Here at Mecca, we believe there’s no better way to de-stress after a long day than with a relaxing bath surrounded by loads of candles, a glass of wine (or lemonade) and a face mask. But can you imagine how satisfying it would be knowing you’ve made beauty treatments yourself? Not only is this a lot cheaper than buying them, but you can also customise them yourself. So, this summer get your Arts and Crafts hat on and create your own home beauty remedies for those days when you need a little bit of a pamper.

What can I make?

You can create DIY bath bombs, soap and face masks from your home and each one can be easily personalised so that they’re made of your favourite fragrances, colours and shapes; once you have the main ingredients you can adapt each one and create something different. This is also a really fun way to pass the time with kids and the finished products could also be given as a present for loved ones!

Making Bath Bombs: A Step-By-Step Guide

Ingredients: 100g bicarbonate of soda, 50g citric acid, 25g cornflour, 2 tbsp oil ( you can use whatever you have in the cupboard, such as sunflower, coconut or olive oil), ¼ tsp of an essential oil, such as orange, lavender or chamomile, a few drops of liquid food colouring – the colour is up to you! Then whatever you want to decorate it, such as rose petals.

1. Put the bicarbonate of soda, citric acid and cornflour into a bowl, then whisk until fully mixed.
2. Pour the oil, essential oil and food colouring into another bowl and mix together well.
3. Slowly add the oil mixture into the dry ingredients a little a drop at a time, whisking after every drop. When all of the oil is added, add a few drops of water and whisk again quickly until it clumps together in your hand and can keep its shape.
4. Use anything flexible as a mould for the bath bombs, from yoghurt pots to ice cube trays and silicone cupcake cases.
5. Drop your decorations (if you’re using any) into the bottom of your mould and pack it in tightly.
6. Leave them to dry for 2-4 hrs then carefully remove them. They’re now ready to use… So fizz away!

Making Soaps: A Step-By-Step Guide

Most soap recipes call for using lye, but this can be pretty dangerous for beginners at home, so we’ve put together a step-by-step guide to make soap without lye, using the “melt-and-pour” method. Here, the ingredients have already been through the dangerous bit so it’s much safer to handle at home and you can get straight to the fun bit – you can even give it a go with your kids!

Ingredients: You’ll need a soap base which usually comes in a block and there’s loads of different types, from olive oil to aloe vera, that you can buy online. You’ll also need a heatproof cup or just a loaf pan with some parchment paper and a silicone mould – again you can use an ice cube tray our cupcake moulds. Then you can add the essential oils and fragrances that you want from peppermint oils to cinnamon!

1. Measure out around 450g of your soap base
2. Cut this base into large pieces and melt down the base in a microwave in your heatproof bowl or cup or use the oven on a low heat for your loaf pan.
3. Once it’s melted, you can add all the fun stuff – the essential oils, colourings and fragrances!
4. Pour the liquid mixture into your silicone moulds and wait a few hours for it to harden and become block soap again.

Making Face Masks: A Step-By-Step Guide

Face masks are the area where you can really get experimenting! It’s a chance for you to create a home beauty treatment with all your favourite bits and to suit any skin issues you might be having. For this, we’ve just put together a couple of options that you might want to try. The best bit? Most of the ingredients you’ll probably already have in your kitchen cupboard. The method for each is the same – just mix them together and apply liberally whilst you relax!

1. For irritated skin: 1 tsp honey, 1tsp coconut oil and ¼ ripe avocado
2. For acne or blemishes: 1tbsp Manuka honey, 1tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp flaky sea salt
3. For bigger pores: 1 egg white, 1tsp honey, a small squeeze of lemon juice
4. For oily skin: 1 banana, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
5. For dry skin: Half a cucumber (mashed) and 2 tbsp of aloe vera gel

Now it’s time for a relaxing bath, don’t you think? If you decide to make any of these at home beauty treatments, then please let us know how it went in the comments section of this blog or by giving us a comment on our social media channels! We’ve got plenty more Arts and Crafts fun coming your way, keep an eye out over the next few weeks as we’ll be giving you even more DIY inspiration.