Natural Beauty Baths

Hydrotherapy or water therapy is an ancient and honored component of many beauty regimes.
For thousands of years, people have enjoyed soaking away their aches and pains, cleansing their mind and body while watching their troubles evaporate away with the rising steam.

Many of us have become accustomed to a convenient shower instead.

The benefits of immersing yourself into a luxuriant, comforting tub are numerous and well worth making the time for. Being able to lay back or sit down as opposed to standing the entire time during the shower are relaxing features in their own right.

Soaking muscles can help ease away tight pains from the days effort and stress. Callouses on your hands and feet can soften considerably and be easier to remove once you have spent some time in the water.

Herbal Bath Preparations

Our skin is the largest organ in the body and whatever it comes in contact with, it usually absorbs. That’s why it’s so important to protect and nourish your skin, as what you put on it affects your general health as well as your skin health.

Herbal baths can be extremely beneficial, as they are all natural and can provide relief for a variety of common health complaints, both physical and emotional.

Customizing your own herbal bath treatment can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Herbal Bath Bombs

Bath bombs are simple to make and fun to use. What better way to entice a child who doesn’t yet love to bathe, than with some scented herbal bath bombs!

For yourself, depending on the ingredients you use, you can use them to help alleviate sciatica, arthritis and joint inflammation, skin conditions, depression and insomnia.

Basic Recipe

Here is the basic recipe. Below are some ‘optional extras’ to experiment with to find your perfect blend.

  • Mix together ½ cup of Baking Soda with 1 cup of Citric Acid and set aside.
  • Next, take a separate bowl and mix 4 teaspoons of almond oil with 30 drops of your essential oil of choice.

Note that citric acid provides a fizzy component, but it can sting the eyes and in some people may cause a mild skin reaction. Just don’t touch your eyes while mixing the ingredients.

  • Mix together half the wet mixture with half of the dry mixture.
  • Compact into empty cardboard egg cartons and let harden for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Flip out onto wax paper and leave on the kitchen counter for 24 hours to completely harden.

Repeat with other half of the mixture.

Bath Bomb Herbal Additives

Note there are many recipes available. Many use soothing Epsom salts as a base, which is high in magnesium. So have fun making a few different batches and experimenting.

Pick some lavender flowers, spearmint or peppermint leaves, rosemary or lemon balm leaves from your garden or purchase from a local garden center.

Alternatively, you can order many herbs online. Add the dried herbs to your bath bombs for added variation and benefits.

Homemade Bath Salts

Beauty stores offer a plethora of products; however, many have chemical additives and unnecessary color and fragrance added. It is healthier and more fun to blend your own bath salts.

Save all of your glass food jars with lids and reuse for storing you custom-made blends.

Directions

  • Combine half a cup of natural sea salt with one cup of Epsom salts. Both can be purchased at your local grocery or pharmacy.
  • Next, add 20 to 30 drops of 100% pure essential oils.
  • Top off with 2 to 3 tablespoons of dried botanicals or herbs. Organic rosemary or dried rose petals are great options.
  • Simply mix all together in a bowl and transfer to a glass container with an air-tight lid.

Herbal Bath Tea Bags

If you are going to be using any herbs or botanicals that do not dissolve, such as dried rosemary, oatmeal or flower petals, consider making your own drawstring bag for your suspension bath salts.

  • Sew a 4 inch square with muslin or cheesecloth, leaving the 4th side open for the filling of the herbs used.
  • Taking a thicker yarn, finish the open edge and leave a couple of inches of string so you can tie it closed and open it easy.
  • Allow enough length so that the string is long enough to hang from the faucet and be in the waterfall during tub-filling.
  • Or you may prefer to have your bath ‘tea bag’ float in the tub with you.
  • Allow the bag to dry after the bath and the herbs or solid material will be easy to remove and reuse. You will also prevent clogging the drain.

Homemade Moisturizing Bath Milk

As an alternative recipe, combine the following, and use a half cup in your homemade bath tea bag to make a moisturizing bath milk.

  • 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 1/8 cup of baking soda
  • 1 ½ cup of powdered milk
  • ½ cup of Epsom salt
  • and whatever dried flowers or herbs you prefer.

Visit your kitchen cupboards and try experimenting with your homemade bath recipes using:

  • Oatmeal, Bay Leaves, Chamomile tea, Sage, Mint, Thyme, Lavender, Basil, Rosemary and Honey.

Essential Oil Beauty Bath Combinations

If you love essential oils for your beauty preparations, you’ll love these combinations to add directly to your bath.

Peppermint & Eucalyptus
For an invigorating bath, try mixing together these essential oils. This combination is also great to help soak away cold and flu symptoms or stuffiness due to seasonal allergies.

Chamomile & Lavender
Perfect bedtime bath elixir. Will help soothe muscles and relax your mind as well as your body.

Spearmint & Eucalyptus
A perfect uplifting formula for starting your day in a refreshing way.
Rosemary, Lavender & Juniper
Simultaneously relaxing and invigorating. The best of both worlds!

Wheat Germ Treatment for Weak and Brittle Fingernails

So now you’ve had a bath, perhaps you’re looking at your weak, brittle nails which are now extremely softened from the bath water.

Once they have dried and ready to be put in water again, you can just warm up some wheat germ oil and immerse your fingers for 3 to 5 minutes.

Once your fingers are out of the oil, rub the excess into your hands and massage your fingers, especially around the cuticle beds.