If you have a lot of wedding favors to create, the task can seem a bit daunting. I recommend keeping the project simple to avoid unwanted stress. When you need to make a lot of individual favors, soaking salts are a great option. Simply mix the salts with colorant, fragrance and a small amount of oil to create adorable gifts. Best of all, you can make them well ahead of time or days before if need be.
For this project, I created ten jars at once using two different scent and color combinations to make five jars of each. One combination features Sweet Pea Fragrance Oil and Rose Gold Mica for a feminine option. The other combination uses King’s Gold Mica and Tobacco & Bay Leaf Fragrance Oil for a more unisex or masculine choice. These soaking salts can also be used as a body scrub by applying it to damp skin rather than adding the salts to bath water.
What You’ll Need:
Ten 4 oz. Plastic Bail Jars
40 oz. Fine Grained Dead Sea Salt
3 oz. Avocado Oil
0.4 oz. Sweet Pea Fragrance Oil
0.4 oz. Tobacco & Bay Leaf Fragrance Oil
King’s Gold Mica
Rose Gold Mica
12 mL Optiphen
Droppers
Optional: DIY Wedding Labels (Digital Download)
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ONE: In a large mixing bowl, mix the fine grained Dead Sea salt and 3 oz of avocado oil. Use your hands or a spatula to thoroughly mix together.
TWO: Add the Optiphen and continue to mix until it’s thoroughly mixed in.
Note: Although this soak/scrub doesn’t contain water (which is the key component to mold growth), the scrub will likely get water splashed in it during normal use. The extra water may cause bacteria and mold to grow. We added a preservative to this recipe to be extra careful. You can read more in the Talk It Out Tuesday: Preservatives post.
THREE: Split the salts in half. This way, you can add different color and scents. If you are only making one color and scent, do not split the batch. To one half, add the Tobacco and Bay Leaf Fragrance Oil and 1/2 tsp. King’s Gold Mica. Use your hands or spatula to thoroughly mix in.
FOUR: To the other half of salts, add 1/2 tsp. Rose Gold Mica and a pinch of King’s Gold Mica to create a slightly warmer tone. Then add the Sweet Pea Fragrance Oil and use your hands or a spatula to thoroughly mix in.
FIVE: Fill each jar with salts. To use as a scrub, apply to damp skin and use circular motions to gently exfoliate. This scrub would be great for legs, body, hands and feet, but might be a little scratchy for the face. To use as soaking salts, scoop a heaping spoonful of the salts into hot bath water. Enjoy!
What is your favorite color and scent combination for scrubs and soaks?
Click here to view printable instructions
- Ten 4 oz. Plastic Bail Jars
- 40 oz. Fine Grained Dead Sea Salt
- 3 oz. Avocado Oil
- 0.4 oz. Sweet Pea Fragrance Oil
- 0.4 oz. Tobacco & Bay Leaf Fragrance Oil
- King’s Gold Mica
- Rose Gold Mica
- 12 mL Optiphen
- Optional: Droppers
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the fine grained Dead Sea salt and 3 oz of avocado oil. Use your hands or a spatula to thoroughly mix together.
- Add the Optiphen and continue to mix until it’s thoroughly mixed in.
- Note: Although this scrub doesn’t contain water, it will likely get water splashed in it during use. The extra water may cause bacteria and mold to grow. We added a preservative to be extra careful. You can read more in the Talk It Out Tuesday: Preservatives post.
- Split the salts in half. This way, you can add different color and scents. If you are only making one, do not split the batch. To one batch, add the Tobacco and Bay Leaf Fragrance Oil and ½ tsp. King’s Gold Mica. Use your hands or spatula to thoroughly mix in.
- To the other batch of salts, add ½ tsp. Rose Gold Mica and a pinch of King’s Gold Mica to create a slightly warmer tone. Then add the Sweet Pea Fragrance Oil and use your hands or a spatula to thoroughly mix in.
- Fill each jar with salts. To use as a scrub, apply to damp skin and use circular motions to gently exfoliate. This scrub is great for legs, body, hands and feet, but might be a little scratchy for the face. To use as soaking salts, scoop a heaping spoonful of the salts into hot bath water. Enjoy!
Could i add soap colors instead of mica? Thanks for the favor ideas!
What colors are you wanting to use (pigments, LabColors)?
is it necessary to add a preservative since our hands may be wet and it might touch the scrub which may lead to molding?
We added a preservative to be extra careful, but it is optional! Scrubs are often stored in the shower and will get water splashed in. The preservative will help protect against any mold or bacteria growth. If your scrub will be stored in a dry place and won’t get too much water inside you can skip it. 🙂
Read more about preservatives here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/talk-it-out-tuesday-preservatives/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Can you use epsom salt for this recipe?
Hi Jacquetta!
I think that would work just fine! You may want to make a small test batch first, to make sure you like the results before making this large recipe 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
I may have missed it, but what is the shelf life of these scrubs? Or just scrubs in general?
Hi there!
The shelf life of the scrub will depend on the oils you add to it. The avocado oil in this recipe lasts about a year, so that means the scrub itself will have a shelf life of about a year. 🙂
This post has more information on the shelf lives of handmade products: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/shelf-life-bath-products-ingredients-rancidity-vs-mold/
To make sure the products stay nice and fresh for longer, we recommend storing them in a cool, dry place. Read more about storing products in this post: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-store-handmade-bath-products/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Will the micas leave a ring in the tub when using as a soak? can I use the merlot mica? How do I avoid leaving color in the bathtub?
thanks,
wallis
Hi Wallis!
In the tub, the soaking salts did leave a very small amount of color behind. However, that was easy to wipe away with a paper towel! If you’d like to make sure the color doesn’t leave a ring, you can decrease the amount slightly. Adding 1/8th-1/4th tsp. of Merlot Sparkle Mica to this recipe should be a small enough amount not to color the tub. To be extra sure, you can test it in your tub. 🙂
Merlot Sparkle Mica: https://www.brambleberry.com/Merlot-Sparkle-Mica-P3064.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi,
Love the look of theses salts! Just wondering is it 40 oz Fine Grain Dead Sea salt? It just says 40.
Thanks!!
So glad you love the salts Dawnia! Also, that is 40 ounces. Sorry about the confusion. I updated the blog post – thank you! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
What a wonderful idea. Do you sell the little scoops too or can you point me in the direction on where to get them? Have a fab day and thanks for all you do!
You can find these little scoops on Amazon. I may have seen them at Party City in the past too.
Thanks Jamie, glad you like the salts! We got these little scoops at Michaels. Are they cute? Michael is correct, you can find those on Amazon or a party supply store too. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry