Welcome back to the IHC Craft Room or if you’re new here then welcome! I’m Mary, and today I’m testing out the brand-new Bath & Body collection from Village Craft & Candle. These bases are ready-to-use; which means you can literally pour them straight into a bottle and call it a day. But you know me, I had to take it a step further and add one of my favorite fragrance oils, All Summer Long, to create a full, matching bath & body set.
By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly how to:
- Work with shampoo, body wash, lotion, and liquid soap bases
- Calculate fragrance safely using IFRA guidelines
- Bottle up your products like a pro
- Test the final results (spoiler: the lather was amazing)
Materials You’ll Need
- Shampoo base (500 ml)
- Body wash base (500 ml)
- Liquid hand soap base (500 ml)
- Body lotion base (500 ml + 213 ml)
- 4 × 500 ml amber pump bottles
- 1 × 213 ml Library jar with black lid
- Waterproof labels
- All Summer Long fragrance oil
- Parchment paper
- Paper towels
- Kitchen scale
- Medium mixing bowl (Dollar Tree find!)
- Silicone funnel
- Spatula
- Pipette
- Rubber gloves
Step 1: Prep Your Bottles
I started by labeling my amber bottles with the waterproof labels that came in the set. (They were gorgeous, but wow, peeling them was a challenge with my nails!) Once your bottles are labeled, set them up with the pump tops nearby.
Step 2: Check the Safety Guidelines
Before we add any fragrance oil, we need to check two things:
- The maximum fragrance load for each base – this is listed on the product page for each ready-to-use base.
- Liquid Soap: 0.8%
- Body Wash: 0.5%
- Shampoo: 0.8%
- Lotion: 1%
- The safety restrictions for our fragrance oil – we find those in the IFRA (International Fragrance Association) document. You can download the IFRA sheet for your fragrance directly from the product page.
For my fragrance, All Summer Long, the IFRA limits are 5.5% for lotions (Section 5C) and 36.6% for shampoos, body washes, and liquid soaps (Section 9). That’s much higher than what the bases themselves are designed to hold.
So here’s the important part: always use the lower number between the IFRA guideline and the base maximum. In this case, we’re going with the base maximums listed above.
I’ve done the calculations (and included a free downloadable recipe sheet), but if you’re making your own products, be sure to double-check both the IFRA document for your fragrance and the product page for your base.
Step 3: Do the Maker Math
Okay, now it’s finally time for a little maker math. Don’t worry, I’ve already done the all heavy lifting. Each base has its own max fragrance load, and since we’re aiming for 500 g (or 500 ml) per amber bottle, we’re only working with teeny tiny amounts of fragrance oil.
Let’s use the liquid soap as an example. The max load is 0.8%.
- 500 g total batch weight × 0.8% = 4 g of fragrance oil
- That means 496 g of liquid soap base + 4 g of fragrance oil
Easy, right?
And here’s the best part: you don’t even have to pull out your calculator. I put together a free recipe sheet with the exact amounts for all four products, and you can download it right here.
If you decide to branch out and make your own collection later, just remember to double-check the product page for your base and fragrance first. That way you’ll always know you’re working within the safe usage rates.
Step 4: Mix and Bottle
For each product:
- Weigh out the base.
- Use a pipette to measure fragrance oil (tiny amounts = pipette is your bestie).
- Stir thoroughly. The bases don’t all have the same mixing time. For liquid soap and body wash, the recommended stir time is 2–5 minutes. For shampoo and lotion, it’s 5–10 minutes. I always aim for the longer end of the range because I’d rather be sure everything is fully blended (and, let’s be honest, extra really is my middle name).
- Funnel into bottles.
- Pop on the pump top.
✔️ Shampoo, body wash, and soap were super easy.
❌ Lotion… let’s just say it tested my patience. Thankfully, my silicone funnel saved the day!
Step 5: Test the Products
Here’s how each turned out:
- Liquid Soap: One pump, instant rich lather. The scent came through bright and fresh. Perfect for everyday handwashing.
- Body Wash: Took a little longer to lather, but once it did, it was creamy and soft. The fragrance was light and refreshing.
- Shampoo: The star of the show! Foamed up instantly with just one pump. Smelled super clean and energizing.
- Body Lotion: Smooth coverage with just one pump. The fragrance lingered softly on the skin.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, I’m in love with how this turned out. The amber bottles look gorgeous, the fragrance tied everything together, and the ready-to-use bases truly made the process beginner-friendly. Plus you could easily skip the fragrance if you want a fragrance-free version; the bases perform beautifully on their own.
✨ Pro tip: Pair your bath & body collection with a matching candle, wax melts or reed diffusers in the same fragrance for the ultimate at-home spa set.
Ready to Make Your Own?
If you want to try this project yourself, you can shop the supplies at Village Craft & Candle. Don’t forget to use my affiliate code IHC5 for 5% off your order!
👉 Watch the full tutorial here: https://youtu.be/FyStQtk2HvM
👉 Subscribe to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/@IHCCraftRoom
👉 Related tutorials: https://youtu.be/tx9PhhMyB9I
