One of my best friends is going to Burning Man in a few months (hence the blog post title reference to this year’s theme) I don’t get to go this year (wah! just kidding, I am pretty cool with staying home this year). However, I’m trying to develop some fun body care products for her to take. Hopefully, after I get some feedback and make any necessary adjustments, I can then have all this and more ready in my Etsy shop next year to market to the festival crowd.
First and foremost, I’m making a cooling mist. It’s based around a recipe I read on Humblebee & Me for “Air Conditioning in a Bottle”, only a little stronger and in a bigger bottle with an adjustable misting function. There are two things that wear on you out there in the dust, and one of them is the relentless heat, and the other is the lack of smell of anything but the dust. By making this strongly scented minty spray, with peppermint, camphor, menthol, tea tree, and wintergreen, I hope to help combat the dust smell for a brief few moments AND help provide a refreshing cooling sensation when misted on bare skin. My advice is to strip down as much as possible in front of your tent fan, mist your entire body, and enjoy both the smell and the brief little shiver from this spray even though there may be a dust storm outside.
Another creation that’s been cracked is a lotion with an acidic component. It’s vital in the alkaline environment of the Playa to both moisturize and readjust the pH of your skin by applying something like vinegar. Now, you can use a double duty item like my new lotion, which can boast an oil component like either coconut oil or a rich oil, like wheat germ or jojoba (which is actually a wax, and very close in composition to human sebaceous gland oil), and also an acidic component like raw apple cider vinegar or citric acid solution. Of course, skin soothing essential oils can be added as well. For those of you who still prefer wiping down directly with your ACV, maybe consider a traditional lotion of coconut oil and shea butter with aloe juice to have on hand in your cooler after a hard day biking and checking out all the art. It would not only feel great, it would be great for your skin. I make traditional lotions upon request and with your input, helping you determine your needs and then constructing the lotion that will help you the most. I would like to mention that I can also make a more natural, paraben, artificial “yuckies” dupe of many items on the market upon request.
Also, even though water is a luxury item and showers are unheard of at Burning Man, I made up two kinds of refreshing soap. Cooling and tingly mint soap in both liquid and bar form for anyone who wants it. Because it’s Burning Man, the liquid soap will be shimmery gold, and the bar soap will have a pretty bright green stripe with a fun swirl on top. Both have peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, and just a touch of eucalyptus. I think you’ll enjoy them.
And then, even though I STRONGLY believe in commercial and scientifically tested sunblock, I’m making some homemade sunblock that can be used as face and body paint. It “should” have an spf of approximately 20, which is too low to count on for all day wear in the desert, so layer this with a good commercial sunblock underneath. But these zinc oxide based body paints are colorful and fun for face and body, are water and sweat resistant, and their sparkly reflectiveness makes them unique. They come in silver, crystal white, purple, teal, yellow, and pink.
I suggest you check out this awesome blog to read about how spf is calculated, the difference between chemical and physical sunscreens and sunblock, and other great information about using sunscreens in general that you should probably know. I have it bookmarked for easy reference because this blogger has her facts and ducks in a row! I use a different recipe than what she has on her blog, but her info is still awesome.
I don’t usually promote my shop this heavily on my blog, but I worked hard on everything for this event this year, and am hopeful that it will be utilized by friends and delighted new faces. I wish I could afford to gift all my creations to my community, but the best I can do is price them reasonably and competitively so that I don’t cause undue stress on the pocketbooks of the average attendee. I feel bad that it’s all coming together at this late date, but hopefully at least a few people will be able to utilize the fruits of my hard work and next spring I can use their feedback to make improved products for next year!
In the meantime, you can still email me suggestions and requests if there’s something you personally want for your trip to the Man or for another big trip, period.
Incidentals 