How To Make Shower Steamers At Home – FUN & Easy Aromatherapy
You’re about to learn how to make shower steamers at home that are a joy to use. You’re going to feel downright spoiled using these to add a touch of flair to your morning routine, or help you unwind at the end of the day.
The ingredients required are fairly easy to source. And best of all, these are EASY to make.
Shower Steamer Recipe
- Makes seven to eight 2 oz. shower steamers
TOOLS/EQUIPMENT
- Mooncake press or shampoo bar mold
- Scale that has the ability to measure in grams
- 2 bowls for mixing your ingredients together
- A tray for drying your steamers on
- Optional: gloves
INGREDIENTS
Note: ingredients are measured in grams
- 350g baking soda
- 100g citric acid
- 23g cornstarch
- 30g menthol crystals
- up to 16g water
- 6g essential oils of your choice
- 7.5g 99% isopropyl alcohol
You’ll notice that using fragrance oils are not even an option here. I say it’s essential oils or nothing. Click here for a list of the best essential oils to use in soap making, which work amazingly well for shower steamers as well.
To start, I recommend eucalyptus or lavender, or a blend of both
The the main benefit of using shower steamers is the aromatherapy aspect. The steam helps to open up your airways and deliver your chosen scent. Many, if not all, essential oils have therapeutic properties. on the other hand, many fragrance oils are comprised of several to hundreds of irritating and harmful compounds. Just don’t do it.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Use one of your bowls to put your menthol crystals and alcohol in. Let the alcohol dissolve the menthol crystals over 15-30min
- Combine dry ingredients (baking soda, citric acid, and cornstarch). Mix well
- Add your essential oils and menthol/alcohol mixture to dry ingredients
- Mix by hand, adding up to 16g water to achieve the right consistency. You’re aiming for the consistency of damp sand. It should just hold together when pressed between your fingers
- Scoop into your mooncake press and press firmly
- Remove from mooncake press and place onto drying tray
- Let steamers dry for 12 hours, then store or package them
How To Store Them
If you made these for personal use, keep them in an airtight jar in your bathroom. Just pull one out when you’re ready to use, and keep the rest sealed up so that moisture from the air can’t get to them.
How To Package Shower Steamers For Gifts or For Sale
One of my not so favorite things about shower steamers is that they can attract moisture (my understanding is that this is due to the citric acid used in the recipe). So if you’re gifting or selling shower steamers, you need to find a way to make sure you don’t let air get to them, as air carries moisture.
In addition, shower steamers can be crumbly. You’ll need to handle them gently and consider methods of protection in your packaging.
What many would suggest for shower steamers is plastic shrink wrap, but you know I will rack my brain for hours trying to come up with alternatives to plastic packaging. So I came up with a few good options:
- Cardboard box that’s just big enough to fit your steamer in
- Biodegradable shrink wrap (biolefin)
- Reuse airtight plastic food/product containers
How To Use Shower Steamers
Have a shower steamer ready to go as you prepare for your shower.
Turn on your shower so you can see where the water hits.
Place your steamer at the very edge (or just outside the edge) of your shower stream so that it gets consistent splashes of water. Do not place directly in the shower stream or it will melt too quickly.
How To Make Shower Steamers Last Longer
The key here is placement. The more your shower water ends up hitting your steamer, the quicker it will be used up.
To make shower steamers last longer, place it farther from your shower stream. Experiment with your placement until you find the right balance.
After you’re done showering, move your steamer someplace where it can get maximum air circulation. This will help it to harden up again and last longer.
