Sometimes the closest I get to some spa time is the 5-10 minutes I slip away to take a shower while the kids are napping. It’s sacred time, people! 😉 Lately I’ve been trying to think of ways to make shower time a “treat yo self” experience. Yummy smelling shampoos, fancy masks… but recently I’ve been loving these little DIY shower melts.
The peppermint and eucalyptus (with a touch of orange) smell SO incredibly refreshing and always make me feel more awake and ready for my day!
Supplies:
–corn starch
–baking soda
–witch hazel
–peppermint, eucalyptus & orange essential oils
–silicone mold
–food coloring
Step One: In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of corn starch. Stir.
Step Two: Slowly add 5 tablespoons of witch hazel to your mixture, making sure you get out any lumps. Once combined, add in a drop of food coloring. I added a touch of green to give it a minty looking color. If your mixture seems a little dry and hard to stir, add just a touch more of witch hazel. Finish by adding in 5 drops of orange, 10 drops of peppermint and 6 drops of eucalyptus essential oil to your shower melts.
Step Three: Once everything is combined, use a spoon to fill your silicone mold. This recipe made 8 small stars.
Step Four: Put your shower melts in the freezer overnight to harden. Keep in a cool place like the fridge to prevent them from melting. When you’re ready to use your melts, simply put them in your shower away from direct water so it can melt slowly. I like to put mine on the ledge of the bath in the corner or on a soap holder. For a little boost of smell, add an extra 1-2 drops of essential oil to your shower melt once it’s in the shower. Breathe in and enjoy!!
These make the perfect gift for anyone in your life in need of some “me time”! 😉 Store or give them in a cute jar or bowl, and don’t forget to keep them chilled! Lots of love, Sav.
Credits//Author and Photography: Savannah Wallace. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.
45 Comments
Ahh saw the pic and thought they were marshmallows 🙂
-Kirsten // http://www.porkandcookies.com
How do you guys come up with such awesome DIYs all the time? These shower melts sound great… too bad I don’t have a bathtub 🙁
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Well, fortunately, you do have a shower. Just put the shower melt on one side of the basin–in contact with the water, but not under the direct stream. 🙂
They are perfect for showers!
I love the idea of shower melts. I wish I could take relaxing baths but feel weird doing that in our 1920s apt. Like… how many people have been in those tubs!?? Shower melts sound like just the thing!
x0x0 Caro http://thecarolove.com/
What a beautiful idea, and what a great gift!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
These look and sound amazing! But just for clarification they’re intended for smell, not applying to the skin in any sense? (Sorry if that’s a weird question)
Correct! Just to help you breathe easy! 🙂 xox
Follow up question: Is Doterra the brand you’d recommend?
It’s the brand I personally use and LOVE!!
I love these! They actually seem like they wouldn’t be too hard to make, and I would kill for a mini-spa shower
You can use them in the shower!
xx- Elsie
I bet these smell sooo good!
http://objectsicantafford.com
I was wondering the same! 🙂
What a cute idea! I don’t be have a bathtub, so it’s nice to see a spa idea for the shower! 🙂
I love all shower and bath products! I’m totally going to have to make these soon!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
These are so cool!
Izzy | Pinch of delight
I moved into a place without a tub and I dearly miss bath bombs. This seems like the perfect spa-like experience for a shower. Thank you, thank you! <3
This is such a lovely idea and perfect for around mothers day x
Abi | abistreetx
Why do you use witch hazel?
It’s just a great ingredient to make the baking soda and corn starch stick together. You could try this with water too. xox
Those are so incredibly cute!
http://www.petiteandhungry.com
I was wondering this too… and if they’re not for applying to the skin, why the witch hazel? Is that not usually used to clear skin or reduce inflammation?
Please clarify if these are just for smell or for skin! Thanks
Just for the smell!! To help you breathe easy and wake you up. 🙂 xox
What a great project idea! Easy too and would make nice gifts 🙂
This looks so easy and I am already thinking of other essential oil combos to try. And I use Thayer’s Witch Hazel as my toner so I already have a bottle in my bathroom. Winning!
I never knew these were a thing! They sound amazing.
Definitely making these! Eucalyptus is my all-time favorite essential oil (the smell reminds me of growing up in Australia) 🙂
I have everything to make these! LOVE the site upgrade : D
I did it, but it wasn’t liquid. I am guesssing you stir for every tbsp of witch hazel? Even added more. Hope it still works or I will try again
These sound perfect – love the idea! xx
Love this idea!! Could arrowroot powder replace the corn starch?
Hi! I tried these as my first DIY off your site this past weekend. Just a quick note… I think it would be helpful if you added in a bit more about the consistency of the mixture as you’re making it. Based on the photos and description, it looks like the mixture should be a liquid. What we got was a (very cool) hard mixture that seemed to liquify as you stirred, but was ultimately a solid. As a result of it being so firm, we added way more witch hazel and our melts melted in the fridge! Will probably just keep this batch in the freezer until I’m ready to use, but thought a bit more clarification and some updated photos or gifs would be helpful for anyone else wanting to try this out!
What a super Idea. 🙂
I wish I could buy these, I have rhumatoid arthritis and can make them. They would be so wonderful to have and enjoy!
I made these today – they smell so good! I had the same problem as Joanna, where the melts started to liquify if they weren’t kept in the freezer all the time.
I made them yesterday and used them in the shower today. They are cute (giving to my spouse for Vday) but they really didn’t have much smell. While mixing, I thought I’d overdone it. But in the shower, even with a few of them on my ledge, I couldn’t smell anything.
Hi Megan! Make sure you’re putting them on the shower floor so they get damp from the water– they will start to disintegrate and you’ll be able to smell the oils.
They are perfect for showers !
Made these last night for Mother’s Day gifts! Bad idea- when I took them from their gift packaging to hand out, after storing in the fridge (as recommended), they were a giant puddle in a cup! Not cool. Could have used some additional instructions and recommended to store in freezer permanently. Quite the disappointing gift!
Jess – most recipes have you leave the recipe out to dry for a few days – there’s no need to freeze. Freezing means the water doesn’t evaporate and they don’t get hard and maintain their shape.
I made them but it didn’t work. After I put them into the fridge to store, they all melted. I was hoping to give as gifts but I can’t if they can’t hold their shape after they come out of the freezer.
Does it have to be corn starch or can it be corn flour? Also, where did you get the star mould?
Love this idea!!!
Hi Alison! Here’s the updated link: https://amzn.to/2yf5izg