Have you noticed how difficult it’s getting to buy scented bath powder? Drugstores have about stopped carrying it—probably because talc is now believed to cause respiratory problems and even cancer. You can still buy it at a department store, but a brand like Guerlain or Lanvin charges sixty bucks
After I decided to move up from bluejeans last spring, I was reminded of why one wants bath powder: it’s mighty uncomfortable to walk around in a skirt on a hot, sweaty day. Baby powder works OK, but between you and me, I don’t want to go around smelling like the changing table.
Making your own bath powder is easy and cheap. Take a look at the ingredients on a can of Johnson’s baby powder: it’s mostly cornstarch!
You can use 100 percent cornstarch, creating a soft, soothing powder that absorbs moisture and adds no extraneous perfumes. If you’d like a deodorant effect, you can add baking soda; the proportion is one part baking soda to three parts cornstarch. Some people add rice flour, but this is difficult to find and unnecessary.
To add scent, simply spritz a cotton ball with your favorite perfume or scent it with some vanilla or an essential oil. Let the cotton ball get dry, and then toss it into a Ziplock bag with the unscented powder. Shake well. Leave the scented cotton in with the powder for about three days, shaking once a day…and voilà! Bath powder in your favorite scent! After the powder has absorbed enough scent, remove the cotton ball.
Get a pretty shaker can or jar to present it to a loved one for Christmas. For myself, I just keep it in a convenient container. A small jar with holes punched in the lid works well.
To gild the lily, you can easily make a powder puff. All you need is some fleece or other fuzzy textured fabric, some satin or brightly colored fabric, a short length of ribbon, and a little batting. Cut a circle out of each fabric, so you have two identically sized circles about six inches in diameter. Take a piece of ribbon and cut off a six-inch long piece.
Place the fabric circles together face to face with the ribbon sandwiched between them. The ribbon can go across the diameter or be laid diagonally across the circle. Stitch around the perimeter, leaving an inch or so open. Turn the resulting powder-puff casing inside out, so the right faces and the ribbon are on the outside. Stuff the casing with cotton or synthetic batting and then stitch the opening closed.
If you don’t want to go to that much trouble, you can buy a less fancy powder puff
Many people believe that cornstarch “feeds” fungi and therefore should not be used if you’re prone to yeast infections or on a baby’s diaper rash. Recent studies, however, show that this is untrue—cornstarch does not aggravate yeast infections. Indeed, at least one cream designed for diaper rash is full of cornstarch. For other reasons, I would not put any perfumed powder on intimate places. And if Baby has a diaper rash, it should be treated with a cream or ointment for the purpose. Diaper rash or a yeast infection that goes untreated will get worse, whether or not you apply powder to the affected area.
When you go to buy cornstarch, read the ingredients. Clabber Girl contains added calcium. I bought Argo because it’s 100 percent cornstarch with no adulterants.
