Many beauty products we use on daily basis are packed with chemicals that are not just detrimental to our skin but also dangerous to our health. (Seriously, the national food and drug monitoring seems to find more and more harmful stuff in our products each year.)
As such, it is no wonder that many are opting to ditch run-of-the-mill brands in favor of more bespoke and natural-wellness creations. Sensing the increased interest, a number of centers in Bali have started running hands-on workshops teaching how to craft DIY personal care and beauty products from natural ingredients.
Cantika Zest
Inspired by “the passion of sharing plant wisdom,” Cantika Zest makes all its products from the herbs grown on the premises. The health and beauty center, which consists of three spas—Jasmine, Alami and Zest—in the Ubud area, holds regular one-hour sessions that encompass both a tour of the garden and a practical workshop during which participants learn how to make their own wellness products from ingredients such as ginger, frangipani, cloves, and cinnamon.
From natural shampoo, conditioner, lip balm, and soap to massage oils and salt baths, Cantika Zest has you covered. While the beauty products are made from locally available ingredients, Ketut Jasi, who founded Cantika Zest and runs the workshops, ensures that each participant knows what plants these can be substituted with once they go back to their own country.
L’Atelier Parfums et Créations
Many do not realize that Indonesia is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of raw materials used in the production of essential oils. Building on the archipelago’s rich variety of spices, flowers and woods, L’Atelier Parfums et Créations offers visitors the chance to craft their own signature fragrance while learning about Indonesia through its scents.
L’Atelier’s three-hour workshops include a theory lesson on Indonesia’s role in the perfume industry. This is followed by a 90-minute session where participants get to put their newfound knowledge to the test while they have around 45 different essences to play with. Alternatively, participants can skip the lecture and move right to the practical part of perfume-making.
The sessions start with a questionnaire to determine each participant’s perfume personality, and a selection of the base, mid, and top notes that make up a fragrance. The participants then concoct three different scents, one of which is made into a 30-milliliter bottle of bespoke fragrance. If you’re enthralled by your own creation, fear not. All perfume formulas are kept on L’Atelier’s database and can be reordered.
There are also special children’s workshops, where the little ones get to identify various scents such as bubble gum and chocolate, before mixing and matching essences to produce their own unique fragrance.
L’Atelier is located at the New Ritz Carlton in Nusa Dua and Ayana Resort and Spa in Jimbaran (closed for renovation until July 2017).
Ubud Botany Interactive
Ubud Botany Interactive offers workshops that teach participants how to transform herbs, leaves, fruit and flowers into natural beauty products such as shampoo, hair conditioner, body scrubs, and sunscreen. The Ubud workshops are run by Dewi, who holds a Bachelor degree in Botany and Agriculture from Udayana University in Denpasar and a Master of Science and Biology specializing in plant biodiversity—so you know she’s legit. The sessions focus specifically on how native plants are utilized in Balinese culture.
Those who opt to start with an informal walking tour, learn about the medicinal properties of various plants, as well as the Balinese subak irrigation system and the significant role it plays within the community. Each walk can be tailored to the specific interests of the participants and is followed by an interactive workshop, where participants get to make a number of natural products.
Ubud Botany Interactive also offers Balinese ceremony classes, Balinese cake cooking classes, coconut oil cooking classes, Balinese food cooking classes, as well as trips to the Holy Spring Water Temple. In addition, Dewi has a small store where she sells natural products, many handmade by local farmers.
