You may already be familiar with thyme for its culinary uses — this slow baked salmon with lemon & thyme recipe, for example? Yeah, it’s to die for! Beyond the kitchen though, thyme also has a long history as a purifying plant and medicinal herb. Believe it or not, thyme was used by the Egyptians for embalming, by the Greeks as incense and in Europe in the Middle Ages to ward off nightmares. You can read more about thyme on its Wikipedia page here.
In soapmaking, White Thyme Essential Oil is a soothing scent that works in soaps, lotions and creams.
Our White Thyme Essential Oil is first steam distilled from the flowers of the plant which creates a red thyme oil. The re-distillation produces the more gentle white thyme.
The soothing properties of thyme come from thymol, which is found in the herb in anywhere from 20% to 50% depending on the variety and where it was grown. Thymol is an antiseptic, and can also be used to help relieve symptoms of bronchitis and aid in cough relief when used as an aroma spray or in a bath. In fact, white thyme is even found in some types of Halls Cough Drops.
If you plan on making a summer bug repellent, white thyme is also used as a natural pesticide. However, it wears off quickly so if your bug repellent is solely based on thyme and isn’t in a blend, you’ll want to reapply frequently.
Like all essential oils, you should never apply this directly to your skin undiluted.
Whether you use it in the kitchen or in your soap, thyme is a fantastic, versatile herb that is quickly becoming one of my favorite essential oils. If you’d like to try using White Thyme in an easy recipe, this Awakening Massage Cream may be the ticket. As an added bonus, White Thyme Essential Oil is one of Bramble Berry’s Web Specials, which means it is 20% for the entire month of February.
Awakening Massage Cream
What You’ll Need:
14.4 oz Distilled Water
3.6 oz Coconut Oil
2.4 oz Avocado Oil
1.2 oz Glycerin
1.9 oz BTMS-50
.25 oz Optiphen
.25 Sodium Lactate
.25 oz Awake Blend (1 part Eucalyptus, 1/2 part White Thyme, 3 Parts Lime)
3 Short 8 oz. Bail Jars
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
EQUIPMENT PREP: Begin with clean tools and containers. Then sanitize your utensils by dipping them in a 5% bleach solution and wiping dry with a clean paper towel. Use one ounce of bleach per gallon of water to make the solution. Then dip each item and wipe dry with clean paper towels. This includes mixing containers, your stick blender, and any spoons or spatulas that may come in contact with your lotion. The preservative inhibits additional growth of mold and bacteria but it doesn’t kill anything that’s already present. So be sure you start with the purest product you can and sanitize everything!
ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND: Prepare the essential oil blend before you begin. In a glass container, combine 4 milliliters Lime, 1.5 milliliters Eucalyptus and .5 milliliter White Thyme Essential Oil. Set aside until step four.
ONE: In a heat safe container, mix the Distilled Water, Glycerin and Sodium Lactate. Heat in the microwave until it reaches 140-160°F.
TWO: In a second, larger heat-safe container, combine the Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil, and BTMS-50. Heat in the microwave on 30 second bursts, stirring between bursts, until the BTMS-50 has thoroughly melted and reaches 140-160°F.
THREE: Begin blending the oils and pouring the water mixture slowly into the oils. Stir the mixture, with the stick blender off, for a few rotations. With the head of the stick blender fully immersed in the liquid, turn on the stick blender and pulse until a steady emulsion is reached.
FOUR: Check the temperature of the mixture to ensure that the mixture is below 176°F. Optiphen loses its efficacy at temperatures above 176°F. Add the Optiphen and Awake Essential Oil blend. Pulse the stick blender until well incorporated.
FIVE: Pour the lotion into bail jars. Allow to sit overnight without a lid so that the lotion can fully cool without creating condensation inside the package. Enjoy!
Hello,
This sounds like a wonderful recipe and I look forward to trying it.
I am pretty sure the ingredient list means to say “0.25 oz of sodium lactate” but I wanted to double check with you before starting? The unit of measurement is missing.
Thank you for the amazing and inspiring work you do!
Mona
Hi Mona!
That is correct! This recipe calls for .25 ounces, or 0.25 ounces of sodium lactate. Sorry for any confusion. Have fun giving it a try! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I just started making lotion and came across this recipe. Still new to all of this! Instead of the BTMS50 can I use emulsfying wax? Instead of the Optephen can I use Phenonip? Thanks!!
Hi Angie,
You can use emulsifying wax as well as Phenonip as substitutes.
I found a couple links that might be helpful.
The first one is on Preservatives that is really helpful.
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/talk-it-out-tuesday-preservatives/
This link is for lotion that talks about replacing products for other products. 🙂
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/kissably-soft-lotion/
I do hope this helps.
~Kevin with Bramble Berry
I so love that you have a recipe showing one of the uses of Thyme EO – I would have no idea how to use it otherwise. What a great idea to promote it while on sale, so we can all try it with a bit less fear!! 😉
1. Can this massage cream be used as a lotion? Or is it too greasy?
2. How does Thyme do in CP?
3. Is it always blended with others scents?
Thanks again for the great recipe ideas!
I’m interested in how it does in CP, too. A lot of my customers love the herbaceous scents, so this sounds like a good one to add!
Hi Sly!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post :). This massage cream could certainly be used as a lotion! It is slightly greasy, but I found it to absorb quickly. It is not always blended with other scents, you could certainly use it alone if you are looking for a very green, herbal scent. We have found this oil does really well in cold process! 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
I agree that it sounds like it would smell wonderful! I am curious as to how the scent does on its own though. Does it smell to much like cooking alone and is better in blends, or would you try it alone as well?
Hi Margaret!
The smell of the White Thyme Essential Oil alone is very green and herbal. Some people really like this type of scent, but others may prefer it in a blend. Just a personal preference :). Personally, I love it best when blended with a citrusy scent.
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
This sounds like a wonderful recipe, especially the scent. Herbal, camphorous, and just a little sweet citrus. I’ll have to try the blend in something!
Hi Gene!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this post! I love the the White Thyme Essential Oil, especially for body products because it’s not too sweet. I hope you give this recipe a try!
-Amanda with Bramble Berry