Baldwins, as well as being London’s oldest herbalist, selling a huge variety of products, also holds workshops in a variety of activities including making natural skincare products.
I went along to the Natural Skincare Workshop, held in the Crypt of St Peter’s Church which is a short walk from the shop, a group of eleven skincare enthusiasts were lead through the process by Susie Bradley and experienced aromatherapist and reflexologist who has been making her own skincare products for over a decade. The proof was definitely in the pudding as a skin was amazing – beautifully hydrated and glowing. As with many around the table she began making her own products after experiencing skin irritation and reaction after purchasing a variety of skincare products.
It was a jam packed day – we made four creams and between measuring pouring and mixing, I took some pictures.
Ingredients
We used a variety of ingredients that were all available from Baldwins including:-
Making a body ointment
I would call this a body balm – using oils, cocoa butter and beeswax there is no water phase. We added mandarin essential oil which is great for smoothing the skin…(think Decleor Mandarine balm …but for the body) it smells amazing and has a gorgeous texture
Making creams
We made a face cream and a hand and body cream. The way that a cream differs from a balm or an ointment is that it has a water phase, which is combined to the oil phase using an emulsifier. The groups that I was working with all had combination to oily skin so we used pettigrain, chamomile roman, lavender and orange which in combination are gentle but sebum balancing for the face cream.
In the hand and body cream we used orange lemon and grapefruit essential oil which not only have an uplifting fragrance but are also great for age spots and skin smoothing (think Aesop Rind Concentrate). The process for both creams were the same but we used slightly different proportions so the hand and body cream had a slightly looser texture
Making a Gel
If like me you have an aloe vera plant, you can cut a leaf open and scoop out the gel…. if not you can make it… (think SBC Aloe Vera Gel)
The finished products
It was a really enjoyable day, and even if I say so myself, the body balm is AMAZING. if you are curious about making your own products… or if you have been doing it for some time and are looking for some extra tips – get in touch with Baldwins to find out when the next course is.