Autumn balm will bring much more pleasure than the short list of ingredients might suggest at first glance. Softly smoky shea butter, silky golden apricot oil, fragile and firm carnauba wax. Add to this a harmonious composition of soothing and grounding subtly autumnal essential oils and you conjure up a rich, creamy, pleasantly glossy balm that leaves skin velvety soft and (surprisingly) not at all greasy or sticky, and one that is wonderfully pleasing to the nose and uplifting. It is suitable for smearing hands, feet or other dry parts of the body, but also for massaging the temples or for sniffing during the day and creating personal aromatherapy sessions whenever you feel like it.
If you have ever worked with shea butter, you certainly know that this vegetable fat has a very specific smell. A little smoky, maybe nutty... well, shea butter. Which is a very poor description, we know. :) But if you've already smelled bamboo butter, you'll surely understand us. The aroma of this great butter can permeate the entire product, but this may not always be pleasant or desirable. From there, there is the possibility of using refined shea butter, which is fragrance-free. That's why we leave the choice here to you...
You can simply get rid of shea butter by using refined butter, which loses not only its aroma but also some of its properties and effects during processing. So, if you care more about the scent, choose the refined one, if you also want to please your skin with a balm, for example irritated by the autumn cold, and you like the shea butter scent, go for the natural version of the butter.
Apricot oil is chosen because of its ability to quickly absorb and sink into the skin, which nicely balances the oiliness and density of shea butter. In addition, with apricot oil, we add other great properties to the balm, which autumn-kissed skin will appreciate.
Carnauba wax will give the balm shine, strength and the ability to cover the skin pleasantly and sufficiently permanently, which will guarantee that you will enjoy the smell of essential oils, which we are finally getting to, a little longer than if the balm was completely absorbed.
The combination of essential oils is simply wonderful. We didn't use typically autumnal essences, such as cinnamon or cloves combined with orange, as you might expect, but the scent is perfect for the cold and slightly gray season. It combines psyche-harmonizing and antidepressant-acting laurel, grounding and balancing patchouli, sparkling and needle-smelling cypress, which relieves colds, and stimulating, refreshing and bringing new energy into life pine.
With its harmonizing scent, the balm will transport you to a soothing autumn forest, warm and cool, encourage and soothe at the same time. It will deal with the stress and anxiety that appears all too often at this time of year, and will help you find a moment of peace in all the work and hustle and bustle typical of autumn. The tenderness and warmth of this composition seem to have been made for the time of change and change that we are all facing now. We believe and hope that you will enjoy this soul caressing fragrant miracle as much as we do!
What does it take?
Heat and dissolve
- 15 grams of apricot oil
- 18 grams of shea butter (natural or refined)
- 2 grams of carnauba wax
Mix after cooling
- 0.5 grams of vitamin E
- 14 drops of laurel essential oil
- 8 drops of pine essential oil
- 6 drops of Patchouli essential oil
- 5 drops of Cypress essential oil
How to do it?
Prepare a water bath (pour about 3 cm of water into a saucepan with a thicker bottom and heat it on the stove). Weigh the shea butter, apricot oil and carnauba wax into a heat-resistant bowl and slide the bowl into the prepared water bath to dissolve. Patiently and at lower temperatures.
After about 20 minutes everything will be nice and liquid and dissolved. Then remove the bowl, dry it and mix its contents. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
Add vitamin E and all essential oils to the mixture. Mix, smell and test whether you like the scent or whether it needs to be adjusted to your complete satisfaction. Then transfer the balm into the selected containers. Aluminum bottles are great, for example three smaller 15 ml ones, thanks to which you will be able to equip your handbag or backpack, car and desk with balm.
Give the balm about an hour to harden before use, and then enjoy it as you like - on your hands, elbows, forehead, temples, under your nose or just sniff it from the cup. :)
