Luxurious DIY baths and soaks

Nov 20

Seashells, pillar candles, and tealights on the edge of a bathtub.

By Erin Covey-Smith

Your bath tub can be a great place to relieve tension, soothe aching joints, stimulate circulation, or chase away a cold. The way to a soothing bath can be as simple as running some comfortably hot water and adding 1-2 tbsp of coconut or almond oil and/or 1-2 cups of Epsom salt. Or you can take a few more steps to create these DIY bath additions that will bring your relaxation time to the next level.

Bath Salts

Bath salts start with a base of Epsom salt, which isn’t salt at all but a magnesium sulfate compound. Epsom salt is great for soaking sore muscles and, due to the magnesium content, easing stress and tension. And, unlike real salt, it will soften rather than dry out your skin.

To make bath salts: Start with a basic mix of one cup Epsom salt + one cup rock salt. Store in dry, airtight containers. Use ½ cup at a time.

Add scent with essential oils: Essential oils are potent, so start with just a few drops mixed into the salt base (see more on bath oils below). Try sweet orange oil, vanilla oil and/or carnation oil.

Add dried herbs: Mix 1-2 tbsp of dried herbs or flowers like lavender, mint, rosemary or rose petals into your salt base. Don’t use fresh herbs as they will wilt and leach moisture into the salt. (See below for more floral and herbal bath ideas.)

TRY THIS
Mustard bath for sore muscles: Mix together ¼ cup Epsom salts, 1 cup baking soda, ¼ cup mustard powder, and 6 drops each of wintergreen, rosemary and eucalyptus essential oils. Add 6 tbsp of the mixture to a running bath.

Flower & Herbal Baths

Soak up the therapeutic benefits of flowers and herbs by infusing them into your bath. You can make a bundle of fresh herbs or flowers and hang them from your faucet while the water runs over them into the tub. Or, gather ½ cup of dried herbs into a muslin bag, tea towel or handkerchief and steep the “tea bag” in a few inches of water for 10 minutes before topping off the tub and hopping in. (You can then use the tea bag as a compress over your eyes or on the back of your neck.)

Stimulating Herbs: Basil leaves, bay leaves, calendula flowers, peppermint, rosemary, sage, thyme

Soothing Herbs: Chamomile, evening primrose, jasmine, lavender, lemon balm, rose, valerian root

TRY THIS:
Lavender blend: 2 tbsp dried lavender flowers and leaves, 2 tbsp dried rosemary leaves, 1 tbsp dried ginger root powder, 2 tbsp dried eucalyptus leaves Dried flower blend: 2 tbsp dried chamomile, 2 tbsp dried rosebuds, 2 tbsp dried lavender, 2 tbsp dried hops flowers

Two bundles of dried lavender and a metal scoop filled with bath salts next to a glass jar of bath salts.

Bath Oils

For a sensory experience, you can add essential oils – the extracts that give herbs, spices, fruits, and flowers their specific scents – to your bath. Or, create a skin softening and moisturizing blend by mixing essential oils into a carrier oil like almond or coconut oil. Because essential oils are so highly concentrated, they must be used with caution, but there is no one formula for how much to use. For specifics, read labels carefully or consult a certified aromatherapist.

When using essential oils on their own, first add the drops to a small bowl of warm water with 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt mixed in, and then add the mixture to the bath, to prevent the oil from beading in the water and concentrating in one spot on the skin. To make an oil blend, use three parts carrier oil to one part herbal essential oil and stir gently.

Energizing bath oil (add to cool water for extra awakening): 1 tbsp of almond oil to 5 drops of lavender, 4 drops of peppermint, and 3 drops each of grapefruit and lemongrass oils.

Relaxing bath oil: 2 tsp castor oil to 8 drops lavender and 8 drops chamomile essential oils.

Dry skin bath oil: 4 tbsp jojoba oil, 4 tbsp almond oil, 2 tbsp vitamin E oil, 10 drops sweet orange, 6 drops lavender, 4 drops lemongrass essential oils. Shake up in a well-sealed glass jar.

TRY THIS
Honey bath: Mix together 4 tablespoons honey, 5 drops lavender essential oil and 3 drops sandalwood essential oil, then add to your bath and enjoy. Shut the door, light a candle, turn on some quiet music, and soak those cares away. Ahh…