Making Bath SaltsWhichever type of salts you decide to use as your base ingredient for your bath salts recipe - this has got to be the easiest and most effective homemade beauty recipe on this website! All you need is a fancy jar to put them in and a little ribbon or lace and you have a delightfully aromatic gift. Don't know what to give your child's teacher at the end of term? Well look no further... Basic Lavender Bath Salts
Ingredients200g Coarse Sea Salt 200g Epsom Salts 100g Dead Sea Salt 5ml liquid Glycerine (optional) 10ml Lavender Essential Oil Method Combine the salts together in a glass or china bowl or jug. Do not use plastic bowls or spoons since the essential oils can discolour these. (And always remember to clean the bath thoroughly after using the salts since prolonged use can discolour your bath too!) Sprinkle on the lavender essential oil and liquid glycerine if using. With a wire whisk carefully mix the ingredients until everything is well combined. Mix really well. The better you mix the better the end product. If you have used liquid glycerine the salts mixture may feel a bit wet or sticky. If so, you can dry them by spreading them onto greaseproof paper and leave for 24 hours. Pack the salts into a fancy apothecary jar or container and label it. Include ingredients on your label in case the person you are giving them to is allergic to anything and directions for use. i.e. A tablespoon of scented bath salts poured under running water is plenty for an average bath. A single sprig of fresh lavender can be inserted into the jar for decoration. I tend not to include actual lavender buds in any of my recipes since they do not look nice once they are floating on the top of the bathwater, however if you like this sort of thing, remember less is better... you don't want it to look like a swarm of ants in your bath! Leave the salts in the jar for at least 24 hours to allow the essential oil to settle down before using in the bath. To Vary Absolutely any pleasant smelling essential oil or blend of essential oils can be used in this recipe. Just be guided by your nose... if it is a very strong smelling essential oil then you may wish to use slightly less than the recommended 10ml. The liquid glycerine can be replaced with a similar quantity of vegetable oil - choose one that suits your skintype.
Buying sea salt is best done in 1kg packs or more but sometimes these can be hard to find, I recommend:
Detox Bath SaltsThe detoxifying effect of epsom salts is truly amazing - although to work really well you need to use very large quantities of epsom salt (and this should not be done if you suffer from high blood pressure), even a small amount used regularly seems to have a cumulative effect.Ingredients 500g Epsom Salts zest of one unwaxed lemon (optional) 5ml Rose Geranium essential oil 5ml Lemon essential oil 1 tsp of Calendula petals (Pot Marigold petals) (optional) Method Mix the zest of the lemon into the epsom salts in a glass or china bowl. Add the calendula petals if you are using these. Combine the essential oils and mix with a wire whisk into the salt. Mix really well - the art of good bath salt making is in the mixing. Decant the salts into a jar or container and decorate and label. Don't forget to put the ingredients on the label and the directions for use: 1 tablespoon of salts poured under running water in an average size bath is sufficient. To Vary 10ml of Vegetable oil or Liquid Glycerine can be added to this recipe. It makes the salts slightly sticky and less free-flowing but don't let that put you off. If you have dry skin choose a suitable oil from the skincare oils page. and allow the salts to dry on greaseproof paper for 24 hours before putting them into the jar. For more information about the beneficial qualities of Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate)
click here.
Having trouble finding large enough quantities of epsom salts? I recommend:
Shea Butter Bath Soak for Dry Skin
This is truly the height of luxury and extravagance as well as being the most glorious gourmet feast for dry, parched skin!Ingredients 100g Organic Shea Butter (the shea butter should be a pale cream to white colour and smell slightly nutty as well as being pliable or crumbly in texture) 250g Sea Salt Flakes (if you can only buy the salt in large chunks then you will need to whizz it for a while in a food processor or liquidiser in order to grind it a little finer) 5ml Rose Otto Essential Oil 1 tsp of dried rose petals ground to a powder (combine them with the sea salt in the food processor or use a pestle and morter to get the petals as fine as possible). This is optional Method Using a metal spoon begin by creaming the shea butter in a bowl until it is very creamy in texture. Add the salt a little at a time along with the rose otto essential oil. Continue to cream it together until all of the salt and shea butter are combined. Decant into a jar and allow to rest for at least 24 hours before use. Don't forget to include the ingredients on the label along with instructions for use. Crumble a teaspoon or two under a running tap into a normal size bath of warm water. Soak for at least 15 minutes and then pat the skin dry. Be careful on exiting the bath as the shea butter could make it slippery. To VaryAny type of salt or combination of salts could be used and any essential oil or blend of essential oil. For suggestions of blends of essential oils go to the Aromatherapy and related pages.
If you are hooked on shea butter you might be interested in learning more about it:
Return to the Bathing without Bubbles Page
|
