With Valentine’s Day around the corner I thought it was about time I posted a suitably romantic recipe for these quick and easy, yet delightfully decadent massage bars. Whatever your feelings about this particular festival, a massage bar makes a lovely gift for anyone and can be used to pamper yourself too as it makes a delicious body moisturiser after the shower or bath
Ingredients:
50g Cocoa Butter
15g Shea Butter
15g Coconut Oil
10g Mango butter (or just use 25g Coconut and omit the mango)
10 ml Base oil
2ml Vitamin E Oil
20 drops essential oils of choice
Add the solid oils to the base oil of your choice (any relatively thin oil like apricot, hazelnut, jojoba or sunflower would do nicely) and melt over a low heat in a bain marie. Remove from the heat and stir in the vitamin E and essential oils of choice. Pour into massage bar moulds (I actually just used large chocolate moulds) and set in the fridge or freezer. That’s it.
If you live in a warm climate you’ll want to increase the amount of solid oil you use or possibly add a little beeswax or candelilla wax to make it more heat stable as these are designed to melt easily on contact with the skin. Alternatively you can keep them in the fridge. Also beware of using nut oils like almond for people with allergies.
Some ideas for essential oils you could use include the following:
Romantic and floral blend – Rose 5 drops, Ylang Ylang 8 drops, Sweet Orange 7 drops.
Relaxing and uplifting blend – Lavender 7 drops, Neroli 8 drops and Green Mandarin 5 drops.
Earthy and sexy blend- Sandalwood 10 drops, Jasmine 5 drops, Black Pepper 5 drops.
Beautifully balancing blend – Geranium 10 drops, Bergamot 5 drops, Lavender 5 drops.
I used the earthy and sexy blend and it turned out deliciously though you have to take into account your personal taste in oils and the effect you wish to achieve. I recommend consulting a good aromatherapy text to get a clearer idea of which oils will suit your purpose.
And incase you’re still not in the mood for love, here is a selection of my favourite love poems to win your heart.
The Innocence of any Flesh Sleeping – Brian Patten
Sleeping beside you I dreamt
I woke beside you;
Waking beside you
I thought I was dreaming.
Have you ever slept beside an ocean?
Well yes,
It is like this.
The whole motion of landscapes, of oceans
Is within her.
She is
The innocence of any flesh sleeping,
So vulnerable
No protection is needed.
In such times
The heart opens,
Contains all there is,
There being no more than her.
In what country she is
I cannot tell.
But knowing – because there is love
And it blots out all demons –
She is safe,
I can turn,
Sleep well beside her.
Waking beside her I am dreaming.
Dreaming of such wakings
I am to all love’s senses woken.
Untitled – Rumi
Love swells and surges the ocean
and on your robe of storm cloud
sews rain designs.
Love is lightning,
and also the ahhh
we respond with.
Untitled – Simon Armitage
Let me put it this way:
if you came to lay
your sleeping head
against my arm or sleeve,
and if my arm went dead,
or if I had to take my leave
at midnight, I should rather
cleave it from the joint or seam
than make a scene
or bring you round.
There,
how does that sound?
Love – Pablo Neruda
So many days, oh so many days
seeing you so tangible and so close
how do I pay, with what do I pay?
The bloodthirsty spring
has awakened in the woods.
The foxes start from their earths,
the serpents drink the dew,
and I go with you in the leaves
between the pines and the silence,
asking myself how and when
I will have to pay for my luck.
Of everything I have seen,
it’s you I want to go on seeing:
of everything I’ve touched,
it’s your flesh I want to go on touching.
I love your orange laughter.
I am moved by the sight of you sleeping.
What am I to do, love, loved one?
I don’t know how others love
or how people loved in the past.
I live, watching you, loving you.
Being in love is my nature.
You please me more each afternoon.
Where is she? I keep on asking
if your eyes disappear.
How long she’s taking! I think, and I’m hurt.
I feel poor, foolish and sad,
and you arrive and you are lightning
glancing off the peach trees.
That’s why I love you and yet not why.
There are so many reasons, and yet so few,
for love has to be so,
involving and general,
particular and terrifying,
joyful and grieving,
flowering like the stars,
and measureless as a kiss.
Oh my!
I have never heard of massage bars!!!
What a delightful idea!
Would it be possible to use only Shea butter since I have none of the others?
It is quite difficult to understand poems in English (second language you know ;- ) but I just love to be carried away by words…
At the moment I read ‘The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady’ by Edith Holden. This is such a lovely diary with beautiful drawings and words. She also includes poems and mottoes which bring me back to Europe… unfortunately the mottoes are not great use in New Zealand lol
Guess in a few years I’ll have a collection of NZ mottoes 🙂
Big herbal hug and many thanks for this lovely post!
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Hi Brigitte,
Yes I definitely think you could do them with shea but maybe add a little beeswax so they are not too soft and creamy. I haven’t tried it but I imagine something like 20g beeswax 60g shea and 20ml liquid oil would work. Have a go and report back to us!
I also have The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady – so lovely to see you and Danielle are both enjoying it too. It’s considered a classic in early nature writing here in the UK. I so love all her drawings, it really is a lovely book isn’t it.
Perhaps you’ll be the one to write a modern NZ equivalent with all the mottoes you learn as you go along. 🙂
Herbal Hugs and poetry to you xxxx
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Thank you Lucinda!
While you might be sleeping I was busy in the kitchen here on the other side of the planet and tried out your suggestion 🙂
Hope you don’t mind me posting about your fantastic massage bars…
http://www.myherbcorner.com/blog/?p=3756
They are wonderful and I can’t wait to give some to my friends 🙂
Great to have a book we all share and treasure 🙂
I love Miss Holden’s book dearly! Her book is a real gem and inspiration.
The mottoes for NZ 🙂
There is the trouble the weather is sooooooo different every few kilometers.
While we enjoy hot sunny summer days on this part of the hills the poor people on the other side have rain and wind.
What I observed here is a clear seasonal time for animals. This month is the month of the crickets while January was the month of the leaf hoppers…
The only mottoes I heard from the villagers is ‘R-october’ since there are incredible strong gales in October (but we also had them in december… so… yeah, that’s life on an island :- )
And yeah, December is berry time! Santa red means strawberries are red 🙂
Herbal hugs!
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Tku for sharing the massage bar details…..I shall be making them. I have never made them before. I usually buy them but they appear to be so easy. I am looking forward to this…
I love poetry…….a beautiful finish to your post.
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Yes they are very easy and lots of fun to make. I think they make a nice alternative to chocolate for a gift too. x
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Gorgeous! Lovely! What a fabulous creation. Delicious poetry too.
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Glad you enjoyed it, you can’t beat a bit of love poetry can you! x
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i love the words it so meaningfull mwah
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Thanks Candice, I love all these poets, such a gift with words.
x
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What a lovely idea! I’ve never heard of massage bars either, and I can’t imagine why! They are so adorable, and would make such a sweet gift. And thank you for sharing the beautiful poetry too – I really am such a sap when it comes to love poems:) Hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s day!
PS: Brigitte, I am also reading that book! So lovely – it has become my ritual for beginning each month to read Edith’s words and look at her beautiful illustrations.
XOXO D
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They do make lovely gifts and you can personalise them for individuals too. I make one for period pains too which is lovely and calming and soothing, I’ll post the recipe soon.
It’s great that we all love Edith… another little thread that bonds us across the globe.
Love for a splendid Valentine’s xxx
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[…] Valentine is approaching Lucinda at ‘Whispering Earth’ revealed an awesome post about Massage bars! I have never heard about massage bars before so I wanted to try this out but unfortunately I have […]
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Hi Lucinda!! wow wee this is such a beautiful idea! I had never heard of massage bars either, you really are such a clever bunny. I might just try these as, i had forgotten about valentines day!! I love the poems. beautiful post!
lots of love xxxx
p.s I actually have that very book open on my desk now! Just mentioned something from there in my blog 🙂 its such a lovely book. love to all x
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What lovely massage melts! I adore this idea, Lucinda xx Must give it a go soon:) Such beautiful poems! I love poetry:) You ladies have me taking my copy of Eduardian Lady off the shelf! lol Time to revisit it I believe:) Thank you for sharing the recipes and poems!! xx
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