Massage is so beneficial for your body and using a Lush Massage Bar is no exception, I came across this home made version which as you can tell is so quick and easy to create yourself, and of course you can vary the essential oils to your own choice, I like Grapefuit and Juniper which are well documented in the fight against cellulite! I believe the original Lush product is made using Lavender and Bergamot, which you can use if you prefer these delightful fragrances.
Massage Bars are also fun to create and you do not need any specialist moulds, although some people do like to use the 'cellulite soap making' moulds but you can easily buy silicone moulds for cake making which are ideal for our massage bars as well as soaps etc. The pound shops sell these much cheaper than having to go to a specialist cook ware shop as well. Plus they last and last and using the silicone moulds are also easy to remove your finnished product as well. No moulds, no problem have a look around your kitchen and I am sure you will find an empty lunch box or even a magarine tub, all as effective.
Ingredients
130g x Cocoa butter Unrefined
90g x Shea butter Organic
210g x Ground rice
210g x Aduki beans
16 drops Grapefuit Essential Oil
16 drops Juniper Essential Oil
1) Put the Cocoa and Shea Butters into a bowl and let it sit in a saucepan which has some hot water in it and allow the the butters to slowly and gently melt. DO NOT have any heat on underneath the saucepan, and do not let the butters get too hot as this will have a grainy effect on the finnished product, you simply want them to melt until just melted with little bits of the butters still floating. Remove andthe bowl from the saucepan and allow the last butters to melt.
Do Not be tempted to simply melt in the microwave, as Shea Butter in particular does not respond well to being melted too quickly at too high a heat.
2)Grind your Aduki Beans and Rice, I used a coffee grinder, but you might find a blender works it is just I haven't used one for this. All else fails, but the beans into a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin !
3) Once the Butters have cooled, you add the essential oils, do not add when the butters are first melted as they will be too hot and the fragrance will simply evaporate if added too soon. It is much better to let the butter cool down for a while but not to harden.
4) Mix the ground beans into your mixture.
5) Slowly pour your mixture into your chosen moulds and allow to set.
Tip
If you have trouble removing your massage bar from your mould, simply pop into a freezer for a few minutes, remove, leave to wait for another few minutes on the side, then gently squeeze the mould from the base and the item should just slip out from the mould!
Of course if you don't have any aduki beans in the cupoard, just improvise!
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