrant essential oil (my choices are rose absolute, palmarosa essential oil or geranium essential oil -- please add in the drops cautiously and test the fragrance to your liking as you go. I generally use approximately 10 drops of essential oil per cup of product).

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together (except for 1 cup of the pink salt if you are using it) until somewhat smooth (I like to keep a bit of roughage in mine for the more "raw" look). You may also want to add in a few whole petals to the final product to give it a prettier appearance.

Mix and match different flavors and combinations to make different products! In the first bath salt photo, I focused more on pink salt and the different add-in's to get a rustic but romantic bath salt. In the second bath salt photo, I used more of a sea salt and powdered milk mixture (flecked with rose petals) to give the effect of a "rose milk" bath reminiscent of something sumptuous that Cleopatra might have bathed in. Be creative. It is so much fun! I can't tell you how amazing my kitchen smelled!

To use:

Add 1 cup of bath salts to the water while the tub is filling.

Moonlight Massage Oil (and/or Vanilla Rose Massage Oil) 

Ingredients:

-- 1 c. mild oil (such as grapeseed, almond oil, jojoba, sunflower oil, avocado oil, etc)*

-- 10 drops of vanilla essential oil  (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract)

-- 10 drops of rose absolute (and/or a mixture of palmarosa essential oil, geranium essential oil, or you can use lavender essential oil or your favorite one)

* Alternatively, you can also use a infused oil in lieu of a plain one. Simply prepare a medicinal oil using rose petals instead of the lavender in the tutorial shared here. Or you can use the lavender and any other medicinal flower you like to make a pleasing blend. This is a great option if you don't have essential oils to work with.

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and place in a sterile glass bottle. You can add a few sprigs of dried rose buds (or other dried flowers) for embellishment.

To use:

Massage the oil into neck, shoulders and feet to sooth tension, relax muscles and stimulate healthy circulation.

Vanilla Rose Scrub

Ingredients:

-- 1/2 c. sea salt or sugar  (plus 1 to 2 tbsp. more to get desired consistency)

-- 1/4 pink salt (optional for romantic color, you can always use more sea salt or sugar)

-- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted) (or almond oil, grapeseed, jojoba, sunflower oil, avocado oil, etc)

-- 1/4 cup almond oil (or grapeseed oil, jojoba, sunflower oil, avocado oil, etc)

-- 10 drops vanilla essential oil  (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract)

-- 1 tbsp. coarsely ground dried rose petals (once again, this is a great way to use up a bouquet you may have dried last year or you can use dried lavender, dried dandelion, dried calendula, dried violets, etc. If you don't have anything dried on hand, try adding in the contents of a few herbal tea bags!) 

Optional Mix-In's:

-- 5-10 drops of rose absolute (and/or a mixture of palmarosa essential oil, geranium essential oil, or you can use lavender essential oil or your favorite one)

Directions:

Stir ingredients together and pour into a small jar or container.

How to Use:

In the shower, massage a small handful of scrub all over wet skin (avoiding sensitive areas, concentrating on dry ones), rinse off and pat dry. Don't wipe away the oil feeling since this will keep you moisturized without applying lotion. Suggested use is once a week. Not recommended for your face. Be careful as the tub may become slippery when using.

Shelf life: Best if used within 6 months.

Comforting Rose Perfume 

(This recipe is courtesy of Mountain Rose Herbs and I am including it in case you happen to have many of these ingredients. I have made this in the past and replaced many essential oils with what I did have and created just as lovely of a perfume.)

Ingredients:

-- 3-4 organic whole rose buds
-- 4 mL sweet almond oil or other carrier oil of choice
-- 3 drops organic geranium essential oil or rose absolute
-- 2 drops Peru balsam essential oil
-- 1 drop organic frankincense essential oil
-- 1 drop organic sandalwood essential oil

Directions:

1. Insert whole flowers and/or other skin-safe dried botanicals into a 10 mL roll top bottle until it is at least half full.

2. Using a small funnel, fill the bottle with neutral-scented carrier oil of choice, leaving about 1/4 inch of space at top.

3. Add desired essential oil blend from choices above.

4. If space remains, top with carrier oil to fill bottle.

5. Snap roller ball lid onto bottle. Roll bottle between palms to evenly mix oils.

To Use:

Apply like you would any perfume ♥️ 

Also, these same oils were used in the tutorials for making these other items in case you want to maximize your use of them:

-- DIY Vanilla Rose Room/Linen Spray

-- All Purpose Floral Salve and Lovely Lip Gloss

I used recycled jars and thrifted jars for this little project. No need to buy anything new!

And I also wanted to share a little story with you all... sharing a bit about "real life" romantic thoughts...

To put it plainly, we were dirt broke at the time.

But that didn't stop us.

We picked flowers from the prairie and dried them.

We then gathered the basics from our one treasury of wealth, our bulk pantry.

Pink salt, sea salt, sugar, oats, powdered milk and even baking soda. The vanilla extract, coconut and olive oil would also be useful.

And then we concocted.

We blended, we stirred, we added a bit of this and a bit of that until the combinations pleased us.

Soon there was an abundance of bath salts, body scrubs and nourishing bath and body oils!

And then the hot water was placed in the old enamel basin.

In came the homemade salts and the tired, sore feet.

They soaked.

Next a sugary scrub with coconut oil, flowers & other luxorious things. And the heels were rubbed until they were smooth.

The fresh water appeared and the feet were washed and dried with a warm, clean white towel.

But this moment was not over, an oil infused with floral scent was massaged into the skin until all the aches disappeared.

And now it is her turn.

Yes, we were living lean at that time but I never felt richer.

It’s not the amount of wealth one has that makes for a lovely life, but what one does with what one has which enriches it.

"The art of being happy lies in the power of

extracting happiness from common things."

~ Henry Ward Beecher

“He who is faithful in what is least

is faithful also in much…”

~ Luke 16:10a

These are some of the ways my daughter and I show love to one another. Genuine joy is not found in “self-care” but in the caring, sacred service we offer to each other.

You also might consider pampering your husband for a romantic evening with these relaxing spa rituals (he is in fact human too and would love to be treated so special!). You can even have fun with the children and make a little spa day at home. Teaching them to create moments of joy together in the home is a beautiful lesson in old fashioned contentment and teaches them how to appreciate and utilize what they have (resourcefulness).

Here is a PRINTABLE of the labels and a few quotes to include in your Inspired Home "Junk" Journal if you are preparing one. 

(I made a paper pocket and tucked my labels inside it. I also printed extras to have on hand for impromptu gifts.)

To make the labels waterproof, you can cover them with clear contact paper or thick clear mailing tape. Visit HERE to view all of the Romantic Homemaking Series to add a bit of whimsey to your domestic day.

Happily homemaking,

♡ JES

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