Body Care Basics

Carving out time to relax and pamper oneself often escapes our daily "to do" lists. But with Crafts magazine's latest release, Body Care Basics, the rejuvenating and luxurious treatments of a day spa can be enjoyed daily in the comfort of your home-without breaking the budget.

With the help of talented designers and aromatherapists, Body Care Basics teaches readers the basics of creating homemade body care products, and provides them with simple, step-by-step directions. Included in this special issue are an assortment of simple-to-make soaps, lotions, facial and aromatherapy items, bath bombs, and body scrubs that can be enjoyed by all ages.

According to Valerie Pingree, editor-in-chief of Crafts, the process of creating the bath and beauty potions is just as much fun as using them. "The easy-to-make home recipes in Body Care Basics let readers create products from the convenience of their kitchen," Pingree said. "They can customize their lotion, bath salt or facial products; hang the 'do not disturb' sign on the bathroom door and soak in the luxury of their own creations."

Following is a sample of the projects found in Body Care Basics:

• Soothing Skin Care for the Hands and Feet - Making homemade lotion is as simple as cooking ingredients on the stove. The best part of these lotions is customizing the scents and moisturizing oils for your skin type. Whether it's Sweet Hibiscus Lotion, Peppermint Foot Lotion or Coconut Hand Cream, this section provides tips and recipes for creating the perfect personalized lotion.

• Professional Facial - Finding the time and money for such a luxury is not always easy, but with these recipes you'll discover how simple it is to give yourself a luxurious facial with herbal steams, soaps, masks, astringents and toners.

• Natural Additives and Embedded Soaps - By combining different additives, you can customize your soap for any purpose or occasion. Using lavender to soothe, honey to calm frayed nerves, or freshly ground coffee to exfoliate, each additive will bring a unique quality to the soap. Add extra charm to soap by embedding smaller soap pieces, jewelry or toys in a larger soap bar to treat an adult or child to a more exciting wash time.

• Therapeutic Bath Experience - From bath salts and herbal bath bags to bubble baths and bath bombs, these simple recipes for making your own bath treatments and after-bath splashes will help you unwind or just indulge.

Each section's step-by-step instructions let the individual move at her own pace while offering useful tips and techniques along the way. Once you've mastered the crafts, you can experiment with your own colors, fragrances and additives. Plus with the creative packaging ideas in Body Care Basics, you can give your creations away in attractive gift sets or decorative boxes and bottles.

Crafts is a how-to magazine that showcases an array of meaningful craft projects and popular techniques, complemented with detailed instructions and patterns. Published 10 times a year with a paid circulation of 300,000, Crafts is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Hobby Lobby, JoAnns, Michaels and Wal-Mart, as well as craft retailers nationwide.