Bath Salt Recipes You Can Make at Home
Why spend all that money on bath salts when you can make them simply and easily at home. Plus, if you make them yourself, you can be sure to use ingredients that won’t harm or irritate your skin.
The first ingredient in bath salts is of course, salt! The most common kind used is Epsom Salt. This is the same kind of salt recommended by doctors to disinfect and treat skin issues. Many people swear by Epson salt to remove toxic chemicals from the skin. You can also try using sea salts as well, or mix the two together. Avoid using table salt because it can dry your skin out.
Essential oils are the next “essential” ingredient for homemade bath salts. They not only provide moisture for your skin, their scents can provide aromatherapy to relax you, revive you, or help ease you to sleep. The type of oil you use depends on what kind of mood you’d like to create. Lavender, vanilla, and eucalyptus are great for a relaxing bath. While citrus oils will re-energize and refresh you.
If the essential oils you use turn out to be too strong for your skin, try diluting them in vegetable oil before adding to your salts.
You can also try adding herbs instead of (or in addition to) your essential oils. They have the same aroma therapy effects but you can often find dried herbs more easily than certain essential oils.
In addition to essential oils and herbs, you can also put in other ingredients to soften, moisturize, and otherwise improve your skin. Adding a few teaspoons of baking soda per jar will help you soften your skin and leave you feeling silky smooth. If you add citric acid with your baking soda, you can make your bath salts fizz and soften at the same time!
Once you have your ingredients, it’s time to combine everything. Just add about 10 drops of oil to about two cups of salt and whatever other ingredients you want to include and stir, stir, stir. The longer you stir, the better the oils and infused into the salt. Then put everything in a clean, sterilized jar and seal it tight ready for use.
While making your own bath salts is a great way to relax yourself, smooth your skin and save money, you don’t have to save them all for yourself. Homemade bath salts make great gifts and can even be sold. Just put them in decorative jars, or add lace or other flair to plain old mason jars to give your friends family, and co-workers a soothing natural treat.
Once your salts are ready, it’s time to use them for a relaxing or stimulating bath. Add a half cup of your salts to a warm bath. Remember not to use hot water because it can dry the skin. Then just climb in and enjoy!
