stuff for the troops abroad - ideas?

[dixiedragon]

My aunt's church is going to be making care packages for troops in Afghanistan and she wants me to make some stuff. I'm looking for ideas.

Scents - I am thinking on sticking with lavender, lemongrass, tea tree, peppermint and eucalyptus EOs. I have heard insects are bad there and I'm concerned that, say, Vanilla Nutmeg will attract more insects.

Lip balm and lotion bars - I'm worried about those melting in the heat. Does anybody happen to have a recipe they love that's been tested in desert conditions?

 

[KristaY]

Maybe add in some citronella for insect control? It would blend really nicely with the other EO's you've listed.

As far as desert condition lip balm and lotion bars the only thing I've found to help with LESS melting is increasing my butters - specifically cocoa and shea. In the hot, dry desert, everything melts except cement, rocks and cactus, lol. When I make something in summer for my sister (who lives in the Phoenix area) I never ship it. I wait and hand deliver it when I see her in person. So if you'll be shipping in say, January, it should make it to the Middle East before the extreme heat sets in. Once there, it'll be a crap shoot depending on their living conditions.

 

[PuddinAndPeanuts]

Maybe a body butter with high melt coconut, high melt shea, and some beeswax along with your oil of choice?

 

[Susie]

Way back in the war for Kuwait (Bush I), my nursing instructor got sent to a MASH unit. We sent care packages to her and the other nurses there. They said not to send Chapstick as it melted and made a mess in their uniforms. Everything needed to be in a seal-able tube. If I wanted to send hand made products, I would probably use something like these:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WUVOBA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Steve85569]

120 F in the shade. There is no shade.
Nasties that you can hear crawling on the wall - they're BIG.
Bug repellent does not work on them.

Send anything that is from here (home) that won't melt.

 

[rainycityjen]

Mildly-scented liquid body wash might be better than bar soap, if you can swing it.

 

[TBandCW]

Just asked my son who spent a yr in Iraq. He suggested baby wipes, lip balms, lotions, bug spray and soap. Maybe you could make some baby wipes with guy scents or lemongrass to repel bugs. The most popular thing I ever sent him were flip flops, or zories as we used to call them. Rite Aid had an end of summer sale on those cheap ones for $.25 cents each, I bought every one of them and as soon as he opened the pkg they were all taken!

 

[JayJay]

How about felted soap? It may be handy to have the washrag and soap in one?

I like the idea of bar soap with citronella.

Oh and how about shampoo bars. Or a body and hair bar in one. If they are pressed for time during their hygiene routine, having fewer steps my be appreciated.

 

[RadarLuv]

baby wipes, baby wipes, baby wipes, baby wipes, baby wipes, baby wipes! a million different uses and almost as valuable as currency.

 

[newbie]

Sounds like baby wipes and flip flops will make your recipients kings!! I had read about someone making neem oil soap for the troops with the idea that it helps repel insects and specifically the flies. I have no idea if there is truth in that but maybe flies dislike neem as much as most people do. This person made a 20-25% neem bar so it must have been pretty potent.

DeeAnna had made a post about making a lotion bar for bartenders because they can't have anything greasy on their hands, working with glass. It had a good percentage of beeswax in it, and maybe some coconut oil. She made discs that were wrapped in parchment paper and could be kept in tins, so they could keep them in their pockets and not melt. That might be a possibility.

Oops, it was beeswax and cocoa butter. HEre's the thread.
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=39838&highlight=bartenders+beeswax