Bello - Homemade bath bombs, salts and scrubs: 300 natural recipes for luxurious soaks

Text copyright 2015 Kate Bello. Design and concept copyright 2015 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Published in the U.S. by ULYSSES PRESS P.O.

Box 3440 Berkeley, CA 94703 www.ulyssespress.com ISBN: 978-1-61243-469-8 Library of Congress Control Number 2014952006 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Acquisitions Editor: Casie Vogel Managing Editor: Claire Chun Copyeditor: Renee Rutledge Proofreader: Lauren Harrison Layout: Lindsay Tamura Indexer: Sayre Van Young Interior design: what!design @ whatweb.com Front cover design: Rebecca Lown Front cover photos: Kate Bello Distributed by Publishers Group West NOTE TO READERS: This book has been written and published strictly for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as medical advice or to be any form of medical treatment. You should always consult your physician before altering or changing any aspect of your medical treatment and/or undertaking a diet regimen, including the guidelines as described in this book. Do not stop or change any prescription medications without the guidance and advice of your physician. Any use of the information in this book is made on the readers good judgment after consulting with his or her physician and is the readers sole responsibility. CONTENTS My journey to natural beauty has been a long one. CONTENTS My journey to natural beauty has been a long one.

However, I wouldnt have it any other way. Over the years, Ive learned so much and debunked many detrimental myths. I think many of us are in the same boat, reading beauty magazines then spending gobs of money on products that dont really work or benefit us in any way. Now, at 35, I realize that beauty goes hand in hand with mind, body, and spirit. Thats why, when I decided to write this book, I wanted to include how natural bath salt soaks affect our overall health. Lets go back to the beginning.

At 19, I was your typical teenager eating fast food, barely working out, and basically doing nothing to improve my overall health. Soon after starting my freshman year of college, I had to drop out after getting sick and being bedridden for over a month. My cholesterol was charted at 270! My doctor could not figure out what was wrong with me, but today I can tell you that my body just gave up on me because I treated it so badly. I had no idea my illness was due to a poor diet, because I hadnt gained any weight. At that young age, I thought I was somehow immune to severe illnesses and could live my life without consequences. Before getting sick, I wasnt paying attention to my bodys warning signs: bad skin, fatigue, and catching colds frequently.

It wasnt until I was 27 that I truly became serious about health and natural beauty. I had begun to eat healthier than I had when I was a teenager; however, I still didnt understand what being healthy really meant. I still drank and ate fast food on a semi-regular basis. A drugstore beauty junkie, I was always on the lookout for the next best product that could fix my skin. By my mid-twenties, my acne was gone, but my skin was either very oily or very dry, never balanced. I spent way too much money on products, hoping I could find one I could stick with in the long run that actually lived up to its advertised potential.

It never happened. Then one day, and I cant remember why I did this, I began to look at the ingredients on the back of the bottle. The thought crossed my mind that all of those incomprehensible technical terms couldnt be good for my skin. It was a gut reaction to do a little research. This was back in 2007, when there wasnt much on the Internet except for the Environmental Working Groups Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, a site dedicated to safe beauty products. And there definitely wasnt a homemade natural beauty movement like there is today.

But what I did find in my research is that next to no regulations exist in regard to the ingredients used in beauty products in the United States. And that scared me. Almost immediately, I decided to ditch my constant search for the magical drugstore product and look into pure natural ingredients from nature. I think there had always been a side to me that wanted to look toward what Mother Earth provides, but before 2007, I would always get sidetracked along the way, distracted by marketing and wanting to fit in. Now my gut was telling me it was time to take the plunge. The first thing I started was to wash my face with honey.

I had read in various places that honey has been used as a beauty product since ancient times, and that it is antiviral and antibacterial, yet extremely gentle. I tried it and it worked! After that, I dove deeper into natural beauty and eventually made my own beauty products. I noticed that my skin began to balance itself out. Now, I can look back and see that its no coincidence this happened. In addition to completely converting to organic beauty ingredients, I became obsessed with eating as naturally as possible and trying to live an overall healthy lifestyle. Today, Im a million light-years away from how I lived my life as a teenager, or even in my early 20s.

I look better at 35 than I did at 19, and I feel a gazillion times better too. You may be wondering what this has to do with bath salt soaks. Well, to me it all goes hand in hand. Bath salt soaks are a way to cherish your body. Its almost a sacred practice. When you treat your body as a temple, it will reward you, hands down.

Our bodies work extremely hard for us, and relaxing in a natural bath salt soak is a way of giving back. In this book you will find personalized recipes catered to you and what your body needs physically, emotionally, and mentally. The (page 117) follow. While you soak delightedly in one of these handcrafted recipes, remember that youre not only easing your muscles and pampering your skin, but allowing your mind to relax and flow in meditation, something that we truly need in todays busy age. I hope you find this helpful in your daily life to keep you grounded, relaxed, content, and happy.